Fortnight ❰MEANING EXPLAINED❱ Taylor Swift (feat. Post Malone) Music Video Breakdown 

This song is extremely deep. Taylor can write a song like no one can.

Thanks for the analysis! I agree that she's trying to convey a Clara Bow vibe and the video is quite metaphorical but my take on the plot is a bit different. Even though I don't think the song is particularly about Joe, in the video I see signs of their breakup all over the place. This is what i take from the video: 1) She's first institutionalised because she can't go over her relationship with Post (Joe) so she takes a "forget him" pill to try to move on. 2) Once she takes the pill, she's released. She thinks she can get on with her life even though she still mourns her breakup. She comes across Post (Joe) again and they can't help but long for each other. 3) In their longing (blue and gold energies), they both fantasise with each other and their getting back together. 4) This means the "forget him" pill didn't work and she's back in square one so she gets institutionalised again and they try electroshock on her to force her forget. 5) As he sees that his relationship with her is hurting her, Post (Joe) unplugs the connection with her to stop her agony. 6) Thanks to that she's able to move on but he isn't. He's still calling her quite desperately from the phone booth but she's over it now and she finaly can cope with the grief (rain). 7) She lets him out of the booth and they look at each other under the rain in understanding. They can both move on now because they've made peace with the breakup. They have no hard feelings. The end.

not to mention that the dress she wore for the Grammy's is a 'cleaner' version of the one in the room at the beginning! She was dropping us BIG clues, and also the watch she was wearing matches the choker of Clara Bow, the whole style for that night was this music video!

Taylor herself said "pretty much everything in it is a metaphor or reference to one corner of the album or another" (Instagram) I would say: let the games begin!

Hi guys, My interpretation of the video. She uses Clara Bow representation because she feels she has some similarities of this person. She’s in a room that’s isolating. She felt that she was depressed for some time. She does the representation by the colors in video and where she is at. She is chained to the bed feeling that she can’t get out. I feel that refers this type of relationship she thought was pure but realized possibly that it had a lot sexual chemistry, and depressed (generally when sad some people stay in bed). She didn’t catch this at the beginning but realizes it later. She mentions fortnight which means 2 weeks of them together. They are together looking as if there’s something physical gonna happen. She mentions cheating husband. Meaning she was married and long distance for a time. They barely got time together. She was unsure what to do with the info of the cheating. She desperately wanted to be with husband but was hurt deep down of what happened. This ate her up and was confused of the emotions. Then she tells her story. She meets someone that gets her out of depression. This person “saves” her. She falls in love. The person and her bond over this typewriter. She writes the manuscript about her love and past loves how it lead to this moment.The gold color aura refers to her song daylight meaning she views this love as gold here. The guy aura is blue referring he is a sad person all the time. They intertwine the auras. It creates a strong bond but leads to her misery. They fall in love. She gets depressed again because certain events happen. She takes the forget pills and it doesn’t work. Then does the shock therapy and it doesn’t work. Then locks herself up. Still nothing. The mountains refers to how many obstacles they went through to get to this moment. Towards the end he is in the phone booth calling her looking distraught. Referring that this was a long distance kind of deal and it was destroying them. Then she is on top of it with the rain. She is depressed just like from the beginning. They hold hands referring they want to make this work so badly but the sadness is taking over them both referring to the rain. So in the end it’s referring that the sadness never went away. The person that she thought would save her did not. She is at square one where she stays depressed.

I also think the dress at the beginning is a wedding dress because she has the garter belt, a notorious accessory for weddings. And one of the things that she said was the waiting for the wedding or the anxiety of the marriage was driving her crazy.

It's interesting that you mention twin flames cause in the song Down Bad on TTPD there's a line which says, "Like I lost my twin." So I fhink that line is definitely a twin flame reference.

Great video! I interpreted it a little differently but loved seeing an alternate perspective. I loved the hidden messages with past pop culture

Wow! I love hearing the description of what everything means in this video!!

I heard a theory that from the song Guilty as sin, Taylor was already emotionally with Matty while still with Joe. So those two break-ups were kind of intertwined, one being from a lover that she also had a thing with a decade ago and thinking he would safe her from the emotional jail/madhouse she was in with the other. Also see the black dog reference and Post with tattoos saving her from the electric chair. Take a specific look at when Post Malone is having face tattoos and when not. I think Post is playing both Matty with tattoos and Travis without tattoos. If you take a look at their body language when he is without tattoos, it resembles hers with Travis. And their relationship started with the phone-number thing and the bracelet, and then the touch. I think this video is showing how Taylor was unhappy with Joe, thought she was being saved by Matty and then finally was saved by Travis

Thank you so much for this breakdown! I learned a lot from the video

this video is so good keep up the great work slayy

Thank you... I love this song ❤ and your explanation

This is the best explanation of the Fortnight video I've heard yet!

Beautiful, insightful analysis, Eric! You rock!❤

Thank you for this. You are one of the few who actually got all the meanings behind it and what it was all about. Great Job

Really enjoyed your explanation! Thank you!

You're so smart, thank you for this breakdown! You helped me understand this song so much more!!!

I really didn't understand the music video yesterday. Thanks for the explanation

You are great!!!! Every thing very on point

I think you nailed it Eric!!!

The song Fortnight suggests that there was some betrayal (or cheating) on both sides. Fortnight means a period of two weeks. Taylor says in the song that "my husband is cheating" which would mean it's about Joe, while Taylor fantasizes about her neighbour(Guilty as sin?) who is also in a relationship which would be Matty, this suggests that Joe did infact cheat while Taylor may or may not have cheated but she was in an affair with Matty for a short period hence the name "fortnight"

She spoke about her relation to Clara Bow. What I love so much about Taylor as an artist is that she such a poet and also keeps a storyline going throughout her career. She always drops clues in each song/video as to what we want to interpret and how we, as fans of her, perceived her. She's constantly growing and changing. She uses her lyrics to convey her struggles and her strengths. I don't know why so many people think she's a bully and those exact people who hate her are bullies. It's just sad to me that when she became a star all those years ago, I'm sure all the negative people and haters that are relentless to her never crossed her mind that she would be dealing with this. I think it's jealousy. Those who can relate and they are in the millions, including me would not go to such low levels to target her for expressing exactly who she is. ❤ And I was so excited to see Post Malone with her as he is and has been my favorite artists since he was found on RU-vid ❤

thanks for sharing! now I will.

thank you for this

Anyone else get the “endless February” reference to Joe? His birthday is in February.

Yes! Makes me love this collab even more.

Wow, great breakdown

Very good analysis

It was amazing thanks

wow! Thank you.

Look at the Forget Me pills upside down - the numbers underneath are her birthday and the record release date

nice breakdown

Thx!

cheers, mate

The Twinflame theory is spot on in my opinion.

thank you

Helpful

These two song writers are the tortured poets. They are coming together to create fort night. They influence each other as artists which is reflected in their face tattoo and lack of tatoo. They were together for a fortnight creating the song. The song is Taylor’s but the collaboration has the two writers contributing and the pages land in the shape of Taylor. The two shared a meaningful connection and touched each other creatively

I like the twin flame reference. She does mention the twin flame in “All to Well” 10 minute version

The black dog in the foreground of the ECT Department is symbolic of depression and mental health anguish in general. It may also be considered a link to The Black Dog pub in London which relates to another breakup, referenced in The Black Dog song on #TTPD.

also to do with the twin flame she mentions she feels like she lost her twin in the song “Down Bad”

😊 I like explanation and the other theories, too,! Mind blown with the upside down 💊 bottle numbers 😮😂

Wow thanks

What do you make of the dates on the forget him bottle? 12/13/89 (her date of birth) - 4/19/2004 (date of video release)?

A fortnight is a period of two weeks, I believe (it was a commonly used term long ago). I interpreted the song as meaning that they had a brief affair ("touched you for a fortnight") long ago but then ended up with other people, ended up neighbours, and secretly remain in love? She says, "Your wife waters flowers, I want to kill her" which I take to mean that she's jealous of the wife, who is now her neighbour; and she says, "My husband is cheating, I want to kill him" so she is unhappy with her own marriage and still coveting Post Malone even though he's now her married neighbour. I guess he still secretly longs for her, too, because he obviously thinks about calling her. That's how I interpreted the lyrics, anyway; but I had no idea about Clara Blow so that gives insight into the visuals of the video.

I found a picture of Clara Bow, sitting at a table where she is wearing something on her forehead that resemble a lot the tattoos on Post Malone forehead. I wonder...

How in the heck did you figure this video out? I was confused from the beginning to the end. What an imagination. Your explanation helped a bit but I’m still thinking this is a weird video.

This is so good! Thank you!! Being a ‘senior Swiftie’…I’m not good at figuring out puzzles🤣🥰👏

IMO,I see 2 ppl who found feelings in someone else,while both already being in a relationship.To me,I believe she loves him and he cares for her.(I know its just a video) BUT when they are on the road,they are saying so much just lookng at one another! I noticed that he has sort of a smile at first but when it flashes to her and then to him again, he's not.Man,i could feel it.I feel she's telling him she loves him and it's killing her w/out words and then he stops her pain and torture when he unplugs her. They,IMO,worked great together! Again,I felt it.❤,,,💋

Hey . I heard your pain…When you said someone who was your other half wasn’t with you anymore. I’m so sorry I’m here for you.

KINGGG THANK YOU MY DUMBASS NEEDED THIS 🙏🙏

Mornings are not mourning...

thanks for explaining your own opinion.

I love Taylor’s music, but don’t follow her personal life, so my blind take on the video is this. Beautiful tortured soul, desperately trying to get over a break up, sent to a mental institution, given a “fix it-forget him” pill, antidepressant. Obviously, doesn’t work, everyone wants to believe she is crazy, rather than her being heartbroken and she probably is going crazy.. meanwhile, back in the day, women were treated with shock therapy, one of her doctors, Post Malone, slowly falls in love with her during treatment, she with him, and during one of the sessions, he unplugs the machine, because he can’t stand to see her being tortured anymore-and now I don’t remember where I am going with this. It was good in my head at first.

What about travis?

They are in Searchlight, Nevada. They = Clara Bow and Rex Bell. Clara had stolen documents that were prolific. I believe that TS sings from the perspective of Clara Bow on much of the album. Been researching Clara Bow and she is so fascinating. Anyway, the Bolter is referencing movie scenes, she says they must stop meeting light this because she'd met alll of her fiancé's ON SET. talk about a meet cute!

Some things you said can symbolize death too. I related to things after you did this analysis that I feel since my husband passed last June. Ariana Grande's We Can't Be Friends" made me cry when I first saw it because of how the storyline and visuals felt relevant to how I felt, much like some things in this video.

You mentioned twin flame. Matt and Taylor are both fire signs.

What is it written in the clouds??

Can’t believe how much everyone is missing all the direct references Matty Healy.

An interesting depiction during astrological events

2 souls mates kept apart, one in a mental institution, they try and connect, then they finally reunite

you can tell you've been through it man

Also, they sing of there combined issues as one person. Alcohol being posts vice. Taylor’s boyfriend was cheating….. Taylor either made a deep connection with post and resents being good neighbours with posts girlfriend who is happy and with a great guy.

I think that the scene of the torture and the electroshocks metaphorically unites the damage that the system does to poets (artists) like Clara Bow and the pain of the breakup and the need to forget.

That is beige btw not red + also black and white films represent the older generations films 🎥 as they did not have the technology they have now which adds colour to film so back then you wouldn’t know what colour things or clothing was

I think your very theory is right

It's all her romances. She is in the mental hospital getting over and forgetting Joe...she straight away unmasks herself and uncovers her tortured poet romance with Matty and goes to him where they connect in their art and continue to connect in the song lyrics while she is with a non tattoo'd Post on the road reading Story of Us and this symbolises Jake then pans out to Style symbolism before she runs and leaps into the safety of Travis while past idealistic romantised toxic r ships in her writing burn and swirl around her. ...

Matt could have been the move-on drug?

Why on the pills are the numbers 04.10.24 means something maybe reputation?😂

This dude's wrong! It's about two gamers that never really go out. But they meet each other playing fortnite. Because of the game fortnite they were able to find their soulmate

Ii thing this song is about infatuation, its not love they only touched 2 weeks prior they both cheated in some way on their spouse , the silent treason is lust or flirting with their neighbor and when that happens theres always one party that know it was wrong and they want to stop the other does not understand thats why hes not answering his phone and shes just not ready to quit her husband is cheating and the neighbors wife is jist watering flowers and she doesn't really want to kill her she wants to be her the tattoos are how we all get with a new love and we kinda start liking the same things in order to please the other but we never really like it and that always come up in arguments thays what all this is iv seen it countless times

How can a woman so rich feel so trapped and tortured in here life. In Ready For it? the line And he can be my Jailer, Burton to this Taylor ( Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor). Is it PR or is it real Taylor.

But wth is a fortnight?

I just want to know what she means by fortnite? I don't understand the using of the word fortnight can someone please explain? 😂

No tattoo Post Malone is scary NGL 😰

When the pink and blue smoke rises, I thought of Lover. There are definitely signs of Joe in this.

This song sounds like its written all over by Lana Del Rey!

3:34 Who else thought "during that era they even had a type of dress for the morning? They probably wore that style of a dress but I bet it didn't have to be black. Not to mention that would suck to wear a dress that early." Then when he explained it further you realize you're stupid. Anyone else think that?

It kills me that she'll NEVER tell us what anything means 😂

I do not agree with you 100% about this video and the meaning. To me, I gather, that this song is about an affair. A 2 week affair #fortnight. The end of this video doesn’t make sense to me bc the lyrics say that “he would try to call her but doesn’t actually”, so I’m still trying to figure out that part. 😅. I’m a fairly new swifty, I’m not even sure how to spell it lol

Morning = mourning Not close buddy

So this is all just speculation and you have no idea what she means symbolically.. Did you know that Post Malone has a song titled "mourning".. Since a lot of the hidden messages in the song are about Taylor's songs, some are likely to be about him.. You could have just stole from other channels if you didn't know.. At least it would have been slightly believable

But first we have to talk about Clara Bow. Nah bro, we don’t. Get to the fucking video I clicked on

So this is not about video game 😂

Is that a Hebrew word tattoo

Wrong!

A schizophrenic look?

Her music all sounds the same