Let’s get one thing clear about “But Daddy I Love Him.” Swift is not speaking to her actual father, Scott Swift. Instead, she appears to be making a tongue-in-cheek reference to the 1989 film “The Little Mermaid” or rather, the meme, which depicts Ariel, a petulant 16-year-old mermaid, using this exact statement to defend her quest to put her life at risk in pursuit of love. The statement and clip has been meme-fied ad nauseam on TikTok, often by people defending their romantic interests.
Swift appears to be echoing the character’s sentiment in the chorus of “But Daddy I Love Him,” painting an image of herself being so caught up in the haze of love that it may well look like delusion from the outside. Lyrics like “Now I’m running’ with my dress unbuttoned, screaming, ‘But daddy I love him,'” evoke that very same imagery of Disney princesses (or even that of Juliet in “Romeo and Juliet”) risking it all for love despite the fact that others in their life strongly disapprove. In Swift’s case though, she’s not backing down. “No I’m not coming to my senses. I know it’s crazy but he’s the one that I want” she proudly declares two lines later.
This doesn’t mean Swift isn’t aware that people are judging her; in the first verse, she directly makes references to “Hannahs” and “Sarahs” in church who “clutch their pearls” and declare “What a mess” as they watch Swift fall for a man they do not approve of. But rather than retreat, Swift instead toys with their judgmental attitude, and jokes, “I’m having his baby … no I’m not, but you should’ve seen your faces.”
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Nicki
