When the first trailer for Where the Crawdads Sing dropped in March, Swifties the world over were taken by surprise to hear snatches of a brand new ballad by their favourite singer. As the trailer plays out, a dead body is revealed, the primary conflict of the film is made clear, and the otherworldly voice of Taylor Swift sets the mood. In a haunting half-whisper she sings: “And you didn’t see me here. No, they never did see me here.” It is delicate. It is graceful. It is emotionally wrought. It is everything Delia Owens’ bestselling novel is.
“Where The Crawdads Sing is a book I got absolutely lost in when I read it years ago,” Taylor Swift wrote on Instagram. “As soon as I heard there was a film in the works starring the incredible Daisy Edgar-Jones and produced by the brilliant Reese Witherspoon, I knew I wanted to be a part of it from the musical side. I wanted to create something haunting and ethereal to match this mesmerizing story.”
Now listening to “Carolina” got us thinking. The reason Taylor Swift was such a natural fit for this movie was also because so much of her music resonates with Kya’s story. There are ghosts in all of her songs. There are tangled up memories and past traumas to deal with. Her music is about love and loneliness. About being on the outside and looking in. She sings about trust and independence. All themes that run throughout Where the Crawdads Sing.
Which is why, in anticipation of the release of Where the Crawdad’s Sing in Malaysian cinemas, we thought it would be fun to put together a Taylor Swift playlist in order to set the mood and get you ready to watch the movie. And so we spent days listening to her back catalogue, trawling through all of her songs and lyrics, and looking for other parallels to Kya’s story.
You’re welcome.
1. Carolina
So we kick things off with “Carolina.” Not just because she wrote the song for the movie, but because when she sings about creeks, and back roads, and mist, and clouds, it paints a perfect picture of what you’re about to watch. Where the Crawdads Sing is, at its heart, an American folktale, which is why it’s so fitting that Taylor Swift borrows from that tradition to craft this moody number.
2. All Too Well
We’re not all lucky enough to have the kind of heartbreak that can inspire a masterpiece of a ballad like this one. Kya, on the other hand, has enough tragedy in her life to inspire at least three such songs. We know there’s no red scarf in this movie, but there is a red knitted hat. Which kinda counts.
3. Shake It Off
We feel like this is the song that Kya be hoofing it to when there’s no one else at the shack. She’s alone and she’s heartbroken so she’s playing it loud and shaking it off.
4. Delicate
“This ain’t for the best, my reputation’s never been worse, so you must like me for me.” This is a sparse and intricately worked song about the brave, confident, chill, cool, keeping it together fronts that we have to put forward, and how we undermine that by constantly seeking the world’s approval and acceptance. If that doesn’t speak to Kya’s struggle, we don’t know what does.
5. the 1
“I’m doing good, I’m on some new shit. Been saying ‘yes’ instead of ‘no’.” Kya’s rebuilding her life. She’s doing things for herself. She’s breaking free from the shackles of her past and moving forward. She’s acknowledging that she had something beautiful with Tate, but knows that she needs to make something of herself before she’s able to be something to someone else.
6. Wildest Dreams
“He’s so tall and handsome as hell. He’s so bad, but he does it so well.” Wildest Dreams has always been a dark song. It’s breathless and sensuous. It’s about losing control. About being powerless in the face overwhelming lust and desire.
7. willow
Kya lead a pretty straightforward and simple life until these men showed up and totally wrecked her plans. Both in good and terrible ways. “willow” is a song that perfectly captures what it’s like to want someone, creating a compelling and whimsical image of being dragged into someone else’s world.
8. Mad Woman
In “Mad Woman,” Taylor calls out society for policing women’s emotions and gaslighting them with words like “crazy,” “erratic,” even “delusional.” She’s described this song as being about “a misfit widow getting revenge on the town that cast her out.” How fitting.
9. the lakes
A song that stems from the darker corners of both Folklore and Evermore, “the lakes” feels like something of an unofficial companion piece to “Carolina.” It’s wistful and dreamy. It tells the story of being isolated from society but eventually finding solace with a loved one.
10. no body, no crime
It’s a song about getting away with murder. Enough said.
