Karma — Taylor Swift
#365Songs: September 11th
Karma’s a relaxing thought
Aren’t you envious that for you it’s not?
She did it!
Call me a Swiftie — for the next two months, at least.
Here’s the thing: I’ve been hard on Taylor Swift over the years. Not because she’s not talented — even if not totally my thing, I admire her impact and staying power — but because her brand siphons the oxygen out of every room, and the halo of her spotlight doesn’t seem to shine on adjacent artists who make more interesting versions of her expression. And the Travis Kelce sideshow drew millions of new fans to a sport that has a history of toxic masculinity, racism, and homophobia, all while the league has consistently minimized the life-threatening head injuries that dominate the game
All that said, I admire the positive influence she maintains over what she’s developed into the most loyal global fanbase, perhaps ever. She’s challenged ticket prices, given sizable bonuses to her crew, and defended her fans at all costs.
Artists, athletes, and celebrities have an outsize impact on culture. They can sway what we like and don’t like, can draw attention to social issues, rally large audiences around a cause, and, in the case of Taylor Swift, potentially tip an election away from one candidate to another. A lot of us have been awaiting this moment, almost expecting it. Swift coming out anti-Trump is no surprise, as she challenged him in the past. But she’s been mostly apolitical for a very long time, even as her audience has grown and found themselves in the Right’s anti-women, anti-queer, anti-progress target. In recent weeks, I’ve grown more and more agitated by her silence. Sorry for doubting you, Taylor.
Karma is the breeze in my hair on the weekend
Karma’s a relaxing thought
Aren’t you envious that for you it’s not?
Sweet like honey, karma is a cat
Purring in my lap ’cause it loves me
Flexing like a goddamn acrobat
Me and karma vibe like that
Spider-boy, king of thieves
Weave your little webs of opacity
My pennies made your crown
Trick me once, trick me twice
Don’t you know that cash ain’t the only price?
Tuesday was a very good night. Kamala’s debate performance was as strong as I’ve ever seen while Trump was so very fucking Trump-y. Taylor’s endorsement was well-timed and punchy — a perfectly curated PR moment that ensured an already dazed Trump fell into a social media rage.
In the first 24 hours after her endorsement, over 337,000 unique visitors went to vote.gov, the go-to site for registering and learning how to vote. Rather than push her agenda aggressively, she encouraged her fans to make their own choice. “I’ve done my research, and I’ve made my choice. Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make. I also want to say, especially to first time voters: Remember that in order to vote, you have to be registered! I also find it’s much easier to vote early,” she wrote.
Ask me what I learned from all those years
Ask me what I earned from all those tears
Ask me why so many fade, but I’m still here
(I’m still, I’m still here)
’Cause karma is the thunder
Rattling your ground
Karma’s on your scent like a bounty hunter
Karma’s gonna track you down
Step by step from town to town
Sweet like justice, karma is a queen
She also won me over by reminding her trillion followers of AI’s dangers, calling out the Trump cult for knowingly using a generated image to falsely claim she’d gone MAGA. I was also quite charmed by the fact that she signed off as a “Childless Cat Lady,” a not-so-subtle nudge that while everyone should do their research, it won’t take much effort to land on an informed choice.
So in honor of a pop icon altering the course of the most vital election in American history, I feel I have no choice but to promote a song appropriate for the moment. And here’s to hoping none of you saw my post from weeks ago promising to wear a Swiftie t-shirt for a week straight if she endorses Kamala. 👀
Sweet like honey, karma is a cat
Purring in my lap ’cause it loves me
Flexing like a goddamn acrobat
Me and karma vibe like that
Karma is my boyfriend
Karma is a god
Mm-hm
Karma’s a relaxing thought
~
Start following the #365Songs playlist today, and listen to each new song with each new article!
