<aside> 💡 Analysis - It seems like Taylor’s idea of what it means to be brave fluctuates across her discography. In Fearless & Red she expresses an idea that bravery is to love: “I think love is fearless” (Fearless prologue) & “this love is brave and wild” (State of Grace). In the Red era she also writes the song Better Man, and introduces a new, seemingly contradictory view of bravery: “the bravest thing I ever did was run” When speaking about Hayley Kiyoko in 2018, Taylor used the word “brave” to describe when someone is honest about their romantic narrative in art. She also harkens back to her definition of being fearless in the Fearless Prologue in her lyrics for Dancing With Our Hands Tied: I loved you in spite of Deep fears that the world would divide us. In My Tear’s Ricochet, Taylor suggests that her muse used to admire Taylor’s bravery for staying and fighting, as opposed to running (something Taylor has linked with bravery back in her Red era): “I didn't have it in myself to go with grace ‘Cause when I’d fight you used to tell me I was brave.” This seems to suggest that her mind has changed regarding what bravery is & that her partner used to be aligned with her on that. This is why I find it sad that her last definition of bravery (in some circumstances) seems to circle back to running away, when she sings the It’s Time To Go Lyric: “Sometimes to run is the brave thing.” This could suggest that, now that she’s lost the person that was standing in her corner telling her that it’s brave to stand her ground and fight, she no longer believes in that version of bravery.
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<aside> 👸 Relevance to Taylor’s Life: Taylor revealed that she listened to “Brave” by Sara Bareilles “hundreds and hundreds of times.” Sara said this was a song written about a friend who was struggling to come out as gay & the song has since become a queer anthem. Find my intertextual analysis of Brave and Taylor’s art here: Brave - Sara Bareilles
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<aside> 🌈 Queer History:
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<aside> ➕ See also: Scared/Fears/Cowardice/Soft/Weak/Spineless/Afraid Truth/Honest/True
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Taylor Swift & Sara Bareilles - Brave (Live on the Red Tour)