The best (bonkers) Taylor Swift Midnight theories

She has turned her music into an escape-room-like adventure, and the pre-release period is havoc.

She has turned her music into an escape-room-like adventure, and the pre-release period is havoc.

Here we go.

There are tears. Every stone is being turned to check if an easter egg sits underneath. All relationships Taylor Swift has ever had are scrutinised all over again. 

It’s because she announced her new album Midnights. That might mean simply that to you: a pop star is releasing some more songs.

Or it might mean that this is an act of revenge against Kim Kardashian, calculated to the umpteenth degree accordingly to numerology and a VMAs dress.

Taylor Swift has turned her music into an escape-room like adventure, and the pre-release period is havoc.

You know it’s only going to get crazier from here - just don’t say Jake Gyllenhaal.

Here are the three main Swiftie-endorsed theories about Midnight.

3. Karma theory on steroids 

Deep breaths. There’s one more we have to canvass.

Let’s go back to the previously discussed clock theory. 

Here, the argument is that the graffiti wall from The Man music video aligns with the clock animation according to the quadrants. In this theory, the clock numbers still represent different tracks on the album, but their positioning aligns with the existing eras on the graffiti wall, that is until we get to 12. 

What’s at the 12 position on the graffiti wall? Karma. 

In the album announcement, Taylor invited fans to ‘meet me at midnight’, suggesting the tracks take you through a journey of previous albums, eras and moments in her life until you reach ‘midnight’ and are presented with something entirely new that we haven’t heard before. 

Which brings us to our next theory

Midnights is the b side to Lover

If Folklore and Evermore has taught us anything, it's that Taylor loves a sister album.

Lover was categorised by its joyful journey of self-acceptance, growth and happiness. In which Swift speaks about a love that erases the darkness in her life (thanks Joe Alywn), ending the record with Daylight.

In the outro of this song, Swift talks about how she hopes to be defined by the things she loves, rather than the things that ‘haunt her in the middle of the night’.

According to fans, Midnight is the anthesis to Swift’s daylight, leaving fans to believe this album either proceeds or follows the events of Lover, but is meant to be seen as a sister to the 2019 record. 

Adding fuel to this fan fire is this 2021 interview on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Kimmel.

In it Taylor discusses her love of clues and jokes about planning albums and clues up to three years in advance. If Midnights is indeed the sister to Lover (which was originally called Daylight), it would mean it was planned back in 2019, which is, you guessed it, three years ago.

@pixelamezzie

YOU ARE MAD but i love it and im so excited @Taylor Swift #taylorswift #swifttok #lover #daylight #midnights #ts10 #meetmeatmidnight

♬ Daylight - Taylor Swift

@idontlikejohnmayer1331

insanity. #swiftie #swifttok #taylorswift #taylorswifttok #daylighttaylorswift #lovertaylorswift #taylorsversion #swiftietiktok #midnightstaylorswift #MessFreeHero #GenshinTeleport

♬ Daylight - Taylor Swift

Taylor has successfully turned her entire fanbase into conspiracy theorist experts and armchair detectives. Take what you want from the theories, just don’t just cross a Swiftie - nothing slips by them. 

Even the fact that Midnights will be released on October 21 - Kim Kardashian's 42nd birthday...

Can’t wait for it? We have put together a playlist of every Taylor Swift song that mentions ‘midnight’ and ‘middle of the night’. 

Surprise, surprise, there’s 13.