The song uses the analogy of a mirrorball in the middle of a dancefloor to explore the realities and pressures of fame.
“We have people like that in society,” Taylor said of the mirrorball analogy. “They hang there, and every time they break, it entertains us. When you shine a light on them, it’s this glittering, fantastic thing, but then a lot of the time when the spotlight isn’t on them, they’re still there up on a pedestal, but nobody’s watching them.”
She explained that while the song is “a metaphor for celebrity,” it relates to everyone who feels like they have to be different versions of themselves in different situations and around different people.