Was Matty Healy the “Glitch?” Swiftie Decodes Taylor Swift Lyrics and Lore Midnights Deep Dive

[@cmanzanobalsells]

Before knowing about Matty Healy I interpreted Glitch as the story of how Joe and Taylor started dating back in the day. It gave Gorgeous, Cruel Summer, Delicate... playing it cool before they committed. But since Matty Healy I cannot interpret it as anything else than being about the period when they reconnected while she was writing and recording Midnights. Honestly, I love this song and it's so fascinating and sexy to me now. Nina, I love your breakdowns, I can't get enough!

[@P4-Swift-Watch]

I believe Midnights includes break-up songs about Joe, and her old feelings for Matty resurfacing. I agree, Glitch is about Matty, plus Maroon and other songs. I also believe "The 1" on Folklore is about Matty.... And, Cowboys like Us, is about Matty.

[@yorkshiregirl992]

Yes to everything - and also don't forget 'something counterfeit is dead.' I can't tell you how much I wish Matty would write his side of this story on his next album. I doubt he'll even mention it though.

[@kerrisouth]

He won't. He said so in an interview I saw. I'm so sorry to be vague. I have a vague mind.

[@ytuser392]

Yes I was about to mention it too, in loml!

[@KristinSudholz]

He will purposely not and if anything write songs about Gabriette just to goad her. Remember they coded songs to each other before this.

[@sonnymc4677]

I absolutely love your breakdown. I never thought abought the "blood moon lit" comment before. I also like how you tied the let's dance back to Cowboy Like me. Great stuff. I think you need to do a break down of Sweet Nothing now. I've long believed this has a double meaning. The sweet surface lyrics, and the other side, you're giving me nothing. How did Joe not pick up on that?

[@jessicaf2519]

Sweat you out -> down bad crying at the gym

[@NinasNook]

Yessss! Absolutely’

[@MissRoxanneRed]

Girl, you are opening my eyes to Midnights now!! Although, I have always thought Glitch was about Matty Healy, or anyone else but Joe. Since you've decoded some of Midnights, I've listened to it with a different view point. I was under the assumption that 'Question...?' was possibly about Harry Styles maybe but now I see it more pointing in MH's direction. And now I question 'Bejewelled' too. I am LOVING all these deep dives! Thank you so much for your expertise!!

[@NinasNook]

We will be doing Question soon! I definitely think question is to MH, especially given she talked about being the happiest she’s ever been before playing question because it “made her really happy.” She told us and honestly, I’m still not over it. 😂😂

[@candimccann]

Oh, Bejeweled... "The Band" is the The 1975

[@777jamiejames]

Your embroidery is soooo goood!!!! 😊

[@dariajabonska3303]

I also think it’s so beautiful 😻

[@NinasNook]

Thank you!! I like to multi task so this is the result of many, many hours of KZbin watching. 😂😂 I’ve done a few other Taylor related ones, I’m a big fan of having lyrical/word art everywhere if I can. 😂🥰

[@jessicafoltz6147]

Stitching "we were just kids babe" so many connections

[@karinrommel5925]

I love your breakdowns! Its so interesting to see the tie backs to other songs! Thanks for sharing tour insights!

[@heyyoholl8194]

I just have to say I love all of your song analyses of Taylor Swift’s discography

[@NinasNook]

@@heyyoholl8194 thank you so much!! I’m so happy to find that people like them and are interested in it all like I am!

[@henristein1872]

100% Glitch is about Matty. I think a lot of her catalog from Reputation forward is about Matty and we never had a clue until TPPD.

[@tigerCola]

*TTPD

[@lynnfish3653]

Maroon is the Rosetta Stone to Matty Healy. You are spot on. Great analysis once again 👏👏👍

[@NinasNook]

Thank you so much!!

[@walkingtheline1729]

I think Chloe Sam Sophia or Marcus is the Rosetta stone more than maroon

[@NinasNook]

@ Chloe or Sam is everything! Hahaha

[@yorkshiregirl992]

Matty

[@lynnfish3653]

@yorkshiregirl992 thanks, fixed.

[@Porcelynnn]

Dancing is a dangerous game made me think of Dancing With Our Hands Tied. Matty and Taylor were both born in 1989. He was already 25 when he first met her (2014) and she writes, “I, I loved you in secret. First sight, yeah, we love without reason. 25 years old, how were you to know” I think it’s insane that she secretly pined for him and I believe it!! Snow On The Beach - “You wanting me feels impossible” “Weird but f-ing beautiful” I think their relationship (prior to them finally dating) was always something she thought about because it could have been and her imagination haunts her 😅 she’s imaginative so there could have been a lot from them two together, creatively, musically, and ofc romantically and now, all those fantasies are just embarrassing to have ever been thought of. I think we’ve all been there. Dreaming of someone and what it would be like to be with them.. that kind of daydream gets your hopes up and let you down so bad (Down Bad)

[@NinasNook]

@@Porcelynnn I know, dancing with our hands tied is hard for me to believe is about Joe even though I know that’s what she told people during secret sessions. It would just fit that secret pining so perfectly! Snow on the beach is coming soon! I’m SO excited to do it!

[@Porcelynnn]

@ yes, I remember she kept telling everyone this album is about my angel bf like who are trying to tell.. Us or yourself Taylor?? 🤣🤣

[@lenubfiattp813]

Well said❤btw I recommend that you could watch the music video of Oh Caroline by The 1975 released in 2022! I guess you will have more insights😊

[@Marina-nn4md]

@@NinasNookend game also feels like she at least started to write it before Joe. “You and me would me would be big conversations” “we have big reputation” that’s not Joe

[@Angelinaballeina]

I think you’re right about the song being about Matty Healy. I wonder if there is a double meeting to starry eyed in several of Taylor’s songs. I really read it as high. Like glazed eyes and dilated pupils starry eyed. And she’s better safe than starry eyed I take as meaning she chose safety rather than a relationship with a drug user.

[@NinasNook]

Yeah the more I examine her lyrics the more I think that starry eyes are essentially love glazed eyes. I think a lot of her cosmic references seem specific to Matty, but starry eyes I think is her way of describing falling in love for her. Her nights are so starry, she’s not even sorry, it’s blood moonlit - maroon. Even in call it what you want it it’s “starry eyes lighting up my darkest night” which is just reflecting being in love. So starry itself I think is just a love metaphor for her, at lease that’s how I take it.

[@Angelinaballeina]

Oh, I agree. Starry eyed, traditionally means, dazzled, or adoring. And I think she means that on the surface. I just find that her writing is complex and often includes double meetings. For example, Maroon as both the color and being stranded. In drug culture, the term spaced or spaced out means high. She presents starry eyed as the opposite of safe, and that could mean two things at once. Just a thought.

[@Max30kg]

The thing about the stars can also be seen in Down Bad and Snow on the Beach, which both have a lot of space and star imagery

[@NinasNook]

Yessss! I actually think a combo of snow on the beach and down bad is a video that’s coming soon!!

[@Max30kg]

@ Yes you should definitely do a video about them, they’re basically the same song but from different points of the relationship - first when she’s falling in love and then when she’s crying at the gym. I will be tuning in, as I do with all of your lyrics breakdowns

[@ssalas7374]

Yes, everything you said makes complete sense to me. In 2020, both Taylor and Matty (as well as the rest of us) were quarantined during COVID in their respective homes with their own partners and I think a lot of people did a lot of reflection on their lives during that time. And it seems that Taylor was using Matty as a character and inspiration for some of Folklore and Evermore. So, it makes sense to me that when quarantine was over and they both went back to the studio, they became friends again and were both working on their own albums with Jack at Electric Lady Studios in NYC. Matty surely knew Cardigan, The 1, Cowboy Like Me, etc. were inspired by him, and that must have been quite flattering. She was struggling in her relationship with Joe and Matty's relationship with his girlfriend was nearing an end. They were both in a vulnerable, heartbroken place emotionally, and I'm sure making music together and potentially confiding in each other about relationship struggles could lead to rekindling their previous romance. When you think about Midnights through that lens, it makes a lot more sense. (edited to correct the date, I meant 2020, not 2000 haha)

[@KristinSudholz]

The only thing to remember is that people paralleling lyrics from Midnights is that anything regarding breakup hurt with Matty, that hadn’t happened yet when she was writing Midnights… she was still just in the situationship (it was released in Oct 2022 so those songs were written a minimum of 4-6 months or longer before then. I raise this because I see in the comments people connecting lyrics on TTPD that are clearly about the breakup with him to lyrics in Midnights. I think breakup references are probably about the break down with Joe and the realization it isn’t ’the one’ and she can’t shake her thoughts about Matty.

[@Kertgaferg]

After TTPD, it feels like the whole relationship with Joe was just bad. And neither of them had the ability to talk to each other. Properly. They needed to rip the bandaid off that one and deal with it, instead of holding onto a dying dream.

[@dariajabonska3303]

Always so excited for your videos and analysis 🧐❤❤❤

[@NinasNook]

Yay! That makes me so happy to hear! 🥰🥰

[@77UWD_SS13]

2022-2023 were busy years in TS's personal life. In creative terms, a number of very outstanding compositions were written, which did not find their completion in the creation of a video. Maybe TS did this intentionally in order to make a film in the future? For example, here is a finished script: Midnight Rain - Glitch - Guilty as Sin? - So Long, London - The Alchemy. It would have been a great short film! About 40 minutes long, with a happy ending. If Joseph Alwyn and Matty Healy had agreed to star in the lead roles, several Oscar nominations are guaranteed!

[@Kendraeardnek]

I didn't listen to Midnights until after both breakups, and I wasn't fully aware of the timelines, so when I heard Glitch, I was convinced it was Matty Healy. Then I found out that she was still with Joe when it was released, so I thought better of it. Then TTPD happened and I was apparently right all along...

[@alexlefay]

I understand that she and Joe were having issues before Midnights but I can't help but think if she releasing these songs didn't also help to bring the relationship to an end. Joe knew her better than us. If we can connect the dots, so could he and probably even better than us.

[@NinasNook]

@@alexlefay I agree, it’s interesting to think about how much he saw of her music. I get the feeling that he wasn’t that interested at times, so I also feel like Midnights was where she was tired of trying to hide everything as well. She didn’t say that Midnights was fictional like she did with Folk/evermore but she did say it represented “13 sleepless nights of her life.” I definitely think they were not doing well in 2021, 2022 and Midnights is the result of what she maybe previously slipped by us.

[@JRay.R]

It’s almost the best song on midnights. Top 5.

[@TheDrummersWife]

I love your breakdowns but I am curious what camera, mic situation you have going? You come theough so clear for someone who hasn't been a KZbinr dor that long. Please share the details!

[@kyliebrewer3156]

Totally what I've been thinking this whole time!!! 😅

[@chloexelyse]

No, I believe it's about Joe. She mentions it bein *insert number here* days of their love blackout, and the amount of days she said equates to the amount of time she and Joe had been together. It's about how they were supposed to be friends with benefits and they fell in love.

[@DaniqueEmiliaSteinfeld]

I just wonder now what Joe thought when he heard those kind pf songs..😅🤔

[@NinasNook]

I also wonder what Joe thought…. Sweet nothing sounds less and less positive the more I listen to it.

[@mayiilau4175]

Same 🤪

[@mikedebruyn]

I think he fell, like most people, for the sleepless nights in the past explanation, not realizing that those past nights were all in the last 14 days!

[@DaniqueEmiliaSteinfeld]

I litrerally listened to this songs yesterday (after watchibg a lot of your videos) and came to the same conclusion: that this must be about Matty Healy.

[@NinasNook]

Right?! It’s like our brain gets rehardwired once we put the pieces together. 😂😂

[@Julie-zo2gv]

When she talks about maroon in different songs do you think it could be the color of old or dried blood. So deep leaving a scar so the color was maroon not red ?

[@angela-thebooknerdess2110]

She also says stitches undone in So Long London, what if it isn't about Joe ... but a matty song???

[@RiciLe]

Thanks for your work, I love your videos and your pov 🫶🏻 And I think you are so damn close to the truely meanings of all the signs Taylor uses to process her life. Totally agree that this song is about Matty !

[@Sarurah]

I think it's about Joe because she's used "stitches undone" lyrics in So Long London

[@NinasNook]

At the end of the day we’ll never know truly unless she tells us. I see a lot of these mentions as imagery for being together, so I don’t think it’s specific to just one person. I do think a lot of her imagery though is imagery she used based on just her own headspace and I don’t think we can say one to one each stitch mention has to be about the same person. I think she just leans on similar imagery for emotion like she’s done with red, blue, gray, etc.. She also uses the stitching metaphor in LOML which we theorize is heavily Matty so while we can’t say for sure, I think stitches is just imagery here for her. In her head stitching yourself to someone (like with an invisible string) is a form of love.

[@RiciLe]

Well tbh I thought so long london is some kind of saying a final goodbye to matty …

[@NinasNook]

@ some people definitely think So Long London is a composite sketch and they both are from London, and she does stay “stitches” meaning multiple…

[@Max30kg]

⁠@@NinasNookalso in a way in Cardigan when she sings that he drew stars around her scars!!

[@ThinkFirst16]

I have a hard time separating “stitches undone” from So Long London (Joe) with Glitch.

[@P4-Swift-Watch]

She says her stitches were undone by Joe. So Taylor could have turned to Matty, and new stitches have begun.

[@ytuser392]

Thank you for this video, I love Glitch! I wanted to add that in Glitch we hear that "frying" sound typical of vinyls playing and I noticed the same sound in two particular songs on TTPD, which are but daddy I love him and Fresh out the slammer towerds the ending, ehen she mentiones going back "to the house where you still wait up". I think this might be a hint that these songs are about Matty and include this vintage sound that I feel is something he likes and has in his style.

[@LukaLemons]

these deepdives are interesting, but my question is when did Matty Healy and Taylor Swift date, cause i thought they only had something in 2023, which was after the release of Midnights

[@NinasNook]

@LukaLemons they never dated publicly prior to 2023, but there were rumors of them dating/hanging out in late 2014 early 2015. What we’ve learned from Taylor’s most recent music is that she had a “what if” relationship with Matty since their almost fling in 2014 and she’d wondered if he was the one. She found out in 2023 he was not.

[@GingaNinjaTV13]

6:20 we know from her TikTok’s that she likes to embroider things

[@NinasNook]

Yes! It’s such a rare hobby now! I was absolutely thrilled to find that we had that in common. Haha I believe that Taylor is an old soul at heart, who also likes sparkly things like me. 😂😂

[@klmjtr]

🎉

[@NinasNook]

🎉🎉🎉🎉 I hope you like it! 🥰

[@KristinSudholz]

The only thing to remember is that people paralleling lyrics from Midnights is that anything regarding breakup hurt with Matty, that hadn’t happened yet when she was writing Midnights… she was still just in the situationship (it was released in Oct 2022 so those songs were written a minimum of 4-6 months or longer before then. I raise this because I see in the comments people connecting lyrics on TTPD that are clearly about the breakup with him to lyrics in Midnights. I think breakup references are probably about the break down with Joe and the realization it isn’t ’the one’ and she can’t shake her thoughts about Matty.