What inspired Taylor Swift to write 'Elizabeth Taylor' track?
What's the story
In a Pandora TikTok video, pop sensation Taylor Swift revealed the inspiration behind her song, Elizabeth Taylor, in her new album, The Life of a Showgirl. The Grammy winner said, "My parents sent me this clip of Elizabeth Taylor's son (Christopher Wilding) saying...if there were one person he might compare to his mother in the modern day in terms of persona...it would be me." "I was so flattered by that. I just immediately started talking to (Travis Kelce) about it."
Creative process
'I was going on and on about Elizabeth Taylor'
Swift explained, "I was going on and on about Elizabeth Taylor, talking about all the things about her that I loved...how she kept challenging herself late into her life." "I was like, 'One sec, I have to get out of the car for a second,' and I just sang this melody into my phone, got back in the car and...that's what it's like when it happens."
Mutual respect
Wilding had earlier said he was 'Swiftie'
In a 2024 interview with The Guardian, Wilding said, "I can't tell you how much I admire Taylor Swift. I'm now a Swiftie." "[Her Instagram post] at the end of that presidential debate was so f------ great. Huge props to her. That reminds me a little bit of the same spirit my mom had." He told TMZ she was a "rare, positive role model for young girls" and admired her courage to stand up for what she believes in.
Song inspiration
Swift on why she wrote 'Elizabeth Taylor'
Swift also spoke about her admiration for Taylor at the Elvis Duran Show. "In this record, there's a song called Elizabeth Taylor, which is sort of my emotions and my issues with fame through the lens of cosplaying the life of Elizabeth Taylor, so you kind of meld the two experiences together." "She is always someone that I've looked up to as being this very glamorous, very beloved, but for some reason a polarizing figure."