Taylor released the song “Delicate” on her Reputation album in 2017, the song follows her thought process as she wonders if her reputation will affect a new Romanic relationship. This blog post will differ from the others I have done because I will be making parallels to the music video and the novel, rather than just the lyrics. I was thinking of what song I would choose for this week’s blog post and remembered the music video for “Delicate.” The music video is 1920s-themed and reminds me of what I envision the setting of The Great Gatsby to be.
The cover image of this blog post is a screenshot from the music video, you can see the 1920s theme from the dress Taylor is wearing, and the building it is being filmed. I think that the entire reputation album applies to the novel because the characters are so involved with their reputation in the New York social circle. Characters like Tom and Daisy are good at managing being well perceived, and Gatsby tries his best throughout the novel to change the way he is perceived by telling lies about his family of origin and upbringing. In the video, Taylor is seen leaving the luxurious party to go meet with her lover after receiving a note. Just as Gatsby would see Daisy after his parties, and even realized she did not even like them. I will include another screenshot from the music video to add a visual of the luxurious setting the video takes place.
The video shows taylor dancing around a wealthy setting in the 1920’s, I imagine this was set in New York, because she mentions the city in her lyrics, stating,
“Dive bar on the East Side, where you at?
Phone lights up my nightstand in the black”
and again when she states,
“Third floor on the West Side, me and you
Handsome, you’re a mansion with a view”
Referencing the East and West sides of New York City also parallels the East and West eggs mentioned in the novel’s setting, making it more apparent the music video is based in New York City, and allowing it to convey a Great Gatsby theme. Overall, I love this song and music video, and now I definitely will not be able to watch it without thinking of TGG.