Composition
"Cancelled!" incorporates influences of electropop, [7] pop-punk, [8] and grunge. [9] It is led by a 1990s indie rock guitar intro. [10] Several critics opined that "Cancelled!" was similar to Swift's sixth studio album, Reputation (2017), drawing particular comparison to the similarly themed track "Look What You Made Me Do", [11] [12] "I Did Something Bad", [13] [14] "Don't Blame Me", [13] and "Call It What You Want". [15] Entertainment Weekly 's Lauren Huff compares the song to "The Man" from Swift's seventh studio album, Lover (2019), [16] while Glamour 's Stephanie McNeal compares the song to "But Daddy I Love Him" from Swift's eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department (2024). [17] Beats Per Minute 's John Wohlmacher and Prestige 's Pallabi Bose felt that the production was "oddly derivative" of Lorde's song "Yellow Flicker Beat" (2014). [8] [18] Lyric-wise, Billboard 's Hannah Dailey described inspirations from Candace Owens, [19] and People 's Sabrina Weiss described inspirations from Ina Garten. [20] Rolling Stone 's Rob Sheffield described that "Cancelled!" quoted from the play Macbeth, particularly the line "Something wicked this way comes". [10]
In early 2025, reports emerged of Swift's relationship with Blake Lively weakening when Swift was subpoenaed during Lively's legal battle with actor Justin Baldoni. [21] Although the subpoena was later dropped, the incident led to media reports suggesting a rift between Swift and Lively. [22] Following the announcement of The Life of a Showgirl's tracklist, fans speculated that "Cancelled!" might be a diss track aimed at Lively. Upon its release, however, the song's lyrics appeared positive about its subject and her tarnished public image, rather than a critique of Lively. [19] [23] [24] Critics have also linked "Cancelled!" with Brittany Mahomes, [3] [25] Candace Owens, [19] Sophie Turner, [5] Selena Gomez, [11] and Sabrina Carpenter. [26] [27]
