Remember the good ol’ days of, say, the 1980s, when people were actually panicked about fringe music artists dabbling in satanism? Or putting incantations to the devil on songs that could only be heard if you played them in reverse (and were stupid enough to believe that you were hearing an incantation to the devil being inserted into a rock song so that it could only be heard if it was played in reverse)?
Now we’re to the point where superfans of Taylor Swift are literally going viral on TikTok for satanic incantations at her concerts — and loving every minute it.
Yeah, Taylor Swift. Sure, she’s a lefty and all that, but she’s basically the pumpkin spice latte of the entertainment industry. For those who aren’t up on your popular music, if you updated Joni Mitchell’s sound for the millennial generation and watered down the message a bit, you’d get Swift. She’s not going to be covering “WAP” or “F*** tha Police” anytime soon.
However, the controversy began with one of the singles from her 2020 album “evermore” (title deliberately styled in lowercase) where, in the video, she gives off what one writer for Country Music Alley described as “major ‘witchy’ vibes.”
Swift appears in a red cloak during the video and is seen dancing around some glowing orbs. The writer also noted that Swift “released several ‘witch’ remixes of the song. She also admitted that the song ‘sounds like casting a spell to make someone fall in love with you.’”
Well, Swift certainly needs those spells, given she writes about breakups about as often as Snoop Dogg pens songs about weed or Depeche Mode drops tracks with religious metaphors. Taylor’s gotta get her material from somewhere, after all, and a new terrible relationship is just what she needs. (By the way, Jake Gyllenhaal: She really should get that scarf back.) Curiously, reports began circulating on Sunday that Swift had just broken up with her boyfriend of six years.
As you may know, Swift is out on tour right now — a tour where problematic ticket sales and rampant scalping were so bad it actually sparked congressional hearings. You may also know that she has a subset of obsessive superfans called “Swifties.” One of these is apparently TikTok user “@igorxtt,” who apparently attends a lot of her concerts, including one recent show in Arlington, Texas.
In a viral video posted April 1, as she performs “Willow” — in a red robe, with other dancers in red robes and those “witchy” vibes going on — an individual who is assumedly @igorxtt can be heard yelling “summon the demons b****!”
WARNING: The following video contains graphic language that some viewers will find offensive.
@igorxtt my live is where it’s at #TSTheErasTour #ArlingtonTSTheErasTour ♬ willow – Taylor Swift
It’s unclear when this was filmed, although she appeared three times at AT&T Stadium in the Dallas suburb between March 31 and April 2.
An individual that’s apparently behind Swift’s verified TikTok account — maybe Swift herself — responded “Is this the new 123 let’s go b**** be honest.”
According to BuzzFeed, this is part of Swiftie lore: One of her fans became internet-famous by filming herself screaming “one, two, three, let’s go, b****!” as Swift performed “Delicate” at a 2018 concert in Pasadena, California. Fans apparently still shout the phrase at her concerts. Nobody ever accused the Swifties of being the best and the brightest.
Igor now wants to make his incantation the “official ‘Willow’ chant,” he explained in a follow-up TikTok clip.
“She has a whole witch dance break during ‘Willows’ [sic] … once she says ‘I come back stronger than a ’90s trend,’ immediately scream, ‘Summon the demons, b****,’” he said.
@igorxtt willow summon the demons chant (igor’s version) #TSTheErasTour #greenscreensticker ♬ willow – Taylor Swift
Another TikTok user used the opportunity to pray for Swift’s salvation, saying (erroneously, we should add) that Swift explicitly wants the crowd to use the phrase. Igor publicly mocked her.
@tailahofficial Praying for her salvation #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #taylorswift #Jesus #godisgood #christian #demonic #church #bible #christiantiktok #christianity #christiantok #spiritual #prayer #christiangirl #christianboy #christiantiktokcomunity #pop #popculture #news #moms #momsoftiktok #tailah #tailahofficial ♬ Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs – Skittlegirl Sound
@igorxtt I literally cannot haha, stream willow yall @taylorswift #WillowChant #greenscreen ♬ willow – dancing witch version (Elvira remix) – Taylor Swift
Now, I know conservatives love to play this game too often, but sometimes you’ve gotta: Remember when Marilyn Manson, whose vibe was definitely satanic but whose appeal was limited to a fringe audience, triggered a moral alarm back in the 1990s?
Taylor Swift is one of the biggest artists in the world right now. She’s also one of the most inoffensive major pop stars there is. Some random guy chants, “summon the demons, b****!” during a performance that contains some dubious vibes. Swift — or whoever’s behind her TikTok account — is like, eh, whatever.
And remember, this comes after “Satanism Sponsored by Pfizer” at this year’s Grammy Awards, where a performance of “Unholy” by Sam Smith and Kim Petras — which had more than just those gosh darned “witchy” vibes — ended this way:
Sam Smith has a SATANIC Grammys performance & it’s sponsored by Pfizer
You can’t make this stuff up pic.twitter.com/AG9a0uZWJe
— E (@ElijahSchaffer) February 6, 2023
Just when you thought big pharma couldn’t tarnish its image any more.
But I digress. The takeaway is the transformation. Even as late as the turn of the century, an artist being associated with witches or witchcraft would be, no matter what their album sales might be, still on the fringes of the entertainment industry.
Meanwhile, both Swift’s tour and the Grammys have more paid sponsorship from major corporations on display than 30 seasons of NASCAR races.
In the past, a scandal like this would have occasioned a hasty news conference where the artists and/or big corporate bigwigs strongly denounced what happened and gave the public every assurance that it would never happen again.
In the present, it’s not a scandal. In fact, if Taylor Swift or Sam Smith really wanted to generate some controversy, they’d probably have to support — not insult — traditional Judeo-Christian values.
Those who value their faith should be wise to remember they now live in a culture where biblical faith is considered a red flag more often than it’s considered a virtue.
Yes, this may be one unbalanced TikTok user and one indifferent pop icon.
However, denying it’s a sign of the times is simply putting one’s head in the sand. Welcome to the new normal.
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