Taylor Swift has released her latest album “folklore” by surprise, and it is one of her most mature, compelling, and emotionally acute album to date.
There are truly many laudable songs in this album, but one understated gem is “mirrorball,” the 6th track in the album. It is 3 minutes and 30 seconds in length and is a masterful display of Taylor’s ability to craft subtle lyrics that tell a deeper story than meets the eye. (Scroll down to the end for the link to the lyrics video)
A mirrorball, or otherwise known as a disco ball, is an object we all remember from our prom days: a sparkly sphere hanging over the gym floor, reflecting hues of light all around the room, setting the atmosphere for slow-dancing, romance, and the enjoyment of the company of friends.
A mirrorball is also an inherently fragile object — it is literally made out of fragmented pieces of glass. One fall and it’s a goner. Thus, it serves as a perfect metaphor for a relationship that is at times shiny and beautiful and at other times delicate and fragile.
A mirrorball serves as a perfect metaphor for a relationship that is at times shiny and beautiful and at other times delicate and fragile.
Taylor first starts the song by singing that she is the proverbial “mirrorball” in the relationship. The lyrics then continue:
“Hush / When no one is around, my dear / I’ll stand on my tallest tiptoes / Spinning in my highest heels, love / Shining just for you” — These lyrics pull back the curtain to reveal an intimate scene of two lovers dancing together, all by themselves. It is a picture of two people enjoying a moment of silly playfulness, deeply comfortable with each other’s presence, and giddy in love.
However, this scene turns a shade darker when the lyrics continue saying that she’s still on her highest tiptoes even when “they said the end is near.” Standing on your tiptoes for the purpose of dancing with someone is sweet, but if you stand on your tiptoes for too long, it becomes an abnormal, uncomfortable posture. The tone shifts to one of silent desperation — the first sign that something is wrong with the relationship.
Taylor then changes the scene to that of a circus. A circus is a place we all remember visiting with our families when we were younger — a place of endless fun, wonder, and amazement.
However, in this scene, Taylor paints the picture of a circus that has come to an end: “And they called off the circus / Burned the disco down / When they sent home the horses and the rodeo clowns.”
The circus has been called off. The show is over. The audience is gone. The performers have been sent home. The arena is empty — except for one person: Taylor herself.
“I’m still on that tightrope / I’m still trying everything to get you laughing at me.” Taylor is the only one left in the circus arena, balancing herself precariously on a tightrope. For what purpose? To get her lover to ‘laugh’ at her. ‘Laugh’ is an utterly dehumanizing word; it suggests that something is wrong with the relationship and that she would do anything — even sink to the level of a circus animal — to hold her lover’s attention.
This is further emphasized in the next line: “I’m still on that trapeze / I’m still trying everything to keep you looking at me.” She is so desperate for the relationship to work, so desperate for her lover to want her and to love her, that she would spend her life on a tightrope and a trapeze — both extremely unstable, exhausting positions — to impress him and keep his affection for just a little longer.
The song ends with Taylor once again describing herself as a “mirrorball” who will show her lover “every version” of himself. A mirrorball’s purpose is to reflect. By singing that she will show her lover every version of himself, she is saying that her presence in the relationship brings out the very best — and the very worst — in him.
What’s so amazing about this song? In just a few short lines, Taylor manages to hint at the beauty of a relationship (“Spinning in my highest heels, love / Shining just for you”), its fragility (“I’m still on that tightrope”), and its ultimate toxicity (“to get you laughing at me”).
It is the humanity in Taylor’s songs that makes them so relatable. There is a mirrorball inside all of us. Taylor transports us to a lyrical world in which we can both celebrate and lament over our human condition. And that’s genius.
