It is unusual to have a word document called "Taylor Swift" between the documents for the dissertation and other projects. As a theologian and exegete, what do I have to do with the most successful singer-songwriter of our time, apart from listening to her songs from time to time while running, cooking or working?

34-year-old Taylor Swift inspires and polarises in equal measure - thorugh her songs, lyrics, performances and her commitment to the queer community. Swifties, as Taylor Swift's fans are colloquially known, appreciate her songs and albums for the topics she addresses and deals with: Relationship crises, disappointments and (interpersonal) hurts, empowerment and the path to self-acceptance. Her new album "The Tortured Poets Department" is once again about (self-)doubt, insecurities and forgiveness - motifs that also play a role time and again in biblical and other Christian texts.

Perhaps put a little differently: There are concrete Christian images and allusions in Taylor Swift's songs.

In an article by domradio.de (05.02.2024), the question of "how pop star Taylor Swift relates to religion" and whether she is a Catholic was therefore investigated. [1]  The article states that she grew up in Pennsylvania and probably went to a Catholic kindergarten run by Franciscan nuns there. She still lives in Tennessee, a strongly Christian state in the USA. In an interview about the election campaign there in relation to homophobic and queer-hostile statements, she described herself as a Christian and said that these misanthropic "values" did not correspond to her Christian values.[2]

Most recently, there two Taylor Swift services took place in mid-May in the Heiliggeistkirche in Heidelberg, initiated by the church pastor Vincenzo Petracca, which quickly filled up with over 1,200 worshippers, as can be read on the Instagram account of the Evangelical Church of Germany (EKD) on 18 May 2024.[3]   

Contrary to the comments in the domradio.de article about how "she is now positioning herself politically, [...] but religion is still very vague today, even more so than in earlier days"[4], Christian and biblical echoes can also be found in Taylor Swift's current songs. And they could even be wonderfully analysed in terms of motifs, genres, narratology and (lyrical) composition according to (some of) the usual steps of historical-critical biblical exegesis - perhaps a nice task for a longer project or seminar.

In this article, we can only provide an overview of a few song titles that contain Christian or biblical themes. For example, in the song Epiphany, released in 2020, Taylor Swift sings about overcoming trauma in connection with her grandfather's service in the Second World War. In a religious context, epiphany means the appearance of a deity among people; in Christianity, it is Jesus Christ himself who appears. The lines are probably also to be understood in this sense:

But you dream of some epiphany

Just one single glimpse of relief

To make some sense of what you've seen

Christian and biblical analogies also resonate in the recently released song Prophecy (2024). In the biblical world and times, people were just as concerned about shaping their present towards a good future as we are today. This is why prophecy was already a major trend back then - prophets appeared in both ancient Israel and the early Christian communities.

Apart from the fact that Swift compares herself in the very first verse to Eve, who encounters the serpent in paradise who seduces her (Gen 3), the chorus sounds like a pleading prayer. She sings about how she begs on her knees in a mix of imperatives and questions to change her prophecy, her predestination. As a weaker woman, she might have lost hope; if she were stronger, she wouldn't have to beg. So, she turns to the sky – which could classically also be interpreted as heaven - associated with the divine realm in the Bible and asks.

In the newly released song But Daddy I love him (2024), motifs of interpersonal relationships and charity can be heard. It may be understood as Swift's reaction to criticism of her previous relationships and shows that it is important to follow one’s own inner feelings. Even if she comes down hard on her critics, because of her addressing God and because of the phrasing the bridge sounds like an intercession or a prayer - she asks for protection for her enemies (God save the most judgmental creeps...). Vincenzo Petracca emphasises in his sermon that Swift has been accused of criticising faith too much, especially for this song, but also for the entire new album. "This song is not fundamentally against faith. Rather, [Swift] criticises a hypocritical faith that values dogma over humanity and charity."[5]

In the song Peter (2024), Taylor Swift asks a person of the same name for forgiveness - Forgive me Peter. It is about lost youth, unfulfilled promises and the passing of time. The song tells the story of a relationship that is kept in metaphorical closets of memory made of cedar wood (in closets like cedar) and brings to the surface the discrepancy between childhood dreams and the reality of growing up. Forgiveness, repentance and remorse are themes that are not far removed from biblical texts - both in the Old and New Testaments. While the lyrics of the song are perhaps initially reminiscent of the story of Peter Pan, it is precisely in relation to forgiveness and repentance - the name here is surely a coincidence - that Peter also comes to mind (even if Swift very probably did not intend the parallel here), especially in the depiction of the Gospel of John. Three times in the epilogue of John's Gospel, Peter is asked by Jesus whether he loves him, to which he answers "yes" three times (John 21:15-19). Prior to this, the Passion narrative reports how he denies Peter three times (John 18:12-27). An unresolved relationship that is characterised by the shared "past".

Christian references can probably be found most clearly in two songs. In the rather unknown country-style song Christmas Must Be Something More (2007) from her early career, Swift questions the modern view of Christmas in a consumer-orientated society. She poses provocative questions: What if God didn't send snow at Christmas? What if Christmas carols were lies? What if there were no presents? These questions aim to explore the deeper meaning of the holiday.  Swift emphasises that Christmas must be more than just superficialities and consumerism. In the chorus of the song, she insists that Christmas Day is something special and sacred and that this day is actually about the birthday of Jesus Christ (So, here's to the birthday Boy who saved our lives). This line of the refrain strongly echoes the verses Lk 2:11 and also Mt 1:21 from the two New Testament birth narratives. Swift criticises the fact that this central message is often ignored (It's some-thing we all try to ignore). In the last chorus, she mentions Jesus Christ by name, who saves people's lives. Is Swift making a clear commitment to Jesus Christ?

Desperate people find faith, so now I pray to Jesus too, sings Taylor Swift in 2019 for her mother, who is suffering from cancer, in the song Soon You'll Get Better. In times of fear and despair, she knows she is close to Jesus, her Saviour, in prayer.[6]

From a critical perspective on motifs and compositions, Taylor Swift has proven time and again in recent years and with her latest albums that she knows exactly what she writes about in her songs and how she uses them to tell her personal story(s).

It won’t be a coincidence when she sings of heaven and hell (loml, Albatros) or of the Holy Spirit and love (loml), of fire raining down from heaven (Albatros), of sin and crucifixion (Guilty as sin) or direct (short) addresses to God (I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)).

Certainly, the references and contexts of Taylor Swift's use of these religious or Christian motifs may not primarily be meant as Christian messages. However, Taylor Swift's Christian background suggests that she recognises and reflects the significance of these motifs in her life and relationships - just as she does with her life and relationships in her songs.

[1] Schlegelmilch, Renardo: Katholikin oder „Hexe“?. Wie der Popstar Talyor Swift zur Religion steht, in: domradio.de, 05.02.2024 (https://www.domradio.de/artikel/wie-der-popstar-taylor-swift-zur-religion-steht, aufgerufen am 13.05.2024).

[2] Vgl. Schlegelmilch, Katholikin; und auch die Predigt von Vincenzo Petracca vom 12.05.2024 (https://heiliggeist-heidelberg.de/media/download/variant/380750/taylor_swift_ansprache_gehalten_vincenzo_petracca.pdf; aufgerufen am 18.05.2024).

[3] Auftritt der Evangelischen Kirche Deutschlands bei Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/C7EMMXMukz0/?img_index=1; aufgerufen am 18.05.2024); vgl. Roch, Carlotta (Text): Take me to church, Taylor!, in: Frankfurter Allgemeine online, 14.05.2024 (?) (https://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/menschen/taylor-swift-gottesdienst-in-heidelberg-zieht-zahlreiche-fans-an-19716226.html, aufgerufen am 18.05.2024); und Hasenauer, Volker: Mehr Andacht als Konzert: So war der große Taylor-Swift-Gottesdienst. Emotionales evangelisches Kirchenexperiment, in: katholisch.de, 12.05.2024 (https://www.katholisch.de/artikel/53241-mehr-andacht-als-konzert-so-war-der-grosse-taylor-swift-gottesdienst, aufgerufen am 13.05.2024).

[4] Schlegelmich, Katholikin.

[5] Predigt von Petracca.

[6] Vgl. zu diesem Abschnitt die Predigt von Petracca.