A New Music Video Paying Tribute to a Hollywood Icon
Taylor Swift has released a new music video that pays tribute to the legendary Hollywood star Dame Elizabeth Taylor. The visual, which accompanies her song titled “Elizabeth Taylor,” premiered on Apple Music and Spotify on Tuesday. However, the response from fans has been mixed.
The video does not feature Taylor Swift herself. Instead, it is a compilation of archive footage of the singer, interwoven with clips from some of Elizabeth Taylor’s most iconic films. These include the critically acclaimed Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? (1966), alongside classics such as Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958), Suddenly Last Summer (1959), and Cleopatra (1963). All of these are set to Swift’s track.
Dame Elizabeth Taylor, who was born in London, passed away in 2011 at the age of 79. She was one of the most celebrated movie stars of the 20th century, living much of her life under intense public scrutiny. At one point, she held the title of the world’s highest-paid actress and was equally renowned for her tumultuous personal life, having been married eight times. Beyond her cinematic achievements, Taylor was a dedicated philanthropist, known for her activism and advocacy for humanitarian causes, particularly AIDS research.
The video concludes with a special acknowledgment to the House of Taylor and the Elizabeth Taylor Trust, as well as the Todd and Wilding families. Fans have expressed mixed reactions to the video, with many feeling it was simply a collection of clips from Elizabeth Taylor’s films without any additional content.
One fan wrote, “I’m disappointed in this video. Clipped together from Elizabeth Taylor movies. I was hoping for so much more.” Another said, “I love you, Taylor, for life, but you could have invested in another type of a music video.”
However, some fans were more enthusiastic. One commented, “This was the perfect video for this song & perfectly encapsulated the person the song was about. If Taylor was in it, portraying Elizabeth Taylor, it would have been weird & almost disrespectful?” Another added, “Taylor Swift paying tribute to the glamorous Elizabeth Taylor is just iconic. Nobody expected this kind of a music video and y’all just have to stan honestly.”
The song itself is part of a series of Swift’s works that reference famous personalities. The lyrics allude to the film star’s distinctive “violet eyes” and “white diamonds.” Elizabeth Taylor was famed for her unique eye color and extensive jewellery collection, which also inspired her popular perfume, White Diamonds.
In an interview on the Elvis Duran Show last year, Swift expressed her profound admiration for Taylor, describing her as “someone that I’ve looked up to” and hailing her as a “very glamorous, very beloved” figure. The chart-topping artist previously disclosed that the inspiration for the track stemmed from a conversation with her fiancé, American football player Travis Kelce.
Swift has referenced Taylor in her music before, notably acknowledging the actress’s famous relationship with Welsh actor Richard Burton in her track “…Ready For It?”
“Elizabeth Taylor” marks the third single from Swift’s record-breaking album, The Life Of A Showgirl, which was released on 3 October last year. The video is currently available on Spotify and Apple Music, with a YouTube release scheduled for Thursday.
