News broke on April 10 that Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn had quietly called it quits this spring after six years together. Though the pair were together for a long time, both were mostly tight-lipped about their connection and life together — except, that is, when it came to Swift’s songwriting.
The pair first connected while Swift was working on her 2017 album “Reputation,” and fans believe quite a few songs on the record are about her then-new boyfriend. Many of the songs on her “Lover” album, released in 2019, are all about falling deeper in love with her longtime beau. Her single “Lover,” which includes quite a few wedding references, even sparked major engagement rumors for the pair.
When Swift released “Folklore” and “Evermore” in 2020, not only were a few of the songs about her romance with Alwyn, but she teamed up with her partner to write some of them as well. Alwyn was credited on the songs “Exile,” “My Tears Ricochet,” “August,” “This Is Me Trying,” “Illicit Affairs,” “Betty,” “Champagne Problems,” “Coney Island,” and “Evermore” using the pseudonym William Bowery. Because of this, he actually has an album of the year Grammy for “Folklore.”
The actor is also credited as a songwriter on Swift’s 2022 album, “Midnights,” specifically on the song “Sweet Nothing.” Other songs on Swift’s album, like “Snow on the Beach” and “Mastermind,” also appear to reference their relationship.
Swift and Alwyn’s breakup made headlines as the singer began her Eras Tour, and fans thought she made some set list tweaks because of the news. Many of the most romantic songs about Alwyn didn’t make the main setlist, and she didn’t perform them as surprise songs until August. In May, Swift released the non-streaming track “You’re Losing Me,” which seems to be the first song to directly address their split.
Ahead, revisit the songs that Swift wrote about Alwyn during their relationship and the aftermath.
— Additional reporting by Victoria Edel