Taylor Swift Fans Think Tortured Poets Has A Little Mermaid Reference

Taylor Swift’s new album may feature an appearance from... Princess Ariel. On Feb. 6, the singer unveiled the tracklist for her new album The Tortured Poets Department, which will be released on April 19. Immediately, fans latched onto the sixth track, “But Daddy I Love Him,” finding references and connections to her past that could hint at the song’s meaning.

“But daddy, I love him” is a line from The Little Mermaid, which was released in 1989, Swift’s birth year. In the scene, Ariel’s father, King Triton, discovers her romance with Prince Eric and forbids her from going to the ocean’s surface to meet him.

Swift is a proven Little Mermaid fan. To ring in 2019, she threw a costume party on New Year’s Eve where she had guests dress up as their childhood heroes. As seen in her Instagram photos, she chose Ariel, complete with a green mermaid tail and lobster purse.

A Little Theory

In the movie, Ariel gives up her voice to become human and reunite with Prince Eric. This has led some Swifties to think that “But Daddy I Love Him” may have been written about the singer’s six-year relationship with Joe Alwyn, believing she kept quiet about it for his sake.

One fan wrote, “But Daddy I Love Him being an exact reference to The Little Mermaid because of Ariel giving up her voice to be with the love of her life.”

In fact, many fans think most of the tracklist indicates that Tortured Poets is a breakup album because of song titles like “So Long, London” and “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived.” The Little Mermaid reference would fit right in with this theory.

But What About Harry Styles?

Swifties have also connected “But Daddy I Love Him” to her ex-boyfriend Harry Styles, as he’s been spotted wearing a T-shirt with the quote on multiple occasions.

However, it may just be a coincidence, as Styles was offered the role of Prince Eric in Disney’s 2023 live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, which might have been how he got the inspiration. (Or he’s just a fan, like Swift and many others.)

Although Swift and Styles’ relationship has gotten renewed attention thanks to references in her “From the Vault” tracks on 1989 (Taylor’s Version), the two seem to be on good terms. They even caught up at the Grammys on two separate occasions, making it unlikely that she recently wrote “But Daddy I Love Him” about him.