HOW SHE BECAME RICH Irina Shayk’s new ‘man’ is really chill and more ... Irina Shayk’s new ‘man’ is really chill and more star snaps. She and her second husband William bought the massive house on the Rhode Island coast during their seven-year marriage, which they nicknamed "Holiday House.". 102, © 2020 UsaGAG, Inc. All Rights Reserved Privacy Policy “I wonder if Taylor Swift might like to hear the story of the time a body washed up on the beach under her Watch Hill mansion,” wrote a reporter for the New London Day at the time. Julianne Moore turns 60: How she has stunned at ... Julianne Moore turns 60: How she has stunned at every age. “The Last Great American Dynasty” tells the story of Rebekah Harkness, the socialite who lived in Swift’s mansion in Rhode Island. Credit: By Elena Nicolaou. Harkness, who also went by Betty, was the previous owner of Swift's Rhode Island home and serves as the inspiration for the third track on Swift's latest LP, "The Last Great American Dynasty," where she tells the story of Harkness while mixing it in with her own. The Harknesses shared a HUGE Watch Hill, Rhode Island mansion, called … Taylor Swift and the State of Rhode Island have their own contentious history. One of her houses, anyway. Beth Garrabrant, | Taylor Swift’s home in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, which was previously owned by Rebekah Harkness. This Taylor Swift 'Folklore' fan theory, suggests that the whole album is one big story. The woman was a 20th-century socialite whom we’ve covered some facts about. The Grammy winner herself has caused a stir among Watch Hill locals since snapping up Harkness’ abode, turning the town into a tourist and paparazzi hotspot, hosting star-studded Fourth of July parties for several years in a row and even inspiring one neighbor to propose a “Taylor Swift” tax on second homes valued at over $1 million. "Free of women with madness, their men and bad habits/And then it was bought by me. “Rebekah rode up on the afternoon train / It was sunny,” Taylor Swift croons in her new song “The Last Great American Dynasty”. The song “the last great american dynasty” on Taylor Swift’s new album “folklore” was inspired by the eccentric life of Standard Oil heiress Rebekah Harkness. '90 Day Bares All' Sneak Peek: Brittany Accuses Yazan of 'Cheating', Mossimo Giannulli's Son Gianni: My Dad Is in 'Solitary Confinement' 197, James Marsden: There was a ‘strange feeling’ on the set of ‘The Stand’ Opinion On the track, Swift reflects on Harkness' life and her marriage to Standard Oil heir William Harkness, crooning on the chorus, "There goes the last great American dynasty / Who knows, if she never showed up, what could've been / There goes the maddest woman this town has ever seen / She had a marvelous time ruining everything. Back in 2013, the 30-year-old singer-songwriter splashed out a reported $17 million for a stately oceanside mansion in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. As for the line about Harkness once dyeing a neighbor’s dog “key lime green?” That really happened — but according to the Times, it was actually a cat. Even after her husband’s death in 1954 (“It must have been her fault his heart gave out,” Swift muses), Harkness threw wild parties that clearly ruffled her neighbors’ feathers, with guests her son Allen Pierce once described as “all the fairies flying off the floor, the blackmailing lawyers, the weirdos, the people in the trances,” according to the Times. She was one of the richest women in America. Rebekah Harkness and her Harkness Ballet in 1966. Credit: (Photos: Jack Mitchell/Getty Images, Beth Garrabrant) As the saying goes, well-behaved women seldom make history. Now, her home’s previous owner, the infamous late socialite Rebekah Harkness, has an entire Swift track in her honor. 103, Starry Tropicana ad campaign accused of encouraging alcohol abuse If you would like to opt out of browser push notifications, please refer to the following instructions specific to your device and browser: Who Is Rebekah Harkness? As Swift mentions, Harkness was also friendly with Salvador Dalí; after she died of cancer in 1982 at the age of 67, she even requested her ashes be kept in a $250,000 custom urn of the artist’s design. In 2013, Taylor Swift bought Harkness’ former home — Holiday House — in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. She filled the estate's pool with Dom Perignon. Rarely does singer and songstress Taylor Swift write songs about someone outside her immediate circle. Contact, RSS & Sitemap: Disturbing ‘Business of Drugs’ exposes how illegal industry banks ... Lily James haunted by ghost of Armie Hammer’s ex ... Tia Mowry: Teen mag wouldn’t put me and Tamera ... Kristen Bell says daughters drink Dax Shepard’s nonalcoholic O’Doul’s. Robin Roberts turns 60: The ‘GMA’ host’s life and ... Robin Roberts turns 60: The ‘GMA’ host’s life and career through the years. Rebekah Harkness in 1966, Taylor Swift in 2020. Romance and heartbreak (and revenge) ballads make up the primary focus of most albums; however, her newest album, Folklore, which debuted today, features a song, titled "The Last Great American Dynasty," about a New England philanthropist and patron of the arts, Rebekah West Harkness. On any given evening, J.D. Coyote Ugly Turns 20: Where Is the Cast Now? Alessandra Ambrosio looks sexy in the surf and more ... Alessandra Ambrosio looks sexy in the surf and more star snaps, Pete Davidson’s puppy love and more star snaps. “The product of a boating accident, not foul play.” Taylor Swift's "The Last Great American Dynasty" lyrics were inspired Rebekah Harkness, the socialite who previously owned the pop star's Rhode Island mansion Introducing ... PEOPLE's Products Worth the Hype, Taylor Swift Fans Think Boyfriend Joe Alwyn Secretly Co-Wrote Two Songs on New. In St. Louis, when she was known as Betty West, she and her debutante friends were known as the “bitch pack,” which Swift notes lyrically. Bir avukat ve William L. Harkness'ın Standard Oil servetinin varisi olan William Hale ''Bill'' Harkness ile evliliği onu Amerika'nın en varlıklı kadınlarından biri haline getirdi. Amanda Bynes spotted in Los Angeles and more star ... Amanda Bynes spotted in Los Angeles and more star snaps. Sports Carol Ann Mossa/Shutterstock. Taylor Swift tells the story of "The Last Great American Dynasty" in her Folklore track about one of the wealthiest women in America, Rebekah West Harkness. Taylor Swift has once again drawn inspiration from her own personal life to use within her songs.. One of her houses, anyway. Rebekah Harkness in 1966, Taylor Swift in 2020. By all accounts, Harkness was a character. Lena Dunham gets real about her quarantine body and ... Lena Dunham gets real about her quarantine body and more star snaps. As Swift recounts in her song, Harkness was a notorious (if well-intentioned) spendthrift; a patron of the arts, she founded her own Harkness Ballet in the 1960s and poured many millions into the passion project, but it folded in 1975. | Jul 24, 2020 Taylor Swift's eighth album, Folklore, was released on July 24, and features 16 songs written and produced since the coronavirus pandemic began. By the end of “The Last Great American Dynasty,” Swift has woven her own story together with Harkness’, with their shared reputation for “madness” bridging the years between the two. Swift debuted her brand-new album, which is the superstar's follow-up to August 2019's Lover, on Friday after she announced its arrival only hours before on Thursday morning. The star also released a video for her first single "Cardigan" as well as lyric videos for all her new songs. Back in 2013, Swift bought Harkness' former home in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, for a reported $17 million in cash, according to TMZ. Taylor Swift Compares Herself to Late Composer in Song on New Album. Taylor Swift’s home in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, which was previously owned by Rebekah Harkness. Rebekah West Harkness (17 Nisan 1915 - 17 Haziran 1982) -Betty Harkness olarak da bilinir, Harkness Balesi'ni kuran Amerikan bir besteci, heykeltıraş, dans müdavimi ve hayırseverdi. So then Rebekah married big-shot oil tycoon William Hale Harkness. “There goes the maddest woman this town has ever seen / She had a marvelous time ruining everything,” Swift sings. Taylor Swift has once again drawn inspiration from her own personal life to use within her songs. this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines. 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