Taylor Swift included Lover standout “Death by a Thousand Cuts” during her surprise songs set at SoFi Stadium Saturday night (Aug. 5). Arguably, no one appreciated Swift’s pick more than director/writer Jennifer Kaytin Robinson, who happened to be at this Eras Tour date in Los Angeles.
Friends, including actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, captured the moment Kaytin Robinson freaked out upon realizing Swift was playing “Death by a Thousand Cuts” and shared clips on Instagram. It’s the second time the star has performed the song on the Eras Tour, and one of only a handful of songs she’s repeated during her acoustic surprise set. She’s typically only repeated a song if she messed it up the first time around, which she did at an earlier tour stop.
Swift revealed “Death by a Thousand Cuts” was actually inspired by Kaytin Robinson’s romantic comedy Someone Great in 2019.
“I just wrote a song based on something she made, which she made while listening to something I made, which is the most meta thing that’s ever happened to me,” Swift said at the time.
Someone Great, starring Gina Rodriguez and released by Netflix in 2019, tells the story of a couple who ends their relationship after nine years. “It’s a movie about how she has to end this relationship that she didn’t want to end because she’s still in love with the person but they just grew apart and he’s not a jerk,” said Swift. “It’s just sad because it’s just realistic, time passed and now we’re different people and that is the most devastating thing.”
Kaytin Robinson said that Swift’s 1989 album had been there for her “like a best friend with a bottle of tequila and a bear hug” and that she “found the most comfort in ‘Clean,’ a song about rebirth after love lost. It inspired me and Someone Great.”
See the director’s reaction to hearing “Death by a Thousand Cuts” live, plus a clip of Swift’s performance captured by a fan, below. So far Swift has performed three of six concerts scheduled at SoFi Stadium. She’ll return for the next show on Aug. 7.
