Who is Clara Bow? The Meaning Behind Taylor Swift's New Song Revealed

6 February 2024, 12:43 | Updated: 19 April 2024, 7:48

The final track on The Tortured Poets Department tracklist is called 'Clara Bow' but who is she and how does her life story connect to Taylor Swift?

Taylor Swift has finally unveiled The Tortured Poets Department and surprise – it's a double album! Alongside the original 16 songs, Taylor just dropped another 15. But what is Clara Bow about? Who is she? And how is she connected to Taylor Swift?

Swifties have already discovered easter eggs that most of the songs are linked to Taylor's ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn and her brief relationship with Matty Healy. But Clara Bow's name has prompted a whole fresh wave of theories.

Throughout her discography, Taylor has sung about a handful of real life famous people, including Rebekah Harkness ('The Last Great American Dynasty') and her own grandmother Marjorie Finlay, who was an opera singer and TV personality. Clara Bow can now be added to that category, as she was a legendary silent film actress.

In 'Clara Bow', Taylor draws comparisons between her life and Clara Bow's. Read the breakdown of the lyrics below.

Who is Clara Bow and how does she relate to Taylor Swift?

Clara Bow was an American actress who rose to fame in the silent film era of the 1920s. She was one of the few stars who successfully transitioned to the "talkies" era.

She later became known as Hollywood's "It Girl" and is considered a personification of the Roaring Twenties thanks to her iconic flapper style. She's also credited as having a key role in shaping film and fashion culture.

However, despite successful professional career, her personal life was often the focus. Biography.com writes that Clara had "an overloaded work schedule" and was constantly under "celebrity scrutiny".

"She had been associated with a number of men off-screen and her romantic life became the object of much hurtful speculation and gossip, including a pamphlet put forth by an assistant with stories of Bow's relationships," the profile writes.

Clara sadly suffered a breakdown and retired from acting in 1933 and became a rancher in order to escape Hollywood. She married and had two children but continued to struggle with her emotional and mental health. She died at the age of 60 in 1965.

Before the song was released, fans started sharing one particular quote issued by Clara in 1933 that echoes Taylor's "I had a marvellous time ruining everything" lyric from 'TLGAD'.

"My life in Hollywood contained plenty of uproar. I'm sorry for a lot of it but not awfully sorry. I never did anything to hurt anyone else. I made a place for myself on the screen and you can't do that by being Mrs. Alcott's idea of a Little Woman."

The real gag of this quote, however? It was published in The Kansas City Star newspaper... Kansas City? What are the chances!?

Now the lyrics are here, it looks like Taylor is singing about being compared to Clara Bow when she was younger, explaining that people in her hometown never believed she'd become as successful and well known as she is now. (No one in my small town thought I'd see the lights of Manhattan.)

Taylor then goes on to sing about being compared to Stevie Nicks at the height of her fame, and being able to make the crowd "go wild at her finger tips". Throughout the song, she also mentions the praise she's been given for being "the real thing" in a "fake town".

Towards the end of the song, the narrative shifts. Taylor sings that her "crown is stained", which appears to allude to the Reputation era and the 'old Taylor'. After that shift, she the comparisons to other artists end and she finally becomes herself.

Taylor name drops herself in the final verse, singing: You look like Taylor Swift in this light, we're loving it / You've got edge, she never did.

Read the full 'Clara Bow' lyrics here:

[Verse 1]
"You look like Clara Bow
In this light, remarkable
All your life, did you know
You'd be picked like a rose?"

[Pre-Chorus]
I'm not trying to exaggerate
But I think I might die if it happened
Die if it happened to me
No one in my small town thought I'd see the lights of Manhattan

[Chorus]
This town is fake but you're the real thing
Breath of fresh air through smoke rings
Take the glory, give everything
Promise to be dazzling

[Verse 2]
You look like Stevie Nicks in '75
The hair and lips
The crowd goes wild at her fingertips
Half moon shinе, a full eclipse

[Pre-Chorus]
I'm not trying to exaggеrate
But I think I might die if I made it, die if I made it
No one in my small town thought I'd meet these suits in LA
They all want to say
The future's bright, dazzling

[Chorus]
This town is fake but you're the real thing
Breath of fresh air through smoke rings
Take the glory, give everything
Promise to be dazzling

[Verse 3]
The crown is stained, but you're the real queen
Flesh and blood amongst war machines
You're the new God we're worshipping
Promise to be dazzling

[Bridge]
Beauty is a beast that roars down on all fours demanding more
Only when your girlish glow flickers just so
Do they let you know?
It's hell on earth to be heavenly
Them's the brakes, they don't come gently

[Outro]
You look like Taylor Swift
In this light, we're loving it
You've got edge, she never did

Read more Taylor Swift news here:

• When does Reputation (Taylor's Version) come out? Here's what Taylor Swift has teased so far
• Reputation (Taylor's Version) vault tracks: Song titles, theories and collaboration predictions
• Taylor Swift re-recordings: All the release dates of the Taylor’s Version albums in order
• When does 'Debut (Taylor's Version)' come out? Here's what Taylor Swift has teased so far
• Every surprise song performed on Taylor Swift's Eras Tour so far

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