Bow down, everyone: “The Joker and the Queen” has finally arrived. Ed Sheeran dropped a remix of his = (Equals) track on Thursday (Feb. 10), complete with a guest spot from old friend and fellow pop royalty Taylor Swift.
The song – a delicate piano ballad about rekindling lost love – was released at the same time as its accompanying music video, which served as a fitting sequel to Sheeran and Swift’s first collaboration, “Everything Has Changed.” The 2013 video starred appropriately redhead and blonde child actors playing grade school versions of the songwriting power duo, and nine years later, the story continues with the mini-mes all grown up.
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Easter eggs for the collaboration seemingly go all the way back to Swift’s “I’ll Bet You Think About Me” music video, in which she carves an = symbol into the frosting of a wedding cake. Sheeran started teasing the Swift feature at the beginning of February, and confirmed it in an interview at the Brit Awards Tuesday (Feb. 8).
“The Joker and the Queen” is the latest in a long history of Ed x Taylor projects, but it’s the first one on Sheeran’s turf. Their original collaboration “Everything Has Changed” was released on Swift’s Red album, and recorded again last year on Red (Taylor’s Version), which is also home to a newly uncovered soft duet titled “Run.” Years after “Everything Has Changed” and supporting Swift on her Red Tour, the “Shivers” singer joined Future in an appearance on Swift’s Reputation track “End Game.”
Watch the video for “The Joker and the Queen” featuring Taylor Swift below: