Taylor Swift has revealed how the famed Elizabeth Taylor’s estate reacted to the pop star using the icon’s moniker in one of her Life of a Showgirl tracks.
“They were lovely about it,” Swift, 35, revealed while appearing on the Monday, October 6, episode of Radio 2’s Breakfast Show. The singer went on to explain how the process of obtaining Taylor’s estate’s approval worked, adding that she is typically required to notify the subject of any of her songs, or their estate, “if they’re real people.”
The second track on Swift’s 12th studio album, titled “Elizabeth Taylor,” addresses the often relentless attention that comes with enormous fame — something both Swift and Taylor have in common. Swift sings, “Oftentimes it doesn’t feel so glamorous to be me / All the right guys promised they’d stay / Under bright lights, they withered away, but you bloom.”
She later adds, “Elizabeth Taylor / Do you think it’s forever?” and, “Tell me for real, do you think it’s forever?”
Scrutiny of their relationships and dating histories is a common thread Swift and Taylor, who died in March 2011 at age 73, share.
The actress was famously married eight times to seven different men (she married Richard Burton twice). Her other husbands included hotel heir Conrad Hilton and Eddie Fisher, father to the late Carrie Fisher.
In addition to giving Swift their stamp of approval, Taylor’s estate has appeared to fully embrace the song, even releasing a limited edition orange crewneck sweater that reads, “Elizabeth Taylor,” on its website. The color of the sweater is a nod to the orange used throughout Swift’s promotional tour for The Life of a Showgirl, as well as the orange of the typography on the album cover. The orange sweater is a variant of the brand’s black sweater, which features Taylor’s name in purple letters.
Swift has been on a promotional tear since the record was released Friday, October 3. She shared behind the scenes photos from the album’s production via Instagram on Monday, October 6. “Being in the studio and creating these songs was an unforgettable experience,” Swift captioned the photos.
She added: “Luckily I don’t ever have to forget it because I was recording while we were writing — and now it’s a way to look back on the process and give you guys a glimpse into how we wrote these songs and hear the moments we thought of these ideas in real time.”
In one photo Swift appears to be singing lyrics she has written on her phone while producer Max Martin plays piano. In another, she swaps places at the piano as Martin, 54, seems to conduct her with his hands.
Also on Monday Swift announced she released The Life of a Showgirl (DELUXE Alone In My Tower Acoustic Version) for 24 hours only on iTunes. The new release includes “The Life of a Showgirl” with “original songwriting voice memos” broken into act 1 and act 2 as well as “The Fate of Ophelia (Alone in My Tower Acoustic Version)” and “Eldest Daughter (Now You’re Replica Luxury Handbag Acoustic Version).”
