《cardigan》MV讲解
YouTube视频作者@insider
以下为本人纯手打，做了部分删减，有误之处请大家指出，分享请注明出处。
本人也很喜欢这首歌，所以我觉得更深层次地理解作者的意图也十分重要，故在YouTube上看到这个视频，觉得受益匪浅，想跟大家分享。
The video begins with swift playing a piano in what looks like a cabin, the keys are dirty and broken, which suggests it’s been a while since they’ve played. This could be a hint to the three years period between her 1989 and reputation albums, the longest break from music in her career so far. The image also suggests a return to something old and forgotten, which fits with the reminiscing lyrics of the song. In the first verse swift sings of “high heels on cobblestones, dancing in your Levi’s, drunk under a street light”. These lyrics sound similar to a scene from her music video for Me.
Next to the piano is a friend photo of an older man who appears to be her grandfather archie dean swift. The photo is likely a nod to the folklore track epiphany, which she wrote was inspired by her grandfather landing in Guadalcanal in 1942.
According to the clock on the wall, it’s 115 which adds up to seven and seven is also the name of the album’s seventh track. The clock’s hands also point to one and three, indicating swift’s lucky number 13 which she’s been known to hide throughout her past music video.
Golden sparkles start to walk out of the piano, which could be a reference to the pixie dust from Peter Pan. But more on that later, the effect also looks like the note Taylor received in her delicate music. Just as the note seemed to take delicate Taylor on a journey where no one could see her, cardigan Taylor follows the piano glitter on another adventure. She climbs into the piano which seems to symbolize how music can transport you especially into the past, and we see Taylor literally be transported to relive a past relationship.
Before the music video premiere, Taylor also shared that the song is about why young love is often fixed so permanently within our memories. And the video seems to follow a metaphorical memory of young love.
Taylor emerges from a piano seat into a jungle paradise. It looks sunny and peaceful which could represent how people tend to romanticize the past but also the relationship start out feeling perfect especially when you are young.
Taylor starts playing the piano and sings chase two girls lose the one, which sounds like a reference to the first track on folklore the one.
As Taylor continues playing, we can see a waterfall flowing out of piano, which some fans have been quick to point out looks similar to harry styles falling music video. The two artists dated back in 2012 and are thought to have written several songs about each other since.
In falling, Harry plays a piano dripping with water as he sings and I can’t take it back, I can’t unpack the baggage you left, which could be interpreted as harry struggling to deal with the aftermath of a failed relationship.
In contrast, in cardigan, when Taylor is shown playing a piano with a waterfall flowing out of it, she’s smiling as she sings about remembering what a past relationship was like. The water coming out of the piano could symbolize memories or the relationship itself., especially when Taylor sings about how her lover was running like water.
We see Taylor step into it and emerge in the next stage of the relationship she’s singing about. She pops out in the rough waters and appears to struggling to stay afloat as the storm rages, which seems to symbolize a relationship that is not yet in the clear. Taylor appears to be searching for something in the water as she sings because I knew you, stepping on last train. The lyrics could be a reference to her song sad beautiful tragic which is about a love coming into the end that emotions standing by train tracks and a train running off it tracks.
We then see Taylor swan to her piano and cling to it for safety. it is a powerful image and could symbolize how Taylor has always used music to work through emotions and difficult situations. In vogue interview, Taylor shared that making music was the only way she could survive the public turning on her. The rough waters and stormy weather also seemed to be a metaphor for the tumultuous end of a relationship but also what it is like to be burdened by the memories of a lost romance. The song’s lyrics continue to describe this downturn which Taylor compares to Peter losing Wendy. She makes references to the story Peter pan several times throughout the song and video. Peter losing Wendy evokes the song’s theme of losing a young love as Peter had to lose Wendy since he could not really love her and she went to grow up without him. The lyrics when you are young they assume you know nothing could also refer to how although Peter Pan and the lost boys could never grow up or fall in love. They still knew the magic of neverland and its fairies(仙女), pirates（海盗） and all sorts of thing that adults never could, and remember the golden glitter she’s following from scene to scene, it looks just like the pixie dust Peter uses to help Wendy fly off to neverland.
Taylor pulls herself out of the water and the past when the golden glitter starts to come out of the piano again and she climbs back in. We see her return to a present day where the cabin, the video started. In the close-up shots of her footsteps draw parallels to the scene in the Peter pan movie where Peter teaches Wendy and the children how to fly.
Taylor’s loose dress also looks similar to Wendy’s nightgown. strengthening the connection, there resemblances could mean in the same way Wendy learned from Peter how to fly. Taylor has learned from her own journey through the past relationship that cardigan details.
Taylor ends the video by wrapping herself in a cardigan that’s now on the piano bench. It’s the same cardigan from her new merch line released with the album. The cardigan has star patches on it which seems to reference the song’s lyrics you drew star around my scars. This line sounds similar to Taylor’s call it what you want lyrics starry eyes sparking up my darkest night. Both lines suggest healing despite whatever has happened in the past. And as Taylor sits, she wrapped in the cardigan back from her trip town memory lane. It’s clear that despite the ups and downs of the past relationship she’s made it to the other side, and just fine.
