Image Source: Getty / Terry Wyatt
Taylor Swift‘s 10th studio album, “Midnights,” officially dropped on Oct. 21, and fans are loving it. The highly anticipated visual album became Swift’s fifth released album in only two years, and its 13-song track list explores themes of loss, late-night ruminations, and synthy-pop concessions. However, one song in particular, “Bigger Than the Whole Sky,” released as part of her 3 a.m. extended edition, is resonating with fans for its darker, confessional tone.
We don’t know what inspired Swift’s “Bigger Than the Whole Sky,” but the heartfelt lyrics about loss are resonating in particular with fans who have experienced a miscarriage. Over a slow, winding beat, Swift sings in the chorus:
“Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye
You were bigger than the whole sky
You were more than just a short time
And I’ve got a lot to pine about
I’ve got a lot to live without
I’m never gonna meet
What could’ve been, would’ve been
What should’ve been you
What could’ve been, would’ve been you.”
The song is seemingly about loss, wistfulness, and, as Swift says, pining to meet a person that “should’ve been.” Of course, it’s unfair to speculate about Swift’s relationship or intention with the song or make any assumptions about what type of heartbreak she’s referring to. But for those who have experienced miscarriage, the song may represent a genuine expression of emotion that reaches across many disparate experiences and speaks to them.
Taylor Swift once said she wanted people to have a song for every moment of their life. If people who have had a miscarriage can relate to and find comfort in Bigger Than The Whole Sky, I think that’s really beautiful and powerful. Please listen to this song.
— Wear sunblock and don’t be racist (@SarcasticerVeg) October 21, 2022
One user on Twitter said, “If people who have had a miscarriage can relate to and find comfort in Bigger Than The Whole Sky, I think that’s really beautiful and powerful.” Another user added, “If you can get through bigger than the whole sky without tearing up, you’ve never had a miscarriage.”
Other users are quick to add nuance to fan reactions, noting that resonating with a song does not mean projecting those same experiences onto the artist. One tweeted, “‘bigger than the whole sky’ is a song about losing someone. we don’t know who or how. . . . yes, people can feel the song resonate with their OWN experiences, but it is NOT taylor’s.”
“bigger than the whole sky” is a song about losing someone. we don’t know who or how. but it is fucking INSENSITIVE to speculate taylor had a miscarriage. yes, people can feel the song resonate with their OWN experiences, but it is NOT taylor’s. this isn’t like halsey’s “more”.
— swiffer struggle tweets (@swifferstruggle) October 21, 2022
Though there’s no way to know definitively what this song is about, its theme on loss has become a comfort for many who have experienced a miscarriage. (This is reassuring considering miscarriage can be a devastating and isolating experience for those who have experienced it.) But regardless of what Swift’s intent was in writing this, it’s making an impact on many fans seeking empathy. And isn’t the whole point of music to speak to and connect with others — no matter how they interpret the lyrics?