Why Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ Is About Harry Styles, Not Matty Healy 

Following the discharge of The Tortured Poets Division, some Taylor Swift followers are speculating that her sixth studio album, 1989, may very well be about Matty Healy  — and we’re afraid they could have misplaced the plot solely.

Beloved Swifties, we admire your prowess, however 1989 has and all the time will probably be devoted to Mr. Harry Types (allegedly). Though it’s comprehensible that TTPD has brought about many to reevaluate a few of Swift’s more moderen work, together with 2022’s Midnights, rewriting historical past to make a document so particular to Types about another person merely doesn’t make a ton of sense.

Earlier than we dive into the explanations it’s a no, listed here are the three issues followers try to harp on with regards to 1989. Many consider lyrics in “Fashion,” significantly “You’ve bought that lengthy hair slicked again / White T-shirt” apply to Healy’s 2014 efficiency vibe, whereas others assume Swift’s silhouette being featured in each the “Fashion” and “Fortnight” — a TTPD tune rumored to be about Healy — music movies is a deliberate parallel. On a much bigger scale, some Swifties assume as a result of 1989 is a couple of delicate, on-and-off relationship — described in “OOTW,” “I Want You Would” and “All You Needed to Do Was Keep,” for instance — it should hint again to Healy, for the reason that Swift and The 1975 frontman met the identical yr the document was launched.

Again to why that is improper. Beginning with the obvious of proof, Swift and Healy didn’t even meet till one month after 1989 was launched. The twosome first crossed paths in November 2014 when Swift attended a The 1975 present alongside friends Ellie Goulding and Selena Gomez. Healy later opened up about being launched to the pop star whereas on the Australian radio program Shazam High 20, the place he admitted the duo exchanged numbers.

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If how time works isn’t sufficient proof, there’s all the time the truth that one in every of Swift’s singles on the album is actually titled Fashion, utilizing wordplay to match the duo’s on-and-off romance, which lasted from 2012 to 2014, to clothes and trend that “by no means goes out of favor.”

Though Swift by no means truly names names in her songs — besides she type of does on this one, proper? — she additionally didn’t attempt to disguise her inspiration for “Fashion”  when discussing it in a 2014 interview with Rolling Stone, telling the outlet, “We must always have simply known as [the song], ‘I’m Not Even Sorry.’”

Types, for his half, wrote “Two Ghosts” in 2017, which many consider is a response to Swift’s observe. “Similar lips purple / Similar eyes blue / Similar white shirt / Couple extra tattoos,” he sings within the first verse, possible in response to Swift’s “I bought that purple lip basic factor that you simply like” and “You bought that lengthy hair, slicked again, white T-shirt” lyrics.

“Out of the Woods” is one other 1989 observe that clearly belongs to Types, because it references his and Swift’s notorious snowmobile accident that resulted in each of them going to the hospital, with Types getting “20 stitches.”

Although she didn’t title Types on the time, Swift later confirmed to Rolling Stone that the tune was concerning the crash, telling the outlet she wasn’t damage within the incident earlier than correcting herself, saying, ”Not as damage.’” When requested why no person has ever leaked details about the accident, she added: ” what I’ve discovered works even higher than an NDA? Trying somebody within the eye and saying, ‘Please don’t inform anybody about this.’”

When the music video for “OOTW” dropped in 2015, Swift was featured misplaced in a snowy woods in a blue costume. The garment was a callback to her and Types’ breakup in January 2013, after they known as it quits whereas vacationing within the Virgin Islands following a “heated argument.” Swift reportedly minimize her journey brief and headed dwelling to Nashville to start rehearsing for her Crimson tour and was photographed leaving the resort on a ship whereas donning a blue costume.

Swift can be seen carrying the necklace of a paper airplane gifted to her by Types in each the “OOTW” and “Fashion” movies. The jewellery is referenced within the “OOTW” lyric, “Two paper airplanes flying.”

Swift and Types’ beachside breakup additionally got here again into play for Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Model), which she launched in October 2023 with a collection of bonus Vault Tracks. In “Is It Over Now?” Swift calls again to a number of different 1989 songs, singing, “Blue Costume / On a ship.” The snowmobile accident additionally ties in, with the lyrics, “Crimson blood / White snow.”

“Now That We Don’t Discuss,” one other observe off 1989 (Taylor’s Model), additionally appears to Types hanging out on boats along with his One Course bandmates following their breakup with the road, “Now I don’t must faux I like acid rock / Or that I prefer to be on a mega yacht / With essential males who assume essential ideas.”

“Slut!,” in the meantime, touches on the thought of being judged for a public romance as a lady whereas the person skates by. Swift and Types had been infamously photographed collectively in every single place they went, with Swift taking numerous warmth from One Course followers.

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“Ship the code, he’s ready there / The sticks and stones they throw froze mid-air,” she sings within the second verse. “Everybody needs him, that was my crime / The improper place on the proper time.”

If Healy was an on-and-off love for Swift since 2014, they definitely stored it underneath wraps, however Swift has all however confirmed that was the case when it got here to Types. Throughout an interview onThe Morning Present in December 2014, Swift confessed that a lot of 1989, however “Fashion” particularly, is a couple of romance you possibly can’t appear to recover from. (Whereas there might be one thing to Swift having comparable emotions about Healy since they rekindled issues in 2023, she’d have to take a look into the long run to be talking about Healy then.)

“‘Fashion’ is definitely about these relationships which might be by no means actually achieved,” she defined. “You all the time type of have that one one that you are feeling like may interrupt your marriage ceremony and be like, ‘Don’t do it, we’re not over but.’ I believe all people has that one one that type of floats out and in of their life and the narrative is rarely really over.”

Swift has touched on this idea along with her different information, most notably Folklore’s “The 1” and Midnights’ “Query,” which straight samples from “OOTW.” Whereas Swift did carry out “Query” whereas relationship Healy at her Could 2023 Eras Tour present, the tune possible was initially penned with Types in thoughts. Swift sings a couple of time when her ex noticed her in a “crowded room” with “some meathead man,” which might callback to Types standing on stage on the 2017 Billboard Awards and seeing Swift kiss then-boyfriend Calvin Harris.

As for Types himself, the musician has all however confirmed lots of Swift’s 1989 tracks are about him. When requested his emotions on being the rumored topic of her music throughout a 2014 Google hangout, he stated, “We all the time say that we write from private expertise, and I believe everybody does. So, it will be hypocritical to say ‘Oh, you possibly can’t write songs.’ And she or he’s actually good, so, they’re good songs. I’m actually fortunate in that sense.”

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Throughout a Rolling Stone interview three years later, Types expanded on his ideas, however did be aware that he can’t make sure the songs are 100% about him.

“I’m fortunate if all the pieces [we went through] helped create these songs,” he stated. “That’s what hits your coronary heart. That’s the stuff that’s hardest to say, and it’s the stuff I speak least about. That’s the half that’s concerning the two individuals.”