Music
Taylor Swift's “Actually Romantic” Lyrics Aren’t Actually Romantic
Fans think The Life of a Showgirl track is about a rumored feud.
On her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, Taylor Swift gets candid about the downsides of fame, which include dealing with haters. Luckily, she found a humorous way to brush them off in the song “Actually Romantic.” And if you thought it’d be a heartwarming ode to her fiancé, Travis Kelce, think again.
On the catchy tune, produced by her Showgirl collaborators Max Martin and Shellback, Swift recalls some major shade that was thrown her way from an unspecified frenemy. But instead of calling them out with clapbacks, she shares her gratitude, expressing how this newfound attention is actually a low-key turn-on.
“Some people might be offended, but it’s actually sweet, all the time you’ve spent on me,” she sings. “I really got to hand it to you, no man has ever loved me like you do.”
Many fans suspect that Charli xcx inspired “Actually Romantic” after she wrote a song on her 2024 album Brat that reportedly nods to Swift. On “Sympathy is a knife,” she sings about a girl who “taps [her] insecurities.” Fans think she’s referring to Swift due to the lyrics: “Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend's show / Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick.”
In spring 2023, as Charli was in the middle of creating Brat, Swift reportedly dated The 1975 singer Matty Healy, who happens to be the bandmate of Charli’s now-husband George Daniel. Therefore, it would make sense for them to run into each other backstage at Charli’s “boyfriend’s show.”
Swifties believe that the singer responds to Charli’s lyrics in the first verse of “Actually Romantic.” Swift sings, “High-fived my ex and then you said you’re glad he ghosted me. Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face.” However, this is all fan speculation, and Swift could simply be referring to her critics in general.
“Actually Romantic” Lyrics
Read the full lyrics to Swift’s new song below.
I heard you call me “Boring Barbie” when the coke’s got you brave
High-fived my ex and then you said you’re glad he ghosted me
Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face
Some people might be offended
But it’s actually sweet
All the time you’ve spent on me
It’s honestly wild
All the effort you’ve put in
It’s actually romantic
I really got to hand it to you
No man has ever loved me like you do
Hadn’t thought of you in a long time
But you keep sending me funny valentines
And I know you think it comes off vicious
But it’s precious, adorable
Like a toy chihuahua barking at me from a tiny purse
That’s how much it hurts
How many times has your boyfriend said,
“Why are we always talking about her?”
It’s actually sweet
All the time you’ve spent on me
It’s honestly wild
All the effort you’ve put in
It’s actually romantic
I really got to hand it to you
No man has ever loved me like you do
You think I’m tacky, baby
Stop talking dirty to me
It sounded nasty but it feels like you’re flirting with me
I mind my business, God’s my witness that I don’t provoke it
It’s kind of making me wet
‘Cause it’s actually sweet
All the time you’ve spent on me
It’s honestly lovely
All the effort you’ve put in
It’s actually romantic
I really got to hand it to you, to you
No man has ever loved me like you do
It’s actually romantic
You’ve just given me so much... attention!
It’s actually romantic
It’s so romantic
