Swift Notes: Red (A Guide to Taylor Swift's Songs)

"Holy Ground"

11. "HOLY GROUND"

BEHIND THE MUSIC

After Taylor ran into an ex, she was thinking about their past together and said to herself, “You know what? That was good . . . having that in my life.” From that encounter and the feeling it left her with came “Holy Ground.”

BETWEEN THE LINES

Carried along with insistent drums, “Holy Ground” is a surprisingly upbeat song about lost happy days. It dances on details, sweeping through the early days of a new relationship. Taylor described it as “a song I wrote about the feeling I got after years had gone by, and I finally appreciated a past relationship for what it was, rather than being bitter about what it didn’t end up being.”

AUDIENCE OF ONE

If this is a song about Joe Jonas, as many fans theorize, it marks a big step in the evolution of Taylor’s feelings about her ex, which began with a mix of anger and sadness in “Forever & Always,” moved through sorrow in “Last Kiss,” and here with “Holy Ground” into appreciation.

FUN FACTS

For this track, Taylor sought out producer Jeff Bhasker, who has worked with artists like Kanye West, fun., Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, and kid cudi.

DIARY DECODER

Joe Jonas and Taylor Lautner are the only Taylor exes who still attend her shows, so it looks like “When you came to the show in SD” is directed at one of them.

 (excerpted from our Swifty bio, Taylor Swift: The Platinum Edition, available wherever books are sold)

Thanks to @falleninfinitybooks for the Swift Notes design!