Taylor Swift's New Song "But Daddy I Love Him" Appears to Be a Direct Ref to Harry Styles
Taylor Swift casually dropped the tracklist for her new album The Tortured Poets Department on Monday Night, and one song appears to be a direct (or maybe indirect? who knows, not us!) reference to Harry Styles and/or The Little Mermaid.
Here's the full tracklist, just to get everyone on the same page:
Side A
Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)
The Tortured Poets Department
My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys
Down Bad
Side B
So Long, London
But Daddy I Love Him
Fresh Out the Slammer
Florida!!! (Florence + the Machine)
Side C
Guilty as Sin?
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?
I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)
loml
Side D
I Can Do It With a Broken Heart
The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
The Alchemy
Clara Bow
Bonus Track: The Manuscript
As you can see, the song following "So Long, London" is "But Daddy I Love Him," which is a line from Disney's original animated The Little Mermaid, a film that came out in 1989 (aka the year Taylor was born).
The thing is, the phrase is also associated with Taylor's ex Harry Styles thanks to him wearing this shirt:
01/01/20 | #Throwback
Harry wore a 3rd Class 'But Daddy I Love Him' t-shirt ($35) on NYE.
📷: @hsfiineliine https://t.co/ugklN8MamL pic.twitter.com/APU9OTLVLn— Harry Styles Fashion Archive (@hsfasharchive) March 1, 2020
And while some fans think this means the song could be about Harry...
BUT DADDY I LOVE HIM? IS THIS A MOTHERFUCKING HARRY STYLES REFERENCE? pic.twitter.com/kBKMf57LOv
— agos lvs cata 🏹 (@longstorysabs) February 6, 2024
every normal person: “but daddy i love him….THE LITTLE MERMAID!”
me and my fucked up brain: HARRY STYLES pic.twitter.com/7HoqADYz6I— Ness🍾 (@vanessasversion) February 6, 2024
BUT DADDY I LOVE HIM!!!?!?! HARRY STYLES IS ALWAYS AT THE CRIME SCENE pic.twitter.com/Wp7ccp53XI
— emma ⎕ (@emmacstllo) February 6, 2024
“but daddy i love him” omg harry styles reference!!!!! pic.twitter.com/ewnja6plbd
— soso (@wllspring) February 6, 2024
There's also speculation that he could be featured on the track:
but daddy i love him ft harry styles!! #THETORTUEDPOETSDEPARTMENT pic.twitter.com/DYVN1SGc1J
— katieᴴ²⁸ (@tinysunlouis) February 6, 2024
BUT DADDY I LOVE HIM FT HARRY STYLES
— ambar (@bohemianrry) February 6, 2024
Meanwhile, even without Harry being involved there's a lot to interpret about this track—especially since fans think The Tortured Poets Department will be a Joe Alwyn breakup album. And let's not forget that Taylor dressed up as Ariel for Halloween one year.
but daddy i love him..a reference to the little mermaid a movie that was released on 1989, where ariel gave up her voice to be with the one she loves pic.twitter.com/VED4908pw9
— Taylor Throwbacks (@ThrowbackTaylor) February 6, 2024
“But Daddy I Love Him” 👀 pic.twitter.com/biMmnbVLlE
— A 💫 (@swiftpals) February 6, 2024
Kay, that's all! As you were (spiraling).
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