Our daughter Taylor Swift has epic revenge songs. From early bops like “Better than Revenge” to new hits like “Karma,” she always makes it clear that she’s not afraid to stand up for herself when someone has wronged her. And just like Swift, Arya Stark from game of thrones also seems to live by the motto of Swift’s song “Vigilante Shit” of “don’t be sad, be same”. Turns out this similarity is no coincidence because Arya is the OBTAINED the character Swift relates to the most, and she explained why.
In an interview with THR, the Midnights The singer was asked which character she most identifies with, and she answered with the young assassin played by Maisie Williams on game of thronesexplaining:
Arya Stark. I realize I can’t use a sword and I’ve never had to get up from near death to go on an epic revenge mission – but I’ve been in the music business for over 15 years old, so…
She makes a good point, she may not be able to wield a sword like Needle or steal faces, but she has made great strides in shaking up the music industry over the past 15 years, especially when it has been harmed or exploited.
From bad breakups to fiasco with Ticketmaster, Swift has always expressed how she feels and she refuses to be used. The biggest example of Swift getting revenge was when Scooter Braun bought her music catalog. Following her inability to own all the albums she has released before Lover, the singer devoted herself to re-recording all of her albums, from all erasso that she can take control of all of her work (which is why most Swift’s next projects will be re-recorded albums).
I would say this calculated move by Swift is just as precise and measured as many of Arya’s best moments on the show, like when she brilliantly dove to kill the night king.
Turns out Swift isn’t just about Arya. She was so inspired by game of thrones that it directly influenced his 2018 album Reputation. Swift said EO in 2019, she had watched game of thrones while making the album. The popstar explained OBTAINED connection by talking about “Look What You Made Me Do”, saying:
Those songs were half based on what I was going through, but seeing them through a Game of Thrones filter. “Look What You Made Me Do” is literally Arya Stark’s kill list.
You can sense the aggression in the song, and it’s extremely similar to Arya’s passion for revenge in the hit fantasy series. To quote the aforementioned song, the two women have a “list of names…in red underline.”
Swift also revealed the influence of game of thrones on other songs. For example, she told EW that “King of My Heart” was influenced by Khal Drogo and Daenerys’ relationship, and “I Did Something Bad” was written after she saw Arya and Sansa hatching a plan to kill Littlefinger in the dark. ‘one of best episodes of game of thrones.
The pop star also mentioned that she loves game of thrones’ ability to lay Easter eggs and hidden meaning throughout the show, which had a direct impact on his music. Swift’s love for hidden messages has been on full display throughout her later albums, but especially in the cameo and “Bejeweled” filled with Easter eggs Musical clip.
I can totally understand why Swift responded with Arya Stark when asked about a character she identifies with. There are tons of parallels to be noted, but if you’re looking to find even more similarities between the two, you can watch each season of game of thrones with a HBO Max Subscription.
