What does "Gorgeous" by Taylor Swift mean?

"Gorgeous" Lyrics Meaning 

Taylor Swift's "Gorgeous" was an especially trying one for me to explain. I stayed up until midnight to explain it and spent most of my first video talking about how people would probably think that it meant Taylor Swift was admitting to be a bisexual. Luckily for me, before it was up for long, my loyal fans explained the real meaning to me, and the next morning I started fresh and created the video you see below in which I explain the true meaning of the song. While not as controversial as Taylor Swift coming out of the closet, "Gorgeous" may still have a meaning that surprises you. 

"You've ruined my life by not being mine" 

The song, most think, is about Taylor Swift's new boyfriend Joe Alwyn (or maybe about cheating on Calvin Harris with Tom Hiddleston in 2016). Whether or not any of those are true, the song still tells an interesting story and shows Taylor Swift taking control in a romantic relationship. She's always been more willing than the average female singer to initiate a relationship, "Gorgeous" goes uniquely far even for her. 

Wanna go deeper with this song? Check out my podcast!

Verse 1 

You should take it as a compliment
That I got drunk and made fun of the way you talk
You should think about the consequence
Of your magnetic field being a little too strong
And I got a boyfriend, he's older than us
He's in the club doing I don't know what
You're so cool, it makes me hate you so much
(I hate you so much)

In the first verse of "Gorgeous," Taylor Swift sings to some unnamed guy who she's hitting on by not hitting on him. It's complicated, but essentially, she wants him to "take it as a compliment" that she's making fun of him and that she feels compelled to be with him be his own "magneticisim." She can't quite control herself around him and wants him to know that it's kind of his fault. 

Despite her having a boyfriend (who may or may not be faithful to her), she's attracted to this other guy, and the fact that she can't have him right now makes her "hate [him] so much." She wants desperately what she can't have, a theme we'll see throughout the song. 

Pre-Chorus 

Whiskey on ice, Sunset and Vine
You've ruined my life by not being mine

The "whiskey on ice" and the mention of "Sunset and Vine" (an intersection in Hollywood) suggests glamor and excitement in Taylor Swift's lifestyle. But even that can't keep her life from being "ruined" by this guy "not being mine." 

Chorus 

You're so gorgeous
I can't say anything to your face
'Cause look at your face
And I'm so furious
At you for making me feel this way
But what can I say?
You're gorgeous

And in the chorus, we hear why Taylor Swift is so attracted to this guy. Apparently, he's "gorgeous" and makes her so nervous that she "can't say anything to your face." Why? "'Cause look at your face." How good looking he is all the reason she needs to be "furious" at him "for making me feel this way." There's really not much more to say than that. She thinks he's "gorgeous." 

Verse 2 

You should take it as a compliment
That I'm talking to everyone here but you
And you should think about the consequence
Of you touching my hand in the darkened room
If you've got a girlfriend, I'm jealous of her
But if you're single that's honestly worse
'Cause you're so gorgeous it actually hurts
(Honey, it hurts)

In the second verse of "Gorgeous," Taylor Swift goes back on the offensive. This fellow "should take it as a compliment" that she's ignoring him, and he "should think about the consequence / Of you touching my hand in the darkened room." She can't control herself if he prompts her and puts the blame on him if something happens. 

She's "jealous" of any "girlfriend" he may have, but she'd even less happy if he turned out to be "single" because being so close to what she can't have "actually hurts" for her, and she desperately wants to have him for herself. 

Pre-Chorus 2

Ocean blue eyes looking in mine
I feel like I might sink and drown and die

In the second version of the pre-chorus, Taylor Swift sings that his "Ocean blue eyes [are] looking in mine"--they make her feel like she "might sink and drown and die" in that very ocean because his good looks are so overwhelming. 

Bridge 

You make me so happy it turns back to sad
There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have
And you are so gorgeous it makes me so mad
You make me so happy it turns back to sad, yeah
There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have
Guess I'll just stumble on home to my cats
Alone
Unless you wanna come along

In the lyrics of the bridge of "Gorgeous," Taylor indulges in a few paradoxes. This fellow makes her "so happy it turns back to sad," and he's "so gorgeous it makes me so sad." For her, there's nothing worse than "what [she] can't have." And then in what may be the most unique line of the song, Taylor mumbles to herself that she'll "just stumble on home to my cats / Alone / Unless you wanna come along"--a reference to fans' obsession with her cats that consistently show up in her social media. This fellow is essentially driving her to become a "crazy cat lady" because she's so obsessed with having what she can't have right now.

Outro

You make me so happy it turns back to sad
There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have
And you are so gorgeous it makes me so mad
You're gorgeous
You make me so happy it turns back to sad
There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have
You are so gorgeous it makes me so mad
You're gorgeous

The outro emphasizes the idea that she's maddened by the prospect of wanting so badly what she can't have. And the reason for her? It's always that he's "gorgeous." 

Deeper Meaning of "Gorgeous" by Taylor Swift: Can women be aggressive in relationships? Apparently. 

I think the most interesting aspect of "Gorgeous" is that Taylor Swift blames the man for her being attracted to him. Usually when men talk like this, it's this terrible pattern wherein which they blame a girl for unwanted advances on their parts. Now, I doubt Taylor Swift's advances (or lack thereof, a la line 2 of verse 2) are unwanted here, but this song reminded me strongly of basically every pop song sung by a male. 

It's passionate, it's aggressive, and it's the story of one person nearly forcing herself on someone else. It honestly made me stop and think for a moment. You rarely hear a female singer talking like this, and, as a man who hates it when male pop singers blame a woman for being so attractive or justify being annoying because a woman is attractive, I wasn't sure what to make of "Gorgeous." Musically, it's one of my favorite songs on the album so far, but it does give me pause.

Ultimately, though, I don't think that Taylor Swift is necessarily forcing herself on the guy, and she does seem willing to accept not getting what she wants in the bridge (take note, male pop stars). Personally, I think she's making a statement in this song that women shouldn't be afraid to go after guys. And I think her message is also a little tongue in cheek. "Gorgeous" seems to exaggerate her actions a little, almost as if to say, "Guys, it sounds silly when I say it. It sounds really dumb when you actually believe it." 

But, I'd love to know what you all think. Is Taylor Swift being too aggressive here? Is it tongue-in-cheek? Is there something more? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments.