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.
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Indeed, the latter designed the $250,000 urn that her ashes were stored in after her death from cancer aged 67 in 1982.As well as the fascinating facts that have become myth - such as Harkness filling a pool with Dom Perignon, dying a cat green (a dog in Swift's song), and being kicked off a cruise for swimming nude - her 1988 biography, When Swift bought the property in 2013 for a reported $17 million, it was reported that her neighbours were worried she would bring too much media attention to the small town - which she did. The extraordinary life of Enid Furness, the third wife of Viscount Marmaduke Furness
“There goes the loudest woman this town has ever seen — I had a marvelous time ruining everything.” Swift herself was known for causing waves at her Rhode Island mansion. After Rebekah Harkness died in 1982, her daughter Terry took her mother’s remains home in a Gristede’s shopping bag, according to a story in the New York Times. We've received your submission.While stuck at home in quarantine, Taylor Swift looked to a fitting source of inspiration for One of her houses, anyway. The song gives an overview of the life story of American socialite Rebekah Harkness, who was the previous owner of Swift’s Watch Hill, Rhode Island home.But while the famous “Holiday House” may have been in part the connection that drew Swift to write about Harkness, “[Harkness’s] saltbox house on the coast” is not where her story begins. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Rebekah Harkness, composer, sculptor, dance patron, and philanthropist sits in the sumptuous office of her Harkness Ballet Comapny that was headquartered in … The Last Great American Dynasty. William Hale died of a heart attack in 1954.
According to In the years after his death, Rebekah did in fact have "a marvelous time ruining everything," as Swift suggests in the lyrics. This content is imported from Twitter. Swift highlights many of Harkness' quirks and larger-than-life persona—filling up her swimming pool with Dom Perignon and painting an angry neighbor's dog green (it was actually a cat)—and she's not the only one to become fascinated by Harkness. “Holiday House sat quietly on that beach, free of women with madness, their men and bad habits; then it was bought by me,” she sang. No wonder Swift, a Swift references these developments in the lyrics, "And blew through the money on the boys and the ballet/"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," a reporter for In the song, Swift sings about the couple's purchase of her future home. Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)Taylor Swift’s home in Watch Hill, Rhode Island, which was previously owned by Rebekah Harkness.Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)Zonnique Pullins says Bandhunta Izzy first fell for her blue hairstyleZonnique Pullins says Bandhunta Izzy first fell for her blue hairstyleStylist claims J.Lo, Jessica Alba, Katherine Heigl are worst celebs to work withStylist claims J.Lo, Jessica Alba, Katherine Heigl are worst celebs to work withSerena Williams and daughter Olympia play dress-up in matching princess gownsSerena Williams and daughter Olympia play dress-up in matching princess gownsYou’ll forget your AirPods with these 35 non-Apple headphones stealsYou’ll forget your AirPods with these 35 non-Apple headphones stealsBest kids face masks for an unusual back-to-school 2020Best kids face masks for an unusual back-to-school 2020Amazon takes up to 25 percent off clothing and more for Big Summer SaleAmazon takes up to 25 percent off clothing and more for Big Summer SaleKickstart a career in real estate investing with this $25 trainingKickstart a career in real estate investing with this $25 training35 ways to keep your kids entertained and stimulated while learning remotely35 ways to keep your kids entertained and stimulated while learning remotelyThe Most Awkward Moments Between Ellen DeGeneres and Her Show’s GuestsThe Most Awkward Moments Between Ellen DeGeneres and Her Show’s Guests As the Rolling Stones release a new song featuring Jimmy Page, entitled ‘Scarlet’, Tatler revisits a feature from the June 2020 issue We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. “There goes the loudest woman this town has ever seen / I had a marvelous time ruining everything.”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. Unfortunately, according to the Times, “just a leg … or maybe half of her head, and an arm” actually fit in the jeweled vessel, prompting Harkness’ daughter to tote the remaining ashes home in a Gristedes shopping bag.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.Swift also mentions the debutante’s “bitch pack,” referring to her real-life group of prankster pals from school who enjoyed spiking punch bowls with mineral oil, filling swimming pools with Dom Perignon and swearing aloud on ocean liners.In her lyrics, the star makes it clear how Harkness was perceived in the upper-crust coastal community.