"Mastermind" is the thirteenth track from the standard edition of American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift's tenth studio album, Midnights, released on October 21, 2022, through Republic Records.
Background[]
Swift announced that the thirteenth track on Midnights would be titled "Mastermind" on September 21, 2022, as episode one out of thirteen on Midnights Mayhem with Me.[1]
The song is a cornerstone of the overall theme of Midnights: choices. It plays into the fate vs. control narrative that is seen throughout her work, but especially on Midnights. The songs tells the story of Swift grappling with whether meeting her partner was destiny, or something that she had to actively plan and plot. It also deals with the question of if her "scheming," as it's put in "Anti-Hero", is a negative thing, as she does it because she wants to be loved and love back. In the end, it turns out that her partner knew she had planned out their first meeting the entire time, and loves her for it, understanding that she did it because of how much she cares for him.
The song has been interpreted as a parallel to "Invisible String", a song about how fate brought Swift and her partner together. Mastermind represents the other side of that coin, the side that frames Swift as the one pulling the strings and controlling the narrative instead of an outside force.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Once upon a time
The planets and the fates
And all the stars aligned
You and I ended up in the same room
At the same time
[Pre-Chorus 1]
And the touch of a hand lit the fuse
Of a chain reaction of counter moves
To assess the equation of you
Checkmate, I couldn't lose
[Chorus]
What if I told you none of it was accidental?
And the first night that you saw me
Nothing was gonna stop me
I laid the groundwork and then
Just like clockwork
The dominoes cascaded in a line
What if I told you I'm a mastermind?
And now you're minе
It was all by design
'Cause I'm a mastermind
[Verse 2]
You see, all the wisest women
Had to do it this way
'Cause we were born to be the pawn
In every lover's game
[Pre-Chorus 2]
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail
Strategy sets the scene for the tail
I'm the wind in our free-flowing sails
And the liquor in our cocktails
[Chorus]
What if I told you none of it was accidental?
And the first night that you saw me
I knew I wanted your body
I laid the groundwork and then
Just like clockwork
The dominoes cascaded in a line
What if I told you I'm a mastermind?
And now you're minе
It was all my design
'Cause I'm a mastermind
[Bridge]
No one wanted to play with me as a little kid
So I've been scheming like a criminal ever since
To make them love me and make it seem effortless
This is the first time I've felt the need to confess
And I swear
I'm only cryptic and Machiavellian
'Cause I care
[Chorus]
So, I told you none of it was accidental
And the first night that you saw me
Nothing was gonna stop me?
I laid the groundwork and then
Saw a wide smirk on your face
You knew the entire time
You knew that I'm a mastermind
And now you're minе
Yeah, all you did was smile
'Cause I'm a mastermind
Live performances[]
"Mastermind" was the sixth song performed in the Midnights section of The Eras Tour.
References[]
| Midnights | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Lavender Haze" • "Maroon" • "Anti-Hero" • "Snow On The Beach" • "You're On Your Own, Kid" • "Midnight Rain" • "Question...?" • "Vigilante Shit" • "Bejeweled" • "Labyrinth" • "Karma" • "Sweet Nothing" • "Mastermind" | ||||
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