Ranking as high as No. 3 on the Hot 100, it's no secret that Taylor Swift's "Maroon" is a favourite amongst fans. This analysis will deal less with whom the song is about, and more with the literary and poetic devices used in the song, and the meaning of the song. Completely breaking down this song could take hours, days, or even weeks but I've tried to be as concise as possible, while at the same time making sure to cover every point that crossed my mind whilst listening to Maroon.
The most important thing to consider while analysing the song is your interpretation of the title. There are many ways to interpret "Maroon". It could be a nod to Swift's fourth studio album, "Red", in which she describes the feeling of loving someone as "red". Another possible interpretation of the title is: Maroon is a darker and seemingly more mature shade of red, a fiery, exciting, and passionate colour. The verb "maroon" means to strand, so the use of the word "maroon" in the title as a verb could convey the isolation the speaker felt at the end of the relationship. Personally, I like to think maroon is the colour of a cut after it dries, as compared to the brighter shade of red that the blood of a fresh cut is, conveying that although the relationship was a long time ago, the cut, which is to say, the pain, hasn't fully healed yet.
Analysing the first verse
When the morning came we
Were cleaning incense off your vinyl shelf
'Cause we lost track of time again
Laughing with my feet in your lap
Like you were my closest friend
How'd we end up on the floor anyway? You say
"Your roommate's cheap-ass screw-top rosé, that's how"
I see you every day now
The enjambment in the first two lines helps us detect the change in the pace of the song. The line "Were cleaning incense off your vinyl shelf" adds to our perception of the atmosphere by using visual and olfactory imagery. The use of the word "again" conveys that this has happened before and the speaker is close to the person she is in the relationship with. "Laughing with my feet in your lap" conveys that the speaker is very close to whomever the song is about. "How'd we end up on the floor anyway?" is a rhetorical question that adds to the idea of confusion and slight intoxication. In "Your roommate's cheap as screw-top rosé, that's how", the word rosé is the first of many references to the colour red, as rose is a shade of red. "I see you every day now," tells us just how close the speaker has grown with the person the song is about.
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