Taylor Swift is known for her break-up songs, and tunes that will make you use multiple tissues while listening to them because there are so many tears flowing. Lately, on the Eras Tour, the pop star has really been leaning into her catalog of those tunes as she selected her surprise songs, and fans on TikTok have caught on. So, as Swift gets ready to release upcoming projects like Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), let’s take a look back at the last few weeks of her tour, and analyze this ongoing trend.
For some context, the list of songs Taylor Swift played between June 2 and June 17 have been about splitting up with someone or are just extra sad. Notably, she and Joe Alwyn reportedly broke up in April, and she was allegedly romantically involved with Matty Healy up until they apparently split up in June. By selecting songs from throughout Swift’s eras, the singer has been showing off just how many tracks in her discography are of the break-up and/or tearjerking variety. See the list for yourself:
- Chicago Night 1: “I Wish You Would” and “the lakes”
- Chicago Night 2: “You All Over Me” and “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever”
- Chicago Night 3: “Hits Different” and “The Moment I Knew”
- Detroit Night 1: “Haunted” and “I Almost Do”
- Detroit Night 2: “All You Had To Do Was Stay” and “Breathe”
- Pittsburgh Night 1: “Mr. Perfectly Fine” and “The Last Time”
- Pittsburgh Night 2: “seven” and “The Story of Us”
During Detroit Night 2, thethriftyswiftie posted a video on TikTok talking about this growing streak of sad songs Taylor Swift has been playing on tour. As the TikToker noted just how sad her song choice was that night, specifically speaking about “All You Had To Do Was Stay,” many fans in the comments shared their thoughts on the song choices, posting:
- Blondie is really going through it😭😭😭 Daddy Joe needs to come back😭 -Veroni_kPG
- You could see her wiping away a tear at the end of breathe 😭😭 -Doralisa
- I feel like the breakup is setting in. The rebound was just that and now it’s over reality is kicking in. Breathe was a message that it’s for the best -topher…chris
- Hope she is okay! These have all been so so sad! -Megan.Mudge
While speaking about Chicago Night 3, thethriftyswiftie noted that even though “Hits Different” feels like an upbeat song, it’s actually quite tragic. Plus, Swift paired it with “The Moment I Knew,” which is about a relationship ending, making for an extra sad duo. Like in the comments about Detroit, Swifties shared their thoughts on the these songs trying to deduce the deeper meaning of these choices and applauding the brilliance of them as well:
- Okay so this has nothing to do with the surprise songs but I feel like Taylor is telling us something with the background of her tour. -Whitley Eddings
- Ugh yes I was there and it was such a good duo and that makes so much sense! -Taylor
- UGHHH I LOVEEEEE TAYLOR’S MIND! 😪💋 -willow (taylor’s version)
Then we were hit with the sad songs again in Pittsburgh, making it three straight cities, eight consecutive shows and 14 sad and/or break-up songs played. There is nothing official that ties this trend to her reported breakups with Alwyn and Healy, however, considering the proximity of that news and these songs being played consecutively it’s hard not to wonder if they’re connected.
As a fan, seeing this trend is making me feel all the feels. While I can’t help but notice how sad these songs are (even the upbeat ones), and hope that Taylor Swift is doing OK, I’m also so excited that she’s playing all these tracks live. To hear “The Story of Us” or “Mr. Perfectly Fine” or “Haunted” (among all the others) live would be a literal dream come true. Since they rarely get played live being in the stadium when she strums that guitar and walks over to her piano would be exhilarating. However, there’s also no question that it would lead to tears.
At the time of writing this, Taylor Swift is about halfway through the United States leg of the Eras Tour. With many cities left, and a whole global tour ahead, I’m interested to see if this trend of break-up and/or sad songs continues. As someone attending the concert soon, I need to know if I should be packing some tissues with me to prepare for the inevitable waterworks because if this streak goes on I’m going to need a whole box.
