Cancelled! (song)

Last updated

"Cancelled!"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album The Life of a Showgirl
ReleasedOctober 3, 2025 (2025-10-03)
Length3:31
Label Republic
Songwriters
Producers
  • Taylor Swift
  • Max Martin
  • Shellback
Official visualizer
"Cancelled!" on YouTube

"Cancelled!" (stylized in all caps) is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl . It was written and produced by Swift, Max Martin, and Shellback. The song is said to be about Swift's friendship with American actress Blake Lively, [1] with others saying it being about Brittany Mahomes. [2]

Contents

Background

Swift and Lively have had a strong friendship, although their relationship weakened with the implication of Swift in Lively's controversy with Justin Baldoni. [3] Lively was also mentioned in the podcast New Heights, hosted by Swift's fiancé Travis Kelce, and was praised by Kelce as "killing" Lively's debut The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. [4] Fans have also speculated the song is about Brittany Mahomes since she was previously criticized for her support of her husband Patrick Mahomes as the quarterback for the NFL team Kansas City Chiefs. [5]

Lyrics and composition

The song is positive about the relationship of Swift and Lively, although it was expected that Swift would write a diss track about their relationships after Swift's implication in Lively's controversy. Lyrics like "[Your friends are] the ones with matching scars" allude to their troubles in life. [6] Lyrics like "Did you girl-boss too close to the sun?" implicate high standards set as successful women. [7] Swift described the title as referencing her criticisms and "feeling cancelled by any sort of social backlash that you get". [8]

Reception

The song received mixed reviews. Many critics believed that the song is an attempt to mimic her previous album Reputation. [9] Some described the song as "crisp and snappy", [10] while others described the lyrics as cringe. [9] Collider described the song as "one of her boldest tracks" and having "a darker tone". [11] Screen Rant described the song as showing Swift's "wicked sense of humor". [12] Critics have also compared the song to Look What You Made Me Do , a song with a similar theme. [13]

Charts

Chart performance for "Cancelled!"
Chart (2025)Peak
position
Greece International (IFPI) [14] 5
Hungary (Single Top 40) [15] 29

References

  1. ↑ Dailey, Hannah (October 3, 2025). "Taylor Swift Seemingly References Candace Owens' Quote About Blake Lively on New Song 'Cancelled!'". Billboard. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  2. ↑ Pettibone, Erin Crabtree, Kat (October 3, 2025). "Is Taylor Swift's Cancelled About Brittany Mahomes? Fan Theories". Us Weekly. Retrieved October 13, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ "The Travis Kelce and Jason clue that Blake Lively and Taylor Swift friendship is on the mend". The Sporting News via Yahoo News. October 12, 2025. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Travis Kelce Publicly Praises Blake Lively Amid Taylor Swift Drama". Reality Tea via Yahoo Entertainment. October 8, 2025. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  5. ↑ Pettibone, Erin Crabtree, Kat (October 3, 2025). "Is Taylor Swift's Cancelled About Brittany Mahomes? Fan Theories". Us Weekly. Retrieved October 14, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ↑ Carpenter, Cassie (October 3, 2025). "Taylor Swift reveals true feelings about Blake Lively in new song". Mail Online. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  7. ↑ "Taylor Swift Says She Wrote 'Cancelled!' After Facing Backlash and 'Becoming Wiser'". ELLE. October 3, 2025. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Taylor Swift confirms Cancelled meaning on The Life of a Showgirl". Heart. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  9. 1 2 CHAVERST, GARRI (October 3, 2025). "Our Ranking of Every Song on 'The Life of a Showgirl'". The Everygirl. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  10. ↑ Pallabi, Bose (October 10, 2025). "A Swiftie's Honest Review of The Life of a Showgirl by Taylor Swift". www.prestigeonline.com. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  11. ↑ Soares, Isabella (October 9, 2025). "Every 'The Life of a Showgirl' Track, Ranked". Collider. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  12. ↑ Wurtz, Gina (October 7, 2025). "The Life Of A Showgirl: Taylor Swift's Travis Kelce-Inspired Album Ranked". ScreenRant. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Every song from The Life Of A Showgirl, ranked by a Taylor Swift super fan | indy100". www.indy100.com. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 41/2025" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on October 15, 2025. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved October 15, 2025.
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