Taylor Swift’s ‘Actually Romantic’ Seems to Diss Charli XCX With Some Unexpected Lyrics

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THE RUNDOWNTaylor Swift just released The Life of a Showgirl, and her seventh track, “Actually Romantic” is rumored to be a response to Charli XCX’s Brat song “Sympathy is a knife.”Swift sings about being flattered by someone’s obsession with her.Swift and Charli have history, as Swift dated the bandmate of Charli’s husband, and Charli opened for Swift in 2o18.When Charli XCX released Brat in June 2024, many wondered if her track “Sympathy Is a Knife” was about Taylor Swift, who had briefly dated Matty Healy, the bandmate of Charli’s now-husband, George Daniel, in 2023.Charli dismissed that theory in an interview with New York Magazine published in August 2024, saying, “People are going to think what they want to think. That song is about me and my feelings and my anxiety and the way my brain creates narratives and stories in my head when I feel insecure and how I don’t want to be in those situations physically when I feel self-doubt.”Swift, who was writing The Life of a Showgirl at that time, seemed to hear about the speculation. Her album’s seventh track, “Actually Romantic,” appears to be a pretty pointed response to Charli’s song, and the title nods to the seventh track on Brat, “Everything Is Romantic.”Swift opens “Actually Romantic” by seemingly alluding to her breakup with Healy—and Charli’s reaction to it: “I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave / High-fived my ex and then said you’re glad he ghosted me / Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face/ Some people might be offended / But it’s actually sweet / All the time you’ve spent on me.”In “Sympathy is a Knife,” Charli does indeed sing about feeling insecure around a woman with connections to her partner’s band, The 1975, and rooting for a breakup: “I don’t wanna share the space / I don’t wanna force a smile / This one girl taps my insecurities / Don’t know if it’s real or if I’m spiraling.” Later in the track, she adds, “Don’t wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend’s show / Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick.”Kevin Mazur//Getty ImagesCharli XCX and Taylor Swift in 2014.Swift reframes the dynamic in “Actually Romantic,” suggesting she’s flattered by the obsession and even spins it into something sapphic: “It sounded nasty but it feels like you’re flirting with me / I mind my business, God’s my witness that I don’t provoke it / It’s kind of making me wet / ’Cause it’s actually sweet / All the time you’ve spent on me / It’s honestly lovely / All the effort you’ve put in / It’s actually romantic / Really got to hand it to you, to you / No man has ever loved me like you do.”Swift, however, praised Charli’s musical talent in the British singer’s New York Magazine cover story in August 2024. She told the outlet, “I’ve been blown away by Charli’s melodic sensibilities since I first heard ‘Stay Away’ in 2011. Her writing is surreal and inventive, always.” She added that Charli “just takes a song to places you wouldn’t expect it to go, and she’s been doing it consistently for over a decade. I love to see hard work like that pay off.”The two artists have performed together before. In 2015, Swift brought Charli on stage in Toronto to perform “Boom Clap” together during her 1989 World Tour. She later tapped Charli as an opener for her Reputation Stadium Tour in 2018.The full “Actually Romantic” lyrics are far from your typical diss song. Read them in full and listen to the song below:View full post on YouTubeVerse 1I heard you call me “Boring Barbie”When the coke’s got you braveHigh-fived my ex and then you saidYou’re glad he ghosted meWrote me a song sayingIt makes you sick to see my faceSome people might be offendedChorusBut it’s actually sweetAll the time you’ve spent on meIt’s honestly wildAll the effort you’ve put inIt’s actually romanticI really gotta hand it to you, ooh-ohNo man has ever loved me like you doVerse 2Hadn’t thought of you in a long timeBut you keep sending me funny valentinesAnd I know you think it comes off viciousBut it’s precious, adorableLike a toy chihuahua barking at me from a tiny purseThat’s how much it hurtsHow many times has your boyfriend said“Why are we always talking ’bout her?”ChorusIt’s actually sweetAll the time you’ve spent on meIt’s honestly wildAll the effort you’ve put inIt’s actually romanticI really gotta hand it to you, oohNo man has ever loved me like you doBridgeYou think I’m tacky, babyStop talking dirty to meIt sounded nasty but itFeels like you’re flirting with meI mind my business, God’s my witnessThat I don’t provoke itIt’s kind of making me wet (Oh)Chorus’Cause it’s actually sweetAll the time you’ve spent on meIt’s honestly lovelyAll the effort you’ve put inIt’s actually romanticI really gotta hand it to you, to youNo man has ever loved me like you doOutroIt’s actually romantic (You’ve just given me so much attention; la-la-la-la)It’s actually romantic (It’s so)Actually romanticRelated StoriesInside Charli XCX and George Daniel’s WeddingTaylor and Matty’s Relationship Timeline