Taylor Swift's Target exclusive bonus track 'Hits Different' is a queer anthem

International Swifties have one more 'Midnight' song to look forward to. On Nov. 4, the "Karma" songstress shared an Instagram video that gave a preview of her Target exclusive "Midnights" bonus track. The song is about getting drunk to dull the pain of heartbreak away. It's called "Hits Different" and is reminiscent of her "Red" album's pop-rock vibe.

Taylor's Instagram video features her lip-syncing to the lyrics of her exclusive bonus track. She captioned the clip, "Hits Different really hits different, plus it's got one of my fav bridges 😆. It's only available on the Target cd so feel free to scamper over to the nearest store!"

Callie Ahlgrim of Insider writes that "Taylor Swift is best known and beloved as a storyteller, often weaving personal details, cultural references, and double entendres into her songs." Her inclination to insert subtext into art is a phenomenon widely celebrated by members of the LGBT+ community who call themselves "Gaylors."

While Taylor Swift has neither confirmed nor denied the various claims of her queerness, "Gaylors" find and celebrate the queer subtext and themes in her music. They have found that certain songs of hers can easily be viewed through a sapphic lens with her songs presenting narratives of "quiet yearning, forbidden love, and female intimacy."

Her song "Hits different" is no exception to this. With lyrics like "I heard your key turn in the door down the hallway. Is that your key in the door? Is it okay? Is it you? Or have they come to take me away?" A close reading of the song by the queer community emphasized how this line is a reflection of queer history where gays were once imprisoned or sentenced to death because of their identity.

Notably, Swift sings the entire song in first-person except for this one line, "And I felt you and I held you for a while. Bet I could still melt your world, argumentative, antithetical dream girl." "Midnights" is a self-proclaimed autobiographical album. Fans are pointing out that an expert lyricist like Ms Swift who is fond of easter eggs and cryptic messages did this on purpose.