Illicit Affairs

Album: Folklore (2020)
Charted: 44
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Illicit Affairs" is a slow-building ballad about infidelity. Taylor Swift lays out the differing emotions of the secret tryst, from the sneaking around:

    Make sure nobody sees you leave
    Hood over your head, keep your eyes down


    To the evaporating emotions stirred by the illicit affair:

    A dwindling, mercurial high
    A drug that only worked
    The first few hundred times


    During the bridge, Swift explores the effects of the relationship being carried out in secret.

    And you wanna scream
    Don't call me "kid," don't call me "baby"
    Look at this godforsaken mess that you made me
  • Taylor Swift first tackled the idea of infidelity on 2006's "Should've Said No," where she condemned a boyfriend who cheated on her. By Reputation's "Getaway Car," Swift was attempting to escape her own relationship by hooking up with someone else. This song finds Swift withholding judgment about the temptation to stray without ignoring the resulting heartbreak.
  • Taylor Swift wrote and produced the song with her frequent collaborator, Jack Antonoff. The Bleachers lead singer also played percussion, bass, and guitar. The other instrumentalist on the track is Antonoff's Bleachers bandmate, Evan Smith, who played guitar, accordion and saxophone.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Tom Johnston from The Doobie Brothers

Tom Johnston from The Doobie BrothersSongwriter Interviews

The Doobies guitarist and lead singer, Tom wrote the classics "Listen To The Music," "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove."

Lori McKenna

Lori McKennaSongwriter Interviews

Lori's songs have been recorded by Faith Hill and Sara Evans. She's performed on the CMAs and on Oprah. She also has five kids.

Dave Pirner of Soul Asylum

Dave Pirner of Soul AsylumSongwriter Interviews

Dave explains how the video appropriated the meaning of "Runaway Train," and what he thought of getting parodied by Weird Al.

Hardy

HardySongwriter Interviews

The country hitmaker talks about his debut album, A Rock, and how a nursery rhyme inspired his hit single "One Beer."

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The Kingdom

Gavin Rossdale On Lyric Inspirations and Bush's Album The KingdomSongwriter Interviews

The Bush frontman on where he finds inspiration for lyrics, if his "machine head" is a guitar tuner, and the stories behind songs from the album The Kingdom.

Second Wind Songs

Second Wind SongsSong Writing

Some songs get a second life when they find a new audience through a movie, commercial, TV show, or even the Internet.