In Defense of… “Girl At Home”
Don’t be the kind of man that makes her sad!
Further proving that Taylor Swift can write and sing songs about every aspect of girlhood – whether you’re being pursued by someone who has a girlfriend or have a cheating boyfriend – “Girl At Home” deserves to be talked about more.
“Taylor’s Version” of “Girl At Home” is far more poppy and upbeat than the original. When released, this felt shocking but in reality, it suits the song. As the prelude to 1989, Red shows signs of what’s to come – “Girl At Home” has a similar sound to songs on 1989 like “All You Had To Do Was Stay” – a fan favorite – and deserves the same love.
Telling the story of a girl’s girl and their inner dialogue (and hopefully outward) when dealing with a man that has wandering eyes, “Girl At Home” proves that Swift does not only sing of breakups and boys of her own, but so many other facets of relationships that you experience from the outside.
Starting out singing, “I don’t even know her / But I feel a responsibility to do what’s upstanding and right,” Swift defines what it’s like to be a girl’s girl. Someone doesn’t have to be your friend in order for them to be owed your loyalty – women look out for each other. Swift even references “girl code,” a set of unspoken rules that girls follow in order to protect each other and their feelings.
Further in the song, Swift even insults girls who willingly allow boys with girlfriends to make passes on them – “And it would be a fine proposition if I was a stupid girl.” But, as she then sings, she’s no one’s exception and she won’t break girl code for whoever this may be.
Swift goes on to elaborate on the tell-tale signs that a man is being sneaky – turning off his phone in order to further focus on what his wandering eyes find. Swift turns a sad situation into a poppy masterpiece.
Similar to “How You Get The Girl” from 1989, “Girl At Home” gives a to-do list to the hypothetical listener. Similarly giving a boy instructions as to how to be more decent, “Girl At Home” could be a column by Andie Anderson: “How To: Save Your Relationship.”
At the end of the song, Swift sings, “It would be a fine proposition if I hadn’t once been just like her.” Showing that Swift has an added layer of empathy for those who may have suffered a cheating boyfriend, she relates to us even more.
“Girl At Home” is fun and fearless despite the unfortunate story behind it. It showcases Swift’s talent to change situations into songs. To long-time Swifties, this is no surprise.
