All the Easter Eggs in Taylor Swift's New 'You Need to Calm Down' Music Video
Ahead of the release of her new single "You Need to Calm Down" Taylor Swift teased that she was debuting the song first on Friday followed by the music video on Monday because the music video itself "is very worth the wait. There's a lot going on in the video so I wanted that to be a separate discovery." And by a lot going on, Swift means there's a lot of Easter eggs in it. From her and Katy Perry's big moment at the end (which Perry foreshadowed a month ago at the Met Gala) to possible new single name reveals, here's everything people have caught so far in Swift's video.
The "Lover" phone case
Taylor Swift announced last week that her upcoming album will be called Lover. She shared the album cover on her Twitter, which has the word written in that exact font.
The "Mom, I am a rich man" painting
A possible song title and an iconic Cher quote. Cher said the quote during a 1996 interview that went viral again in 2016. "I think men are the coolest, but you don't really need them to live," the singer started then. "My mom said to me, 'You know, sweetheart, one day you should settle down and marry a rich man. I said, 'Mom, I am a rich man.'"
The fact that Swift devoted a clear shot to that may be her way of hinting one of her next 16 songs will be called that. In her "ME!" music video, she include the word "Lover" in the video, which ultimately became her way of hinting to fans that's what her album title was.
The white cat figurine
Not so much a song Easter egg as much as it is as a reminder of Swift's eternal love of cats. This cat looks like Olivia Benson, Swift's white cat.
The snake erupting in butterflies tattoo
A visual of this appeared in the "ME!" music video. The snake was the symbol Swift reclaimed after her social media was spammed with snake emojis after Kim Kardashian's Snapchat takedown of Swift. Swift embraced the snake during her Reputation era. But in the Lover era, the snake has transformed into a freed butterfly. Swift first hinted her butterfly use at the iHeartRadio Music Awards when she wore butterfly-adorned shoes.
The Elle Woods-esque pool moment
Taylor channeled Elle Woods's iconic Legally Blonde pink bikini during her pool lounge scene.
"Love letters only" written on the mail box
Another possible song title hint hidden in the scenery of Swift's music video. Her album Lover is 18 tracks, and only two have been released so far.
Hayley Kiyoko hitting #5 with an arrow
A hint that Kiyoko could be featured on the fifth track of Lover with Taylor Swift. The two performed together in December at the Ally Coalition talent show, and Swift defended Kiyoko on Tumblr last March against angry fans.
The 13 necklace
Swift's favorite number is 13, and it is a common easter egg she includes. Even her album's release date adds up to 13. As she explained during her Instagram live, "An easy way to remember that date is August is the eighth month of the year and then 23, two plus three so you just add it all together: eight plus two plus three equals I'm obnoxious. So you know, everything—if you just want to remember that, oh, it adds up to 13."
Ellen's Cruel Summer tattoo
Another possible song title hint that appears very clearly in the video.
Drag queens posing as pop queens at the "Pop Queen Pageant"
In "You Need to Calm Down" lyrically, Swift calls out people who pit women musicians against each other, saying only one can be on top. "We see you over there on the internet / Comparing all the girls who are killing it / But we figured you out / We all know now we all got crowns," she sang. In the video during those lyrics, drag queens appear in iconic red carpet looks from eight of today's top pop queens: from left to right, there's Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, Adele, Cardi B, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Katy Perry, and Nicki Minaj.
Ryan Reynolds painting Stonewall Inn
Stonewall Inn is a gay landmark in New York City—and it's also where Swift made a surprise appearance on Friday and performed "Shake It Off." Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who also appears in the music video, introduced Swift at the event.
The gin bottle by Ryan Reynolds
It looks like Ryan Reynolds' gin brand got its own cameo in "You Need to Calm Down." A clear bottle with the brand's black label can be seen in the bucket by Reynolds. The two may have teased Reynolds' cameo was coming earlier, when in Swift's New Year's Eve party shot, she and Reynolds were drinking the gin together.
Katy Perry, dressed like a hamburger, hugging Taylor
Perry and Swift hinted on Instagram they were friends last week when Perry shared a plate of "Peace at last" chocolate chip cookies she got. But the girls' decision to publicly appear face to face embracing for the first time after their feud dressed like a hamburger and French fries has some deeper roots. Perry dressed like a hamburger at this year's Met Gala after party.
Taylor Swift modeling her own new merch
In several shots during the video, Swift is wearing new merch she just released on her site following the video's release. Her yellow heart sunglasses, sleep mask, and cat mask are among the items available. You can shop them all here.
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