“Gold Rush” by Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift uses the lyrics of “Gold Rush” to address a romantic interest, or at least someone she daydreams about. Indeed this is a person whom she is very much attracted to. But the problem in her eyes is that so are so many other people. So basically she is not seriously entertaining the idea of getting with the addressee. The implication is that considering he is so attractive, she would basically end up just another face in the crowd.  And that apparently is the metaphor upon which the title is based.  So the song ends as it begins, with the singer fantasizing about someone she is hesitant to relay such feelings to.

Meaning of “Gold Rush” as Used in the Song?

The Gold Rush, as many readers already know, was a moment in American history whereas California became a hotspot for thousands of migrants upon gold first being discovered in the area. And since then, whenever a new source of this valuable mineral is unearthed, the resultant frenzy is referred to as a “gold rush”. But concerning the way Taylor uses the phrase in the song, there are two possible explanations to its exact meaning within context. One is that she is perhaps referring to the way a number of people ‘want’ the addressee.

Thus if she too were to pursue him, then she would be caught up in the “gold rush”, i.e. being one of many individuals looking to secure the treasure, that being his love.  However, another way of looking at it, considering the second line of the chorus for instance, is that the term rather alludes to some sort of emotional disposition akin to being flustered. And the singer does not want to put herself in such a sentimentally vulnerable state, especially considering that once again she is not the only one who feels this way about the object of her affection.

But for the record, let it also be known that Taylor has referenced gold in previous songs. And devout Swifties have come to recognize such references as allusions to her friendship with Karlie Kloss, one of Swift’s top homeys. However, Kloss is, again, a close friend to Taylor, not a lover. And still others have put forth that the track is about Harry Styles, since they have basically deemed him the most “beautiful” of all of Swift’s exes and thus the person she is logically referring to. But you know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And at the end of the day Swift herself has asserted that the songs on “Evermore” are indeed fictional.

Writing Credits

Swift wrote and produced “Gold Rush” in association with her steady collaborator, Jack Antonoff. In fact she went on to reveal that this is “Jack’s favorite”, apparently from the 2020 album it is featured on, “Evermore”.

Release Date

Swifties owe the release of this track to Republic Records, whom Taylor signed with following her fallout with Big Machine Records. And “Gold Rush” officially came out on 11 December of the year in question.