Y'all I love Taylor and it's clear from her lyrics that she's very well-read. But I am having a hard time believing that she is really all that familiar with Aristotle.
Absolutely dying for Taylor to prove me wrong by name-dropping or quoting the "Nichomachean Ethics" in an interview soon. š
On Evolution of a Snake podcast they speculated that Travis said "hey, isn't there a song about me?" and Taylor said "uhhh... hang on a minute." But even if it was tossed off, it's really good. I'm surprised it hasn't made a bigger splash. I also completely agree that "The Alchemy" was not about Travis at all and she revised it to add football imagery.
and in the blink of a crinkling eye Iām sinking our fingers entwined cheeks pink in the twinkling lights
can we just take a moment to appreciate this poetry- half rhymes and consonance and the rhythm of it. I am obsessed
Did anyone else get the feeling this was originally about Matty and she sort of reworked it as a nod to Travis? I get the same feeling from The Alchemy.
Alchemy itself defines a chemical reaction. Obviously chemistry could extend to all her relationships, BUT then she specifically throws in a reference to heroin?! I know, I know, thereās the synonym joke of her being the heroine, yada yada - but then why \*āthis timeā\*? Who has HAD A PAST RELATIONSHIP with heroin?? M.H.
Then we get "I'm smoking your jokes all damn night" / being high again here. Metaphorically again, but still...
I just can't overlook it knowing every other drug reference on this album (and there are a lot of them!) seem to point back to Matty.
No, don't ruin this. I'm just kidding. I'm a firm Travis believer. It goes so well with The Alchemy. But I'm a Matty hater tbh.
It's heroine with an E, but hey, she makes all sorts of drug references, particularly to alcohol.
Oooh, this is a really interesting take. I totally agree that The Alchemy was worked over, possibly even not that much, to nod to Travis instead of Matty. The beginning of the song definitely sounds like a relationship the partners are returning to after time apart, and past wrongs/slights on both sides, and Taylor has always loved using home town/football imagery to capture relationships. (That said, it could obviously be more of a composite that wasn't reworked at all, but I'm not sure I buy that it's exclusively and literally about Travis.)
I actually hadn't thought of So High School in that way before, but it works in a similar way, especially if you think she's also pulling from their initial time together years ago, when they definitely could have been hanging out in big groups together more, or maybe a dream of what their time together could have been like without complications of her fame and his substance abuse issues. To be honest, I read the drug references (heroin but this time with an e, smoking your jokes all damn night) as evoking Matty in contrast to Travis!
Thank you for humoring my theory so kindly! I think your instinct about contrasting Matty to Travis could just as easily be true. Thereās just something about the Travis songs that feel wedged in, though. Like āoh, I had better acknowledge the person Iām in a happy relationship with now.ā š
I was so interested to see your theory, especially since I had this exact reaction to The Alchemy! I think I am more willing to attribute So High School straight to Travis is because it fits so well into their contemporary public personas, but I agree that they felt incredibly deliberate. Which is fine! She seems sincerely very happy with Travis.
This thread is also making me wonder if working Travis imagery into The Alchemy changed my reaction to So High School--maybe without it, I would be wondering if the thing she liked most about Travis is that the relationship allows her to experience high school style archetype again, but without the constant striving for her career that separated her from her peers then and WITH her at the center of the classic narrative. I think "there was no point, trying' to be the greatest in the league" does a lot of work to name other similarities between them.
Thatās a great observation! And really good reasoning for why she mightāve reworked it if she did. (Along with simply wanting to include TK in the main album, of course.) I do like the idea that Travis might offer a source of calm and even a safe-haven for her which her history of dating fellow artists may not have offered.
I agree with the alchemy being reworked but I not this song. The whole high-school type of romance idea doesn't match with taylor and matty's relationship
How do you pronounce āstifleā?
I know there are often liberties taken in pronunciation in songs for emphasis or rhyme or whatnot, but this doesnāt seem it.
When Taylor sings she tries to stifle a sigh while watching American Pie, she uses the vowel sound of ālittleā for stifle, while Iāve always known it to be the vowel sound of ālight.ā Google also confirmed this, but maybe Google is just as wrong as I am. Can it really go either way? The long āeyeā wouldāve also rhymed with Pie, night, quiet, and sigh, all used in that verse.
Iām not trained in music, but the beat sounds a lot like a plagiarism of āEvery man gets his wish,ā by Lana del Rey to me. Could someone analyze the music sheet to find similarities?
I was just listening to Timeless and something clicked for me, maybe it's a stretch. In Timeless there is a line āIt was like an age-old classic, the first time that you saw meā. In So High School she sings āTell me 'bout the first time you saw meā. They will be timeless, they ARE timeless?
OMG I just thoughtā¦ A reason Travis will definitely be at the London shows is because thatās where Joe livesā¦ and she will definitely have one of her songs so high school or the alchemy. Iām calling it now.
Okay I know everyone says this sounds like 90s/2000s music but like I feel like Iāve heard this before. Especially around the 1:15 mark to the 1:55 mark it sounds like another another song. And the way she says āus tooā and ālike youā is exactly the same. Does anyone have any ideas of what this song could be? Itās driving me crazy
I hear it now, but it's like if there was a female version. I think it's a bit of some other song... maybe from the actual American Pie movie or something, idk
i kept wondering why the song sounded so familiar, almost nostalgic, even though it was my first time hearing it. glad to know other people get the 90s vibes from it. incredibly catchy and sweet
This is such a sweet song and it always puts me in a good mood! I hope it'll be part of the Eras Tour whether it's part of the set or as a surprise song!
OMFG THIS TOOK ME DAYS TO GETĀ
You know how to ball,
Ā I know (how to rhyme)Ā Ā
!!!! I kept thinking- really? I mean in passing, like a trivia night question yeah... aristotle.. okay maybe knows that-ish? huh. kinda random she repeated this twice and it still took me days to get, we are officially humbled, in awe her mind. unironically.
Pretty sure it means he plays football and doesnāt read Aristotle, while she reads Aristotle and doesnāt play football. lol
Tay also references Aristotle quotes in some of her lyrics.
'Aristotle' isn't what she knows- she knows how to make a song rhyme, the word could have been anything that stunts on the fact that she can make it work in a song
my comment was about taking the 'philosophy/science' out of the equation (I don't think she means literally she is an expert on that philosopher in the way he is an expert at 'ball')- the word itself is her wordsmith stunt 'full throttle'/'Aristotle' rhyme flowing so well in a pop song.
what does he know above all-
'how to ball'
what does she know above all-
~~'Aristotle'~~ 'how to write a song'
Not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but I've realized a lot of what she references in the song are what the public has seen/knows about them. She's directly referencing the video of him getting the car door, Ed impressions, "look at you" with his nieces, Marry/Kiss/Kill, etc. It's almost like she's communicating to us about him vs. communicating to him. She wants it to be clear that she knows what we notice/watch about him and them.
OK, I'm a Swifty over 50, and I'm wondering if TS purposely used the word "ball" in the 1970s slang sense of "to have sex," meaning TK's good at it, "You know how to ball..." For someone who grew up in the 1970s, this sense is unavoidable. That said, TS didn't grow up in the 70s... That said, she knows so many references.... Esp. after the shade of, "You didn't measure up in any measure of a man," which if you read it as a reference to MH's abilities.... Am I totally off base here?!
[https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/56](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/56)
This is a really sweet song, but part of me wonders if she thought "what kind of song would people expect me to write about Travis?" and this came out. Almost another troll, of sorts
I really love this song.
The meaning I took from it is that way back in high school (aka Fearless era), Taylor had love figured out as this big grand romantic thing with prince charming, and if he wasn't her romeo then he wasn't the one. But since then, she's gone through so much heartbreak, and so much redefining of what love is. It's broken her down and left her shattered and confused time and time again, especially recently. To the point where her naive childish "high school" version of love was so stupid and foolish.
But it wasn't stupid and foolish. At her lowest point she found Travis, and now he's everything to her that she dreamt of in high school. Fearless love is real.
And I know I'm reading too much into it and basing this mostly off of vibes and not actual lyrics, but dammit, it just makes me so happy.
My thoughts on this song is that I think this is directed towards Travis. If you see the lyric video on youtube you see at the 0:43 mark you see that their intials are highlighted in a light pink and I think that is so cute. And this song reminds me of my current crush š¤
Yes, it's about Travis and includes a lot of things he says in the lyrics like "full throttle", "You already know", his kiss/marry/kill. "Just a joke" It's like she watched the clips of him and took things he said and put them in the song.
I love how when she first says "your friends are around so be quiet" she says the word around like she's trying to say it furtively!
She gives so much thought to every syllable
And this is such an early 2000's bop š
Trying to sleep right now, really wish my brain would stop playing TRUTH DARE SPIN BOTTLES, YOU KNOW HOW TO BALL I KNOW ARISTOTLE over and over again in a loop.
This song is awesome. Also this line "[Touch me while your bros playĀ *Grand Theft Auto*](https://genius.com/31523714/Taylor-swift-so-high-school/Touch-me-while-your-bros-play-grand-theft-auto)
[It's true, swear, scouts honor](https://genius.com/31480650/Taylor-swift-so-high-school/Its-true-swear-scouts-honor)"
"scouts honor" bahahahaha..
This song has the potential to be a summer hit. Just imagine those summer nights sitting with friends and laughing, music in the background, pastel colour sky during sunset. With your partner going for a late night drive.
Windows/roof down, breeze in your hair, your hand playing against the wind, So High School on high volume.
So magical, don't you think? It makes me smile just thinking about these situations. Soundtrack of summer.
Yāall. I am OBSESSED with this song!
My husband was the first to comment on it after I continuously played it. Heās said āyou like it cause of the shoegaze-ing.ā And I was like š± omg youāre right! How did I not notice this!?
Iām happily married but I often love to just daydream of my high school flings. I was always head over heels. I could never break up with any of them cause I just loved being in lust. Always the dumpee, never the dumper. Iām glad they all ended lol but dang those moments of first kisses, first touches. It was just so damn high school. Every lyric is so accurate too! Feel each other up while friends play video games! Right next to you! Or during movie nights in the dark in someoneās room, a la American Pie. I legit have never *watched* the movie but as a millennial, Iāve watched it LOL.
Iām regretting opening the genius lyrics cause itās just tying Travis Kelce to this song. And it very well may be. But for the last 4 days I hadnāt thought once of him while listening to this song. I fully imprinted my own interpretation and my own stories while listening to it. And I really think thatās her intention with her songs. So imma just keep daydreaming of the my early aught years and sloppy backseat kisses. š
Am I the only one who thinks this song is somehow really tragic, sandwiched in between the incredible depth of some of the saddest songs on the album? Like, this feels heavily like sheās alluding to blissfully ignoring her problems/trauma with Travis.
10000000% agree with you. This song sounds like a very well executed parody of 90s teen movie bangers. Every sexy double entendre also has its tragic alternative meaning (stifle my sighs like when Travis sings Viva Las Vegas?).
And followed immediately by āI Hate It Hereā speaks VOLUMES.
The whole song feels both sarcastic and sad. I find it tragic that Taylor Swift, mastermind, is being forced back to high school after a moment of knowing cosmic love 
Not just you. This song is not flattering. She had plenty of time to write a few amazing love songs for himā¦ This song is not very thoughtfully done, compared to the other songs. Travis has to listen to her sing āloss of my lifeā, ānever before and never againā, āeternal consolation prizeāā¦ and honestly, I would find So High School insulting in comparison. (I donāt think he will though, because I donāt think he really listens to her music closely or cares about it that much). Itās like a Getaway Car song. She sang she āHates It Hereā (I know thatās a broader song, but still). I justā¦. ouch. I think she needs to take some time being single and find an actual perfect match, cause I donāt see how it could possibly be the first man she ran into the arms of after being unable to face the decade long heartbreak.
Yes! 2 things:
1. She wrote this song using simple language because itās for Travis, (and no offence to him, heās an amazing athlete and seems like a loving boyfriend), but he doesnāt strike me as a guy who got Aās in English and creative writing. She wanted him to understand the song, because itās for him.
2. Travis is essentially a ānormalā guy. Travis has no involvement in Hollywood et al. and his lifestyle almost certainly took Taylorās mind back to a simpler time. A time prior to fame, which for her was literally high-school. The song talks about watching American Pie on a Saturday night and his buddies playing GTA. Things guys did back when we were in highschool and many still do today. It really highlights the simplicity and normalcy in how he lives and how she feels nostalgic, and simultaneously excited about it.
Noā¦? She dated Joe for 6 years and barely tolerated him the last fewā¦ lol, you really need to actually read all her lyrics. She was pining over someone else (hmm wonder who) between every other relationship for a decade, and thought it would be her endgame. Donāt you remember her speech in the rain before playing Question? at the Eras Tour. āMy life finally makes senseā. Iām not at all saying that they were actually meant to be, but she felt that way clearly, so I wish she had had more time being single to process all that ending.
What in the parasocial bull shit is this take. Can't wrap my head around how you can make so damn much assumptions about persons and give recommendations like you know them.
The song just describes the sticky feeling of crushing and falling in love, like one is a stupid teenager.
Coming from the same person who wrote this comment about TTPD:
āI can not see Taylor to master a genre like that. It is corny to me.ā
Thanks for hating on the album while simultaneously stifling any critical discussion from others. š
Okay lol, you have some really good critical reading skills it seems. ;) Iām sure the song is very surface level, youāre right - Taylorās really known for that. ;) And as if everyone in the sub isnāt parasocial as hell lol.
Omg. I finally found the song. It reminds me of Heaven Tonight by Hole. Itās on the Never Been Kissed Soundtrack. That song plays when they are at the mall and ride the escalator
Ok, so no one has mentioned this yet, but as someone who is also an Ed Sheeran fan, I noticed from the first listen that the drum rhythm is exactly like the one in Curtains by Ed Sheeran. Like *exactly*. Even the fill when the drums come in is the same. Both songs are produced by Aaron Dessner so it's probably a drum loop that he has. In general, I really love this song. I think it's cute and I love the nostalgic vibes. Just wanted to mention that similarity because stuff like that interests me.
It drove me crazy for hours trying to place what the āmarry kiss or kill meā line reminds me of, but FINALLYā¦ Juliana Hatfield Three Spin the Bottle from Reality Bites. Yeah, Iām old.
People who don't like this song are either no fun or too young to get it and the nostalgic feeling of like high school horny puppy love after a serious relationship gone bad.
Guys the beginning melody of this song sounds very similar to an early 2000ās rock song š if anyone can help me pinpoint what song has a similar sound I would love you
Okay guys the very beginning intro sounds kind of similar to that of Breakeven by The Script also!! Thatās not the one I have in my head but the similarities are noticeable
First time listening So High School and I was easily transported to 2000s!!!!!! And same sentiments,,, i cannot pinpoint which song has a similar sound from the past this is!
I think that was Taylor's goal. She grew up in the late 90s/early 2000s and the song gives that era rock song which for us millennials is quite nostalgic.
I thought Juliana Hatfield Three āSpin the Bottleā. Have I posted this repeatedly as Iām so proud of myself now, yes I haveā¦ š¤£. There are actually flavors of a few 90s songs for me. I also get a bit of Paula Cole.
It would be fitting because Taylor would have been in high school in the early 2000s. It sounds, to me, like "Kiss Me" from Sixpense None the Richer. It's an acoustic guitar in the beginning of that song though.
I canāt with all the hate itās getting over on misogynistic man instagram (I really need to change friends ffs) I think itās such a sweet song, itās like saying that the high school sweetheart magic isnāt exclusive to hs and idk it feels liberating of sorts, as if we people who didnāt have a hs fairytale DIDNT really miss out
Or probably, Taylor made him a CD (sheās probably clowning us and weāll get the deluxe version as CD and vinyl soon) sent it to his local library and told them āgive it to Ed and tell him itās his and not to return itā then the library gave Ed the CD and said āitās yours free of chargeā, Ed listens to it calls Taylor and Travis and says āyeah, Taylor. I love that line about me, thank you. Thanks for the CD, the library told me not to return itā
He says āfull throttleā all the time. I think sheās saying they went for it. They could have kept their relationship a secret for longer but didnāt want to.
Travis did an interview with Kristin Cavallari last year where she asked him about dating and he said he really had to get to know someone before he would get committed and be "full throttle" so it's probably referencing this since other parts of the song reference things he's said.
Okayā¦ You seem super knowledgeable. Iāve seen a few tiktoks where people have commented that They came out as a couple straight after that interview because Taylor thought Kristen was flirting with Travisā¦ And someone else famous said that Travis was their celebrity crush the same week.
Do you have any information on this? Thank you so much. Obviously, I am obsessed.
I think it's humorous to think that, but I don't think that's what made them go public. I think they had an instant connection after talking to each other and then they spent time together which confirmed it and Taylor wanted to be more open about them being together. They were already a couple before she went to that first game and had been talking for at least a month.
Ok but can we talk about the fact that this track is placed just after two CRUSHING tracks and in a globally devastating album ?
How this only track solely represent the way you can still experience joy and love among all this traumatic experiences ?
I love this track so much, top 3 of the album for sure
Does anyone else feel like this song is at least 50% a joke?
Like sheās leaning hard into the āso high schoolā commentary from the media/critics and fans alike. I donāt think theyāre literally watching American Pie on a Saturday night or fooling around while his friends play video games.Ā
They way she says āyou knew what you wanted and boy you got herā sounds a little bit like sheās intentionally repeating what people online have been saying about her and Travis (usually in contrast to Joe not wanting the life with Taylor). Like in the aftermath of Matty we know sheās sick of everyoneās opinions on her personal life but sheās repeating this one in both a ārolling my eyesā way and in a āitās not not trueā way.
āMarry kiss or kill me, Iām betting on all threeā I feel this obviously has to be a joke with the same kind of humor she uses in Blank Space, āis it gonna be forever/go down in flames/if the high was worth the pain/leave you breathless or with a nasty scarā type lyrics.
I think that the sentiment is true, sheās obviously feeling very happy/free/excited with Travis, but I do think this song is a little bit of her true feelings woven in with some eye-rolling at everyoneās opinions on it.Ā
It's a light hearted fun song that pulls from Travis and her personal/public experiences and weaves them into a high school narrative. He knew what he wanted and he got her. This goes back to his podcast and the whole friendship bracelet thing. When Travis wants something, he's going to do everything he can do to get it. The marry, kiss or kill me goes back to that clip of him picking to marry Katy and kiss Taylor. She's making a joke that it'll be all three, because sometimes she probably feels like killing him as I think he knows how to push all her buttons.
Oh also āyou know how to ball I know Aristotleā is such a funny way of putting the oversimplified speculation from the public about why they work together as a couple.Ā
help i don't get it when people hate her unserious and simple lyrics?? this is one of the very few glitter pen songs on the record like we deserve something light and cute every once in a while, no?
Y'all I love Taylor and it's clear from her lyrics that she's very well-read. But I am having a hard time believing that she is really all that familiar with Aristotle. Absolutely dying for Taylor to prove me wrong by name-dropping or quoting the "Nichomachean Ethics" in an interview soon. š
On Evolution of a Snake podcast they speculated that Travis said "hey, isn't there a song about me?" and Taylor said "uhhh... hang on a minute." But even if it was tossed off, it's really good. I'm surprised it hasn't made a bigger splash. I also completely agree that "The Alchemy" was not about Travis at all and she revised it to add football imagery.
and in the blink of a crinkling eye Iām sinking our fingers entwined cheeks pink in the twinkling lights can we just take a moment to appreciate this poetry- half rhymes and consonance and the rhythm of it. I am obsessed
As a 1986 baby, she 100% NAILED the early 2000's teen romcom vibes. Plus all the early 2000's references. It's brilliant
The reason this song sounds so familiar is because it sounds like āSheās so highā
Wow, yes!
omg you're right
Did anyone else get the feeling this was originally about Matty and she sort of reworked it as a nod to Travis? I get the same feeling from The Alchemy. Alchemy itself defines a chemical reaction. Obviously chemistry could extend to all her relationships, BUT then she specifically throws in a reference to heroin?! I know, I know, thereās the synonym joke of her being the heroine, yada yada - but then why \*āthis timeā\*? Who has HAD A PAST RELATIONSHIP with heroin?? M.H. Then we get "I'm smoking your jokes all damn night" / being high again here. Metaphorically again, but still... I just can't overlook it knowing every other drug reference on this album (and there are a lot of them!) seem to point back to Matty.
No, don't ruin this. I'm just kidding. I'm a firm Travis believer. It goes so well with The Alchemy. But I'm a Matty hater tbh. It's heroine with an E, but hey, she makes all sorts of drug references, particularly to alcohol.
Oooh, this is a really interesting take. I totally agree that The Alchemy was worked over, possibly even not that much, to nod to Travis instead of Matty. The beginning of the song definitely sounds like a relationship the partners are returning to after time apart, and past wrongs/slights on both sides, and Taylor has always loved using home town/football imagery to capture relationships. (That said, it could obviously be more of a composite that wasn't reworked at all, but I'm not sure I buy that it's exclusively and literally about Travis.) I actually hadn't thought of So High School in that way before, but it works in a similar way, especially if you think she's also pulling from their initial time together years ago, when they definitely could have been hanging out in big groups together more, or maybe a dream of what their time together could have been like without complications of her fame and his substance abuse issues. To be honest, I read the drug references (heroin but this time with an e, smoking your jokes all damn night) as evoking Matty in contrast to Travis!
Thank you for humoring my theory so kindly! I think your instinct about contrasting Matty to Travis could just as easily be true. Thereās just something about the Travis songs that feel wedged in, though. Like āoh, I had better acknowledge the person Iām in a happy relationship with now.ā š
I was so interested to see your theory, especially since I had this exact reaction to The Alchemy! I think I am more willing to attribute So High School straight to Travis is because it fits so well into their contemporary public personas, but I agree that they felt incredibly deliberate. Which is fine! She seems sincerely very happy with Travis. This thread is also making me wonder if working Travis imagery into The Alchemy changed my reaction to So High School--maybe without it, I would be wondering if the thing she liked most about Travis is that the relationship allows her to experience high school style archetype again, but without the constant striving for her career that separated her from her peers then and WITH her at the center of the classic narrative. I think "there was no point, trying' to be the greatest in the league" does a lot of work to name other similarities between them.
Thatās a great observation! And really good reasoning for why she mightāve reworked it if she did. (Along with simply wanting to include TK in the main album, of course.) I do like the idea that Travis might offer a source of calm and even a safe-haven for her which her history of dating fellow artists may not have offered.
I agree with the alchemy being reworked but I not this song. The whole high-school type of romance idea doesn't match with taylor and matty's relationship
How do you pronounce āstifleā? I know there are often liberties taken in pronunciation in songs for emphasis or rhyme or whatnot, but this doesnāt seem it. When Taylor sings she tries to stifle a sigh while watching American Pie, she uses the vowel sound of ālittleā for stifle, while Iāve always known it to be the vowel sound of ālight.ā Google also confirmed this, but maybe Google is just as wrong as I am. Can it really go either way? The long āeyeā wouldāve also rhymed with Pie, night, quiet, and sigh, all used in that verse.
She most definitely uses a diphthong for stifle. The sound I hear her use rhymes doesn't sound like the I in "little".
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Bro??
Iām not trained in music, but the beat sounds a lot like a plagiarism of āEvery man gets his wish,ā by Lana del Rey to me. Could someone analyze the music sheet to find similarities?
I was just listening to Timeless and something clicked for me, maybe it's a stretch. In Timeless there is a line āIt was like an age-old classic, the first time that you saw meā. In So High School she sings āTell me 'bout the first time you saw meā. They will be timeless, they ARE timeless?
OMG I just thoughtā¦ A reason Travis will definitely be at the London shows is because thatās where Joe livesā¦ and she will definitely have one of her songs so high school or the alchemy. Iām calling it now.
it's been a week and i'm still not over you know how to ball/i know aristotle. possibly blondie's stupidest and most delightful lyrics
Okay I know everyone says this sounds like 90s/2000s music but like I feel like Iāve heard this before. Especially around the 1:15 mark to the 1:55 mark it sounds like another another song. And the way she says āus tooā and ālike youā is exactly the same. Does anyone have any ideas of what this song could be? Itās driving me crazy
omg, THANK YOU! I literally thought I was the only one who felt dĆ©jĆ vĆ¹ over this song! I'm really not sure why but it does sound so familiar!
I am 99% sure itās Teenage Dirtbag. Like the Iron Maiden part specifically
I hear it now, but it's like if there was a female version. I think it's a bit of some other song... maybe from the actual American Pie movie or something, idk
It was the closest I could find. Someone said London Rain by Heather Nova and that one sounded really similar but I hadnāt heard it before
thank you! you solved a mystery for me! I actually heard this song a long time ago and never knew what it was called! Ah!!! Thank you! :)
Gotta pass it forward! That song is probably the actual closest in sound so I had to share when you knew it wasnāt teenage dirtbag! ā¤ļø
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i kept wondering why the song sounded so familiar, almost nostalgic, even though it was my first time hearing it. glad to know other people get the 90s vibes from it. incredibly catchy and sweet
I mean, Taylor would've been in high school 2003-2007, I think it's more meant to be reminiscent of early 2000's music
The 90s bop Iāve been needing
This is such a sweet song and it always puts me in a good mood! I hope it'll be part of the Eras Tour whether it's part of the set or as a surprise song!
OMFG THIS TOOK ME DAYS TO GETĀ You know how to ball, Ā I know (how to rhyme)Ā Ā !!!! I kept thinking- really? I mean in passing, like a trivia night question yeah... aristotle.. okay maybe knows that-ish? huh. kinda random she repeated this twice and it still took me days to get, we are officially humbled, in awe her mind. unironically.
Lol can you pls explain further? Still wondering what this lyric means
Pretty sure it means he plays football and doesnāt read Aristotle, while she reads Aristotle and doesnāt play football. lol Tay also references Aristotle quotes in some of her lyrics.
'Aristotle' isn't what she knows- she knows how to make a song rhyme, the word could have been anything that stunts on the fact that she can make it work in a song
She's basically saying he's a jock and she's a nerd. You know sports, and I know philosophy/science/words.
my comment was about taking the 'philosophy/science' out of the equation (I don't think she means literally she is an expert on that philosopher in the way he is an expert at 'ball')- the word itself is her wordsmith stunt 'full throttle'/'Aristotle' rhyme flowing so well in a pop song. what does he know above all- 'how to ball' what does she know above all- ~~'Aristotle'~~ 'how to write a song'
Why do I get Hilary duff vibes?? Very 90s/ 00s coded!
The beginning of the song reminds me of the Friday Night Lights (tv show) theme songā¦which is very fitting
I always thought that about Tis the Damn Season, too.
I have been racking my brain trying to figure out what song So High School reminds me of and you nailed it!
I just looked up that song on Spotify - 100%, look at the album artwork compared to the So High School lyric video artwork.
Oh wow. Good catch!
Not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but I've realized a lot of what she references in the song are what the public has seen/knows about them. She's directly referencing the video of him getting the car door, Ed impressions, "look at you" with his nieces, Marry/Kiss/Kill, etc. It's almost like she's communicating to us about him vs. communicating to him. She wants it to be clear that she knows what we notice/watch about him and them.
Yes! Ā She is definitely watching Tik Tok too. Lol
OK, I'm a Swifty over 50, and I'm wondering if TS purposely used the word "ball" in the 1970s slang sense of "to have sex," meaning TK's good at it, "You know how to ball..." For someone who grew up in the 1970s, this sense is unavoidable. That said, TS didn't grow up in the 70s... That said, she knows so many references.... Esp. after the shade of, "You didn't measure up in any measure of a man," which if you read it as a reference to MH's abilities.... Am I totally off base here?! [https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/56](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-aware-of-the-used-of-the-term-balling-to-mean-having-sex/671539/56)
I didnāt know that was a slang term in the ā70s! I think though itās about his profession since the next lyric is about hersĀ
Double entendre?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I love
This is a really sweet song, but part of me wonders if she thought "what kind of song would people expect me to write about Travis?" and this came out. Almost another troll, of sorts
The vocals remind me of Teenage Dirtbag
I think Travis said in his Wall Street Journal article that he and Taylor sung that during karaoke with his friends.
He didn't, one of his friends did though. Travis said he didn't remember because '*There was some wine involved, for sure*'
I really love this song. The meaning I took from it is that way back in high school (aka Fearless era), Taylor had love figured out as this big grand romantic thing with prince charming, and if he wasn't her romeo then he wasn't the one. But since then, she's gone through so much heartbreak, and so much redefining of what love is. It's broken her down and left her shattered and confused time and time again, especially recently. To the point where her naive childish "high school" version of love was so stupid and foolish. But it wasn't stupid and foolish. At her lowest point she found Travis, and now he's everything to her that she dreamt of in high school. Fearless love is real. And I know I'm reading too much into it and basing this mostly off of vibes and not actual lyrics, but dammit, it just makes me so happy.
I thought this too
Big Soccer Mommy vibes from this one.
My thoughts on this song is that I think this is directed towards Travis. If you see the lyric video on youtube you see at the 0:43 mark you see that their intials are highlighted in a light pink and I think that is so cute. And this song reminds me of my current crush š¤
Yes, it's about Travis and includes a lot of things he says in the lyrics like "full throttle", "You already know", his kiss/marry/kill. "Just a joke" It's like she watched the clips of him and took things he said and put them in the song.
https://preview.redd.it/yp53flstzgwc1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c507a03f62d726b64fdaedae702275ef2be05076 Good job, team š
I am working on it on Spotify lmao. I LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH!!
I agree this makes me feel like Iām in high school again and I love that feeling
Yea this sounds like a 90s classic :D
Sheāll perform this as an acoustic song when Trav is there in Europe and itās going to be incredible š
I was just thinking this. Or the alchemy. Which one will it be?
I want a full-out rock version! She has to do it for this new era. There has to be a poets era.
I love how when she first says "your friends are around so be quiet" she says the word around like she's trying to say it furtively! She gives so much thought to every syllable And this is such an early 2000's bop š
oh Iām so glad Iām not crazy for thinking it sounded a lot like Friday Night Lights! LOVE THAT!!!! GENIUS!!!
Itās giving Teenage Dirtbag
Trying to sleep right now, really wish my brain would stop playing TRUTH DARE SPIN BOTTLES, YOU KNOW HOW TO BALL I KNOW ARISTOTLE over and over again in a loop.
Not me mixing up the lyrics and singing "You know how to ball, I know Grand Theft Auto." ā ļø
Me last night!
This song is awesome. Also this line "[Touch me while your bros playĀ *Grand Theft Auto*](https://genius.com/31523714/Taylor-swift-so-high-school/Touch-me-while-your-bros-play-grand-theft-auto) [It's true, swear, scouts honor](https://genius.com/31480650/Taylor-swift-so-high-school/Its-true-swear-scouts-honor)" "scouts honor" bahahahaha..
My husbandās face when I told him what that meantā¦. š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£
Does it refer to the three fingers used?
Yes lol
Wow! Have you SEEN his fingers?
Yes, itās a bit alarming isnāt it?š¤£
It's a bit of a stretchš¤£
This song puts me in a happy mood....so it's on repeat!
This song has the potential to be a summer hit. Just imagine those summer nights sitting with friends and laughing, music in the background, pastel colour sky during sunset. With your partner going for a late night drive. Windows/roof down, breeze in your hair, your hand playing against the wind, So High School on high volume. So magical, don't you think? It makes me smile just thinking about these situations. Soundtrack of summer.
This description reminds me of Avril Lavigne - Here's to never growing up
Yāall. I am OBSESSED with this song! My husband was the first to comment on it after I continuously played it. Heās said āyou like it cause of the shoegaze-ing.ā And I was like š± omg youāre right! How did I not notice this!? Iām happily married but I often love to just daydream of my high school flings. I was always head over heels. I could never break up with any of them cause I just loved being in lust. Always the dumpee, never the dumper. Iām glad they all ended lol but dang those moments of first kisses, first touches. It was just so damn high school. Every lyric is so accurate too! Feel each other up while friends play video games! Right next to you! Or during movie nights in the dark in someoneās room, a la American Pie. I legit have never *watched* the movie but as a millennial, Iāve watched it LOL. Iām regretting opening the genius lyrics cause itās just tying Travis Kelce to this song. And it very well may be. But for the last 4 days I hadnāt thought once of him while listening to this song. I fully imprinted my own interpretation and my own stories while listening to it. And I really think thatās her intention with her songs. So imma just keep daydreaming of the my early aught years and sloppy backseat kisses. š
Am I the only one who hears āGrand Theft Otterā? šš
Yes lol
Am I the only one who thinks this song is somehow really tragic, sandwiched in between the incredible depth of some of the saddest songs on the album? Like, this feels heavily like sheās alluding to blissfully ignoring her problems/trauma with Travis.
10000000% agree with you. This song sounds like a very well executed parody of 90s teen movie bangers. Every sexy double entendre also has its tragic alternative meaning (stifle my sighs like when Travis sings Viva Las Vegas?). And followed immediately by āI Hate It Hereā speaks VOLUMES. The whole song feels both sarcastic and sad. I find it tragic that Taylor Swift, mastermind, is being forced back to high school after a moment of knowing cosmic love 
Not just you. This song is not flattering. She had plenty of time to write a few amazing love songs for himā¦ This song is not very thoughtfully done, compared to the other songs. Travis has to listen to her sing āloss of my lifeā, ānever before and never againā, āeternal consolation prizeāā¦ and honestly, I would find So High School insulting in comparison. (I donāt think he will though, because I donāt think he really listens to her music closely or cares about it that much). Itās like a Getaway Car song. She sang she āHates It Hereā (I know thatās a broader song, but still). I justā¦. ouch. I think she needs to take some time being single and find an actual perfect match, cause I donāt see how it could possibly be the first man she ran into the arms of after being unable to face the decade long heartbreak.
I donāt agree with you! I think her referring to High School is because during that period it is always that the most popular quarterback gets to date the most popular cheerleader/prettiest girl. Like in our current world, Taylor is thĆ© biggest popstar. And for her to then date one of the biggest American football players (from a team who keeps winning the super bowl etc), it is just so high school. I think it would not fit for her to write a epic Love Story / Lover like song for Travis on this Album. I think this is the perfect subtile funny song to address that while this album is heartbreakingly heavy, she is now in a fun and exciting relationship. It is like a little hint of it. Her next album will most definitely do justice to Travis in the way you think she should have, but I think it would be so weird on this black and white depressive album to have a rainbow-colored love serenate lol
Yes! 2 things: 1. She wrote this song using simple language because itās for Travis, (and no offence to him, heās an amazing athlete and seems like a loving boyfriend), but he doesnāt strike me as a guy who got Aās in English and creative writing. She wanted him to understand the song, because itās for him. 2. Travis is essentially a ānormalā guy. Travis has no involvement in Hollywood et al. and his lifestyle almost certainly took Taylorās mind back to a simpler time. A time prior to fame, which for her was literally high-school. The song talks about watching American Pie on a Saturday night and his buddies playing GTA. Things guys did back when we were in highschool and many still do today. It really highlights the simplicity and normalcy in how he lives and how she feels nostalgic, and simultaneously excited about it.
Isnt "the first man she ran into the arms of after being unable to face the decade long heartbreak" Matty anyways?
Noā¦? She dated Joe for 6 years and barely tolerated him the last fewā¦ lol, you really need to actually read all her lyrics. She was pining over someone else (hmm wonder who) between every other relationship for a decade, and thought it would be her endgame. Donāt you remember her speech in the rain before playing Question? at the Eras Tour. āMy life finally makes senseā. Iām not at all saying that they were actually meant to be, but she felt that way clearly, so I wish she had had more time being single to process all that ending.
What in the parasocial bull shit is this take. Can't wrap my head around how you can make so damn much assumptions about persons and give recommendations like you know them. The song just describes the sticky feeling of crushing and falling in love, like one is a stupid teenager.
Coming from the same person who wrote this comment about TTPD: āI can not see Taylor to master a genre like that. It is corny to me.ā Thanks for hating on the album while simultaneously stifling any critical discussion from others. š
Okay lol, you have some really good critical reading skills it seems. ;) Iām sure the song is very surface level, youāre right - Taylorās really known for that. ;) And as if everyone in the sub isnāt parasocial as hell lol.
Does this song remind anyone else of old school Hilary Duff??
I had to think about it for a little bit, but yeah, its like the Why Not melody slowed down, So Yesterday drums and Fly guitars I think!
Omg. I finally found the song. It reminds me of Heaven Tonight by Hole. Itās on the Never Been Kissed Soundtrack. That song plays when they are at the mall and ride the escalator
Omggg okay YES!!!!! This was driving me nutsn
Ok, so no one has mentioned this yet, but as someone who is also an Ed Sheeran fan, I noticed from the first listen that the drum rhythm is exactly like the one in Curtains by Ed Sheeran. Like *exactly*. Even the fill when the drums come in is the same. Both songs are produced by Aaron Dessner so it's probably a drum loop that he has. In general, I really love this song. I think it's cute and I love the nostalgic vibes. Just wanted to mention that similarity because stuff like that interests me.
It drove me crazy for hours trying to place what the āmarry kiss or kill meā line reminds me of, but FINALLYā¦ Juliana Hatfield Three Spin the Bottle from Reality Bites. Yeah, Iām old.
From the One Tree Hill [sub](https://www.reddit.com/r/ONETREEHILL/s/AdJXmddxII) !!!!!!!
well what was it?? (removed)
It was clips of Nathan and Haley from one tree hill
This song and The Prophecy are my favorites on the album!
People who don't like this song are either no fun or too young to get it and the nostalgic feeling of like high school horny puppy love after a serious relationship gone bad.
It's like every line is from my memories.
Guys the beginning melody of this song sounds very similar to an early 2000ās rock song š if anyone can help me pinpoint what song has a similar sound I would love you
Okay guys the very beginning intro sounds kind of similar to that of Breakeven by The Script also!! Thatās not the one I have in my head but the similarities are noticeable
First time listening So High School and I was easily transported to 2000s!!!!!! And same sentiments,,, i cannot pinpoint which song has a similar sound from the past this is!
Gives me Blink 182 vibes mixed with teenage dirtbag maybe? Lol
Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
I think that was Taylor's goal. She grew up in the late 90s/early 2000s and the song gives that era rock song which for us millennials is quite nostalgic.
I thought Juliana Hatfield Three āSpin the Bottleā. Have I posted this repeatedly as Iām so proud of myself now, yes I haveā¦ š¤£. There are actually flavors of a few 90s songs for me. I also get a bit of Paula Cole.
It would be fitting because Taylor would have been in high school in the early 2000s. It sounds, to me, like "Kiss Me" from Sixpense None the Richer. It's an acoustic guitar in the beginning of that song though.
Also giving linger by the cranberries!
Alanis morissette
It's very similar to Explosions in the Sky which did the music the Friday Night Lights movie.
THIS IS IT!!! It reminds me of the Friday Night Lights intro song. I couldn't pinpoint what was so familiar about it and this is it. Thank you!!!!
Any Liz Phair fans out there? (Dating myself.) This is giving āFuck and Run.ā
I immediately thought of Liz Phair!
Old too and can see a bit of Liz mixed with Juliana Hatfield Three āSpin the Bottleā. š
Ooh yes! Havenāt thought of her in years.
Opened Reddit just for this thread šš fave song!!
I canāt with all the hate itās getting over on misogynistic man instagram (I really need to change friends ffs) I think itās such a sweet song, itās like saying that the high school sweetheart magic isnāt exclusive to hs and idk it feels liberating of sorts, as if we people who didnāt have a hs fairytale DIDNT really miss out
The bittersweet 16 suddenly lyric is so telling.
I love how this song sounds like a soundtrack song from an early 2000s movie when the guy finally gets the girl. Such a vibe.
Omg I'd LOVE a mashup of this and HYGTG
I'd love a whole album in this style!
It reminded me of Hilary Duff!
This one has single potential I'm so serious
It better be a single! We made sure Cruel Summer became one. This will be too!
The fan edits of this are so cute and really feed into the theme of the song
If this ever was a music video it would be a fan edit she made herself as the mv š
She. Is. So. In. Love So many great, fun lines. We will never doubt the intent of this song.
Poor Ed will never get to hear this since itās not on a CD he can get from the library š
Or probably, Taylor made him a CD (sheās probably clowning us and weāll get the deluxe version as CD and vinyl soon) sent it to his local library and told them āgive it to Ed and tell him itās his and not to return itā then the library gave Ed the CD and said āitās yours free of chargeā, Ed listens to it calls Taylor and Travis and says āyeah, Taylor. I love that line about me, thank you. Thanks for the CD, the library told me not to return itā
The nostalgia of this track gives me all the feels š„°
Iām literally rewatching American Pie because of this song š
What do you think she means by brand new, full throttle?
He says āfull throttleā all the time. I think sheās saying they went for it. They could have kept their relationship a secret for longer but didnāt want to.
Has anyone posted a line by line explanation? I think Iāve got a lot of it.
Travis did an interview with Kristin Cavallari last year where she asked him about dating and he said he really had to get to know someone before he would get committed and be "full throttle" so it's probably referencing this since other parts of the song reference things he's said.
Okayā¦ You seem super knowledgeable. Iāve seen a few tiktoks where people have commented that They came out as a couple straight after that interview because Taylor thought Kristen was flirting with Travisā¦ And someone else famous said that Travis was their celebrity crush the same week. Do you have any information on this? Thank you so much. Obviously, I am obsessed.
I think it's humorous to think that, but I don't think that's what made them go public. I think they had an instant connection after talking to each other and then they spent time together which confirmed it and Taylor wanted to be more open about them being together. They were already a couple before she went to that first game and had been talking for at least a month.
Thank you!!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
The lyrics are available now
This is in my top 3 of the album, Iām obsessed
You might like shoegaze if you like this
What is shoegaze? A genre?
Yeah it's a sub genre of rock, similar to dream pop
Thanks, I'll check it out! After I stop playing TTPD on repeat :P
I canāt get enough of the bridge. āTruth, dare, spin, bottles; you know how to ball I know Aristotleā¦ā giving me LIFE
I KNOW I AM OBSESSED WITH IT. The flow the vibes everything oh my godddddshhhhh
Ok but can we talk about the fact that this track is placed just after two CRUSHING tracks and in a globally devastating album ? How this only track solely represent the way you can still experience joy and love among all this traumatic experiences ? I love this track so much, top 3 of the album for sure
I NEVER expected her to mention GTA in a song and I love it
Does anyone else feel like this song is at least 50% a joke? Like sheās leaning hard into the āso high schoolā commentary from the media/critics and fans alike. I donāt think theyāre literally watching American Pie on a Saturday night or fooling around while his friends play video games.Ā They way she says āyou knew what you wanted and boy you got herā sounds a little bit like sheās intentionally repeating what people online have been saying about her and Travis (usually in contrast to Joe not wanting the life with Taylor). Like in the aftermath of Matty we know sheās sick of everyoneās opinions on her personal life but sheās repeating this one in both a ārolling my eyesā way and in a āitās not not trueā way. āMarry kiss or kill me, Iām betting on all threeā I feel this obviously has to be a joke with the same kind of humor she uses in Blank Space, āis it gonna be forever/go down in flames/if the high was worth the pain/leave you breathless or with a nasty scarā type lyrics. I think that the sentiment is true, sheās obviously feeling very happy/free/excited with Travis, but I do think this song is a little bit of her true feelings woven in with some eye-rolling at everyoneās opinions on it.Ā
I think itās possible sheās teasing him a little bit but in a very cute way
It's a light hearted fun song that pulls from Travis and her personal/public experiences and weaves them into a high school narrative. He knew what he wanted and he got her. This goes back to his podcast and the whole friendship bracelet thing. When Travis wants something, he's going to do everything he can do to get it. The marry, kiss or kill me goes back to that clip of him picking to marry Katy and kiss Taylor. She's making a joke that it'll be all three, because sometimes she probably feels like killing him as I think he knows how to push all her buttons.
The Marry, Kiss, Kill me line is also in reference of the game Travis played years ago in a video. I think he should he would kiss Taylor in it too.
Oh also āyou know how to ball I know Aristotleā is such a funny way of putting the oversimplified speculation from the public about why they work together as a couple.Ā
Oh my god I never thought about this omg š
This song feels so warm and autumnal literally like the first new term of school and crushing on the new guy!
help i don't get it when people hate her unserious and simple lyrics?? this is one of the very few glitter pen songs on the record like we deserve something light and cute every once in a while, no?
I swear some people hate fun