Home » Albums » Midnights » Songs on Midnights » Bejeweled

Bejeweled

Promotional Single | Midnights (2022)

“Bejeweled” is track nine on Taylor’s tenth studio album, Midnights (2022). It was released on October 21, 2022, through Republic Records. Written and produced by Taylor and her close friend Jack Antonoff, it is a song about a woman rediscovering her confidence during a night out on the town.
Table of Contents

Background and Release

On August 28, 2022, Taylor announced her tenth studio album, Midnights, set for release on October 21, 2022. Exactly one month later, she began unveiling the track-list in a randomized order through a video series on TikTok, called Midnights Mayhem With Me. It consisted of 13 episodes, with one song revealed in per episode. In the seventh edition on October 5, 2022, Taylor announced the title of the ninth track as “Bejeweled.”

Lyrical Theme

“Bejeweled” is full of late-night disco jitters, as Taylor describes a woman losing some of her sparkle in a relationship with a partner who doesn’t appreciate her. However, she refuses to dull her shine and decides to go out for a night on the town. In the prologue for Midnights, she wrote:

«Some midnights, you’re out and you’re buzzing with electric current — an adventurer in pursuit of rapturous thrill. Music blaring from speakers and the reckless intimacy of dancing with strangers. Something in this shadowy room to make you feel shiny again. On these nights, you know that there are facets of you that only glow in the dark.»

Taylor told iHeartRadio in October 2022 that “Bejeweled” also served as a confidence boost for herself. She was nervous to return to the pop genre after the quieter releases of her alternative albums folklore and evermore in 2020: “‘Bejeweled’ is a song that I think is really about finding confidence when you feel it’s been taken away, for whatever reason. You’re feeling insecure, you’re feeling taken for granted. One of the things we love to do at night is go dancing, put on an outfit that makes us feel good. And we love to feel like we’re still bejeweled. I think that there are tiny inflections of me hyping myself up to return to pop music after spending these glorious years writing folk songs and being in this metaphorical forest that I created, which I loved so much. But there was a bit of pumping myself back up like, ‘You can do it! You’re still bejeweled!’ Like, I’m still bejeweled…question mark? Uh, we’ll see, but that’s what this song is about.”

Music Video

The music video for “Bejeweled”, written and directed by Taylor herself, premiered on YouTube on October 25, 2022. It contains many Easter eggs referencing her previous work, notably her 2020 single “exile” and her 2010 album Speak Now, with hints that Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) would be the next re-recorded album to be released. When announcing the music video, Taylor wrote:

«Midnight, what a storied and fabled hour…On this sparkling evening I’ll be releasing my twist on a fairytale we all know. The one about the girl and her step sisters and the clock striking 12…This video is wild, whimsical and created SPECIFICALLY for you, my beloved fans who have paved this shimmering path. Look out for some dazzling cameos! Join us later for a very 'Bejeweled' premiere.»

As announced, the storyline references and provides an ironic twist on, the fairy tale Cinderella. In it, Taylor portrays the Cinderella character, named “House Wench”. She endures mockery from the wicked stepmother character, played by Laura Dern, and the evil stepsisters, portrayed by the members of the band Haim. As they leave for the ball, Taylor opens a fob watch and becomes transformed into a cloaked queenly figure in a ball gown. She sings the second verse in a golden Art Deco-inspired elevator on her way to the ball on the third floor of a skyscraper. She then passes through an environment filled with falling gemstones before taking her cloak off, revealing an American burlesque-inspired dance outfit. She meets her “fairy goddess” (Dita Von Teese) and they perform a dance number in a pair of giant martini glasses, before Taylor takes the stage at the ball in a clockwork-inspired setting surrounded by showgirls. Her act stuns the wicked stepmother and stepsisters, and impresses “Queen Pat” (Pat McGrath). Queen Pat forces Taylor to entertain the Prince Charming character (Jack Antonoff), but she turns the Prince’s marriage proposal down. The music video ends with the Prince accepting Taylor’s rejection while she enjoys the view from her newly-acquired castle, while an instrumental version of her song “Long Live” (2010) plays in the background.

Live Performances

“Bejeweled” is part of the regular set list of Taylor’s sixth headlining concert tour, “The Eras Tour” (2023-2024).

Critical Reception

“Bejeweled” received positive reviews from music critics. Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone dubbed “Bejeweled” an “absolute knockout” of a song, “presenting herself as the ultimate prize.” Rob Sheffield, also of Rolling Stone, said “Bejeweled” is an “anxious dance-floor poseur of ‘mirrorball‘ grown up, but it also feels like the wife from ‘tolerate it‘ finally breaking free”, featuring Taylor both boast and be needy. Billboard journalist Jason Lipshutz said a “perfect” song like “Bejeweled” conveys Taylor’s years of experience as a songwriter. He added that song is “a story of refusing to settle into early-thirties ennui”.

Commercial Performance

In the United States, songs from Midnights occupied the entire Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100; a historic feat. “Bejeweled” debuted at No. 6 on the chart with 35.5 million streams, 16,100 digital downloads sold and 1.6 million in radio audience. Taylor became the first artist to simultaneously occupy the Top 10 spots of the Hot 100; the female artist with the most Top 10 songs (40); and the first act to occupy the entire Top 10 of the Hot 100, Streaming Songs, and Digital Songs charts simultaneously. Midnights also became the first album in history to contain ten Top 10 songs.

Lyrics

[Verse 1]
Baby love, I think I’ve been a little too kind
Didn’t notice you walking all over my peace of mind
In the shoes I gave you as a present
Putting someone first only works
When you’re in their top 5
And by the way
I’m going out tonight

[Chorus]
Best believe I’m still bejeweled
When I walk in the room
I can still make the whole place shimmer
And when I meet the band
They ask, “Do you have a man?”
I could still say, “I don’t remember”
Familiarity breeds contempt
Don’t put mе in the basement
Whеn I want the penthouse of your heart
Diamonds in my eyes
I polish up real
I polish up real nice
NICE!

[Verse 2]
Baby boy, I think I’ve been too good of a girl
Too good of a girl
Did all the extra credit then got graded on curve
I think it’s time to teach some lessons
I made you my world
Have you heard?
I can reclaim the land
And I miss you
But I miss sparkling…

[Chorus]
Best believe I’m still bejeweled
When I walk in the room
I can still make the whole place shimmer
And when I meet the band
They ask, “Do you have a man?”
I could still say, “I don’t remember”
Familiarity breeds contempt
Don’t put mе in the basement
Whеn I want the penthouse of your heart
Diamonds in my eyes
I polish up real
I polish up real nice
NICE!

[Bridge]
Sapphire tears on my face
Sadness became my whole sky
But some guy said my aura’s moonstone
Just ’cause he was high
And we danced all night
And you can try
To change my mind
But you might have to wait in line
What’s a girl gonna do?
A diamond’s gotta shine

[Chorus]
Best believe I’m still bejeweled
When I walk in the room
I can still make the whole place shimmer (Shimmer)
And when I meet the band
They ask, “Do you have a man?”
I could still say, “I don’t remember”
Familiarity breeds contempt
Don’t put mе in the basement
Whеn I want the penthouse of your heart
Diamonds in my eyes
I polish up real (Nice)
I polish up real nice

[Outro]
And we’re dancing all night
And you can try
To change my mind
But you might have to wait in line
What’s a girl gonna do?
What’s a girl gonna do?
I polish up nice
Best believe I’m still bejeweled
When I walk in the room
I can still make the whole place shimmer