Is Taylor Swift’s Lover Album a Secret Ode to DePaul?

Taylor Swift, the unequivocal queen of music, has a well-known affinity for dropping subtle hints in all her work. From mysterious Instagram posts to complexly layered lyrics, Swift has sprinkled her decorated career with slyly deft nods to her life and loves.

Her latest album, Lover, is no different. An exhaustive (read: minutes-long) investigation has revealed that Lover is, in fact, a sleeper album meant to subconsciously alert our senses that DePaul must be ranked in next week’s national polls. By merely utilizing the word “blue” (a clear, direct reference to the DePaul Blue Demons) across a select number of songs, Swift has surreptitiously dropped her full support of the #RankDePaul movement.

The stealthy ode to Blue Demon fandom is seen in the following songs, in order of album appearance:

Cruel Summer

“And it’s new

The shape of your body, it’s blue”

Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince

“We’re so sad, we paint the town blue

Voting most likely to run away

With you”

Paper Rings

“In the winter, in the outdoor icy pool

When you jumped in first, I went in too

I’m with you even if it makes me blue

Which takes me back

To the color that we painted your brother’s wall”

Afterglow

“I blew things out of proportion and now you’re blue”

If the DePaul Blue Demons are important enough to this December’s British Vogue cover star and recent AMA Artist of the Decade, the AP Top 25 has no choice but to first stan the Blue Demons, and then... #RankDePaul.