Updated September 9, 2022 10.5K votes 3.5K voters 440.0K views
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Vote up the best jams about the pop princess.
From the moment she first emerged into the music scene, Taylor Swift has made a name for herself by releasing carefully crafted songs about many of her famous ex-boyfriends. But while that aspect of Swift is closely linked to her public persona, many fans might not know just how many songs have been written by other famous musicians about T Swift.
Not all of these musical ditties are from exes, either. Some of the picks come from admirers of her work and from musicians that she's had very public feuds with. Even though almost all of the songs from her new album Reputationare hits, it's interesting to see if her haters and lovers, alike, make music that compares to her own.
For your pleasure, here are all of the times people have written songs about Taylor Swift. Listen for a treat.
Despite only lasting a brief three months, Taylor Swift and Harry Styles' romance has gone on to impact both of their songs in interesting ways. Several Swift songs were said to have been about the former One Direction member, with the most notable being one of her 1989 album's key singles, titled "Style."
However, before One Direction disbanded in 2016, one of the band's biggest final singles turned out to be "Perfect." Many believed it to be about Styles's opinions on his relationship with Swift. One line in particular appears to directly reference Swift's penchant for penning songs about her celeb exes:
And if you're looking for someone to write your breakup songs about,
"Enchanted" is one of the least well-known and least subtle entries on the list. Released in 2011, almost one full year after Taylor Swift's album, Speak Now, Owl City's musical ode was pretty obvious.
Penned by Owl City front man Adam Young, the song is a rewrite of one of Swift's. Many had originally speculated that Swift's version was initially about Young and after waiting several months, Young seemed ready to confirm that rumor. In "Enchanted," he not only tells his side of their brief connection, but ends the song by talking directly to Swift herself. Reminiscently he notes:
When she was still on her way to becoming the pop superstar that everyone knows her to be today, one of Taylor Swift's most well-known relationships was with Joe Jonas. After the teen heartthrob supposedly dumped her over the phone in less than a minute, though, Swift didn't waste much time penning not just one, but several breakup songs about Jonas on three of her albums.
Following Swift's Fearless album, Joe and the rest of The Jonas Brothers released a song called "Much Better." It not-so-slyly turned out to be about Joe's newest paramour Camilla Belle. The references make the song's inspiration fairly clear throughout, perhaps most notably with the lyrics:
While Swift has written her fair share of bitter break up songs, perhaps none are quite as scathing as "Dear John," which was released on her Speak Now album in 2000. Similar to "Style," this song doesn't hide who the subject is. Both the title and lyrics appear to specifically reference one of her famous exes, fellow musician, John Mayer.
Said to have been humiliated by Swift's song, Mayer went on to pen his own rebuttal with "Paper Doll." While never officially confirmed to have been about Swift, the song's lyrics are pretty clear. One line in particular directly references another one of his ex's radio hits:
You're like 22 girls in one
And none of them know what they're running from
Was it just too far to fall for a little paper doll?
Like Swift, Harry Styles didn't appear to stop addressing their relationship after just one song. Indeed, following his separation from the rest of One Direction, Styles released his long-awaited debut solo album earlier in 2017, much to the excitement of his fans all around the world.
One of the most notable and heartbreaking of the songs caught the attention of many listeners. The song, "Ever Since New York," features the Brit vocalist delving deep into the details of a former, New York-based relationship:
Brooklyn saw me, empty avenues
There's no water inside this swimming pool
Almost over, that's enough from you
Considering that Swift has a well-known love for the Big Apple, and that the two were most often seen trotting around the city together throughout their relationship, it's highly likely that Swift served as the key inspiration for this particular song.
"Rose Gold" is one of the few songs on this list to have been publicly confirmed by the songwriter. Unlike most of the other songs, however, this one doesn't appear to have been spawned from any failed romances or overblown feuds either. Pentatonix was inspired by the infamous icon and wanted to honor her.
Group member Scott Hoying confirmed on Twitter in 2015 that the track was written with Swift in mind. Considering some of the song's references to famous Swift tracks, the revelation didn't really come as much of a surprise.
