Taylor Swift’s Reputation has been out for almost six days now, meaning the internet is deep into speculating who each song is about. The most common theories range from Taylor’s ex-boyfriends Tom Hiddleston and Calvin Harris, to current boyfriend Joe Alwyn, to Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, who Taylor famously feuded with last year.
But some fans are wondering if one song on the album, “Dress,” is about Taylor’s longtime friend and collaborator Ed Sheeran. In the chorus, Taylor sings, “I don’t want you like a best friend / Only bought this dress so you could take it off.” It’s the phrase “best friend” that got fans thinking of Ed, who has spoken many times before about his close relationship with Taylor. Also, Taylor references Ed’s hit single “Shape of You” when she sings, “There is an indentation / in the shape of you.”
Every time I hear DRESS #reputation all I could think about was this song indirectly obviously? referrin to @edsheeran come on! Those lyrics
— E A (@Strange_jer) November 10, 2017
After listening to “Dress” I was like..
Is this for Ed Sheeran???
— Paüee Ann (@PaueeKetone) November 10, 2017
Is @taylorswift13 singing about @edsheeran in #dress ??? #TheresAnInvitationInTheShapeOfYou #Idontwantyoulikemybestfriend #Reputation
— Karla Izquierdo (@karlaizher23) November 10, 2017
Ed, however, was quick to shut down the rumors when asked if he thought the song was about him. “I don’t think it is,” he said in a live-stream on Instagram. “I think if you read into it…it’s not… You know, because she mentions someone with a buzz-cut haircut, and I’ve never had a buzz-cut haircut.” Strong evidence, Sheeran.
Taylor wrote in the magazine that is sold alongside the Target edition of Reputation that she knew releasing her new album would come with an influx of scrutiny. “When this album comes out, gossip blogs will scour the lyrics for men they can attribute to each song, as if the inspiration for music is as simple and basic as a paternity test.”
All these rumors about Ed only prove Taylor’s point. I guess we’ll never know the truth—unless Taylor tells us herself.