{"id":558225,"date":"2026-04-01T12:57:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T12:57:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/558225\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T12:57:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T12:57:09","slug":"taylor-swift-just-released-the-elizabeth-taylor-music-video-but-shes-not-the-star-of-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/558225\/","title":{"rendered":"Taylor Swift just released the ‘Elizabeth Taylor’ music video \u2014 but she’s not the star of it"},"content":{"rendered":"

Taylor Swift is reflecting on a different Taylor. On Tuesday, the Eras Tour artist dropped the music video for \u201cElizabeth Taylor,\u201d a track from her 2025 album The Life of a Showgirl<\/a> that honors the late screen legend.<\/p>\n

Premiering exclusively on Apple Music and Spotify, the video features clips from some of movie star Elizabeth Taylor\u2019s most iconic films, including 1956\u2019s Giant, 1958\u2019s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1963\u2019s Cleopatra and 1966\u2019s Who\u2019s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Taylor Nation, the official fan page for the artist, announced on social media<\/a>\u00a0that the tribute was released in honor of the last day of Women\u2019s History Month, which takes place throughout\u00a0March.<\/p>\n

Who was Elizabeth Taylor? Why did Taylor Swift make a tribute to her?<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Taylor, who died in 2011 at age 79, was one of old Hollywood\u2019s most adored \u2014 and talked about \u2014\u00a0stars. She rose to fame as a teenager with roles in films like the 1948 romantic comedy Julia Misbehaves and 1949\u2019s Little Women, and was known for her supposedly violet eyes<\/a>, which were framed by a double row of eyelashes. (Swift nods to the performer\u2019s eyes in \u201cElizabeth Taylor,\u201d saying in the chorus that she would \u201ccry my eyes violet.\u201d)<\/p>\n

But despite Elizabeth Taylor\u2019s many Hollywood successes \u2014\u00a0including two Academy Awards for best actress \u2014\u00a0the public was uniquely fascinated by her love life. Elizabeth Taylor was married eight times<\/a> to seven different men, including Conrad Hilton Jr., the great-granduncle of Paris Hilton, and her best friend Debbie Reynolds\u2019 ex-husband Eddie Fisher. She also famously wed Richard Burton twice.<\/p>\n

Swift\u2019s song \u201cElizabeth Taylor\u201d was inspired by the life of the film star, whom she feels a deep connection to. In a 2025 interview with Z100’s Elvis Duran Show<\/a>, the \u201cFate of Ophelia\u201d singer said the track was about her \u201cemotions and my issues with fame through the lens of cosplaying the life of Elizabeth Taylor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The opening lyrics to the song reference Portofino, Italy, one of Elizabeth Taylor\u2019s favorite places, and the Paris hotel Plaza Ath\u00e9n\u00e9e, where the actress lived with then-husband Burton.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is always someone that I\u2019ve looked up to as being this very glamorous, very beloved, but for some reason a polarizing figure, which I found myself in that place, too,\u201d Swift added.<\/p>\n

This is not the first time Swift has made a nod to the actress in her work. Her song \u201c…Ready For It?\u201d from her 2017 album Reputation calls a lover the \u201cBurton to this Taylor.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fans say the music video is a \u2018waste of potential\u2019 and a \u2018fan edit\u2019<\/p>\n

While many fans expressed excitement about the Instagram post announcing the news, not everyone was sold on the compilation video as the official music video for this song.<\/p>\n

One fan wrote, \u201cSoooo listen I LOVED it but I would really have loved to see a real MV with actors and a storyline! Are there any Easter eggs in this video or anything? Like how could there beeeeee. I love u Taylorrr and you are amazing but it\u2019s just not what I was expecting.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another added, \u201cWHAT A WASTE OF POTENTIAL FOR A BANGER OF A SONG. the way she could\u2019ve just recreated those scenes I swear she\u2019d look just like her\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Others declared the choice less of a music video and more of a \u201cfan edit\u201d to the late star. And a few mentioned that they wanted a video akin to the one Swift made in 2015 for her 1989 song \u201cWildest Dreams,\u201d in which she embodied an Elizabeth Taylor-like film actress who falls in love with her onscreen costar.<\/p>\n

Back in February, Swift dropped the music video for The Life of a Showgirl song \u201cOpalite,\u201d which she directed and starred in opposite Domhnall Gleeson. She also released the also self-directed \u201cThe Fate of Ophelia\u201d video in October 2025, alongside the album’s debut.<\/p>\n

Currently, Swift is facing a legal battle over The Life of a Showgirl, in which performer Maren Wade has accused Swift of disregarding her trademark<\/a>.<\/p>\n