Taylor Swift’s Ex-Boyfriends and The Songs They Inspired

Taylor Swift has certainly become one of the most dominant forces in music today. From a country-pop sweetheart, she has emerged as one of pop music’s juggernauts. In addition, she has a large social media presence with 166 million Instagram followers, which has been a massive investment for her. Her most well–known songs include Shake It Off, Love Story, and Blank Space. Such songs sold millions of records and won Swift countless awards over the years, making her into the icon she is today. She’s also given credit for shaping country music today.

Aside from her music career, Swift has been known for her numerous relationships over the years. From actors to musicians, Swift’s romantic life has been just as extensive as her career. Of course, once some of her relationships came to an end, she sometimes expresses her feelings through many of her songs. Here are some of Swift’s ex-boyfriends and the songs they inspired:

Joe Jonas | July 2008 – October 2008

Known for their notorious 27-second break-up call, many thought that Joe Jonas and Taylor Swift were quite strong throughout their relationship. Initially, Swift’s reactions to the break-up were quite harsh, with Last Kiss and Forever and Always being quite scathing to Jonas. To her credit, she has since mellowed out, with Holy Ground having a more positive outlook of her ex.

Lucas Till | March 2009 – April 2009

Lucas Till, Swift’s co-star in You Belong With Me, may have won her heart, but their relationship didn’t last. There wasn’t any drama about their relationship, which explains the lack of songs Swift composed about their breakup. In later years, Till opened up about their short-lived relationship, saying that it “didn’t work out” because he treated her only “as a friend,” which must suck. To his credit, Till wasn’t enshrined in Swift’s songs in infamy.

Taylor Lautner | August 2009 – December 2009

On the single Back To December, Swift apologizes, which is a rarity for her, to an ex for a rough night. That could have been the night when she dumped actor Taylor Lautner, known at the time for his role in the Twilight series. Why is she talking about the former teen star? Apparently, “tan skin” and “sweet smile” were the descriptions she used. We all know that the guy fits the profile.

John Mayer | December 2009 – February 2010

While Swift and John Mayer started off on a sweet start, it ended on a very sour note to a certain degree. Of course, Swift poured her feelings into several songs, which detailed how the delicate country flower could’ve been treated with a little more care. Well, Swift is indeed pretty much delicate.

Cory Monteith | April 2010 – May 2010

According to an interview with Yahoo, Swift said that the song Mine from Speak Now was about a guy that she “just barely knew put his arm around me by the water.” While both Cory Monteith and Swift vehemently denied they dated, it seemed that their eyes gleamed when Ellen DeGeneres touched on the subject on her talk show.

Jake Gyllenhaal | October 2010 – January 2011

In an interview with NPR, Swift said that The Last Time is about an experience she had with a guy who was “kind of unreliable.” While Swift and Gyllenhaal have clicked at the time, his constant work and numerous obligations can be given credit for straining their relationship after a few short months of dating.

Eddie Redmayne | October 2011 – January 2012

While Eddie Redmayne was rumored to have dated Swift for a few short months, the actor has strongly denied such rumors. Even recently, he continues to say that he and Swift never happened. To Redmayne’s credit, this can partially explain why no reference of him can be found in Swift’s songs released at the time.

Zac Efron | February 2012 – March 2012

While working on The Lorax in 2011, Swift and Zac Efron reportedly started dating for a few months. However, both denied the rumors, and no traces related to Efron were found in the lyrics of Swift songs on her album Red. Despite this, the pair did perform a song together but continued to deny the rumors. It seems that Efron and Swift have not divulged any details since.