Haunted

I had a very specific request last week, which I have tried to see through. I feel like I went mad halfway through writing this post, which I suppose is appropriate considering that this post is about Haunted by Taylor Swift. 

To start my research, I watched a music video compiled by a fan based on a live performance of the song. Here are my notes from that video: 

halloween, vampy, fingerless gloves, white girl rage, rock, violins, nostalgia - cult following 

I then googled the album art and related “aethetic images” and came up with these themes: 

trees whispy ballgown fairy lights dark woods fog

Finally, I watched a live performance of the song, featuring a large bell? It was this performance that solidified for me that this song was not, in fact, a country-pop teen breakup anthem, but a work of gothic literature. 

What was notable about this song is that it doesn't have a music video; it wasn't released as a single. Swift has never confirmed who the song was written about, and it stands out as uniquely out-of-genre on the album Speak Now. 

So- how do I capture the heartbreaking lyrics, the unique nostalgia of early Taylor Swift albums, and the gothic/romantic aesthetic Swift put into it? And how do I do all of that while appealing to a cultish group of dedicated white female 15 to 30 year old fans? I’ve tried my best:

MOVIES 

Twilight: New Moon

This was the instant pick. I resisted it for a long time as I was brainstorming it, but there’s no getting around the correlation between Taylor Swift and Twilight. It’s been long enough now that I don’t feel like a total looser talking about it. We can acknowledge that these movies were bad while also acknowledging that there was a reason this was, at one time, the biggest opening of a movie ever. Teenage girls are a powerful demographic. 

New Moon has that reckless desperation, the longing, and the mystery that matches the energy of Haunted. If there was just a little bit more spark or chemistry in the movie, I would say it's a perfect match. But something about Twilight makes it just a little bit more tame than Haunted. 

I also tossed around some more stereotypical love stories to match this song. No movie captures the anger and heartbreak expressed in these lyrics quite like The Notebook. The thing missing from that movie was the spookiness- the drama and flair of a victorian love story wasn't quite the same, so Ryan Gossling doesn't get top-of-the-list privileges. (If you're a director- I’d love to see a Southern Gothic Notebook. I think it would be perfect) 

More spooky movies include The Phantom of the Opera and Sweeny Todd. The love stories in these films follow the typical young-girl-meets-monster trope, but they don’t fit as well with the vibrant, youthful anger of Haunted. 

Finally, I wanted to give an honorable mention to Atonement which I just recently watched. It’s moody and sexually charged, and it has that “period piece” energy to it. However, the film overall is Too Quiet. The tension and anger of the separation is interrupted by the subplot and POV switches. Wonderful cinematography, but not quite right for this song. 

POEM

I went really literary for this one- way, way, way, back. I dove into the company of Gothic Literature master Mary Shelly for a love poem that fit the mood of the song. After a bit of scrolling, I discovered Bryon's When we two parted. I think it has a little but of everything we need. I like that it acknowledges that the love was doomed to begin with, but that that doesnt make the breakup any harder. I also like that it incorporated nature (as romantic poets tended too). The dew, the cold, all fit into the imagery that surrounds this song. My favorite stanza is below: 

The dew of the morning

Sank chill on my brow –

It felt like the warning

Of what I feel now.

Thy vows are all broken,

And light is thy fame;

I hear thy name spoken,

And share in its shame.

Read a deeper analysis here. 

BOOK 

The Night Circus By Eric Morgenstern 

I have never fallen so instantly in love with a book than I have since I read this one. It made me scream, and cry, and shut the book in the middle of a sentence. Its just a little gruesome, just a little fantasy, and just a little romance. The two love interests are pulled together and apart by an intricate set of circumstances that make the characters feel all the feelings expressed by Haunted. 

MUSIC 

I’m hitting you with a bit of nostalgia here by recommending moody and complex Disintegration here. Zone out, light some candles, and then relax as The Cure attempts -and fails- to shake off its growing popularity in favor of a gloomier audience. It has no violins, no swooshing skirts, and absolutely no teen-swifty-screamable moments, but I believe this album- and the song of the same name- belongs on this list for aesthetics alone. 

    (If you know me in real life, you can ask me about the other reason I chose this album. Maybe I'll get brave and update this post and explain later. 

CONCLUSION

I didn't get the chance to research art- but maybe I'll update with some later. I'm still not totally happy with this list- there's such an angry, passionate energy in haunted that I haven't been able to find in any other piece of media. Let me know if you think I missed anything, or horribly misread the aesthetics of this song. 

That's all for now. Let me know what you'd like to see next in the comments.