Given her career investments, Taylor Swift is one of the most successful singers of her time. We wouldn’t have some of Taylor’s best poetic work if she weren’t open and honest about her romantic life.
Swift has always been a confessional songwriter, as the saying goes. She has developed an empire by channeling her heartbreaks into her art. Love relationships can’t survive. Yet, Taylor’s leading men will live on through their inspired songs. Here’s a complete list of all the songs inspired by Taylor’s menagerie of exes.
10. Style ( Harry Styles)
Swift’s relationship with One Direction’s Harry Styles lasted only a few months. But during that time, they traveled throughout the world together. Since joining the boy band, Styles has a prominent degree, so she keeps it simple on Style.
The lyrics on 1989 are more cryptic than those on her previous albums. In her RS cover story, she said that Styles significantly influenced several tracks. Nonetheless, she alludes to her years of naming people in song titles and lyrics. Yes, Styles’ name was already the title of this 1989 song. But, the fact that the protagonist in the video looks so much like him was surprising.
9. Forever and Always (Joe Jonas)
Swift’s romance with Joe Jonas marked a watershed moment in her career as a singer and songwriter. Jonas was her first public, well-known romance. He was also the first tabloid-identified musical inspiration for her. She released this song shortly after her breakup with Jonas in 2008. It includes lyrics about looking at her phone, and the performer stated that they broke up over a phone call.
Swift didn’t see him often when they were a pair, mainly because the Jonas Brothers were at the height of their teen pop careers at the time. She even said he broke up with her “in 25 seconds.”
8. Mine (Cory Monteith)
Cory Monteith had just earned his credit on the musical TV show Glee in 2010. They kept their relationship and mutual admiration to themselves a secret. She revealed that an “entire relationship flashed” before her eyes inspired the song. Yet, nothing more came of the partnership after that. Monteith went on to date co-star Lea Michele.
7. Back to December (Taylor Lautner)
Who can forget the 2009 Taylor/Taylor romance? They met while co-starring in Valentine’s Day’s romantic comedy as high school sweethearts. Taylor’s song Back To December is about an ex-Lautner, and the night she dumped him. Lines like “Your tanned skin, your sweet smile” on top of an apology for a hard night in December. Since then, they have gone stringing their career investments.
6. Dear John (John Mayer)
Swift tells the story of a May-December relationship gone wrong in Dear John. Mayer, 12 years Swift’s older, dated her when she was 19. Later, in his 2013 album Paradise Valley, Mayer responded musically with Paper Dolls.
5. Starlight ( Conor Kennedy)
Swift dated Conor Kennedy for the majority of 2012. She even bought an investment house next door to their Massachusetts compound. Swift has never confirmed any specific songs about Kennedy. Yet, she said it was about his grandmother Ethel and her relationship with Robert F. Kennedy. Ethel adored Swift as much as the singer adored her, describing her as “amazing” when she was 22 years old.
4. We Are Never Ever Ever Getting Back Together (Calvin Harris)
Taylor’s relationship with Harris lasted a long time and was one of her most well-known. The duo would frequently appear on red carpets together. To some degree, Harris was the one who sought to end the relationship.
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together was widely assumed to be about Calvin. Yet, many Swift fans believe it’s about Gyllenhaal.
3. The Story of Us (John Mayer)
Dear John was about the agony of her relationship with John Mayer coming to an end. But, The Story of Us was about the aftermath. It follows an embarrassing encounter with an ex-boyfriend at the CMT Awards. During the ceremony, the couple pretended not to see each other.
2. Getaway Car ( Tom Hiddleston)
Because of their fame and credits, Hiddleswift’s romance stunned the world. The couple met in New York and then went on a road trip to pursue their love.
But, alas, all beautiful things must come to an end at some point. The couple split up two months after Hiddleston wore an ‘I Heart T.S.’ t-shirt.
1. All Too Well ( Jake Gyllenhaal)
Her relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal was one of Taylor’s more visible partnerships. The couple’s 10-year age gap was too much for Jake, so he called it quits.
All Too Well, a documentary on the infamous scarf incident also features Gyllenhaal. This song mentions a trip to upstate New York and other information. She even credits his sister, actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. Swift mentioned Maggie still has the scarf Jake gave Swift for her birthday in December of that year.
Photo Credits:
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Cover Photo: Flickr