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13. THE LUCKY ONE

The song is about a star who had it all and who was also exposed to all, the tabloids, lights, and cameras. After her secrets were being leaked all over the world she was done, she moved away to a life of solitude and nobody knew where she had gone.

According to CMT, Taylor said this song was inspired by multiple people. It is speculated that Joni Mitchellmight be one of them. Shania Twain is another artist whose story (at the time of the release of this song) was similar to the one described in this song. Shania Twain, born Eileen Richards, sold over 85 million records as of 2015, making her the best selling female country artist of all time. After the release of her 2004 Greatest Hits album, Twain retired from performing, retreating to her home in Switzerland (she returned to the stage in 2012, after this song was released). “New to town with a made up name” It is not unusual for artists in all genres of music to perform and release music using a stage name. In addition to Shania Twain, other artists who changed their name for the stage include Eminem, Patsy Cline, and Halsey.

What’s more, Los Angeles is notorious for having a large population of celebrities. People will often move to L.A. to start their acting careers and become famous, often because they think it will change their lives for the better: “ In the angel's city, chasing fortune and fame And the camera flashes make it look like a dream” Notice how she says “make it look like,” which gives clear emphasis to the fact that most of the glamour of being famous isn’t as good as it seems. It only looks that way.

The pre-chorus shows that another person has become famous, and there is nothing special about it anymore. More and more people are becoming recognized everyday, and soon, the person she is talking about here will fade away: “ Another name goes up in lights Like diamonds in the sky” “Diamonds in the sky” is likely a reference to Rihanna’s song “Diamonds”, which is juxtapositional to this song, since it talks about the positive aspects of fame.

But, Taylor wonders: is the fame really worth it? It sounds amazing when you don’t have it, but fame comes at a terrible price of being used as a money machine, losing a lot of your privacy, etc: “ And they’ll tell you now, you’re the lucky one Yeah, they’ll tell you now, you’re the lucky one But can you tell me now, you’re the lucky one? Oh, oh, oh”

In the second verse, “big black cars” refers to how many celebrities are driven in the big black Chevy Suburbans with the tinted windows that many celebs find themselves in to avoid the paparazzi: “ Now, it’s big black cars and Riviera views” As for “Riviera Views,” she’s referring to the remarkable and opulent views of the French Riviera or places similar to it (most likely from a penthouse or presidential suite) that stardom and money brings her. This also contrasts with the bulky, seemingly unglamorous mention of the “big, black cars” from the first part of the line. And at the end of the day, with fame comes loneliness and isolation. She’s taken a lover, presumably to fill these voids, but he’s like a stranger. They don’t know each other, they’re just a news story that end up on the front page: “ And your lover in the foyer doesn’t even know you And your secrets end up splashed on the news front page And they tell you that you’re lucky, but you’re so confused 'Cause you don’t feel pretty, you just feel used” Being famous gives her less agency than she’d imagined. She is struggling with the scrutiny. Why do people think she is so lucky with all the difficulties of being famous? Even when she knows that she’s pretty and has got it all, she has been so used, thrashed around, written about and cheated that she feels worthless. “And all the young things line up to take your place” There’s practically a production line in the music industry, if you fall off, there will always be some new, younger prospective star ready to take your place for the music companies to use and abuse. Actually, this lyric is vinculated with the second pre - chorus: “ Another name goes up in lights” This could refer to another person becoming famous in Hollywood. However, due to the nature of the next line, the “lights” are most likely symbolic of the tabloids that surround a celebrity when something bad happens to them, such as drug addiction, cheating, or even suicide. The life of a famous person can be so destructive that you have to wonder if the new stars will be able to make it without ending it all: “ You wonder if you’ll make it out alive” An interesting correlation between death and the destructive lifestyles of musicians is the infamous 27 club. Many musicians, spawning across generations, have continued to die at the young age of 27, most notably Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, and Kurt Cobain. This curious club has been gaining new members at a steady pace for over 50 years.

As said before this song is rumored to be about Joni Mitchell, an influential 70’s pop music artist whom Taylor is influenced by. In a statement of Taylor’s admiration, it was said Taylor Swift was to play Joni Mitchell in her biopic. She even dressed as Joni for an X-Factor appearance. “ It was a few years later, I showed up here And they still tell the legend of how you disappeared How you took the money and your dignity, and got the hell out” Joni Mitchell has described the music industry as a “cesspool,” and she was subject to “slave labor.” Since the 60’s, she threatened to retire, never actually going through with it; however, she’s managed to disappear for years at a time before entering the charts again. At the end of the bridge, Taylor uses two places that both emphasize the word “Garden” in their name, while they’re complete opposites: “ They say you bought a bunch of land somewhere Chose the rose garden over Madison Square And it took some time, but I understand it now” A rose garden describes a peaceful setting, while Madison Square Garden describes a chaotic setting, as that arena is home to the New York Knicks, and has also been home to some of the most memorable concerts in music history.

To sum up, the song ends with Taylor understanding why the star chose that path, and how Taylor feels that she’s becoming the “The Lucky One”.

What have Taylor said about the song?

“The ‘Lucky One’ is a song I wrote while I was in Australia. It kind of talks about some of my fears through telling the story of other people that I was inspired by. More than their stories being told, I’m pretty much singing about what I’m scared of in that song, ending up kind of caught up in this whole thing and lonely and feeling misunderstood and feeling like when people think you’re lucky that you’re really not. It kind of expresses my greatest fear of having this not end up being fun anymore, having it end up being a scary place. Some people get there, some people end up there. It’s a story song and it’s something I’m really proud of because it kind of goes to a place that I’m terrified of. Being famous can be fun at first, but people have ended up in a scary place over time. Everybody’s got their way of dealing with it. And for me, sometimes it’s surrounding myself with my friends and venting, sometimes it’s staying up at the piano until four o'clock in the morning, sometimes it’s watching TV and forgetting about all of it, sometimes it’s calling my mother up and crying. Sometimes you have a really bad day. Your life is constantly also analyzed. There’s a lot of trade-offs. There’s the microscope that’s always on you. The camera flashes, the fear that something you say will be taken the wrong way and you’ll let your fans down. There’s the fear that you’ll be walking down the street and your skirt will blow up and you’ll be in the news for three months. You’re scared of a lot of things for a lot of the time, but the trade-off of being able to get on a big stage and sing your songs, it’s worth it."

Favorite lyrics: “You had it figured out since you were in school/Everybody loves pretty, everybody loves cool/So overnight, you look like a sixties queen / And they tell you that you’re lucky, but you’re so confused/'Cause you don’t feel pretty, you just feel used”

Album: Red released on October 22, 2012.

Witten by: Taylor Swift.

Hidden message: Wouldn't you like to know?

Picture: Photo from the Red booklet.

Source: https://genius.com/Taylor-swift-the-lucky-one-lyrics

#taylor swift #taylornation #Taylor Swift Lyrics #red #the lucky one

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