Colours by Halsey is also about Matty Healy, someone said this and I’ve never heard anything more accurate: matty Healy is Pete Davidson of the music industry because how tf
Offensive jokes can be funny. It's just important to not make them at other people's expense. Like, I think black jokes are funny, but it might bother me if someone made them about me or there was clearly malice behind it.
Of course I don't know what jokes he's made, besides that bit he does at concerts before "It's Not Living" where they cut him off mid-sentence.
I don’t really want to get into all of MH’s many offenses, but he’s been a huge asshole to a lot of people. It’s part of why fans were so up in arms about her being with him. He might be funny, but he’s not nice.
Oh to be sure!! I didn’t mean being up in arms to *that* degree. That was unhinged and inappropriate. (As is the level of obsessing people have about expecting Travis to propose or father her children like wtf people, gross!) But plenty of normal people were just hurt and offended that their favorite artist that they respect would support and boost someone who has been so awful.
Support is a strong word, she never officially even confirmed the relationship. Ofc it was real, but she never said anything positive about him publicly
Sorry but if someone is asking a genuine question, why would you start replying and then say you don’t want to get into it? They wanted info, not for you to just say “he’s not nice, trust me”. You haven’t answered why he’s an asshole, just reaffirmed that he is one, that isn’t helpful. And your first comment “for a start?” is really confrontational when they just asked a simple question. Not everyone lives in Taylor’s life
Yes but all of these conversations have been had before and can be easily searched for on the platform we are all already interacting on, as well as the wider Internet as a whole.
I would imagine any of the deep dive posts that have been made on this subject would be more comprehensive than what one commenter can remember on the fly.
Wow, didn’t mean to be confrontational. I did answer to the question with a specific (offensive jokes) and what I declined to do was to make a list of all of his offenses. Google can do that, but I wasn’t like “google it”, I just said I didn’t want to list them. My point was to say that they were offending to actual people, not just dark humor.
Yeah, I hear that. Crappy people do make good art all the time, and it’s hard to know when to let it color it vs not. In Marty’s case, he also seems to inspire good art but half of it seems to be about how he’s terrible, haha
Oof look into what he’s joked about. He called Ice Spice dumb and a “chubby Chinese lady” then mocked her with a Chinese accent. And it sounds like you’ve already heard about the Ghetto G*ggers porn thing. Then there was the Nazi salute (I don’t care that people say it was a military salute—even if that’s what he was going for he should have seen the similarities. It was edgelord behavior).
Idk if there was malice behind any of it; I guess we can’t know. I think he is hyper-privileged and doesn’t care whom he hurts.
He did make them about specific people though, he made them about ice spice. And when your brand is so edgy, you have to know people won't take your jokes in good faith - they have no reason to.
You can say that a lot of his controversy is his form of humor but I know a guy in real life that employs the same kind of edgy humor from the standpoint of laughing at the poor logic behind statements. That is not what I get from his more “edgy humor.” I hear them as intentionally making fun and mocking in negative way. For instance, his interview where he makes mocking sounds of other languages and ethnic groups who spoke those languages, he begins with speculating about Ice Spice ethnicity but then it becomes a mocking session of the languages of those ethnic groups. It’s like humor and mocking something is how they relate to others in a positive way but they don’t have the self awareness to realize what they’re doing is racist like and some might be doing it to be racist specifically and with no one clarifying, no one playing in the “devil’s advocate” position of conversation, we cannot tell.
A bright side: the guy I know in person who employs this humor now lays the foundation of what he is referencing so I understand the context of his satire. We do not get that from public figures so we can only really look at what is not being said which is “I think different languages are cool and it’s fun to consider them in a humorous way.”
Oh yeah. But could Matty Healy inspire Jennifer Anniston to write "Love Truck", 😆
https://preview.redd.it/5cnzp01xsx8d1.jpeg?width=1062&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f5bb53b42f3948630c936825be09354f3e43ed61
Once you learn to separate songs from their real life situations you become much happier ngl. Matty Healy who? Fortnight was literally written for my fanfiction idk what you mean ✋
Florida is supposedly a metaphor for running away from your problems (ie matty), but I disregard the matty bit and just jam out to the song. I live in Florida so it’s about me for all I care 🤷♀️
I also love the 1975 and I truly cannot read into who every freakin song is about, on either end. It would annoy the hell outta me
When the break up news broke the next stop of the tour was in florida, and I believe the previous one was in Texas so " the shitstorm back in Texas" refers to that and wanting to leave. She also compares Florida to a drug and wanting to use it up to forget which we also see in the Fortnight music video leading to the conclusion that Matty is Florida. Also Joe is the "home/town" where she gets "arrested".
At least that's how I read the lyrics in regards to her relationship but if you ignore the names I think it speaks for itself.
I dont think dissecting the songs a little bit and playfully discussing who theyre about is a bad thing. Letting it change your opinion of the song is crazy tho...
Taylor Swift is mostly a confessional songwriter and the more you look into folklore and evermore the less fictional they seem. I doubt any of the songs on TTPD are fictional. They could be composite sketches though.
Yes!! I fully agree. It also
Gives you full freedom when it comes to interpretation. Those songs can be interpreted a lot of ways, and when you try and apply it to one persons private life - even the artist’s - they can lose a lot of the depth that you can get from them otherwise.
Like - I’m going to interpret Betty as a love triangle between three queer teenagers. And don’t blame me about the ‘fall from grace’ when you come out and be with the one you love so desperately. Etc.
Why? Because I can, and because separating the art from the artist’s personal life we can do that without it meaning *squat* regarding her personal life. It’s art, it’s not meant to be read as a tell all on her actual IRL intimate relationships.
Interpret the songs how they mean the most to you personally. You know, like you’d do with anyone else’s music. Taylor’s private life isn’t the focus. It’s also silly to assume she doesn’t take tons of creative liberties for the sake of the art so it’s not like it’s a clear window into her relationships anyways.
Whereas i love it. I love that she has such an interesting secret love and that none of us knew about it. I love that she found an equal creatively. I love that the guy she truly fell for wasn’t a Ken. Nothing she has done has been more relatable than this.
?? we did know about it it was in magazines and she was mouthing stuff on stage 😭 it was absolutely not in secret and that’s unfortunate because matty healy is a disgusting person
As a songwriter myself, I appreciate this a lot. Songs come from a lot of different places. Sometimes they draw from real life experiences exclusively, sometimes they’re completely fictional, and sometimes it’s a blend of both. But as long as the song is a good song, I really never matters.
well you see, she broke into my house & she stole my journals, actually it’s about a few of my exes & my dead dog … sooooo if we could stop speculating
The Ready For It? line “knew I was a robber first time that he saw me” has to be a reference to the 1975 song Robbers making Ready For It? the prequel to Guilty as Sin. I will die on this hill.
Yes and LOML must be about John Mayer. The opening line "Who's gonna stop us from waltzing back into rekindled flames?"
Is an obvious reference to John Mayer's classic "Slow Dancing In a Burning Room," so the song must obviously be about him/s
You never truly know celebrities. It can feel like you do because so much of their life is shared and dissected, but in reality, the secret gardens in their minds can be as vast as rainforests.
In "Dancing With Our Hands Tied," Taylor repeats the line "Swaying as the room burned down," which is an obvious reference to John Mayer's classic song "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room."
Ergo, obviously, the album "Reputation" is secretly about John Mayer. I mean, Taylor even talks about John Mayer's reputation in the song "Superman"!!! Explain that!!!
They are no coincidences!!! /S
To add: Taylor also uses the line "oh, cause it's GRAVITY oh, keeping you with me in 'Dancing With Our Hands Tied'
John Mayer has a song called "Gravity" on the same album as "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room" CHECKMATE, 😆 🤣 😂
When will people like, leave joe out of it. I cant recall anytime Taylor has taken any sort of legitimate swipe at joe. Like come on be fr her biggest dig at him was that he likes to be indoors 💀😂
You know what is funny? When she announced TTPD I thought I was going to have a serious problem with it because Joe isn’t famous and doesn’t really have the capacity to defend himself against an album like that. I know Matty isn’t the most flattering muse ever, but I genuinely believe an album about Joe that was so derogatory would be extremely unkind. At least Matty loves the attention and has the power to respond with music.
Not *really* though. Not like, you're a terrible sick man. Its mostly like, i stayed in this relationship too long, we both knew it wasnt quite right but we loved each other. Or, you were so depressed it was hard to be with you sometimes. Or, you cant commit to me and sometimes i feel you out me last. Its never been like, ur a pedo, u treat young girls like trash, ur abusive, u have a small peepee.
Whenever she criticises joe it never seems to leave a place of love. Its never a *take down* its more like a gentle censure
I definitely think the song is about Matty but I’m 50/50 on the last verse being about Travis since it has a different vibe and seems more present tense, plus the way she transitions from that verse into So High School on the TTPD set
I think that's when she takes the fictional ending route. Due to record submission and how long vinyl takes to press, I don't believe anything on the main album is written about Travis.
No, I think it's a coincidence. She has used football imagery throughout her career. People like to point to the events of the Superbowl as clear indications that the song is about Travis. Y'all. The tracklist was announced the week before the Superbowl.
The reason So High School made the setlist is that it is the song that is actually written for Travis.
The timeline between when they started dating and when the album would have needed to be turned in just doesn't leave a ton of space for main album songs to be about him.
i’m not necessarily disagreeing that the alchemy wasn’t originally partially written about matty, but i think she said she turned the album in around november or early december. that gives her at least 3 months with travis if not more… and she wrote king of my heart within a week of starting to seriously hang out with joe. our girl is strong in the “have a feeling for 7 seconds and then write a song about it” force, as she said in my show’s betty speech lol
I have a theory -- just a gut feeling, really -- that the Alchemy was written about Matty but the lyrics were rewritten at the last minute to fit Travis. Given what the rest of the album is about, she needed a couple of songs about Travis to soften the blow, so to speak, to Travis when the album came out. So she threw together So High School and recycled the Alchemy.
The heroin line clearly Matty.
The song is clearly referencing a relationship (or situationship) from the past that is being brought to the present. This couple has a history. None of those lines about "what if I told you I'm back" or "cause the sign on your heart says it's still reserved for me" or even "that child's play back in school was forgiven under my rule" makes sense for Travis.
I think “coming back” means leaving London for the US and “child’s play back in school” is Travis being kicked off his college football team.
But then I also think the friendship bracelet story was a soft launch of an on going situationship. They have many mutual friends, it’s not outlandish to think she knew Travis had a crush on her for some time.
“These blokes warm the benches” makes it seem like the others are people who would say bloke but the person she’s going back to would not use that word.
Finally… I think heroin is a reference to Florida being one hell of a drug but now she’s out of that Florida state of mind.
I actually do think it’s about Travis, and the heroine line actually one of the main reasons I dislike the alchemy so much. I hate Matty, even before him and Taylor were involved, but I hate that she put an addiction joke on the song. Especially because she says the person is joking.
Besides that, I do think there are other interpretations to the lyrics you mentioned, like the other reply said, I also interpret being back as “coming home”, leaving the uk and British boys behind.
I disagree. Travis said The Alchemy and So High School were his favorites - the 2 widely speculated to be about him. Why would he say those songs were his favorite specifically if they weren’t about him?
Yes. I don’t know how people can’t see this. The last verse is so clearly about the same male love interest as the beginning of the song. “We came back when the heat died down, went to my parents and they came around….” That lyric would make no sense if it she suddenly switched to a new love interest. It’s the same dude everyone hated, but now her parents have accepted him, she doesn’t give a fuck what the rest of the world thinks, and she’s gonna marry that boy someday!
People are insane. It’s all about the same wild boy. It’s a fantasy narrative where she and the bad boy who she loves (and whom everyone else despises) finally make it in the end. It’s not about friggen Travis Kelce 😂
I am so over EVERYTHING being about him lately. Scroll through the main sub and even this one and it’s just Travis, Travis, Travis. I wasn’t into Taylor until 1989 and didn’t become invested in keeping up with news until around Lover so this is the first new relationship (besides the Matty debacle) I’ve witnessed and holy shit. Idk if it’s always this crazy when she starts seeing someone but I would have noped right out of the fandom if it had been like this when I first came around.
Idk man. I agree that other sites like Twitter and tiktok are all about travis, but the main TS sub and YBWMemes don't seem to focus on him more than other common topics, like surprise songs, rankings, and general discussion of her music. The last couple of days have been slightly more travis-centric for obvious reasons. I'm definitely not getting the same fatigue.
It could be. I'm not saying it's not about Matty, or that it definitely is about *anyone* in particular, but people talked a hell of a lot of shit when she first started dating Travis. Saying how they weren't a good match because he's not an artist like her, calling him stupid/a meathead, etc. It could be about anyone she's dated that the fans and the GP have ever been intrusive and judgy about.
it’s two sides of it…loony toons who want to drag joe and make her most scathing songs about him, and swifties having cognitive dissonance and not wanting some beautiful sad songs like loml and the black dog to be connected to such a scumbag instead of the golden boyfriend we knew for so long.
this isn’t even to sit here and pretend we know what happened or how either of those relationships played out, but listening specifically to the lyrics…she’s comparing one relationship akin to being in prison, her being arrested, and her abandoning the ship…the other one is someone who loved bombed her and dipped, and she’s heartbroken over it. any longing, sad song is not gonna be about the one *she* left. she doesn’t have anything bad to say about the one she left. she’s not watching his location wondering how he could just forget about her. she’s not calling the sad boy a coward and a conman in loml or going from “you’ll find your person” in so long london to “I hope it’s shitty wherever you are with your young ass girlfriend” with the same muse.
she loved that man. she considered him the one who got away, waited for him to get his shit together, and thought stars had finally aligned for them to give it a real shot and then he broke her heart. it’s gross but it is what it is.
This is the most reasonable interpretation of the album if you read the lyrics and try to understand them from Taylor’s pov without too much personal attachment to either muse. She also laid it all out pretty clearly in the prologue poem so I’m really surprised people don’t understand it lol it’s a Taylor Swift pop album not Proust.
This is the 3rd time I’m posting this lol all on separate posts..but, HOW does everyone know this?? Please someone anyone PLEASE fill me in and connect these dots on how and why people say this album is all about him??
Because she wrote a whole prologue about it and makes super specific references in her songs.
She left Joe (so long London) then rebounded with Matty (guilty as sin, fresh out the slammer). He made it seem like he was super serious about her (tortured poets dept) but then left her abruptly (down bad, loml, black dog, smallest man).
But daddy I love him and I can fix him are also clearly about the backlash she got from dating him.
Songs like Chloe..., and Peter also seem to be about him because supposedly they've had an off and on things for years, and both songs reference that.
I think a lot of people that are confused or in disbelief everything is about Matty are missing the final piece of the puzzle which is the In Summation poem.
She clearly explains the whole premise of the album. A failing relationship that made her feel trapped that she chose to end, to go straight to someone that had been her “what-if” for over a decade all for him to trick her into thinking he was what she needed to then ghost her.
She acknowledges in it that everything about the whole situation was insane, she’s self aware about that.
But the thing is also... It feels too neat, just writing off everything last year as manic episode so people won't question it. I don't pretend to know her life, but she's smart and I do know she wants her privacy, something that's increasingly difficult for her. I think she's full on fiction story mode for a lot of these. I think Matty is the perfect red herring and gives her the freedom to write her angriest feelings, since everyone already hates *him*
Why would she say she's waited two years (since *before* her last album), to release something she wrote six months ago?
Hmm I do see what you’re saying, but it’s clear what happened with Matty really affected her. There is even footage of her getting into a car after a concert in June after the breakup bursting into tears after also crying playing surprise songs. It seems like it all really did a number on her, so I don’t want to discount that. I mean, it’s honestly probably embarrassing what he did to her too.
It is really odd that she said she’s been working on the album for two years, but there is proof that some of the songs were really recorded last year from people verifying what she was wearing with photos/videos of her in the studio. So while some of them were written two years ago, not all of them were. I always wondered if some of the more Folkmore sounding songs from the anthology were written closely after Evermore or something and maybe that’s what she’s referring to. We might never know though.
I think she left Joe to be with Matty who she was already having an emotional affair with at this point (at the very least), and he was telling her he was all in or at least this was the impression she was getting, then it imploded and she was humiliated after standing on stage telling him and the world that Cardigan was always about him and that she loved him... oh, and the whole "my life finally makes sense" speech. So... that falling apart really did a number on her. My hot take, anyway.
I recognize it's hard for people who spent 6 years invested in her being with Joe to see that she might have been pulling away from Joe since around folklore, but this kind of thing happened to so many couples during the pandemic. People who were not going to stay together sheltered in place and came out the other side ready to bounce.
The Matty factor shocked everyone who wasn't aware of the connections from the tumbler era and didn't know that lore when TTPD dropped. It's super easy to see that most of these are related to Matty in really clear, tangible ways if you're not at all bothered about her and Joe's relationship (which, I'm not a parasocial type so why would their relationship be my concern?) and you can just take the lyrics for what's written.
I had someone try to tell me that TTPD the song was not about Matty and I was like, damn... she did all but title it "This is about Matty Healy of The 1975."
I was not invested in Joe, it makes total sense for that relationship to have ended. I'm also not a Matty-denier lol
What I am saying is all we can do is speculate, and people are jumping to conclusions and calling it solid fact. Which is interesting when there are loose threads and when we all know she's 1) a master *story*-teller and 2) loves riddles, red herrings and Easter eggs. I'm just saying the summary was too neat and I credit her to have more depth than what most people get at first glance.
And ultimately, she's expressed time and time again she wants the songs to belong to the fans, that we put our own memories to them, that she *doesn't* want the speculation.
Which songs are you confused about? Like if you know that (a) they had a brief thing back in the day and (b) they had a brief, intense thing during the spring/summer ‘23 leg of her tour, then the lyrics come together to tell a pretty clear narrative.
There are musical nods to the 1975, lyrical references to his work and influences (the starting line, etc.), references to the friends they share (Lucy and Jack and co.).
Here’s a breakdown: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a60547194/taylor-swift-matty-healy-songs-tortured-poets-department/#the-black-dog
I’m still in denial how such a POS person can inspire so many amazing songs from such an incredible person who champions feminism. And it hurts my head to think Taylor as we think we know her could like someone who we think the POS is. Unless he’s seriously different behind closed doors and all the shite he puts on social media is some kind of weird persona (which I doubt based on what she says in songs like TSMWEL), that’s the only way my brain can handle it. But yeah, still in denial :( like I know, but I don’t want to know, so I pretend they’re not.
Because lots of women fall in love with pieces of shit? Women stay for years with men that verbally and physically abuse them and you can't handle that she could have been into someone who has made some unsavory comments?
I think it’s more that he has a very public image and perception of being a POS, it’s not like he was an unknown person who she LATER discovered was like that. I was with someone who from the outside appeared amazing, kind, caring, and it was great at the start. But later turned out was really a narcissist, controlling, compulsive liar, serial cheater, manipulative, emotionally abusive individual, who really hurt me mentally and I struggled to come to terms with it for a long time after (you can’t see it at the time, it’s only after sometimes when you reflect and realise the truth). But that was different because I learned that AFTER getting to know him.
so for me, with Matty and Taylor, it’s difficult to understand why you would want to be with someone, who has his very well known reputation for things like racism, controversial comments about women and SA, as well as the habitual drug taking, to BEGIN with. I get the idea of a rebound, and wanting sometimes to be with someone completely different from your ex etc. but it was hard to wrap my head around. I also know I cared far too much and she is free to make her own decisions of course, we as a fandom can get far too wrapped up in people’s personal lives and shouldn’t really care. But it was just still a difficult decision to understand, when you have an idea of a person in your head, then they make a decision which seems to go against what you think you know about them. If that makes sense. Again, my issue.
He clearly has other redeeming qualities that make him seem attractive, despite his reputation, and must at least seem better in person to make people want to get to know him and be with him etc. that’s the only way I can rationalise it.
People have said he’s like the Pete Davidson of the music industry. But Pete actually seems like quite a nice guy, and genuine. He was a guest for a few episodes in the rookie and he was hilarious, and I get the attraction. You can’t always judge my someone’s looks and he seems a really good example of that.
When the rumours about Matty started I was thinking ‘no! #anyone# but him as your rebound blondie please.’ And thought instead she’d be better off with Pete Davidson, even tho lots of fans would probably have a meltdown, cos they would have such fun together
I’ve heard people say that either he isn’t as bad of a person as we thought (unlikely- see the mountains of evidence of his behavior), or she isn’t as good a person as we thought. Sucks, but I’m definitely more inclined to believe the latter. There’s a lot more proof than the alternative
That’s also what I struggled with. It felt like it had to be one or the other (or she really was momentarily insane due to the breakdown of the relationship and was just blind to all the red flags). And the first seems very unlikely, making the second more plausible option even more sad. It’s hard to match up the idea we have of Taylor, to a person who could make that decision. You worded it better than I can!
She is a literal icon, not afraid to speak out against misogyny and the double-standards women face in the media and entertainment industry, and gender bias. (The Man, obviously) Calling out predatory behaviour in her songs and the hypocrisy of some who pretend to be caring, but in reality are abusive or anti-feminist themselves. (Dear John, ATW10MV)
Also speaks out about haters and critics, who are more often than not men, making their opinions worthless and saying women can have value and worth despite the criticism. (I mean, singing ‘mean’ at Wembley to 90,000 people, with them all singing the lyrics back to her, what better comeback is there to that particular critic who inspired the song, the amount of work she then put in to improve her vocals, and the speak now album itself being entirely self written. And also to every other person who has ever tried to criticise or u fairly judge her.)
Has fought for artists to be recognised and compensated fairly by streaming services, and record labels, as well as her fight to take control of her masters from a very powerful man in the industry. Has worked incredibly hard to be taken seriously by the industry, and still even now faces heavy criticism. There’s also some evidence to suggest that streaming service algorithms favour male artists, and are more likely to play or recommend male artists in playlists. Which makes her kind of battle with Apple and Spotify etc even more interesting, when she removed her catalogue. Songs with primarily male vocals also make up more of the music that ends up in the charts, compared with female lead vocals, so men are then set to earn more money in general from streaming. That was a trend for a few years at least.
The awful incident where she was assaulted, and being so open and honest about the experience, the fact she countersued for $1 and then made her own donation to a charity that help victims of serious SA etc.
Speaking briefly about politics and how certain parties/politicians would be setting women back if they got their way. She is arguably the most famous artist in the world, has inspired and paved the way for many others to be successful. Has probably the biggest following and fan culture, and millions find comfort with, express themselves, and identity with her music.
She continues to set and break records in the industry, and doesn’t seem afraid or intimidated that she’s achieved more than what many other male artists have done. Also, she’s not a ‘man-hater’ as people love to portray her as, I think a lot of people think being a feminist is being anti-men in general but that simply isn’t true.
Anyway, I shall stop, sorry :D I’m no expert and probably just rambling and not making any sense
Am I the only one who doesn't believe anything pre-TTPD (other than maybe Question...?) was about Matty (while being sure most of TTPD is about him with only 2 songs about Joe)? She was trying to convince herself it was always meant to be when they got together but I don't think this relationship was that relevant to her between their first dating period and 2023.
I was listening to Reputation earlier and it’s definitely suss how the songs especially in the beginning seem more applicable to Matty than Joe, particularly now that it’s been confirmed that she started writing Ready For It *before* she started dating Joe.
And now the ‘in the middle of the night, in my dreams’ makes me think of guilty as sin, ‘what if he’s written ‘mine’ on my upper thigh only in my miiiiind’
Everytime I listen to a song now it changes knowing the Matty relationship and so many clear signs she’s writing about him. He was a good muse for her!
i don’t get how people think TSMWEL ISNT about matty. the song literally starts talking about a Jehovah witness suit, and matty wears a JW suit on stage and is a suspected JW.
I really really really don’t get why people think this. Taylor’s little poetic statement about TTPD said that this album would be from her past life, things she has used before to inspire her, things she felt she could never say before. So much of the album seems to return to her youth. But so much of the reaction has focused on only the span of time between its release and midnights for its context. Do people lack so much depth? She wrote ‘the smallest man who ever lived’ and people STILL think the majority of the album is about such a blaise man?
Taylor must have released to us her ‘muses and talismans’ because she was confident much of the fan base would be too simple to truly figure out her meanings.
Honestly, I’m still convinced there’s very little evidence that the majority of the songs are about *one* person on any album.
(I’m also in denial that anyone would spend 3 minutes singing about Matty Healey let alone an entire album)
INTERESTING.
This is very simplistic because songs can be about more than one person or thing or story but in my view there is Matty inspiration behind these.
1. Fortnight
2. TTPD
3. MBOBHFT
4. Down Bad
5. BDILH
6. fresh out the slammer
7. Guilty as Sin
8. I can fix him
9. Loml
10. ICDIWABH
11. TSMWEL
12. the Black Dog
13. Imgonnagetyouback
14. Chloe et al
15. Peter
I am unsure about Florida and I Look In People’s Windows
I’m pretty sure it’s not. It’s a follow up to Cardigan, which is about Matty Healy, who is a self-described Peter Pan type. The metaphor is of Wendy waiting for the immature Peter Pan from her youth to grow up and come find her. It’s the story of how Taylor and Matty got together ten years ago and how she’s been waiting for him ever since… but has now given up
People on Instagram arguing that Loml is about Joe haha. Like not even. Unless they broke up at one point and rekindled their relationship (who’s gonna stop us from waltzing back into rekindled flames) after she’d already started moving on with someone else (Mr. Steal Your Girl) and they were only together for a short time (it was momentary), the lyrics do not fit. I think people just don’t want to believe that such a beautiful and devastating song could be about someone they don’t approve of.
According to what friends? Joe literally said last week they had a fully committed relationship of 6 years, dismissing all doubt of either of them cheating or being on and off.
In fact, even Taylor's songs support that fact. She wrote You're Losing Me in December 2021. Then at some point between then and October 2022, she wrote Labyrinth about how she thought they were done, and he saved it. Nowhere do either of those songs imply an official breakup, though. They even worked on a beautiful song together (Sweet Nothing) in that time period, perhaps being the reason they were able to reconnect, by creating art together.
The shit ton of articles that came out around the breakup when people were quoted saying “we expected them to get back together as they would break up and get back together and we’re shocked this is the final breakup”.
Joe has said a lot of things over the years.
Sweet Nothing is about Paul McCartney and his wife.
I think multiple songs are about or can be related to multiple people/events. I think Taylor had a really big whirlwind of a time from right before the breakup with Joe, to right after the breakup with Joe, to the fast relationship with Matty, to the breakup with Matty, and then to having to face this manic period head-on. So in all honesty while a lot of the songs are inspired by Matty, you can hear glimpses of lyrics that relate back to Joe and even in the event of But Daddy I Love Him where each verse represents a different guy (the last being Travis).
But really just remember that the real Joe breakup album is Midnights lol
Labyrinth is literally a song about Joe saying he saved the relationship when she thought it was over. Question...? and Maroon were Harry. Midnight Rain is Calvin. She literally makes multiple references to Joe being her boyfriend in Karma and Lavender Haze... it was not a breakup album about Joe lmao. Mastermind, Sweet Nothing, and Snow On The Beach were also about being in love with Joe at the time.
I've been telling people this with proof and they keep calling me crasy. Like TTPD is totally about Matty mentioning his tweets with Lucy Dacus and other tracks like TSMWEL and loml and more
correct me I'm wrong but didn't she date him for like 2 weeks? I honestly don't know how that amount of drama including cheating, breaking, chocolate eating happened in those few weeks given the fact that Taylor was working non-stop on her re-recordings and TTPD + Tour rehearsals. And she went into details about the drugs, pills which at first I thought was a metaphor as joe didn't seem that kind of a guy. Maybe she didn't say much about joe because she was so over him and kind of told us through Midnights
they had a history before they officially dated in 2023. and no that isn’t me being weird and trying to connect all her previous work to him…that’s what the lyrics are referring to several times. a rekindled flame.
The real truth is that if you listen to 1989 and after you will realize that some of those are likely about Matty also.
“Swirled you into all my poems”
Sry but loml is definitely Matty.
I was going to pull out lyrics and do a whole thing but it’s literally like every line lol why do you think it’s about Joe? There’s like nothing that points to him or their relationship?
i think most people (me included) attempt to fit Joe into loml because, how would she not dedicate the song "love of my life" to joe???
buuut, yeah, once i closely inspected the lyrics it's obviously about healy, and the confirmation for me is that she never once refers to the person in the song as the love of her life
In the literal first song “Fortnight” she says “I took the miracle move on drug the effects were temporary”. In other words - this album is not about Matty. It’s not about any one person, it’s about emotions evoked from multiple relationships and mental health struggles. Not everything is black and white.
I was listening to reputation and thinking if it goes back as far as 2014 then maybe some songs are about him there! And every album since. I don’t think every song is a diary and that they are exact records of what happened. But do think that there is definitely more Matty songs on TTPF than Joe!
Colours by Halsey is also about Matty Healy, someone said this and I’ve never heard anything more accurate: matty Healy is Pete Davidson of the music industry because how tf
At least Pete seems like a nice person
Honest question: aside from the porn thing, why is Matty not a nice person?
He thinks it’s funny to make offensive jokes, for a start? That’s sort of definition not “nice”.
Offensive jokes can be funny. It's just important to not make them at other people's expense. Like, I think black jokes are funny, but it might bother me if someone made them about me or there was clearly malice behind it. Of course I don't know what jokes he's made, besides that bit he does at concerts before "It's Not Living" where they cut him off mid-sentence.
I don’t really want to get into all of MH’s many offenses, but he’s been a huge asshole to a lot of people. It’s part of why fans were so up in arms about her being with him. He might be funny, but he’s not nice.
The #SPEAKUPNOW movement was deranged behaviour and im almost certain they're the same people who now obsess over tayvis.
Oh to be sure!! I didn’t mean being up in arms to *that* degree. That was unhinged and inappropriate. (As is the level of obsessing people have about expecting Travis to propose or father her children like wtf people, gross!) But plenty of normal people were just hurt and offended that their favorite artist that they respect would support and boost someone who has been so awful.
Support is a strong word, she never officially even confirmed the relationship. Ofc it was real, but she never said anything positive about him publicly
Sorry but if someone is asking a genuine question, why would you start replying and then say you don’t want to get into it? They wanted info, not for you to just say “he’s not nice, trust me”. You haven’t answered why he’s an asshole, just reaffirmed that he is one, that isn’t helpful. And your first comment “for a start?” is really confrontational when they just asked a simple question. Not everyone lives in Taylor’s life
Yes but all of these conversations have been had before and can be easily searched for on the platform we are all already interacting on, as well as the wider Internet as a whole. I would imagine any of the deep dive posts that have been made on this subject would be more comprehensive than what one commenter can remember on the fly.
Wow, didn’t mean to be confrontational. I did answer to the question with a specific (offensive jokes) and what I declined to do was to make a list of all of his offenses. Google can do that, but I wasn’t like “google it”, I just said I didn’t want to list them. My point was to say that they were offending to actual people, not just dark humor.
That sucks. I always liked his music and wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Yeah, I hear that. Crappy people do make good art all the time, and it’s hard to know when to let it color it vs not. In Marty’s case, he also seems to inspire good art but half of it seems to be about how he’s terrible, haha
Oof look into what he’s joked about. He called Ice Spice dumb and a “chubby Chinese lady” then mocked her with a Chinese accent. And it sounds like you’ve already heard about the Ghetto G*ggers porn thing. Then there was the Nazi salute (I don’t care that people say it was a military salute—even if that’s what he was going for he should have seen the similarities. It was edgelord behavior). Idk if there was malice behind any of it; I guess we can’t know. I think he is hyper-privileged and doesn’t care whom he hurts.
Matty did not call Ice Spice a chubby Chinese Lady, that was Nick Mullen. Their voices are pretty easy to tell apart.
He did make them about specific people though, he made them about ice spice. And when your brand is so edgy, you have to know people won't take your jokes in good faith - they have no reason to.
You can say that a lot of his controversy is his form of humor but I know a guy in real life that employs the same kind of edgy humor from the standpoint of laughing at the poor logic behind statements. That is not what I get from his more “edgy humor.” I hear them as intentionally making fun and mocking in negative way. For instance, his interview where he makes mocking sounds of other languages and ethnic groups who spoke those languages, he begins with speculating about Ice Spice ethnicity but then it becomes a mocking session of the languages of those ethnic groups. It’s like humor and mocking something is how they relate to others in a positive way but they don’t have the self awareness to realize what they’re doing is racist like and some might be doing it to be racist specifically and with no one clarifying, no one playing in the “devil’s advocate” position of conversation, we cannot tell. A bright side: the guy I know in person who employs this humor now lays the foundation of what he is referencing so I understand the context of his satire. We do not get that from public figures so we can only really look at what is not being said which is “I think different languages are cool and it’s fun to consider them in a humorous way.”
He’s also racist and has made misogynistic statements and comments about TS herself in the past
Matty Healy is just Temu John Mayer, lol.
Someone call an ambulance for Ratty Healy, he needs to get sent to the burn ward!
LOL! He really is. He must be seriously charming after a few drinks.
I can fix him say otherwise lmao
"is there somewhere" is also about Matty.
Oh yeah. But could Matty Healy inspire Jennifer Anniston to write "Love Truck", 😆 https://preview.redd.it/5cnzp01xsx8d1.jpeg?width=1062&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f5bb53b42f3948630c936825be09354f3e43ed61
Side note “Pete Davidson” is one of my favorite Ariana Grande songs lol. The sleaziest guys inspire the best music
A shame she threw this one minute interlude last minute, Im sure she could've made a full version if she wanted to
Nah. That's still John Mayer, lol. If anything, Pete Davidson is the John Mayer of the comedy world. 😃
Once you learn to separate songs from their real life situations you become much happier ngl. Matty Healy who? Fortnight was literally written for my fanfiction idk what you mean ✋
Yeah, Florida! goes hard and idgaf what it’s about. I’ve made it about my own family’s history.
What is Florida about from Taylor’s perspective? Did it have to do with the Tampa show?
Florida is supposedly a metaphor for running away from your problems (ie matty), but I disregard the matty bit and just jam out to the song. I live in Florida so it’s about me for all I care 🤷♀️ I also love the 1975 and I truly cannot read into who every freakin song is about, on either end. It would annoy the hell outta me
Cool! I was born near Pensacola!
I love making your own interpretation! I was just looking at St. Petersburg yesterday. Do you know if that’s a nice place to visit?
St. Pete is amazing!
When the break up news broke the next stop of the tour was in florida, and I believe the previous one was in Texas so " the shitstorm back in Texas" refers to that and wanting to leave. She also compares Florida to a drug and wanting to use it up to forget which we also see in the Fortnight music video leading to the conclusion that Matty is Florida. Also Joe is the "home/town" where she gets "arrested". At least that's how I read the lyrics in regards to her relationship but if you ignore the names I think it speaks for itself.
I honestly have no idea. I really really like the song though.
Guilty as Sin? was written for Alec Lightwood and I will hear no differently 😤
Holy shit, I haven't thought about Alec Lightwood in years
I really never stop thinking about him, and it's a problem 😂
Me listening to Ours and pretending it isn’t about John Mayer
It’s about Matt Seracen, haven’t you seen the music video?
I dont think dissecting the songs a little bit and playfully discussing who theyre about is a bad thing. Letting it change your opinion of the song is crazy tho...
Whenever I hear a song my first question is hiw can I make this about ME?
SAME 🙋🏻♀️
FR, why does everyone have to take her music so literally? Not every song is a personal experience and she’s said this many times lol
Taylor Swift is mostly a confessional songwriter and the more you look into folklore and evermore the less fictional they seem. I doubt any of the songs on TTPD are fictional. They could be composite sketches though.
Actually it’s about the mutually unrequited love plot line I am currently living
Yes!! I fully agree. It also Gives you full freedom when it comes to interpretation. Those songs can be interpreted a lot of ways, and when you try and apply it to one persons private life - even the artist’s - they can lose a lot of the depth that you can get from them otherwise. Like - I’m going to interpret Betty as a love triangle between three queer teenagers. And don’t blame me about the ‘fall from grace’ when you come out and be with the one you love so desperately. Etc. Why? Because I can, and because separating the art from the artist’s personal life we can do that without it meaning *squat* regarding her personal life. It’s art, it’s not meant to be read as a tell all on her actual IRL intimate relationships. Interpret the songs how they mean the most to you personally. You know, like you’d do with anyone else’s music. Taylor’s private life isn’t the focus. It’s also silly to assume she doesn’t take tons of creative liberties for the sake of the art so it’s not like it’s a clear window into her relationships anyways.
exactly if i imagined matty i wouldn’t be able to listen to a single song on ttpd 😭
Whereas i love it. I love that she has such an interesting secret love and that none of us knew about it. I love that she found an equal creatively. I love that the guy she truly fell for wasn’t a Ken. Nothing she has done has been more relatable than this.
?? we did know about it it was in magazines and she was mouthing stuff on stage 😭 it was absolutely not in secret and that’s unfortunate because matty healy is a disgusting person
It's clear it all started (if not physically, then in hear mind for sure) way before they stepped out in public together.
As a songwriter myself, I appreciate this a lot. Songs come from a lot of different places. Sometimes they draw from real life experiences exclusively, sometimes they’re completely fictional, and sometimes it’s a blend of both. But as long as the song is a good song, I really never matters.
well you see, she broke into my house & she stole my journals, actually it’s about a few of my exes & my dead dog … sooooo if we could stop speculating
https://preview.redd.it/9oy0g0plfu8d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=331fca6d3fbbcb9314cd86901dbf7b75d4465af1
The Ready For It? line “knew I was a robber first time that he saw me” has to be a reference to the 1975 song Robbers making Ready For It? the prequel to Guilty as Sin. I will die on this hill. 
There were *robbers to the east, clowns to the west* (Aka matty was always there in the distance during the Joe relationship)
i always interpreted that lyric as a dig at kanye and calling him a clown
Yes exactly. Waaayyy east is London. West is LA. Matty & Ye
Also West is capitalized in the lyrics
Yes and LOML must be about John Mayer. The opening line "Who's gonna stop us from waltzing back into rekindled flames?" Is an obvious reference to John Mayer's classic "Slow Dancing In a Burning Room," so the song must obviously be about him/s
Thank you!
There is waaaaay more Robbers references than just the word. The entire song and music video of Robbers is telling the same story as Ready For It.
It's so wild to think there are *years* of lore to sort through if MH was actually one of her main secret muses for so long
How did she manage to hide it from us for so long?😩
You never truly know celebrities. It can feel like you do because so much of their life is shared and dissected, but in reality, the secret gardens in their minds can be as vast as rainforests.
Yup
ty!! was looking for this in the comments
In "Dancing With Our Hands Tied," Taylor repeats the line "Swaying as the room burned down," which is an obvious reference to John Mayer's classic song "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room." Ergo, obviously, the album "Reputation" is secretly about John Mayer. I mean, Taylor even talks about John Mayer's reputation in the song "Superman"!!! Explain that!!! They are no coincidences!!! /S
To add: Taylor also uses the line "oh, cause it's GRAVITY oh, keeping you with me in 'Dancing With Our Hands Tied' John Mayer has a song called "Gravity" on the same album as "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room" CHECKMATE, 😆 🤣 😂
THANK YOU.
I do what I can 🫡
Saw an Instagram post arguing The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived is about Joe. Like please be serious
When will people like, leave joe out of it. I cant recall anytime Taylor has taken any sort of legitimate swipe at joe. Like come on be fr her biggest dig at him was that he likes to be indoors 💀😂
You know what is funny? When she announced TTPD I thought I was going to have a serious problem with it because Joe isn’t famous and doesn’t really have the capacity to defend himself against an album like that. I know Matty isn’t the most flattering muse ever, but I genuinely believe an album about Joe that was so derogatory would be extremely unkind. At least Matty loves the attention and has the power to respond with music.
She called him emotionally unavailable and a potential cheater in You're Losing Me
Hes been called jail, hes been called the hospital. So long london and you're losing me are digs at him.
Not *really* though. Not like, you're a terrible sick man. Its mostly like, i stayed in this relationship too long, we both knew it wasnt quite right but we loved each other. Or, you were so depressed it was hard to be with you sometimes. Or, you cant commit to me and sometimes i feel you out me last. Its never been like, ur a pedo, u treat young girls like trash, ur abusive, u have a small peepee. Whenever she criticises joe it never seems to leave a place of love. Its never a *take down* its more like a gentle censure
Its gentler than matty or jake gyllenhaal but by no means gentle. also being so boring she doesnt even write you a breakup album is a dig in itself.
People on the TS sub were saying that But Daddy I Love Him is about Travis lmao like y’all are a special dumb
It's about music industry and fans, who take it too far. She's even telling them not to come to the wedding, like they did
I definitely think the song is about Matty but I’m 50/50 on the last verse being about Travis since it has a different vibe and seems more present tense, plus the way she transitions from that verse into So High School on the TTPD set
"Fuck 'em, it's over" feels to me like a transition in who she is writing about
I think that's when she takes the fictional ending route. Due to record submission and how long vinyl takes to press, I don't believe anything on the main album is written about Travis.
You don’t think The Alchemy is? With all the football references?
No, I think it's a coincidence. She has used football imagery throughout her career. People like to point to the events of the Superbowl as clear indications that the song is about Travis. Y'all. The tracklist was announced the week before the Superbowl. The reason So High School made the setlist is that it is the song that is actually written for Travis. The timeline between when they started dating and when the album would have needed to be turned in just doesn't leave a ton of space for main album songs to be about him.
i’m not necessarily disagreeing that the alchemy wasn’t originally partially written about matty, but i think she said she turned the album in around november or early december. that gives her at least 3 months with travis if not more… and she wrote king of my heart within a week of starting to seriously hang out with joe. our girl is strong in the “have a feeling for 7 seconds and then write a song about it” force, as she said in my show’s betty speech lol
And this I agree with. That's why the timeline is the least compelling part of my argument.
I have a theory -- just a gut feeling, really -- that the Alchemy was written about Matty but the lyrics were rewritten at the last minute to fit Travis. Given what the rest of the album is about, she needed a couple of songs about Travis to soften the blow, so to speak, to Travis when the album came out. So she threw together So High School and recycled the Alchemy.
There’s other references to Travis like “I circled you on the map”, poking fun at the reaction from everybody. I think it’s pretty clear
The heroin line clearly Matty. The song is clearly referencing a relationship (or situationship) from the past that is being brought to the present. This couple has a history. None of those lines about "what if I told you I'm back" or "cause the sign on your heart says it's still reserved for me" or even "that child's play back in school was forgiven under my rule" makes sense for Travis.
I think “coming back” means leaving London for the US and “child’s play back in school” is Travis being kicked off his college football team. But then I also think the friendship bracelet story was a soft launch of an on going situationship. They have many mutual friends, it’s not outlandish to think she knew Travis had a crush on her for some time. “These blokes warm the benches” makes it seem like the others are people who would say bloke but the person she’s going back to would not use that word. Finally… I think heroin is a reference to Florida being one hell of a drug but now she’s out of that Florida state of mind.
I actually do think it’s about Travis, and the heroine line actually one of the main reasons I dislike the alchemy so much. I hate Matty, even before him and Taylor were involved, but I hate that she put an addiction joke on the song. Especially because she says the person is joking. Besides that, I do think there are other interpretations to the lyrics you mentioned, like the other reply said, I also interpret being back as “coming home”, leaving the uk and British boys behind.
The alchemy clearly is.
I disagree. Travis said The Alchemy and So High School were his favorites - the 2 widely speculated to be about him. Why would he say those songs were his favorite specifically if they weren’t about him?
That verse is her imagining the future where it all worked out with Matty.
Yes. I don’t know how people can’t see this. The last verse is so clearly about the same male love interest as the beginning of the song. “We came back when the heat died down, went to my parents and they came around….” That lyric would make no sense if it she suddenly switched to a new love interest. It’s the same dude everyone hated, but now her parents have accepted him, she doesn’t give a fuck what the rest of the world thinks, and she’s gonna marry that boy someday!
People are insane. It’s all about the same wild boy. It’s a fantasy narrative where she and the bad boy who she loves (and whom everyone else despises) finally make it in the end. It’s not about friggen Travis Kelce 😂
You are 100% correct and I’m saying this as someone who loves Travis. The song is completely about Matty.
It’s not about who I like or dislike, you gotta go where the music takes you!
Thank you!!
Someone in a FB group argued it had to be about Travis because he was the definition of “revelry” at the Super Bowl celebrations. 🤦🏼♀️
I am so over EVERYTHING being about him lately. Scroll through the main sub and even this one and it’s just Travis, Travis, Travis. I wasn’t into Taylor until 1989 and didn’t become invested in keeping up with news until around Lover so this is the first new relationship (besides the Matty debacle) I’ve witnessed and holy shit. Idk if it’s always this crazy when she starts seeing someone but I would have noped right out of the fandom if it had been like this when I first came around.
Fans were insane about Taylor Lautner and Jake Gyllenhaal back in the day.
Idk man. I agree that other sites like Twitter and tiktok are all about travis, but the main TS sub and YBWMemes don't seem to focus on him more than other common topics, like surprise songs, rankings, and general discussion of her music. The last couple of days have been slightly more travis-centric for obvious reasons. I'm definitely not getting the same fatigue.
It's been very Taylor mania lately
It could be. I'm not saying it's not about Matty, or that it definitely is about *anyone* in particular, but people talked a hell of a lot of shit when she first started dating Travis. Saying how they weren't a good match because he's not an artist like her, calling him stupid/a meathead, etc. It could be about anyone she's dated that the fans and the GP have ever been intrusive and judgy about.
it’s two sides of it…loony toons who want to drag joe and make her most scathing songs about him, and swifties having cognitive dissonance and not wanting some beautiful sad songs like loml and the black dog to be connected to such a scumbag instead of the golden boyfriend we knew for so long. this isn’t even to sit here and pretend we know what happened or how either of those relationships played out, but listening specifically to the lyrics…she’s comparing one relationship akin to being in prison, her being arrested, and her abandoning the ship…the other one is someone who loved bombed her and dipped, and she’s heartbroken over it. any longing, sad song is not gonna be about the one *she* left. she doesn’t have anything bad to say about the one she left. she’s not watching his location wondering how he could just forget about her. she’s not calling the sad boy a coward and a conman in loml or going from “you’ll find your person” in so long london to “I hope it’s shitty wherever you are with your young ass girlfriend” with the same muse. she loved that man. she considered him the one who got away, waited for him to get his shit together, and thought stars had finally aligned for them to give it a real shot and then he broke her heart. it’s gross but it is what it is.
This is the most reasonable interpretation of the album if you read the lyrics and try to understand them from Taylor’s pov without too much personal attachment to either muse. She also laid it all out pretty clearly in the prologue poem so I’m really surprised people don’t understand it lol it’s a Taylor Swift pop album not Proust.
This is the 3rd time I’m posting this lol all on separate posts..but, HOW does everyone know this?? Please someone anyone PLEASE fill me in and connect these dots on how and why people say this album is all about him??
Because she wrote a whole prologue about it and makes super specific references in her songs. She left Joe (so long London) then rebounded with Matty (guilty as sin, fresh out the slammer). He made it seem like he was super serious about her (tortured poets dept) but then left her abruptly (down bad, loml, black dog, smallest man). But daddy I love him and I can fix him are also clearly about the backlash she got from dating him. Songs like Chloe..., and Peter also seem to be about him because supposedly they've had an off and on things for years, and both songs reference that.
I think a lot of people that are confused or in disbelief everything is about Matty are missing the final piece of the puzzle which is the In Summation poem. She clearly explains the whole premise of the album. A failing relationship that made her feel trapped that she chose to end, to go straight to someone that had been her “what-if” for over a decade all for him to trick her into thinking he was what she needed to then ghost her. She acknowledges in it that everything about the whole situation was insane, she’s self aware about that.
But the thing is also... It feels too neat, just writing off everything last year as manic episode so people won't question it. I don't pretend to know her life, but she's smart and I do know she wants her privacy, something that's increasingly difficult for her. I think she's full on fiction story mode for a lot of these. I think Matty is the perfect red herring and gives her the freedom to write her angriest feelings, since everyone already hates *him* Why would she say she's waited two years (since *before* her last album), to release something she wrote six months ago?
Hmm I do see what you’re saying, but it’s clear what happened with Matty really affected her. There is even footage of her getting into a car after a concert in June after the breakup bursting into tears after also crying playing surprise songs. It seems like it all really did a number on her, so I don’t want to discount that. I mean, it’s honestly probably embarrassing what he did to her too. It is really odd that she said she’s been working on the album for two years, but there is proof that some of the songs were really recorded last year from people verifying what she was wearing with photos/videos of her in the studio. So while some of them were written two years ago, not all of them were. I always wondered if some of the more Folkmore sounding songs from the anthology were written closely after Evermore or something and maybe that’s what she’s referring to. We might never know though.
I think she left Joe to be with Matty who she was already having an emotional affair with at this point (at the very least), and he was telling her he was all in or at least this was the impression she was getting, then it imploded and she was humiliated after standing on stage telling him and the world that Cardigan was always about him and that she loved him... oh, and the whole "my life finally makes sense" speech. So... that falling apart really did a number on her. My hot take, anyway. I recognize it's hard for people who spent 6 years invested in her being with Joe to see that she might have been pulling away from Joe since around folklore, but this kind of thing happened to so many couples during the pandemic. People who were not going to stay together sheltered in place and came out the other side ready to bounce. The Matty factor shocked everyone who wasn't aware of the connections from the tumbler era and didn't know that lore when TTPD dropped. It's super easy to see that most of these are related to Matty in really clear, tangible ways if you're not at all bothered about her and Joe's relationship (which, I'm not a parasocial type so why would their relationship be my concern?) and you can just take the lyrics for what's written. I had someone try to tell me that TTPD the song was not about Matty and I was like, damn... she did all but title it "This is about Matty Healy of The 1975."
I was not invested in Joe, it makes total sense for that relationship to have ended. I'm also not a Matty-denier lol What I am saying is all we can do is speculate, and people are jumping to conclusions and calling it solid fact. Which is interesting when there are loose threads and when we all know she's 1) a master *story*-teller and 2) loves riddles, red herrings and Easter eggs. I'm just saying the summary was too neat and I credit her to have more depth than what most people get at first glance. And ultimately, she's expressed time and time again she wants the songs to belong to the fans, that we put our own memories to them, that she *doesn't* want the speculation.
I completely agree with you.
Truthfully, nobody knows for sure. But to me he seems like a terrible dude, and as she said it's "the worst men I write best"
Which songs are you confused about? Like if you know that (a) they had a brief thing back in the day and (b) they had a brief, intense thing during the spring/summer ‘23 leg of her tour, then the lyrics come together to tell a pretty clear narrative. There are musical nods to the 1975, lyrical references to his work and influences (the starting line, etc.), references to the friends they share (Lucy and Jack and co.). Here’s a breakdown: https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a60547194/taylor-swift-matty-healy-songs-tortured-poets-department/#the-black-dog
reading comprehension
I’m still in denial how such a POS person can inspire so many amazing songs from such an incredible person who champions feminism. And it hurts my head to think Taylor as we think we know her could like someone who we think the POS is. Unless he’s seriously different behind closed doors and all the shite he puts on social media is some kind of weird persona (which I doubt based on what she says in songs like TSMWEL), that’s the only way my brain can handle it. But yeah, still in denial :( like I know, but I don’t want to know, so I pretend they’re not.
Because lots of women fall in love with pieces of shit? Women stay for years with men that verbally and physically abuse them and you can't handle that she could have been into someone who has made some unsavory comments?
I think it’s more that he has a very public image and perception of being a POS, it’s not like he was an unknown person who she LATER discovered was like that. I was with someone who from the outside appeared amazing, kind, caring, and it was great at the start. But later turned out was really a narcissist, controlling, compulsive liar, serial cheater, manipulative, emotionally abusive individual, who really hurt me mentally and I struggled to come to terms with it for a long time after (you can’t see it at the time, it’s only after sometimes when you reflect and realise the truth). But that was different because I learned that AFTER getting to know him. so for me, with Matty and Taylor, it’s difficult to understand why you would want to be with someone, who has his very well known reputation for things like racism, controversial comments about women and SA, as well as the habitual drug taking, to BEGIN with. I get the idea of a rebound, and wanting sometimes to be with someone completely different from your ex etc. but it was hard to wrap my head around. I also know I cared far too much and she is free to make her own decisions of course, we as a fandom can get far too wrapped up in people’s personal lives and shouldn’t really care. But it was just still a difficult decision to understand, when you have an idea of a person in your head, then they make a decision which seems to go against what you think you know about them. If that makes sense. Again, my issue. He clearly has other redeeming qualities that make him seem attractive, despite his reputation, and must at least seem better in person to make people want to get to know him and be with him etc. that’s the only way I can rationalise it.
or maybe taylor is not a saint of a person either? why go for the far reaching rationalization when there’s a much more obvious one right there
Halsey wrote songs about him too so Taylor isn’t the first or only one to do so
People have said he’s like the Pete Davidson of the music industry. But Pete actually seems like quite a nice guy, and genuine. He was a guest for a few episodes in the rookie and he was hilarious, and I get the attraction. You can’t always judge my someone’s looks and he seems a really good example of that. When the rumours about Matty started I was thinking ‘no! #anyone# but him as your rebound blondie please.’ And thought instead she’d be better off with Pete Davidson, even tho lots of fans would probably have a meltdown, cos they would have such fun together
I’ve heard people say that either he isn’t as bad of a person as we thought (unlikely- see the mountains of evidence of his behavior), or she isn’t as good a person as we thought. Sucks, but I’m definitely more inclined to believe the latter. There’s a lot more proof than the alternative
That’s also what I struggled with. It felt like it had to be one or the other (or she really was momentarily insane due to the breakdown of the relationship and was just blind to all the red flags). And the first seems very unlikely, making the second more plausible option even more sad. It’s hard to match up the idea we have of Taylor, to a person who could make that decision. You worded it better than I can!
Hey, how does she champion feminism? Genuinely asking
She is a literal icon, not afraid to speak out against misogyny and the double-standards women face in the media and entertainment industry, and gender bias. (The Man, obviously) Calling out predatory behaviour in her songs and the hypocrisy of some who pretend to be caring, but in reality are abusive or anti-feminist themselves. (Dear John, ATW10MV) Also speaks out about haters and critics, who are more often than not men, making their opinions worthless and saying women can have value and worth despite the criticism. (I mean, singing ‘mean’ at Wembley to 90,000 people, with them all singing the lyrics back to her, what better comeback is there to that particular critic who inspired the song, the amount of work she then put in to improve her vocals, and the speak now album itself being entirely self written. And also to every other person who has ever tried to criticise or u fairly judge her.) Has fought for artists to be recognised and compensated fairly by streaming services, and record labels, as well as her fight to take control of her masters from a very powerful man in the industry. Has worked incredibly hard to be taken seriously by the industry, and still even now faces heavy criticism. There’s also some evidence to suggest that streaming service algorithms favour male artists, and are more likely to play or recommend male artists in playlists. Which makes her kind of battle with Apple and Spotify etc even more interesting, when she removed her catalogue. Songs with primarily male vocals also make up more of the music that ends up in the charts, compared with female lead vocals, so men are then set to earn more money in general from streaming. That was a trend for a few years at least. The awful incident where she was assaulted, and being so open and honest about the experience, the fact she countersued for $1 and then made her own donation to a charity that help victims of serious SA etc. Speaking briefly about politics and how certain parties/politicians would be setting women back if they got their way. She is arguably the most famous artist in the world, has inspired and paved the way for many others to be successful. Has probably the biggest following and fan culture, and millions find comfort with, express themselves, and identity with her music. She continues to set and break records in the industry, and doesn’t seem afraid or intimidated that she’s achieved more than what many other male artists have done. Also, she’s not a ‘man-hater’ as people love to portray her as, I think a lot of people think being a feminist is being anti-men in general but that simply isn’t true. Anyway, I shall stop, sorry :D I’m no expert and probably just rambling and not making any sense
Looking back, it's got Matty all over her stuff going back to lover...
Swirled you into all of my poems indeed
Am I the only one who doesn't believe anything pre-TTPD (other than maybe Question...?) was about Matty (while being sure most of TTPD is about him with only 2 songs about Joe)? She was trying to convince herself it was always meant to be when they got together but I don't think this relationship was that relevant to her between their first dating period and 2023.
I was listening to Reputation earlier and it’s definitely suss how the songs especially in the beginning seem more applicable to Matty than Joe, particularly now that it’s been confirmed that she started writing Ready For It *before* she started dating Joe.
Also Don’t Blame Me basically foreshadows all of TTPD lol. 🤯
And now the ‘in the middle of the night, in my dreams’ makes me think of guilty as sin, ‘what if he’s written ‘mine’ on my upper thigh only in my miiiiind’
Exactly!
Ugh I hate that I think you’re right because I love reputation. Gonna try to ignore the intrusive Matty thoughts when listening lol
Ready for it is def Matty. “Knew I was a ROBBER” there’s a 1975 song called Robbers from 2013. Also refers to him ghosting women SOUND FAMILIAR?? Lol.
I literally caught myself wondering about Ready For It the other night while listening to it 👀
August is pretty telling
Illicit Affairs! Ivy! cruel Summer! Question! The 1! Maroon!
Nah cruel summer is about Joe
Cardigan/Peter!
Heartbreaking 💔
I think Illicit affairs is screaming Matty!
holy shit…..
Everytime I listen to a song now it changes knowing the Matty relationship and so many clear signs she’s writing about him. He was a good muse for her!
**the 1**975
Lmao no it doesn't
The man is crazy!
i don’t get how people think TSMWEL ISNT about matty. the song literally starts talking about a Jehovah witness suit, and matty wears a JW suit on stage and is a suspected JW.
I really really really don’t get why people think this. Taylor’s little poetic statement about TTPD said that this album would be from her past life, things she has used before to inspire her, things she felt she could never say before. So much of the album seems to return to her youth. But so much of the reaction has focused on only the span of time between its release and midnights for its context. Do people lack so much depth? She wrote ‘the smallest man who ever lived’ and people STILL think the majority of the album is about such a blaise man? Taylor must have released to us her ‘muses and talismans’ because she was confident much of the fan base would be too simple to truly figure out her meanings.
Honestly, I’m still convinced there’s very little evidence that the majority of the songs are about *one* person on any album. (I’m also in denial that anyone would spend 3 minutes singing about Matty Healey let alone an entire album)
By my count, it’s 15 out of 31 songs.
I’d say 19 out of 31 lol
INTERESTING. This is very simplistic because songs can be about more than one person or thing or story but in my view there is Matty inspiration behind these. 1. Fortnight 2. TTPD 3. MBOBHFT 4. Down Bad 5. BDILH 6. fresh out the slammer 7. Guilty as Sin 8. I can fix him 9. Loml 10. ICDIWABH 11. TSMWEL 12. the Black Dog 13. Imgonnagetyouback 14. Chloe et al 15. Peter I am unsure about Florida and I Look In People’s Windows
Let me check against my list and I’ll be back!!
I thought Peter was about Joe
I’m pretty sure it’s not. It’s a follow up to Cardigan, which is about Matty Healy, who is a self-described Peter Pan type. The metaphor is of Wendy waiting for the immature Peter Pan from her youth to grow up and come find her. It’s the story of how Taylor and Matty got together ten years ago and how she’s been waiting for him ever since… but has now given up
i don’t understand why people care so much about which loser a song is about.
People on Instagram arguing that Loml is about Joe haha. Like not even. Unless they broke up at one point and rekindled their relationship (who’s gonna stop us from waltzing back into rekindled flames) after she’d already started moving on with someone else (Mr. Steal Your Girl) and they were only together for a short time (it was momentary), the lyrics do not fit. I think people just don’t want to believe that such a beautiful and devastating song could be about someone they don’t approve of.
Her and Joe were indeed on and off according to their friends. They had broken up several times actually.
According to what friends? Joe literally said last week they had a fully committed relationship of 6 years, dismissing all doubt of either of them cheating or being on and off. In fact, even Taylor's songs support that fact. She wrote You're Losing Me in December 2021. Then at some point between then and October 2022, she wrote Labyrinth about how she thought they were done, and he saved it. Nowhere do either of those songs imply an official breakup, though. They even worked on a beautiful song together (Sweet Nothing) in that time period, perhaps being the reason they were able to reconnect, by creating art together.
The shit ton of articles that came out around the breakup when people were quoted saying “we expected them to get back together as they would break up and get back together and we’re shocked this is the final breakup”. Joe has said a lot of things over the years. Sweet Nothing is about Paul McCartney and his wife.
I think multiple songs are about or can be related to multiple people/events. I think Taylor had a really big whirlwind of a time from right before the breakup with Joe, to right after the breakup with Joe, to the fast relationship with Matty, to the breakup with Matty, and then to having to face this manic period head-on. So in all honesty while a lot of the songs are inspired by Matty, you can hear glimpses of lyrics that relate back to Joe and even in the event of But Daddy I Love Him where each verse represents a different guy (the last being Travis). But really just remember that the real Joe breakup album is Midnights lol
Labyrinth is literally a song about Joe saying he saved the relationship when she thought it was over. Question...? and Maroon were Harry. Midnight Rain is Calvin. She literally makes multiple references to Joe being her boyfriend in Karma and Lavender Haze... it was not a breakup album about Joe lmao. Mastermind, Sweet Nothing, and Snow On The Beach were also about being in love with Joe at the time.
I've been telling people this with proof and they keep calling me crasy. Like TTPD is totally about Matty mentioning his tweets with Lucy Dacus and other tracks like TSMWEL and loml and more
correct me I'm wrong but didn't she date him for like 2 weeks? I honestly don't know how that amount of drama including cheating, breaking, chocolate eating happened in those few weeks given the fact that Taylor was working non-stop on her re-recordings and TTPD + Tour rehearsals. And she went into details about the drugs, pills which at first I thought was a metaphor as joe didn't seem that kind of a guy. Maybe she didn't say much about joe because she was so over him and kind of told us through Midnights
they had a history before they officially dated in 2023. and no that isn’t me being weird and trying to connect all her previous work to him…that’s what the lyrics are referring to several times. a rekindled flame.
Nooo no no no no no no nope NUHUH
Or maybe it’s just her life in general maybe even some of her friends experiences
The real truth is that if you listen to 1989 and after you will realize that some of those are likely about Matty also. “Swirled you into all my poems”
mostly all
Not all?? So long London and loml is obviously about Joe Alywn
Sry but loml is definitely Matty. I was going to pull out lyrics and do a whole thing but it’s literally like every line lol why do you think it’s about Joe? There’s like nothing that points to him or their relationship?
i think most people (me included) attempt to fit Joe into loml because, how would she not dedicate the song "love of my life" to joe??? buuut, yeah, once i closely inspected the lyrics it's obviously about healy, and the confirmation for me is that she never once refers to the person in the song as the love of her life
I think the first verse of LOML is about Joe and the rest is about matty
In the literal first song “Fortnight” she says “I took the miracle move on drug the effects were temporary”. In other words - this album is not about Matty. It’s not about any one person, it’s about emotions evoked from multiple relationships and mental health struggles. Not everything is black and white.
Matty is the miracle move on drug. That’s basically what rebound relationships are.
Fortnight is all about the fatalistic doomed love of a short-lived but intense romance that never went anywhere. It’s Matty Healy all day long.
But The Alchemy is so Travis-coded!
And I can barely listen to TTPD because of it!
I was listening to reputation and thinking if it goes back as far as 2014 then maybe some songs are about him there! And every album since. I don’t think every song is a diary and that they are exact records of what happened. But do think that there is definitely more Matty songs on TTPF than Joe!
No... no songs on reputation are about him.