Swift re-stylized ‘thanK you aIMee’ — the name of one of her ‘Tortured Poets Department’ songs — to ‘thank You aimEe’
Taylor Swift just quietly edited the song title of “thanK you aIMee” to “thank You aimEe” for the release of the live version she performed in London in June — and the subtle difference is speaking volumes for Swifties.
Days after the 14-time Grammy winner’s The Tortured Poets Department secured its 14th week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart — preventing Ye (a.k.a. Kanye West) and Ty Dolla $ign’s joint album Vultures 2 from reaching the top spot — Swift seemingly took a jab at the Chicago rapper.
Swift, 34, released the live mashup of “thank You aimEe” and “Mean,” which she blended together at her June 22 Eras Tour show, on Thursday, Aug. 15. The original title’s capital letters were stylized to spell out KIM, with the song about a bully speculated to be Kim Kardashian.
Now, the capital letters in the title — “thank You aimEe” — spell out YE, seemingly marking the latest development in their years-long feud.
In the Tortured Poets song, Swift sings: “All that time you were throwing punches, I was building something / And I can’t forgive the way you made me feel / Screamed ‘F— you, Aimee’ to the night sky, as the blood was gushing / But I can’t forget the way you made me heal.”
Aside from Ye interrupting Swift’s 2009 MTV Video Music Awards acceptance speech, the rapper also included these lyrics in his 2016 song “Famous”: “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/Why? I made that b—- famous.” He then claimed she approved the lyrics. However, Swift’s representative denied that she had been made aware of the lyrics, “I made that b—- famous.” Kardashian supported Ye throughout that feud.
While Swift has never acknowledged who “thanK you aIMee” (or “thank You aimEe”) is about, listeners quickly pointed to the “KIM” being Kardashian and now the “YE” being her ex-husband.
“We love a shady queen.” one person said on X (formerly Twitter), while another wrote, ”Taylor changing the letters in thank you aimee from ‘Kim’ to ‘Ye’ is a VERY rep coded thing for her to do.”
The song title change comes as Swifties are impatiently awaiting the release of Reputation (Taylor’s Version), which is the re-recorded version of her 2017 album that came out after the feud with the then-couple.
Fans are abuzz with speculation that the title change from the original is a direct response to West’s recent mention of Swift and her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, in his new music.
The pop star dropped a reworked version of her song “thank you aimEe” for The Tortured Poets Department album, which originally highlighted “Kim” in all caps — a nod fans believed pointed to the SKIMS founder and their infamous feud. In a clever twist, the newly titled track now emphasises “YE,” Kanye West’s current stage moniker, sparking fresh speculation among fans that the singer has finally exacted revenge for her beau, Kelce.
The newly retitled song made its debut live at Wembley Stadium, where the 14-time Grammy winner dazzled the London crowd. This performance follows the recent cancellation of her Vienna Eras Tour stop due to concerns over a potential terror attack. During the concert, Swift treated fans to a powerful mashup of “thank you aimEe” and “Mean” from her Speak Now album, adding a fresh twist to the setlist.
A few weeks back, the Yeezy rapper finally dropped his long-delayed Vultures 2 album. In it, Lil Wayne takes a jab with the line, “I twist my Taylor spliffs tight at the end like Travis Kelce,” on Kanye’s track Lifestyle (Demo). Fans immediately knew a storm was brewing. While Taylor kept silent, her latest move says it all, and the revenge couldn’t be sweeter.
Fans react to renamed thanK you aIMee track
“Doing this right after blocking his album from number one … Taylor Swift the legend that you are,” one user quipped after Kanye’s new track failed to remove the pop star from number one. ““NOT THE CAPITAL LETTER CHANGE!!!! TAYLOR NATION YOU’RE SO MESSY AND I LOVE IT!!!!” another user wrote. “Beware if you are mentioning Kelce anywhere she won’t let it slide,” another chimed in. “Kelce are you gushing right now? Because we are.”
Back then, another cryptic move from Taylor had Swifties convinced she wouldn’t let Kanye’s dig slide. During her August 3rd Eras Tour concert in Warsaw, Poland, Swift sported a “22” shirt that read “I Bet You Think About Me.” Fans speculated that this choice was a subtle message aimed at West, as the track from her 2021 album, Red (Taylor’s Version), is widely believed to reference their long-standing rivalry.