‘Looks like sadness and pain in her eyes’: Taylor Swift performs ‘Cornelia Street’ in Mexico City

The South American leg of The Eras Tour has begun, and it’s no secret that fans are excited to hear what the new batch of surprise songs will be. But night 3 in Mexico left many Swifties shocked when Taylor Swift‘s song of choice was something that resonated and had happened fairly recently, leading the performance to be seen differently due to the newly added context.

In case you haven’t been following the Swiftie drama, it was reported that Swift had broken up after a 6-year relationship with Joe Alywn around the same time when The Eras Tour began. People Magazine reported that there were talks about marriage before the relationship eventually fell apart. It was also speculated that the Lover album was based on her relationship with The Favorite actor. So with that in mind, you could imagine the emotions fans felt when the surprise song for Mexico’s third show was “Cornelia Street.”

Many fans noticed Swift’s performance of the Lover track “felt different,” and those who saw her up close noticed that her eyes were filled with anger, rather than love. There were also jokes about how this is the “angsty/burn someone’s house down” version of the song, just like how there was the “Bad Blood” (Security Guard Version) in Philadelphia (via Billboard).

“Cornelia Street” isn’t just a song about an ex-lover. It was also a reference to a townhouse that Swift rented in 2016 and was listed for sale back in May 2023. According to StreetEasy, The 4-bedroom New York property had a steep price tag of nearly $18 million and was pulled off the market nearly a month ago.

The Eras Tour surprise songs add a unique element to each show. They’re tracks that are only performed once, and sometimes Swift would share a fun story before performing them on the piano or guitar. As of now, 9 of the surprise songs were from the Lover album and it’s also the first segment of the show. Regardless, this “unique” take on “Cornelia Street” will be something that this set of fans truly cherish, even if the context was somewhat heartbreaking.