Castles Crumbling (Patricia’s Version)
Castles Crumbling released “From the Vault” in Taylor’s Version of her Speak Now album was written at a time when Taylor Swift faced personal media scrutiny and lived in the public eye. Not chosen for the initial release, Taylor states in a social media post, "I love this album because it tells a tale of growing up, flailing, flying, and crashing ... and living to speak about it." It is an album dedicated to the time in your life that is changing and finding your place in this world. And as an adult, sometimes you do not want to hear messages about failing or life lessons. You want a feel-good song or another love song. But what makes Castles Crumbling stand out to me is the message of owning up to your mistakes and the growing pains of adulthood.
What makes Castles Crumbling stand out from her notoriety of love songs is the main message of “falling from grace.” The symbolic reference to a castle being torn down is the stakes at which Taylor Swift and other famous artists feel when being criticized. At the start of the song, Taylor Swift depicts herself as a queen: “Once I had an empire in a golden age […] Once, I was the great hope for a dynasty,” painting herself with a historical and significant legacy. And in reality, it is not too far off from the truth. Taylor Swift’s massive following and influence is remarkable, seen not only through financial implications but also in her position as a cultural phenomenon. That is, until events in Taylor Swift’s life made people turn against her.
Once at the 2009 MTV Music Video Awards Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, interrupted her acceptance speech. Years later, Ye made reference to that time in his song Famous, “I made that bitch famous.” Taylor Swift then shared her disapproval of the song and the undermining of her success. But it was a phone call leaked by Ye’s ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, showing Taylor Swift support for the line and release of the song. It was not until the story died down and some time had passed that it was revealed that the phone call was doctored by Kardshian and Ye’s team with snippets of a twenty five minute conversation twisted in their favor. This public feud between artists made for Taylor Swift’s biggest music career trajectory. This led her to disappear from the public spotlight for a year and to not release or promote new music. Then she came back to the music scene with the album Reputation in 2017.
But the song Castles Crumbling comes at a peak moment in her career. With three successful studio albums, the attention Taylor Swift accumulated was massive. With fame comes the additional pressure and public scrutiny, the pseudo-relationship Taylor Swift has with her fans, and her responsibility as a role model for them. From the song Castles Crumbling, the lines, “Their faith was strong but I pushed it too far. I held that grudge til it tore me apart,” show the self-awareness of her actions that might have caused her own downfall and toes the line for what her boundaries are with her fans and following. From constant public scrutiny in the media and a public feud with Ye, Taylor Swift soon faced one of the biggest scandals in her career, bringing even more hate and judgment to her and her team. In the song, she describes her cancellation with the lyrics “castle crumbling down,” “bridges burn to the ground,” and “smoke billows from my ships in the harbor.” This is a vivid description of having everything you worked for and achieved wiped out all at once.
Castles Crumbling from the album Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) has a soft spot for me because that was the album I got to see in middle school for her Speak Now tour. I just finished learning all the songs on the guitar from her Fearless album and I was enamored with the songwriter. It was the first album I ever waited for the release of. Coming from middle school and hearing songs of love and romance was different compared to when Taylor Swift released the album again this past summer. First, listening to it as a preteen compared to a young adult, and second, having more experiences than imagining what relationships are like in songs or TV or books. The re-recorded album gave the songs a more mature voice and quality to it compared to when Taylor Swift first recorded the album. For example, when she sings of “Sparks Flying” and being “enchanted to meet you” before, she had a light voice and youthful tones. Now as Taylor Swift is older, not only is the voice different, but the new memories she has dictate the intonation and feel. Relistening to the album as an adult, I valued the haunting quality of the release compared to the once whimsical tones of the songs, appreciating not only the newfound maturity it gives to the song but also the nostalgia.
As an adult listening to the new album, I could relate to certain parts of Castles Crumbling as an adult who has made mistakes and is learning how to live with consequences. During university was where a lot of my big life lessons came from when dealing with mature relationships and early career experiences. But, it was relationships in particular that I remember with such intensity. How the relationships were made and broken reminded me of the lyrics “bridges burn to the ground” the most. At a moment in time when I was trying so hard to hold onto people through events and actions, relationships slowly faded away. Because we were so young and trying so hard to be older than we were, my friends and I reacted often with feelings of finality. We were not very mature in relationships to communicate feelings and frustrations we felt like burning bridges was a viable solution to a relationship at the time, and I cannot return back to what it once was. Now I listen to Castles Crumbling with my own self reflection because it was my actions that burn my own “bridges.” While not everyone wants to admit to making mistakes or moments when life falls apart, it is healthy to have the growing pains of adulthood and to make mistakes that help us empathize with one another.
Song Credits: Castle Crumbling by Taylor Swift (2023)
