Hey Stephen & White Horse

Transcript

0:14

Hey there, Swifties. Welcome back to decoding Taylor Swift, the podcast where we peel back the layers of Taylor Swift's lyrical genius. Today we're staying in the Fearless Zone, 2000 eight's golden era, and unpacking not one, but two tracks that show Taylor's range. The flirty hey even, and the gut punch. White Horse one's a crush fueled daydream. The others, a fairy tale turned to ash. Both are packed with symbolism and heart. So grab your coffee, or maybe a tissue, and let's dive in. First up, Hey Steven, a bubbly confession tucked into Fearless. This is Taylor at 18, crushing hard on Steven Barker Lyles from Love and Theft, a band she toured with. The theme's pure, unrequited yearning, light, playful, and a little cheeky. It's not about epic battles or broken hearts. It's the thrill of, what if? That flutter when you see someone and think, maybe they'd pick me if they knew. She's bold enough to sing it out loud, but keeps it breezy, like a secret she's giggling over. It's fearless in its youth, unafraid to want, unafraid to dream. Now let's unpack the lyrics, because even in this upbeat vibe, Taylor's got depth. Hey Steven, I know looks can be deceiving, but I know I saw a light in you. That light, it's everything. Hope, a glimmer of something special that she's latched onto. It's not just his smile, it's what he sparks in her, a beacon in the haze of a crush. Then, and as we walked we were talking, I didn't say half the things I wanted to. Walking's a quiet symbol here, a shared path, a slow burn of closeness. But those unsaid words, they're the real weight. Emotions bottled up teetering on the edge of spilling. It's the tension of wanting to be seen held back by the fear of ruining the moment. The chorus pops off. I can't help it if you look like an angel. Can't help it if I want to kiss you in the rain so come feel this magic I've been feeling since I met you. Angels are back. Pure, divine, almost too good to touch. Stevens, her ideal, glowing in her mind. Kissing in the rain, that's cinematic gold. Raw, reckless, a fantasy where the world fades and it's just them. The magic seals it. Love as an enchantment, a pull that she's helpless against, daring him to feel it too. And don't miss this. Hey Steven, I could give you 50 reasons why I should be the one you choose. All those other girls, well they're beautiful, but would they write a song for you? The song itself is her symbol, her gift. Her edge. It's Taylor saying, I'm different. I'll make you immortal. It's her power move, turning a crush into art. Finally, Because all I know is when you're around, everybody's watching me. And I'm shining like a king. Here she flips it. She's the one transformed. Kings are regal, radiant, and she's basking in that glow. It's not just about him. It's how he makes her feel. Bold, noticed, royal. Now let's shift gears to White Horse, co written with Liz Rose. This is Taylor post love story, dismantling the fairy tale. The theme's heartbreak and waking up. Love's not a prince riding in. It's a letdown you have to walk away from. She said it came from a breakup where the guy wasn't who she thought. Less hero, more zero. It's fearless in its honesty. Facing the truth, even when it stings. The lyrics hit hard. Say you're sorry that face of an angel comes out just when you need it to. That angel from Hey Stephen twists here. It's a facade. A charm he flips on to dodge accountability. It's a symbol of betrayal, masked as beauty, cutting deep because she fell for it. I had so many dreams about you and me, happy endings, and now I know I'm not a princess. This ain't a fairy tale. Dreams crash into reality. Princesses and fairy tales are the love story leftovers that she's shedding. It's the ultimate symbol, rescue, chivalry, the night she waited for, but it's gone, a ghost, leaving her to save herself, because I'm trying to forget that I'm addicted to you, but I want it and I need it, I'm addicted to you. Addiction's a dark thread. Love as a drug, pulling her back even as she fights free. It's raw, messy, a symbol of how hard it is to let go. And, this is a big world. That was a small town. There in my rearview mirror, disappearing now. The small town is a cage. Stifling. Familiar. Tied to naive hopes. The rearview mirror, that's her escape. A symbol of moving on. Watching the past shrink behind her. The White Horse music video was released February 7th, 2009, and it amplifies this ache that you feel in this song. Directed by Trey Fanjoy, it's a slow burn of betrayal, tailors in a muted gray sweater. Gray is despair, neutrality. It's a heart drained of color, sitting in a stark apartment. She's on the phone, confronting her guy, played by Stephen Colletti, who's cheating with another woman, who's in red, which signifies passion, danger, the opposite of Taylor's faded gray. The window is key. She peers out, seeing him with her. A literal barrier between her old dreams and the truth. It's fogged, smudged, like her clarity's been blurred. Flashbacks show happier times, Tailor in a soft beige dress, Which signifies innocence and warmth, Laughing with him in a park, All golden light and green grass, Green's growth, life. But it's past tense now, And it's being mocked by the present. The other woman's red dress screams. She's bold, stealing what Taylor had. Stephen's in dark tones. Black jacket, gray shirt. Shadowy, unreliable. The video cuts between Taylor singing in a rain soaked street. Rain's cleansing, but it's also sorrowful. Echoing Hay Steven's romance gone wrong and her burning his photo. Fire's destruction, it's a release, a symbol of purging him out. The climax? She walks away, gray sweater damp, hair plastered, as the camera lingers on an empty street. No white horse, no rescue, just her, stronger for it. The muted palettes, grays, beiges, flashes of red, mirrors her stripping the fairytale bear. Now, let's go ahead and move on to a little bit of numerology. Hey, Stephen clocks in at 4 minutes and 14 seconds, which you can get 9 from that, which is the symbol of creativity, or a crush wrapped up. White horse is 3 minutes and 54 seconds. And that boils down to 12 and then to 3. Expression through heartbreak. Subtle Taylor nods. Hey Stephen is Taylor glowing with angel dreams and king like shine while white horse tears it down. No princess, no horse, just truth in gray and rain. Fearless holds both the high of longing and the low of letting go. Which hits you harder? Tell us and we'll see you next time on Decoding Taylor Swift. And as always, stay enchanted.