Celebrity News April 19, 2024
Taylor Swift Drops ‘Fortnight’ Music Video — Watch Now!
Taylor Swift has just released a music video for her song “Fortnight," the first video for her new album “The Tortured Poets Department.”
“Fortnight” is the first track from the album, and features Grammy-winning artist Post Malone.
Swift directed the predominantly black-and-white music video, enlisting Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto ("Killers of the Flower Moon"). Prieto previously worked on the 2020 music videos for Swift’s songs “The Man,” “Cardigan,” and “Willow.”
The "Fortnight" video also features surprise cameos from "Dead Poets Society" actors Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles. (A "Tortured Poets" and "Dead Poets" crossover!)
The video begins with Swift in a psych ward-type environment looking at herself in the mirror. A nurse delivers her medication from a bottle labeled "Forget Him" as she sings, "Took the miracle move-on-drug / The effects were temporary."
Taylor then goes to wipe her face in the mirror and tattoos appear, seemingly a sweet tribute to her collaborator Post Malone and his tattoos.
Interestingly, Posty actually covers up his facial tattoos in some parts of the video, where they play lovers.
In the video, Hawke and Charles play scientists or doctors who check on Swift's vitals before using shock therapy on her. The therapy session goes awry and Post saves Swift by pulling the plug.
The video ends with Post reaching for Taylor, who is sitting on top of a telephone booth as it's raining.
Years ago, Taylor was dancing in the rain for her song "Delicate," which many speculate was about falling for ex Joe Alwyn.
After the release, Taylor took to Instagram to share details about the video. She wrote, "When I was writing the Fortnight music video, I wanted to show you the worlds I saw in my head that served as the backdrop for making this music. Pretty much everything in it is a metaphor or a reference to one corner of the album or another. For me, this video turned out to be the perfect visual representation of this record and the stories I tell in it."
Showing love for Post Malone, Ethan, and Josh, Taylor raved, "@postmalone blew me away on set as our tortured tragic hero and I’m so grateful to him for everything he put into this collaboration. I’m still laughing from getting to work with the coolest guys on earth, @ethanhawke and @mrjoshcharles (tortured poets, meet your colleagues from down the hall, the dead poets)."
Taylor also followed up the video by kicking off her #ForAFortnightChallenge on YouTube Shorts with a video offering a glimpse into her happy life with Travis Kelce!
In the clip, Travis is seen kissing Taylor on the cheek as she cooks. In another snippet, she swings a paddle with the Kansas City Chiefs logo on it.
Swifties quickly clocked one clever Easter Egg in the "Fortnight" music video with the striking similarity between the Schiaparelli gown Taylor wore to the 2024 Grammys and the Toni Matičevski dress she wears in the video. Grammys night was when she announced "The Tortured Poets Department."
In one moment of the video, Swift and Malone are laying facing each other, while she holds a book that reads "Us" on the cover. This seems to reference her "Speak Now" track "The Story of Us," and also nods to a similar book that was featured in her "TTPD" Spotify pop-up library.
Taylor also seems to be channeling Hollywood Golden Age "It" girl actress Clara Bow with 1920s-style makeup — track 16 on "TTPD" is actually called "Clara Bow."
Fans have delved deep into the 1920s "It girl” actress’ painful personal life. The adversity and scrutiny Bow faced — rarely are men in entertainment built up and torn down as ruthlessly as women are — seems to resonate with Swift.
The music video also includes an opening title card and an end card that have a decidedly silent-movie feel.
Clara Bow: Meet the Tragic Movie Star from the Taylor Swift Song
View StoryMany speculate that the "Fortnight" is about Taylor's rebound relationship with The 1975's Matty Healy. After all, a fortnight is 14 days, and their relationship was very brief!
In one part of the music video, a black dog walks across the room as Taylor is strapped in for shock therapy — a seeming nod to her track "The Black Dog," which is thought to be about Healy.
Taylor and Post also both work at typewriters in the video. The typewriter, of course, is an ongoing "TTPD" motif, and Healy has spoken about loving typewriters.
In track 2, "The Tortured Poets Department," Taylor sings, "You left your typewriter at my apartment / Straight from the tortured poets department.”
Fans also noted, though, that Swift’s typewriter in the video is missing the number one key, which has been replaced by a key that reads "Blank Space." This seems to reference "The 1," her "Folklore" song about losing a partner who seemed like they could have been endgame.
Just days after Taylor and Joe's breakup amid her Eras Tour, Swift swapped her love song "Invisible String" for "The 1" in her set list.
It seems likely that Swift is mixing references to Joe and Matty throughout the video, as she does on the album.
A blue haze also emanates from Malone's typewriter at one point in the video.
In the "TTPD" track "So, Long London," which seems to shed light on her breakup with Joe, Swift sings, “You swore that you loved me, but where were the clues? / I died on the altar waiting for the proof / You sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days.”
Taylor's 2017 album "Reputation," which chronicles the start of her romance with Alwyn amid her retreat from the public eye, also has a blue reference on "Delicate." Taylor sang, "Dark jeans and your Nikes, look at you / Oh damn, never seen that color blue."
On another "Rep" track, "Gorgeous," Taylor crooned, "Ocean blue eyes looking in mine / I feel like I might sink and drown and die."