Taylor Swift's 8-Figure Real Estate Purchase Inspired One Of Her Most Popular Songs
Highlights
- Taylor Swift added $203 million to her fortune through her Eras Tour film.
- Swift purchased an 11,000-square-foot mansion in Rhode Island for $17.75 million in cash.
- Her real estate portfolio includes eight homes across four states, representing $150 million of her fortune.
After the global success of her Eras Tour film, Taylor Swift added $203 million to her current $1.1 billion fortune, which she spends on travel, charity donations, and real estate.
Despite accidentally confusing her fans with misheard song lyrics, Swift's music remains the most listened-to on Spotify. Swift's musical themes often revolve around her romantic relationships and society's criticism of her success. However, one particular song in her "folklore" album mirrors the story of a woman and her lavish lifestyle in a mansion now owned by Swift.
How Much Did Taylor Swift Spend On Her Watch Hill Rhode Island Property?
In 2013, Forbes reported that Taylor Swift purchased in cash the 11,000-square-foot mansion in Rhode Island for $17.75 million. The former Holiday House is situated on 5.23 acres of waterfront property and is considered the highest point of direct waterfront land on the entire eastern seaboard. According to Business Insider, the mansion boasts 700 feet of sandy shoreline, making it an ideal place for Swift's A-list events.
Taylor Swift
Birthname Taylor Alison Swift Birthdate December 13, 1989 Birthplace Reading, Pennsylvania, USA Height 5' 11"Swift sings about her acquisition of the property on the bridge of one of "the last great American dynasty" on her 2020 "folklore" album:
"Holiday House sat quietly on that beach. Free of women with madness, their men, and bad habits. And then it was bought by me."
Swift's illustrious music career allowed her to expand her real estate portfolio to eight homes across four states. According to WSJ, $150 million of Swift's fortune is invested in real estate.
Taylor Swift's Former and Current Properties per Elle Decor:
- West Village Apartment, New York
- 2 Tribeca Penthouses, New York
- Neighboring Tribeca Townhouse, New York
- Tribeca New York Condo Expansion
- Beverly Hills Estate, Los Angeles
- Watch Hill Seaside Estate, Rhode Island
- Beverly Hills Midcentury Modern Home, Los Angeles
- Greek Revival Estate, Nashville
- Music Row Penthouse, Nashville
RelatedHow Many Songs Has Taylor Swift Written?
Taylor Swift has penned plenty of hits, but how many songs has she written in total?Swift's Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania witnessed her rise to a global pop star before their family moved to a Georgian Colonial–style home in Wyomissing. Swift then convinced her parents to move to Nashville to pursue her music career, marking her first official real estate purchase in 2009—a property that she still owns today.
Who Inspired Taylor Swift's Song, "the great american dynasty?"
Rebekah Harkness led a privileged life filled with wealth and luxury. She was raised in a prominent neighborhood and enjoyed a private education, country club life, and summers in New England.
After divorcing Dickson W. Pierce, Harkness married William "Bill" Hale Harkness, the heir to the Standard Oil fortune. However, their marriage was cut short by William's death in 1954, leaving the grieving Rebekah with a massive inheritance at that time of $50 million.
"the last great american dynasty" Song Information | |
|---|---|
Album | "folklore" |
Year of Release | July 24, 2020 |
Genre | Indie Folk |
Date Recorded | May - July 2020 |
Recording Studios | Kitty Committee (Los Angeles, CA) |
Long Pond (Hudson Valley, NY) | |
Muisic Label | Republic Studios |
Songwriters | Taylor Swift |
Aaron Dessner (also the producer) | |
Single Certification | RIAA Platinum |
Chart Debut | No. 42 on Billboard |
Harkness' inheritance made her well-known as the richest woman in America for years to come. She also gained fame as a ballet and art enthusiast and philanthropist. However, Harkness' extravagant spending on parties, boys, and dance earned her a notorious reputation.
RelatedTaylor Swift’s Ex-Boyfriends, Ranked By Net Worth
From John Mayer to Joe Alwyn, Taylor Swift has dated quite a few celebrities, and they all have hefty bank accounts.Her lavish lifestyle extended to her summer estate, the Holiday House, where her biography, Blue Blood, written by Craig Unger talked about a Dom Pérignon-filled swimming pool, tabletop stripteases, and dying her neighbor's pet as an act of revenge. Harkness' philosophy was to use her wealth and not keep it. She spent the majority of her fortune on dance before she passed away in 1982 from cancer.
According to Teen Vogue, Harkness once told a reporter in 1965:
"All the sensible things I've tried to do have turned out to be a mess, so I decided, 'Why not do what I want?' I'll be so disgusted with myself when I'm 70 if I haven't done anything with my energy, talent, and money. I like to see money used. I don't think you should hoard it."
True to her eccentric nature, Harkness wanted her ashes placed in a specially designed jeweled goblet called The Chalice of Life by Salvador Dalí. However, the New York Times reported that some of her ashes were unable to fit in the chalice and were placed in a grocery bag.
Taylor Swift Felt A Connection Between Her And Rebekah Harkness' Life Story
In her song "the last great american dynasty," Taylor Swift subtly draws parallels between herself and Rebekah Harkness. Harkness is infamous for not conforming to societal norms, which piqued Swift's interest with her unabashed ownership of desires and wildness.
Swift expressed admiration for a woman unapologetically embracing free and shared anecdotes about Harkness in each room of her Rhode Island mansion during tours. Thanks to Swift, Harkness' life has become immortalized for generations of music fans. Swift told Entertainment Weekly in 2020:
"Anyone who's been there before knows that I do 'The Tour,' where I show everyone through the house. And I tell them different anecdotes about each room, because I've done that much research on this house and this woman. So, in every single room, there's a different anecdote about Rebekah Harkness..."
Harkness was criticized in Watch Hill for her lavish lifestyle and the perceived downfall of the Harkness family name. In the chorus of the song, Swift reflects on Harkness' recklessness, singing, "There goes the last great American dynasty. She had a marvelous time ruining everything." She later shifts the perspective to the first person in the final chorus, drawing a parallel between Harkness' story and her own, "There goes the loudest woman this town has ever seen. I had a marvelous time ruining everything."
4:54The Truth About Taylor Swift Employing Her Younger Brother, Austin Swift
Taylor Swift's younger brother, Austin Swift has been listed alongside the singer on several of her projects.Swift's time at Holiday House made headlines for various reasons, including her security team's presence on the public beach, celebrity Fourth of July parties, and paparazzi-filled outings with her then-boyfriend, Tom Hiddleston. Locals expressed concerns about the attention Swift brought to the community, leading the governor of Rhode Island, Gina Raimondo, to propose a tax on second homes over $1 million, dubbed the "Taylor Swift" tax, which was later withdrawn.
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