How does she do it? Taylor Swift just dropped the Cinderella-inspired music video for her Midnights track "Bejeweled," and in true Taylor fashion, it is loaded with Easter eggs. And many of which imply that her 2010 album Speak Now is next up on the re-record list.
While appearing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon a few hours before the video's release, the singer told the late night host that there's a “psychotic amount” of clues hidden in the visual. “We have a PDF file for the Easter eggs in this video because there are so many that we could not keep track,” said Taylor. Grab your magnifying glasses — it's time to go digging.
The “Bejeweled” video isn't just chock full of hints and references; it opens with a slew of star-studded cameos. Making appearances right off the bat are Tay's besties the Haim sisters and acting legend Laura Dern. Taylor plays the role of Cinderella, with the Haims all dressed up as the stepsisters and Dern playing the stepmother, plotting moves at the ball while Taylor scrubs the floor.
But don't worry! Our damsel's got plans to snag the prince with a little help from burlesque icon Dita von Teese. More of Taylor's celeb friends made cameos in the video, including producer pal Jack Antonoff and makeup artist Pat McGrath, with Jack playing the charming prince and Pat as the queen.
The new visual is a super sparkly, candy-coated delight, but it's not the Cinderella story we really care about. It's the clues. It's important to remember that with Taylor Swift, almost everything is intentional. (Even a purse Taylor recently wore could be a hint that it's time to grab your fairytale princess dress and return to the Speak Now era!) Are you ready for it? OK, sorry, wrong album reference, but you get what we mean.
The number 3
The number three features heavily in video imagery. When Taylor-ella steps into the elevator, she points at the "3" button. Speak Now was her third studio album. Coincidence? Absolutely not. A fan account also pointed out that each button represents an album, including the re-records. The number 13, which would be Speak Now re-release, is purple — the same color as the dress Tay wears on the original album cover. Towards the end of the video, Taylor sits on a clock pointing at the number three.
The background music
If you listen carefully during the video, you can hear string arrangements of two songs from Speak Now: "Enchanted" and "Long Live." At one point, we also see dragons flying behind the castle, a potential reference to a lyric from "Long Live" about fighting dragons.
Laura Dern's lines
Early in the video, Laura Dern as the stepmother utters, "Speak not, tired tacky wench! Clean!" That was not an accident, no way.
The barrettes
Once Taylor-as-Cinderella has won the heart of Prince Antonoff, she winks at the camera and shows off her hair accessories: heart-shaped barrettes reading "S" and "N." Hello, obvious hint!
The set
Fans couldn't help but notice that the "Bejeweled" set, especially at the end of the video, looks a lot like the Speak Now world tour design, including the castle balcony. Did she keep these things in storage or painstakingly recreate them? You never know with Taylor.
The video release date
Taylor leaves no detail unexamined. She dropped the "Bejeweled" video at midnight on October 25, 2022 — exactly 12 years after Speak Now hit shelves. If the "Bejeweled" video is any indication, Speak Now will be making its grand comeback sooner than we think.