TAMPA, Fla. — As fans around the country stayed up until midnight to listen to Taylor Swift’s new album, they had to be jealous of the Florida Swifties who were waiting anxiously to see what her song “Florida!!!” would be about.
The eighth track on “The Tortured Poets Department” portrays the state as a vacation spot used for people to escape their everyday lives and where people drive from in their getaway cars.
Here’s a breakdown of the lyrics and some of the themes they encompass:
Heat and crime
The angsty song starts with the line “You can beat the heat if you beat the charges, too.”
If you’re taking the literal meaning of the line, it’s something every Floridian can relate to: the hot and humid weather. As for the crime part, it’s hard not to believe that she’s talking about all of the crazy "Florida Man" stories on the news and social media.
Maybe Swift has read about the state’s reputation for bizarre stories involving gunfire, drinking, alligator wrangling and other unusual criminal behavior.
A vacation spot
Right before the chorus, Swift sings, “Little did you know your home’s really only a town you’re just a guest in. So you work your life away just to pay for a time-share down in Destin.”
Debatably, a timeshare in Tampa sounds better, but it sounds like Swift is singing about people hopping on a plane and traveling to the Florida beaches where they can relax, vacation and forget about their problems at home. Destin is known as a tourist destination in the panhandle for its beaches, golf courses and resorts.
"Florida, is one hell of a drug. Florida, can I use you?"
Well, Taylor, Floridians would love for you to use the state, possibly as another concert destination after you finish in Miami. Swift’s Miami concert is set for Oct. 18-20 where she will perform her 3-hour-long concert as part of her Eras Tour.
She previously performed in Tampa in April 2023 over three days of sold-out shows. But, here’s to hoping she’ll come back for one more round of shows at Raymond James Stadium.
Swift continues this theme later in the song.
"I need to forget so take me to Florida. I’ve got some regrets, I’ll bury them in Florida."
Like many vacationers, it sounds like Swift takes advantage of the state’s beaches to take a break from her hectic career and bury her regrets and problems in the sand when she vacations here.
Hurricanes and swamps
After the first chorus, Florence Welch of Florence and The Machine hauntingly sings about the state, which some vacationers can probably relate to.
"The hurricane was my name when it came
"I got drunk and I dared it to wash me away
"Barricaded in the bathroom with a bottle of wine"
Welch references Hurricane Florence, which actually made landfall in North Carolina and devastated parts of the Carolinas.
"So I did my best, too lay to rest
"All of the bodies that have ever been on my body
"And in my mind, they sink into the swamp "
She continues singing about the stereotype that Florida is full of reckless citizens getting away with crimes, depicted by the Florida Man trend. She also mentions the swamps, maybe referring to the Everglades, which is home to many endangered species and a world heritage site.
Taylor's take on "Florida!!!"
The pop superstar told iHeartRadio, according to People, that she wrote the song with Welch about "what happens when your life doesn’t fit, or your choices you’ve made catch up to you."
She continued that, "You’re surrounded by these harsh consequences and judgment, and circumstances did not lead you to where you thought you’d be and you just want to escape from everything you’ve ever known," leading to the question, "Is there a place you could go?"
Florida, naturally.
"The Tortured Poets Department" as a whole
Swift announced her 11th album at the Grammys after she won her 13th award for Pop Album of the Year.
Her double album has 31 songs with Post Malone featured in the first song. She also refers to Florida in that song when she sings “Move to Florida, buy the car you want.”
Fans are speculating the album is about Swift’s six-year relationship with English actor Joe Alwyn and their breakup, but after an initial listen, Swifies think she may be singing about Matt Healy, the lead singer of The 1975.
Regardless of who or what she’s singing about, “Florida!!!” encompasses the state in its different aspects: the heat, the crime, the hurricanes and the beach. Even if Swift isn’t a regular in the Sunshine State, it sounds like she knows the basics.