Breaking down taylor swift’s most popular songs and who they’re about.
Taylor Swift is undoubtably one of the most talented singer/songwriters of this generation, and after releasing her recent Red (Taylor’s Version) album, fans have begun to reminise on the backstory behind the rest of Taylor’s songs. As she’s been in the spotlight since as early as age sixteen to now thirty-one, she’s dated a range of guys. From high school sweethearts to hollywood heart throbs, here’s a complete list of who inspired some of Taylor’s biggest hits.
picture to burn (2006)
One of Taylor’s first big hits, Picture to Burn is the ultimate highschool diss track. Since its release, its been reported and confirmed that the song was written about a highschool boyfriend, Jordan Alford, after Taylor found out about him and her close friend at the time. Despite the unsavory comments made about him, Jordan claims there are no hard feelings and he and his wife actually find the song comical now.
Forever and always (2008)
Her first public relationship with another celebrity, Joe Jonas, inspired this early 2000s hit. Taylor was very forthcoming about the backstory behind this song in various interviews, and noted that this break up was especially hard, not just because of the way they drifted, but because of their fame. Dating a celebrity meant having to see them everywhere. Luckily, there are no hard feelings between the two, and Joe has recently made some cheeky Tiktoks poking fun at being one of Taylor’s infamous exes.
Better than revenge (2010)
Because Taylor and Joe’s breakup occured right before her 2008 album, Fearless, most of the songs addressing their relationship ended up on her next album, Speak Now, in 2010. This song in particular had a bit more venom in it, directed towards Joe and the girl he hooked up with post-breakup: a girl from one of his music video shoots.
Dear john (2010)
One of the more obvious shout-outs, Dear John adresses Taylor’s relationship with John Mayer who was 12 years older than her. Their breakup was anything but civil, and John went on to address it in numerous interviews claiming the song was uncalled for and extremely hurtful. In response, John ended up writing his own song titled, Paper Doll.
story of us (2010)
Another song about John Mayer, but this time the lyrics recount a memory from after their break up. Taylor and John both attended the CMT Awards and were seen completely ignoring each other. While she never confirmed it was written about him, the proof is in the pudding.
back to december (2010)
While rumors flew on the mystery man that inspired this song, Taylor Lautner confirmed it years later in a livestream interview where one of his co-stars was making fun of him. Although it is a breakup song, its clear that Swift takes a lot of the blaim for how it ended, which makes it more of an apology song if anything.
I knew you were trouble (2012)
We have Harry Styles to thank for this breakup anthem. This was confirmed at the 2013 BRIT Awards when Taylor was interviewed about the performance and she claimed it wasn’t difficult draw up emotions for her performance when the subject was standing off stage. Despite the painful lyrics, the stars have managed to stay cordial.
All too well (2012/2021)
Originally written in 2012, this song was rumored to be about Jake Gyllenhaal. Of course now with her recent rerecording of Red, and the release of the 10-minute version of this song, there is no denying it. Originally just a break-up song, this has turned into an anthem for women who have endured tramatic relationships like the one Taylor depicts in her lyrics and more notable, in her short film music video.
we are never ever getting back together (2012)
Also about Jake Gyllenhaal, this song celebrates Taylor finally releasing herself of the toxicity that was their relationship. She takes the opportunity to make several digs at him, including his taste in music.
bad blood (2014)
This diss track comes from Taylor’s feud with musician Katy Perry, whom she used to call a friend. While Taylor never names her, she did reveal the song was about a female peer in the industry that tried to sabotage her tour by hiring people who worked for Taylor at the time. Despite Katy’s attempts to brush it under the rug, this beef is still alive and well.
look what you made me do (2017)
The first single from her Reputation album, this song is very obviously directed at Kanye West. Their feud started in 2009 when he humiliated her during the VMAs, but was reignited in 2016 when he released his new album featuring the song Famous. Taylor was quick to address the vulgar lyrics and claim that she never approved them, despite later released phone conversations and claims made by Kim Kardashian. Regardless of what actually went down, we got another bad b*tch anthem out of it.
paper rings (2019)
While many of the love songs featured on Lover referenced Taylor’s long-term boyfriend Joe Alwyn, this one is arguably the sweetest. As the title suggests, she was so in love that she’d marry him with a paper ring and nothing more.
Swift has since released two more albums, Folklore and Evermore (not including her TV albums) but have a lot less references to various celebs. While Evermore focuses mainly on life experiences and emotions, Folklore does the same but does also reference her breakup with Joe. While we get some hints, the subjects of the lyrics of varying songs remain pretty ambiguous.
Of course this list doesn’t include every celebrity feud or relationship that inspired Taylor’s songs, but you can think of it more like a highlight reel. Did I skip one of your favs?