Well, we finally know what Taylor Swift was filming in London all those months ago. It was all for an unremarkable video for her song "End Game," her only collaborative effort on reputation. The music video for "End Game" debuted early Friday morning, and it's easily the least pointed video Swift has produced in her current album cycle.
Here's the thing: The "End Game" video is just blandly cool. It's a montage of Swift partying in three different countries. She starts in a high-rise hotel room in Miami before riding in a convertible with Future. Then, she's on a yacht in Miami, dancing in a crop top. Later, she moves to Tokyo, where she downs a shot with Ed Sheeran. Finally, she's in London, where she dances in a double decker bus. The video amounts to just: Taylor Swift does cool things in cool places in cool outfits. She eats French fries. She dances on the beach. She does Dance Dance Revolution. It's standard "we like to party" music video fare.
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Which actually may or may not be remarkable. The "End Game" music video doesn't have the aggression of the "...Ready For It?" music video or the directives of the "Look What You Made Me Do" video. Both of Swift's earlier videos carried clear-ish messages about Swift's new era. (If you haven't been acquainted, this is a new era for Swift. She's rebranding as, erm, someone who doesn't like media.) This video falls in with a lot of other music videos: It's just about having fun, something that Swift seems to have been less interested in since reputation debuted.
So, "End Game" might represent a return to form for Swift. One person on Twitter pointed out that it's almost an edgier version of "22," Swift's anthem about hedonism just past the legal age.
The End Game music video is the 22 music videos drunk older more rebellious sister #EndGameMusicVideo
— Carly Heading (@carlyylalaa) January 12, 2018
"22" was all about enjoyment — it's also considered one of the best Swift songs. (Her 2012 album Red, on which "22" appears, is considered her best.) It's as if Swift flirted with overt aggression, but eventually made her way back to her roots. Just with a little more alcohol involved.
Is is too early to assume the old Taylor is back?
Watch the full music video, below.
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