Taylor Swift has become famous for turning heartache into melodies. But the exes and past flings who inspired her chart-topping songs should get some credit, too.
But knowing who to credit isn't always obvious. Generally speaking, Swift avoids answering specific questions about the people in her songs. And it's not always clear if she's referencing specific people at all.
By scrutinizing her lyrics, though, we can figure out the subjects of some of her songs. From her current boyfriend Joe Alwyn to high school ex Jordan Alford, here are the 17 men who are likely the stars of Taylor Swift's music.
Farai Bennett contributed to a previous version of this article
"Look What You Made Me Do" likely references Calvin Harris.
Harris and Swift had what seems to be a messy breakup. After the release of "This is What You Came For," a track ostensibly by Harris and Rihanna and the former's biggest hit, the news leaked that the song's true writer, Nils Sjöberg, was actually Swift herself.
It was more than a little embarrassing for Harris. Swift hammered it in even further with her recent music video for her generalized revenge song "Look What You Made Me Do," where a headstone for Sjöberg sits in the background of a shot where Swift is zombiefied.
There are also at least three presiding theories about which man the song "Gorgeous" is about, one of them being that it's about Harris.
Tom Hiddleston could be the older boyfriend in "Gorgeous."
The same two songs — "Look What You Made Me Do" and "Gorgeous"— may also be about Tom Hiddleston.
Hiddleswift, as the two were known during their relationship in the summer of 2016, was short-lived. It also took place at a time where Swift scrupulously avoided the press. So it's hard to know exactly how she feels about it.
"The video for "Look What You Made Me Do" features Swift in an "I ♥ T.S." T-shirt, which Hiddleston wore at one point, though that seems to be more of a lighthearted jab than anything malicious. And the lyrics for "Gorgeous" aren't too specific, but given the timing of its release, it could very well be about him.
"Gorgeous" and "Call It What You Want" are probably about Joe Alwyn.
Swift's current boyfriend Joe Alwyn is an actor and model. There are two songs from "Reputation" that could be about him: "Gorgeous" and "Call It What You Want."
The latter song, especially, seems to be about a man she sees as a refuge from personal drama and squabbles with other people. While she's been with Alwyn, she's lived a relatively work-focused, drama-free life.
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