Inside Taylor Swift's love life - famous exes and which songs are about who

Taylor Swift has arguably become the most famous and successful pop star in history, and her global smash-hit Eras Tour is still far from over.

This week, she’ll finally be starting her string of UK concerts after jetting around the United States and the rest of the world.

Her marathon three-hour set features the most iconic songs from her entire back catalogue, many of which are inspired by her real life.

From Joe Alwyn to Jake Gyllenhaal, all the way up to her current beau Travis Kelce, let’s take a look at all the famous flings that have got Taylor’s creative juices flowing over the years.

Joe Jonas

Taylor’s first high-profile relationship began in July 2008, and he famously ended things over the phone later that year.

Although the romance only lasted until October, Joe supposedly inspired at least three songs from her earlier career.

The tracks Forever & Always and Mr. Perfectly Fine are apparently about their breakup, the latter of which was brought back from the archives for Fearless (Taylor’s Version).

Also, her song Better Than Revenge was one of the rare times Taylor was called out by her fans, as many believed the shady lyrics “She's better known/ For the things that she does on the mattress” were slut-shaming Joe’s then-girlfriend Camilla Belle.

Taylor later admitted she was too young to realise what she was saying when she wrote the lyrics aged 18 and changed them to “He was a moth to the flame / She was holding the matches” for the rerelease.

Lucas Till

Taylor and actor Lucas dated very briefly in 2009.

Although he didn’t directly inspire any of her lyrics (that we know of) he did make an appearance in the iconic music video for You Belong With Me.

Taylor Lautner

The two Taylors didn’t let their matching names stop their romance, and the Twilight star is even married to another Taylor now, a nurse from California called Taylor Dome.

They only dated for a little while in 2009 after meeting on the set of the film Valentine’s Day, but are said to have broken up around December. Their relationship was short-lived, but Taylor L did inspire at least one of Taylor S’s most beloved tracks.

Her powerful ballad Back To December is believed to be about Taylor L, seemingly confirming their December breakup. Plus, the Twilight star actually comes across quite well in the lyrics.

There’s clearly no bad blood between the former lovers, as he later went on to appear in her music video for I Can See You and has been backflipping behind the scenes and onstage at the Eras Tour.

John Mayer

Taylor’s country star ex John Mayer has the distinction of being one of her only exes who’s actually name-checked by one of her songs, Dear John.

They only dated from December 2009 to February 2010, but the pop star still had some rather scathing words to say about him, penning “I'm shining like fireworks / All over your sad empty town”.

John went on to claim he felt “humiliated” by the diss track, which he thought was “cheap songwriting”.

While she didn’t hold back her feelings in the song itself, Taylor later encouraged fans to leave John alone when Speak Now (Taylor's Version) was released.

Jake Gyllenhaal

Hollywood star Jake Gyllenhaal enjoyed another one of Taylor’s winter whirlwinds and caused plenty of controversy in the process.

Taylor was just 19 when she dated 28-year-old Jake and their heated relationship is all over the lyrics to her 2012 album Red.

An iconic black scarf she wore on a stroll with Jake popped up in the lyrics to All Too Well, which was later accompanied by a rather scathing music video starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien for Taylor’s Version.

I Bet You Think About Me, which wasn’t released on Red until a decade later for the rerelease, takes several jabs at Jake, too, including his “silver spoon” upbringing.

Finally, Taylor’s smash-hit single We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together makes fun of the Hollywood star’s pretentious music taste, singing “You would hide away and find your piece of mind / With some indie record that's much cooler than mine”.

Harry Styles

One Direction star Harry Styles’ relationship with Taylor only lasted from November 2012 to January 2013 but it still inspired some of her most successful music to date.

He’s apparently referenced several times in her bestselling album 1989, including being all but name-checked for the track Style.

To make the allusion even more obvious, Taylor references the paper aeroplane necklaces she and Harry reportedly gifted each other. She also refers to a bad boy, James Dean-type in the lyrics.

The aeroplanes are referenced again in the song Out of the Woods, which also includes a not-so-subtle callback to their breakup as Taylor wears a blue dress that’s very similar to the one she was spotted wearing just after the split.

Finally, it’s hard to deny Taylor’s classic tune I Knew You Were Trouble, released in 2012, is about Styles, as it’s brimming with references to their dramatic few months together.

Calvin Harris

Taylor took a break from serious relationships before making things official with another fellow musician in February 2015, this time famous Scottish DJ Calvin Harris.

Her song I Forgot That You Existed is theorised to have been written about getting over her breakup with Calvin, which didn’t end on the best of terms.

Calvin went on a tirade about his pop star ex when news broke that Taylor had co-written Calvin and Rihanna’s single This Is What You Came For, writing on Twitter: “I figure if you’re happy in your new relationship you should just focus on that instead of trying to tear your ex bf down for something to do.”

By I Forgot That You Existed’s release in 2019, Taylor was clearly over it, though, as she sings: “I forgot that you existed / And I thought that it would kill me, but it didn’t / And it was no nice / So peaceful and quiet / I forgot that you existed / it isn’t love, it isn’t hate / it’s just indifference”.

Tom Hiddleston

Shortly after Taylor broke up with Calvin in May 2016 she began a relationship with Loki star Tom Hiddleston.

Many fans believed this fling was just a rebound after her more long-term situation with the DJ, and her song Getaway Car could definitely be proof of that.

In the lyrics, Taylor refers to a car speeding away from heartbreak and into safety, but it’s clear the romance wasn’t meant to last.

Joe Alwyn

Taylor’s longest relationship to date, the Shake It Off star dated actor Joe Alwyn from May 2017-April 2023.

Several songs on her albums from that time - Reputation, Lover, Folklore and Evermore - are believed to be about their six-year relationship, which was otherwise kept incredibly private.

Her track Sweet Nothing stands out as having some of the most glowing lyrics about an ex Taylor has ever written, thanking him for being a calm presence amongst the storm.

Joe is also the subject of one of Taylor’s raciest tracks, Dress, in which she sings: “Carve your name into my bedpost / Cause I don’t want you like a best friend / Only bought this dress so you could take it off”.

Sadly, this relationship was still not meant to be despite lasting more than half a decade, and news broke on April 8th last year that Taylor and Joe had run its course.

Travis Kelce

Taylor’s latest album The Tortured Poets Department released hot on the heels of her current relationship with Kansas City Chiefs’ star tight-end, Travis Kelce.

Swifties weren’t expecting her new tracks to delve into the whirlwind romance too much, as they had only been officially together for a few months by the time it had been released.

Even so, some tracks from her second batch of songs this year seem to confirm she definitely had football on the mind when she was crafting her latest pop masterpiece.

In The Alchemy, she sings: “So when I touchdown, call the amateurs and cut them from the team / Ditch the clowns, get the crown / Baby I’m the one to beat / Because the sign on your heart said it’s still reserved for me / Honestly, who are we to fight The Alchemy?”

Then, in High School, Taylor reveals just how gooey-eyed she gets around her football hunk boyfriend, singing about how she feels like a teenager again when they’re together.

“I’m watching American Pie with you on a Saturday night,” Taylor writes. “Your friends are around so be quiet / I’m trying to stifle my sighs / Cause I feel so high school every time I look at you.”

Travis hasn’t featured too heavily in Taylor’s most recent output so far, but fans are banking on him getting alluded to much more if their romance is still going strong by the time she starts work on her next album, which all signs are indicating it will be.