On her latest release, 1989 (Taylor’s Release), Taylor Swift has a new song involving suburban life:

Here are the lyrics from the second time through the chorus:

I didn’t come here to make friends
We were born to be suburban legends
When you hold me, it holds me together
And you kiss me in a way that’s gonna screw me up forever
I know that you still remember
We were born to be national treasures
When you told me we’d get back together
And you kissed me in a way that’s gonna screw me up forever

The song describes an ill-fated suburban romance. The main character imagines walking into a high school reunion and surprising former classmates with the person they are with.

What exactly makes the song suburban? This is less clear. A powerful romance that ends in heartbreak and wistfulness could take place in a number of American settings, including suburbs. Is this connected to suburban youth? It is about suburbanites looking back on a more exciting time of life? Does a flashy young romance in a suburb make them suburban legends?

Given that more than 50% of Americans live in suburbs, perhaps there are many people who could identify with these sentiments and certainly plenty of suburbanites who like Taylor Swift.

(See an earlier post about music and suburbs.)