In a Twitter post announcing the Folklore album drop, Taylor Swift described Harkness as "a misfit widow getting gleeful revenge on the town that cast her out." As Swift poetically puts it in her song, "she [Rebekah Harkness] had a marvelous time ruining everything." Therefore, it might not be a stretch to call her a "mad woman," especially because the word "madness" is used elsewhere in the song. "Holiday House sat quietly on that beach / Free of women with madness, their men and bad habits," Swift sings on the bridge.

Madness is another theme Swift explores throughout Folklore, particularly in the twelfth song on the album, "Mad Woman." After its release, fans jumped to decode the lyrics, and many speculate that it is either about Swift's infamous feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West or how she has been driven "mad" by powerful men like Scooter Braun in the music industry.

Swift may have started her career as an eager-to-please, squeaky-clean country singer, but now, like Harkness, she does what suits her. And if people view her as "mad" for doing so, so be it! This becomes clear at the end of the song, when Swift abruptly shifts to first person, making it clear she does not care how others see her. "I had a marvelous time ruining everything," she croons. The clever songwriting ensures we will not forget Swift or Harkness anytime soon!

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