Taylor Swift goes full old Hollywood
If Taylor Swift has a surprise, she usually does not bother easing anyone into it first.
On March 31, the The Life of a Showgirl singer released a surprise music video for “Elizabeth Taylor,” and the whole thing is built around the late film icon. Swift shared a short clip from the video on her Instagram Story, along with links to watch it on Spotify and Apple Music. Subtlety, as ever, was not the assignment.
A tribute stitched from classic films
The video pulls from some of Elizabeth Taylor’s most recognizable performances, including A Place in the Sun, Cleopatra, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and Father of the Bride.
The result is less a standard music video than a glossy tribute reel. Swift’s lyrics line up neatly with the imagery, including shots of Taylor spinning in a dress from Giant and close-ups of her famous violet eyes in Cleopatra.
The tribute does not stop at movie clips. Archival footage also shows Taylor dealing with the kind of public attention Swift knows all too well, which is to say, people following her everywhere while pretending that is normal behavior.
In one clip, paparazzi swarm her car as she tries to leave a busy road. In another, she waves politely at a crowd of photographers while they circle her for pictures.
A very specific diamond reference
The video also includes shots of Taylor wearing her Krupp Diamond ring, better known as the Elizabeth Taylor diamond, which she received from her ex-husband Richard Burton.
That detail gives the video a clear wink toward Swift’s own engagement ring from fiancé Travis Kelce. Because if you are Taylor Swift, even your tribute to another legend can still contain a small amount of personal symbolism.
Swift does not appear in the video herself, but the closing credits include a special thanks section that names Elizabeth Taylor’s family, along with the Todd family and the Wilding family. Elizabeth was previously married to Mike Todd and Michael Wilding.
Swift has been circling Elizabeth Taylor for years
This was not a one-off reference. Swift has been drawing from Elizabeth Taylor’s life and image for years, including a nod to her marriage to Richard Burton in “...Ready For It?” back in 2017.
She also explained in October how the song came together while discussing the track on BBC Radio 2.
“People like Elizabeth Taylor, we go to her estate and let them know,” Swift said. “And they were lovely about it.”
Elizabeth Taylor’s son, Christopher Wilding, also praised the song in an October interview with People. He said Swift and his mother seemed closely aligned.
“She and my mom do seem like kindred spirits,” the 70-year-old said. “They are both the very embodiment of female empowerment. The way [Swift] has deftly captured the similarities and parallel tracks in their careers and personal lives is delightful.”
Taylor Taylor died in 2011 at age 79, but her image remains a pop culture fixture, which Swift clearly understands better than most. That is probably why the video works so well. It is a tribute, a reference drop, and a reminder that some stars remain impossible to outshine, even in the streaming era.
