Running Head: SONG ANALYSIS OF BLANK SPACE 1

The Best Revenge to the Media

Jessica Kreck

Germanna Community College

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Abstract

This writing interprets the lyrics of the song “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift, who is a

well-known entertainer in the county-pop industry. I examined the musical arrangements and its

significance to the meaning of the song. The figurative language is abundant and shows her jab

to the public. After reading this, you will understand how sarcasm was used to get her point

across.
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The general perception of Taylor Swift’s personal life is that she is an emotional

girl who writes songs when she gets her heart broken for revenge. She wrote the song

“Blank Space” in 2014 to make fun of the fictionalization people have put on her. She

used this song to illustrate her thoughts about love with the complex profile of the person

people think that she is. This song won numerous awards, including but not limited to,

best female video and song of the year.

The musical arrangements in “Blank Space” create a traditional pop song melody.

The harmonic rhythm remains consistent all throughout. The use of irony in the songs

chords holds true to the story she is telling. She does not take herself too seriously with

the lyrics or the harmony. While “Blank Space” uses mostly simplistic melodies; Swift

creates a minor surprise at the end of the chorus in the lyrics “But I’ve got a blank space,

baby,” to make it memorable to her listeners. In addition, she ends the song in an abrupt

manner without resolving any tension. This subtlety gets her point across that there is

nothing left to add and leaves the listeners longing for more.

Swift uses metaphors in her lyrics, “Loves a game, want to play?” She is ready

for another relationship and thinks of it as a game by comparing the two things.

Hyperboles can be found throughout the lyrics, “We’ll take this way too far and leave

you breathless or with a nasty scar… I’m dying to see how this one ends.” She is overly

exaggerating that her relationship will be happy and leaves her breathless or ends

catastrophically. She is eager and impatient to know how this relationship will end even
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though she is exaggerating how urgent she is. “Ain’t it funny rumors fly,” is the use of

personification. Rumors do not actually fly and she is aware of her image across social

media platforms.

It is important to be aware of whom you are as a person, but you have to have one

eye on what people think of you. At first, Swift took what the media was saying about

her to heart. As time went by, she found humor in the character people were portraying.

She compiled a list of criticisms made about her then added them to the story line of the

song. Taylor cleverly writes this song to illustrate a clingy, emotional mess. The use of

irony in her lyrics and musical arrangement sends an outstretched middle finger to the

media.
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References

Tyree, Catie (2014) Figurative Language in Taylor Swifts Songs. Retrieved from:
https://prezi.com/7su1ps50vc-m/figurative-language-in-taylor-swift-songs/

Wiser, Carl (N.D) Blank Space by Taylor Swift. Retrieved from:

https://www.songfacts.com/facts/taylor-swift/blank-space