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Question about the song "Glitch" : r/TaylorSwift


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•
6 mo. ago
candlesandcloth
Afflicted by the not knowing...

Question about the song "Glitch"
Discussion 
emoji:taythink:
I really love the groovy vibes of the song "Glitch," but I keep thinking myself into a mental corner when I analyze the lyrics. Did the 'glitch' occur when the narrator met this other person or after they've broken up and the whole relationship was a glitch? (Note: I know the specific number of days mentioned in the song points to the length of a certain relationship of hers, but I generally prefer to discuss her songs without naming names.)

Lyrics that indicate this is about when they met:

Maybe I'll see you out some weekend

Five seconds later, I'm fastening myself to you with a stitch

Lyrics that indicate this is afterwards:

It's been 2190 days of our love blackout (Our love is blacking out)

The system's breaking down (The system's breaking down)

I think there's been a glitch

?

A brief interruption, a slight malfunction; I'd go back to wanting dudes who give nothing

Also, is she being facetious about this being a "brief interruption," considering she just indicated this has lasted for 6 years? Or is she saying that at the beginning of the relationship, that's all she thought it would be, but then it ended up being way more long-term than she anticipated?

Basically, my question is: is this a cute love song and meeting this other person was a departure (glitch) from her usual 'dudes who give nothing' type? OR is this a melancholic reminiscence about a long-term relationship that has ended (blacking out/breaking down)? OR (the most likely option) am I just way overthinking this whole thing? 😂

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falldiewakefly
•
6mo ago
like you are a poet trapped inside the body of a finance guy
It's a playful love song; the glitch is that it was "supposed" to be a brief situationship, based on her relationship history - a brief interruption, a slight malfunction; I'd go back to wanting dudes who give nothing - and instead turned into a six-year stable relationship - it's been 2190 days of our love blackout; the system's breaking down. What do you mean our relationship is still working, six years on? Doesn't check out! Something must have broken the matrix! :o



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PeachPit321
•
6mo ago
I agree with this mostly, but I don't think she's surprised the relationship is still working, it's the opposite. A relationship that was just attraction based turned into her most meaningful romantic relationship, but now, after 6 years, it's falling apart. It's breaking down, it's malfunctioning. It's a pre-breakup song imo. A kind of teaser for TTPD, the breakup album.



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u/candlesandcloth avatar
candlesandcloth
OP
•
6mo ago
Afflicted by the not knowing...
The original comment and your reply perfectly illustrate the different ways this song could be interpreted!

And honestly, after reading through all the replies, I'm realizing that this song is a bit of a chameleon. The lyrics' meaning can be bent to fit different narratives, which really just shows how wonderful of a songwriter she is.



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moonbunny119
•
2mo ago
emoji:TourturedPoetsDepartment: half moonshine, a full eclipse
Exactly - I think she’s creating that chameleon effect (almost like seeing double, when someone is really drunk) through the ambiguous use of glitch as a metaphor. A glitch is supposed to be a temporary failure, generally not systemic, like a bug not a feature in software language. And yet somehow this man is the “glitch” that got “into her system” so to speak, resulting in a serious LTR that she wanted but didn’t expect to find going in. And, a glitch can also be a signal of worse failure to come: electronics start glitching before there’s a big problem. So it’s also a warning. I think she might be playing on this here


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u/PioneerSpecies avatar
PioneerSpecies
•
6mo ago
I hear it as purely a love song, to me it sounds like “system’s breaking down” refers to her system of situationships and flings, not their relationship



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PeachPit321
•
5mo ago
This is the second comment I've gotten with this interpretation, so I looked back at the lyrics with that in mind and I'm on board now! I always saw it as purely cynical, but I see it your way and I prefer it! 🥰

My only issue is this: why would the system be breaking down after 6 years of a love blackout? Didn't it break down years ago when he was the king of her heart, her lover, and she wanted to marry him? And I always interpreted love blackout as a kind of all-consumming love; something so intense it overwhelms everything around it. Is that how you interpret it?


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u/tanz420 avatar
tanz420
•
6mo ago
emoji:speaknowtv: persona non grata
I think the system that's breaking down is her usual routine of short situationships



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PeachPit321
•
5mo ago
I'm curious as to what routine you're referring? I could be forgetting something, or just not know, but before Joe there was Tom Hiddleston, a multiple-months boyfriend, and before that was her boyfriend Calvin Harris, which lasted a year. Also, genuinely curious about your interpretation, if the "system" is her situationships, then what's the "glitch" if not the relationship failing?


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moonbunny119
•
2mo ago
emoji:TourturedPoetsDepartment: half moonshine, a full eclipse
The timing of when she wrote this song would be important to contextualize that! I also hear it as a warning about her relationship with JA starting to “glitch” as in, showing signs of failure toward the end


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eirwen29
•
6mo ago
This. The ending was the beginning. Its a glitch and glitches get deleted from code. Like this relationship from her life


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[deleted]
•
6mo ago
BeginningNail6
•
6mo ago
I read it as they broke up six years ago and she’s still not over it 


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Khajiit-ify
•
6mo ago
I definitely think that this is intended to be a happier little love song.

The first verse is entirely about how they met and started dating. It's been well documented with other songs in her discography that this relationship started with them thinking that they'd just be friends and then a spark burst and suddenly they were more than friends.

The chorus reflects on how the relationship isn't like previous relationships she's had. It almost doesn't feel real for them to have gone from friends to lovers and be so happy together.

The second verse extrapolates on this point. She thought this was just going to be some brief thing because that's how her relationships always go. Halfway through the second verse she goes on to talk about the specific days - 6 years worth. The "system" breaking down is the life she's always known of relationships coming and going with the wind.

This is further cemented with the bridge. She thought it would be just a quick fling, and that there was no way they would work out as long as they had up to that point. The truth is though that romance can come when you're least expecting it and change everything.

In terms of theme, Glitch fits very well with willow in terms of expressing a welcome surprise in being swept up in the romance.



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u/candlesandcloth avatar
candlesandcloth
OP
•
6mo ago
Afflicted by the not knowing...
Firstly, thank you! Loved reading your reply. ☺️

Secondly, I think your analysis is spot-on. Especially the comparison to Willow - "wreck my plans" could be considered just another way of talking about a "glitch." Hadn't thought of that before, but I love it.

Maybe my main hesitance to think that this is a more positive love song is her saying "the system's breaking down." It just seems like 6 years is a rather long time to still be thinking that. Like the system has already fully broken by then, surely?? 😆



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Khajiit-ify
•
6mo ago
I think it's important to keep in mind that it's still a part of Midnights where a core idea of the album was also reflecting on the past (the thoughts that keep you up at night).

I can just imagine her laying in bed with him beside her and just thinking to herself again and again how it seems impossible that they ended up being there six years later. I think in many ways Glitch is her reflecting back on those initial feelings and realizing all those years later how her initial impressions for how their romance would go were not at all how they turned out.



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u/candlesandcloth avatar
candlesandcloth
OP
•
6mo ago
Afflicted by the not knowing...
Very true! And perhaps it shows that she's more of a realist now, not to say the "system' has totally broken yet. Like she's not the girl who automatically assumes relationships will last forever, but she's going to appreciate that this one is still beating the 'system' for as long as she can.

Alright, you've convinced me. 😂


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moonbunny119
•
2mo ago
emoji:TourturedPoetsDepartment: half moonshine, a full eclipse
This is really smart but at the same time, I just can’t get around the fact that the song doesn’t sound happy…tonally, affectively, compositionally…it’s dark, gritty, and almost industrial feeling to my ear. What speaks of happiness to you?



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Khajiit-ify
•
2mo ago
I'll preface this response with saying that my original comment was released before TTPD and we were all still heavily in denial about how Taylor and Joe's relationship ended and how much of an impact Matty had on her life. 😶

That being said, I do see the anxiety and fear more prominently in Glitch now than I do the happiness. A lot of what pulled the happiness feeling for me is actually how she sings it vocally - it's very similar to Dress where she's got this breathy happiness to how she sings it, especially in the chorus. Production wise, it kind gives me that feel of sitting in a dark piano bar with a whiskey glass in my hand reminiscing on things. Very specific feeling I know but... It's a romantic kind of vibe.

I think it's actually more interesting in retrospect looking at Glitch ("fastening myself to you with a stitch") to So Long, London now ("stitches undone"). Honestly I am not as confident about my interpretation of Glitch from months ago as I was at the time. 😅



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moonbunny119
•
2mo ago
emoji:TourturedPoetsDepartment: half moonshine, a full eclipse
Oh! Well spotted with “stitches undone” from SLL. That makes so much sense!


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soapyrubberduck
•
6mo ago
Glitch reminds me of the line in Paper Rings, “I hate accidents except when we went from friends to this”



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u/candlesandcloth avatar
candlesandcloth
OP
•
6mo ago
Afflicted by the not knowing...
You know, I'd never connected Glitch to Paper Rings, but that parallel seems so obvious now that you point it out! Accidents and glitches are basically the same thing. Really cool comparison!


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heartstringcheese
•
6mo ago
I think it fits with a lot of lines from Lover, but especially that one! The glitch and the accident are the same thing.

There are also hints in Cruel Summer of an accidental relationship ("I love you" ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?) and Cornelia Street (I thought you were leading me on...then you called, showed your hand, I turned around before I hit the tunnel).


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[deleted]
•
6mo ago
stuckNTX_plzsendHelp
•
6mo ago
I think she was on and off again with Joe. I think there were times she found herself attracted to or interested in someone else. Maybe just towards the end there was someone she actually started wanting to see out wherever she hangs. Someone who gave her the attention she craved, whatever was lacking with Joe. And the glitch is her realizing her long term relationship is starting to break down, but five seconds later she's trying to make it work again. When she says it must be counterfeit, I interpret that as it's fake. The love she thought was true love with Joe, was a counterfeit after all. A brief interruption: one of their off periods. I go back to wanting dudes who give nothing: first I think she didn't like anyone enough to leave Joe, second Joe is the dude giving nothing. I'm not even sorry: she's so fucking over their incompatibility that she doesn't even feel bad anymore when she's attracted to someone else. She's desperately wanting to feel something again. I think she really loves to relate to people and has trouble being alone. Can't blame her. It's kinda a monkey branch relationship habit.



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u/candlesandcloth avatar
candlesandcloth
OP
•
6mo ago
Afflicted by the not knowing...
I'm definitely coming around to the on-and-off relationship theory for this song.

But I'm not sure I agree that the person she's singing to in Glitch is the one giving her nothing... It feels more like she'd be going back to 'dudes who give nothing' after a potential break-up with that person.

It's not a crazy idea, though! I've always been a little baffled by her song Hoax as well. And if these songs are potentially directed towards the same person, then your theory tracks. Counterfeit and hoax are very similar... 🤔



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stuckNTX_plzsendHelp
•
6mo ago
Yeah I can agree. I might be projecting how I've felt in my relationship. I think that's why she's so brilliant though. We can all interpret her songs in different ways.



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u/candlesandcloth avatar
candlesandcloth
OP
•
6mo ago
Afflicted by the not knowing...
Totally! I'm fairly certain Taylor actively encourages us to project our own experiences onto her songs. It's what makes her discography resonate with so many people. I read an article about a man who was being released from prison after serving a 20-year sentence and had connected to Taylor's lyrics, particularly the line in Daylight - been sleeping so long in a 20-year dark night.


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Correct_Pear469
•
6mo ago
I actually think this song is about Matty Healy and you can't change my mind



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u/funny_grl avatar
funny_grl
•
5mo ago
Thank you! And now since TTPD, the Matty Healy connection makes even more sense! I think the 2190 days was the “love blackout” when she was with Joe and now that’s she’s single again, she’s hoping to see him out.



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Few-Ad8859
•
5mo ago
u/candlesandcloth avatar
candlesandcloth
OP
•
6mo ago
Afflicted by the not knowing...
Hahah. But what about the 2190 days??



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Even_Evidence2087
•
3mo ago
Roughly the amount of days between 2015 (seen together) and 2022 when midnights came out


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moonbunny119
•
2mo ago
emoji:TourturedPoetsDepartment: half moonshine, a full eclipse
I find this more persuasive


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u/memefiend134340 avatar
memefiend134340
•
6mo ago
My interpretation is Glitch is not about especially about love or a breakup, but more about the unexpected.

A lot of this song comes from a place of disbelief, I think. Reflection. "Oh my God, looking back on it, I can't believe we ended up together the way we did, and moreover, now I can't understand how we ever did" sort of thinking.

She never thought they would be more than friends in passing, then she couldn't believe she had a crush on him (and couldn't "sweat him out"), and it seems that she could never quite believe he actually loved her ("it must be counterfeit"). I also hear a lot of this doubt in Dancing With Our Hands Tied ("and I had a bad feeling, but we were dancing"), Delicate, New Year's Day ("please don't ever become a stranger who's laugh I could recognize anywhere"), Mirrorball, Sweet Nothing, etc.

He was a "glitch" from her usual in every way, except how they ended, which confirmed what had been her fears all along.


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Ok_Umpire982
•
6mo ago
 folklore
I kind of like the interpretation that the first glitch is getting a relationship with someone she saw as a friend and then they spend six years together and that’s the new norm but then the second glitch where they break up (the system is breaking down) and finally a third glitch where she comes back to him after spending time with the guys who want nothing (a brief interruptions a slight malfunction)

But overall I think the point of the song is kind of more of just a love song where she wasn’t expecting it to work out but yet it does


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u/EchoPhoenix24 avatar
EchoPhoenix24
•
6mo ago
I think it's summed up in the first line: "we were supposed to be just friends"

So the "glitch" is oops, we developed real feelings and now this is a serious relationship. I assume it's about Joe as it seems to be in line with other things she's written about their relationship (and the "two thousand one hundred days" seems pretty specific to their 6 years together)


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HarrietGirl
•
6mo ago
My interpretation is that she’s analysing a relationship that she’s in, and the ‘glitch’ is that she didn’t expect it to end up being as serious as it is.

The first verse is her reflecting on how she expected things to go - it’s in the present tense because she’s narrating it the way you might tell a story to a friend (e.g. ‘I met this guy and it’s totally not supposed to be serious - maybe we’ll bump into each other at the weekends and hook up if nothing else is going on. But now it’s 6 years later and somehow he’s still my boyfriend.’)


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u/tanz420 avatar
tanz420
•
6mo ago
 persona non grata
Those are all just hypotheticals. It's option A, a cute love song.


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u/GuinessGirl avatar
GuinessGirl
•
6mo ago
 From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes
I've interpreted as they were supposed to just be casual, friends with benefits sort of thing but then it turned into a serious relationship, the turning into a relationship is the glitch.


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Dmonster26
•
6mo ago
 
 an esoteric joke 🤍🩶🖤
I think it's option A, as it's the only song other than Paris (which is a pretty happy and upbeat song) that is removed from the Late Night Edition (a.k.a where YLM originally was).



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u/candlesandcloth avatar
candlesandcloth
OP
•
6mo ago
Afflicted by the not knowing...
Oooh, that's actually a great observation!


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u/YouveGottaBKittenMe avatar
YouveGottaBKittenMe
•
6mo ago
•
Edited 6mo ago
The song is definitely about someone looking at the long-term relationship they're in and going – "What the heck? How did I get here? It must be a glitch!" The narrator usually jumps from one short-term relationship to the next, and expected this relationship to to be the same. But suddenly, it's six years later and they're still together – that's weird, it must be some kind of glitch.

Throughout the relationship, she's saying to herself "This is out of the ordinary, this doesn't usually happen. I'm sure it's just a glitch – a brief interruption, a slight malfunction – and everything will go back to my usual ways soon. I'll go back to dudes who give nothing." But no matter how much she keeps thinking that, they've now been together six years. So... maybe it wasn't actually a glitch...

To answer your question with your own words: Yes, this is "a cute love song and meeting this other person was a departure (glitch) from her usual 'dudes who give nothing' type".


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u/httpx_demonObscur avatar
httpx_demonObscur
•
6mo ago
Maybe it fluctuates during the song. At first, the glitch was them staying together for a long time, not like other relationships of hers, and during the song, the glitch is their love fading out. I never thought that it could be a glitch afterward, but I really like it as a love song, so I guess I'll keep listening to it as that, lol


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