History of taylor swift songs about boyfriends

While it remains to be seen what future No. 1 hits Taylor Swift will write about her recent relationships with Calvin Harris and Tom Hiddleston, we do know which of her current and past hits were inspired by her notable exes. "We Are Never Getting Back Together," for example, is about A-list movie star, Jake Gyllenhaal. 

How can we be sure, you ask?

In the famous photos of Taylor and Jake walking arm-in-arm through Central Park in the winter of 2010, she's wearing his scarf. So, when the actor playing Taylor's ex in the video for this song handed her a scarf, fans immediately assumed it was written about Jake. Plus, Taylor and Jake were photographed on a dinner date, days after their split in January 2011. Discussing getting back together perhaps? Never!

“Style” - Harry Styles

Ever since T. Swift released the third track from her 2014 album “1989,” people have been speculating which of her famous ex-boyfriends it could be about. The general consensus is that it’s One Direction frontman Harry Styles. Let’s take a look at the evidence: In “Style,” Taylor sings, “You got that James Dean daydream look in your eye.” That sounds like Harry. Then, she sings, “You got that long hair, slicked back, white t-shirt.” That also sounds like Harry. Then, of course, there’s the fact that the song’s title is basically his name. Yup, definitely Harry.

“Mine” - Cory Monteith

T-Swift told Yahoo back in 2010 that she penned “Mine” about a boy that she barely knew, who “put his arm around me by the water, and I saw the entire relationship flash before my eyes.” Well, Tay and “Glee” star Cory Monteith were rumored to have dated for about a month that year. So, it’s highly possible the pop star used a combination of her past dating experiences to imagine how their relationship might have played out -- if, as she told Rolling Ston

Many people date different people before finding the one right for them. In some interviews, Taylor has said she feels uncomfortable with people focusing too much on that. Taylor, if you see anything you don't like anywhere on this fandom, please contact me and I'll remove it. I'll even make you an administrator if you want full control. DreamFocus 13:01, 1 May 2024 (UTC)

To learn about Taylor's current boyfriend, please read Current love interest.

Taylor Swift has stated that she has written songs about all of her ex-boyfriends. This is a list of who is rumored to be the inspiration for which songs, and brief summaries of each relationship. Some of these might be fan conclusions as Swift has never publicly confirmed if the majority of the songs are about them.

Boyfriends

Drew Dunlap

The song “Tim McGraw” was inspired by Drew, her ex-boyfriend. Their relationship ended because he had to leave for college. Taylor told USA Today, "He bought the debut album Taylor Swift and said he really loved it, which is sweet. His current girlfriend isn't too pleased with it, though."

Jordan Alford

“Picture To Burn” was written about him, in which she calls him a "redneck heartbreak who's really bad at lying", and says he never let her drive his pick-up truck. According to Taylor, Alford thought she was "obsessive and crazy", and was now out to tell everyone about this.

Drew Hardwick (not an ex)

“Teardrops On My Guitar” was written about a boy she liked, whom she never actually dated. "Drew was a real person!" she tells. Drew was surprised when he heard his name in the song. "I never knew she liked me," Drew says. Taylor stated that two years after the song came out Drew showed up at her house and asked her on a date. She declined. "It was the perfect fairytale ending but a little too late."

Sam Armstrong

Sam cheated on Taylor, and in response, she wrote: "Should've Said No". In the CD booklet for her debut album, Taylor Swift, every S, A,

Taylor Swift gets a lot of extremely unfair shit for dating celebrities and then writing songs about them. But without Taylor’s openness and honesty about her romantic life and exes, we wouldn’t have some of her best lyrical work—including her new album The Tortured Poets Departmentand literally all her re-records (come for the vault tracks, stay for the John Mayer shade!). And, of course, we wouldn’t have the Swiftian magnum opus that is “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)[From the Vault]” if it weren’t for the twin flame bruise that painted her blue. Moving right along!

On that note, here's a look back at everyone who has been lucky enough to enter Tay’s romantic realm (lol, hi, Tom Hiddleston, nice to see you again).

We did the impossible...

July 2008—October 2008: Joe Jonas

Joe and Taylor barely dated, yet their breakup was somehow the most dramatic thing ever. Probably because he ended things over the phone—which Taylor confirmed during a November 2008 appearance on Ellen:

“When I find that person who is right for me, he’ll be wonderful, and when I look at that person, I’m not even gonna be able to remember the boy who broke up with me over the phone in 25 seconds when I was 18.”

Taylor later released a Joe-inspired song called “Forever and Always,” which includes the pretty pointed lyrics, “Was I out of line? / Did I say something way too honest, made you run and hide / Like a scared little boy.” Yikes!

And while Taylor has since apologized for putting Joe on blast, just a fun reminder that in 2009, she mentioned their breakup in her Saturday Night Live opening monologue:

“You might think I’d bring up Joe, that guy who broke up with me on the phone. But I’m not going to mention him in my monologue. Hey, Joe! I’m doing real well and I’m hosting SNL—but I’m not going to write about that in my monologue.”

What is having chill, even?

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She puts her heart and soul into her music!

Taylor Swift is one of the biggest artists in the world, not only has she had a hugely successful music career so far, but she's also a talented songwriter. Her epic 'Eras' tour - which saw her welcome Ed Sheeran on stage in the UK - is now complete, but it's fair to say we've still got all of her songs on full volume... And repeat.

The 35-year-old, who has released 11 studio albums - the most recent being 'The Tortured Poets Department', including 'I Can Do It With A Broken Heart' - as well as four re-recorded albums, is well-known for using personal experiences as inspiration for her songs.

Having been in a few high-profile relationships over the years - including reportedly 'dating' and then 'splitting' from Matty Healy following her split from Joe Alwyn in April 2023 - it's no surprise that some of her previous boyfriends have been the subject of some of her biggest hits, including her new beau Travis Kelce. Let's take a look at some of Tay's biggest songs and who fans think they're about...

Taylor Swift's boyfriends: Who has she written songs about?