The 17 men Taylor Swift has written about in her songs

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Taylor Swift performing in Los Angeles during The 1989 Earth Tour.
Christopher Polk/Getty Images for TAS

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 virtually the people in her songs. And information technology's non ever clear if she's referencing specific people at all.

By scrutinizing her lyrics, though, we tin can figure out the subjects of some of her songs. From her current swain Joe Alwyn to loftier school ex Hashemite kingdom of jordan Alford, hither are the 17 men who are likely the stars of Taylor Swift's music.

Farai Bennett contributed to a previous version of this article

"Expect What Y'all Made Me Do" probable references Calvin Harris.

Calvin Harris.
Joe Scarnici/Getty Images

Harris and Swift had what seems to be a messy breakup. After the release of "This is What You lot Came For," a runway ostensibly by Harris and Rihanna and the former'due south biggest hit, the news leaked that the song's true author, Nils Sjöberg, was actually Swift herself.

Information technology was more than 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 Practice," where a headstone for Sjöberg sits in the background of a shot where Swift is zombiefied.

In that location are also at to the lowest degree three presiding theories well-nigh which man the song "Gorgeous" is almost, i of them being that information technology'southward virtually Harris.

"Gorgeous" and "Phone call It What You Want" are probably about Joe Alwyn.

Joe Alwyn promoting his picture show "Billy Lynn'due south Long Halftime Walk" in 2016.
AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying

Swift's electric current boyfriend Joe Alwyn is an histrion and model. There are 2 songs from "Reputation" that could exist well-nigh him: "Gorgeous" and "Phone call Information technology What Y'all Want."

The latter song, especially, seems to exist about a man she sees every bit a refuge from personal drama and squabbles with other people. While she'southward been with Alwyn, she's lived a relatively work-focused, drama-costless life.

Harry Styles is the trouble in "I Knew You Were Trouble."

Harry Styles attends the BBC Music Awards in 2015.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

"I Knew You Were Trouble," "Out of the Woods," and "Style" were a few of the breakout hits that were most likely sprinkled with details from Swift's on-again-off-once again relationship with the sometime 1 Directioner and "Dunkirk" star.

Swift told the Sun Times that "I Knew You Were Trouble" was about Styles after performing in front of him at the British Music Awards in 2013.

"Well, it's not difficult to access that emotion when the person the vocal is directed at is standing by the side of the stage watching," she said.

Information technology'south also kind of easy to tell that "Style" is virtually Styles because of the name of the vocal and because the guy in the music video looks a lot like him.

"Out of the Woods" mentions "two newspaper airplanes flight, flying, flight," which refers to the matching newspaper aeroplane necklaces the couple wore.

"Honey John" is pretty conspicuously nearly John Mayer.

John Mayer hanging out at Andy Cohen'southward SiriusXM show.
Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Later on Swift's song "Dear John" was released in 2010, it didn't take long for people to suspect that the title was about her freak breakup from John Mayer. Exterior of her music, Swift stayed mum on the topic of Mayer. Just he told Rolling Stone that he felt humiliated by the song.

"I will say as a songwriter that I think it'due south kind of cheap songwriting," he says. "I know she's the biggest thing in the world, and I'chiliad not trying to sink anybody's ship, but I think information technology's abusing your talent to rub your hands together and become, 'Await till he gets a load of this!'"

Jake Gyllenhaal might have inspired three unlike Swift songs.

Jake Gyllenhaal at the the 'Okja' screening 2017.
Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

Unlike John Mayer, Jake Gyllenhaal appeared to bee clueless virtually the reports that "All Too Well" is about him.

When Howard Stern told Gyllenhaal that Swift wrote a song nigh him, he acted like he didn't know what he was talking about.

Swift sang, "Left my scarf at that place at your sis's business firm/ And you still got it in your drawer even now." It didn't take long for Us Weekly to decode the mystery that Gyllenhaal and Taylor spent Thanksgiving together a few months before their breakdown. In the photos from their getaway, y'all can meet Swift was wearing what people call up is the same scarf.

The scarf besides came up once more in "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," which fans call up alludes to Gyllenhaal. And "The Last Fourth dimension" is apparently about Swift feeling burned that he didn't prioritize her more.

The timeline for "Dorsum to December" makes fans call back information technology's about Taylor Lautner.

Taylor Lautner having fun at the 2016 Breeders' Loving cup World Championships.
Charley Gallay/Getty Images

"Back to Dec" was probably ane of the only songs where Swift apologized to 1 of her exes. Fans easily figured out the song was about Lautner because of their relationship's timeline.

The pair began dating later coming together on the ready of the flick "Valentines Day" back in August 2009 and broke it off in December of that year. The lyrics appeared to hint toward the "Twilight" star as she sang, "I miss your tan skin and sweetness smile."

Cory Monteith dated Swift for less than a month, merely even so inspired "Mine."

Cory Monteith at the Do Something Awards 2012.
Christopher Polk/Getty Images

In the song "Mine," Swift talks about liking a boy she barely knew who tried to take their relationship to the side by side level. The key here is that Swift was rumored to be dating tardily "Glee" actor, Cory Monteith, for less than a calendar month around jump of 2010.

Conor Kennedy was likely the subject of "Begin Again."

Conor Kennedy at the "Ethel" premiere in NYC in 2012.
Jason Kempin/Getty Images

Past the fourth dimension her new unmarried "Brainstorm Again" was released in 2012, it didn't take long for people to link the lyrics of the song to Swift's then-young man Conor Kennedy.

In the single, Swift talks about the get-go of a new romance with Robert F. Kennedy's grandson, who she apparently had high hopes for and had cleaved up with shortly before the vocal's release.

Drew Hardwick's name is right there in the lyrics for "Tear Drops on My Guitar."

Drew Hardwick hanging out at Vanity Fair in 2016.
Rachel Murray/Getty Images

Although Drew Hardwick and Taylor Swift never technically dated, she'southward been very vocal about "Tear Drops on My Guitar" being about her beat on him back in 2006.

"[He] would sit in that location every day talking to me near... another girl: how beautiful she was, how squeamish and smart and perfect she was," Swift said on her official site. "And I saturday at that place and listened, never meaning it any of the times I said, 'Oh, I'm so happy for yous.'"

Information technology's probably the song in Swift'south discography that's well-nigh explicitly about another, real person. Swift uses Hardwick's proper name right in the song'southward lyrics.

"Enchanted" was a kind reference to Owl Urban center singer Adam Young.

Adam Young at Power 96.1's Jingle Ball 2012.
Butch Dill/Getty Images

Afterward Owl Metropolis released its hit single "Fireflies" in 2009, atomic number 82 singer Adam Young captured a lot of attention, including that of Taylor Swift.

She released her single "Enchanted," which was nigh coming together Young. He told Us Weekly that he and Swift talked for a few months after she attended one of his shows.

"She made some annotate that I used the give-and-take 'enchanted' and the discussion 'wonderstruck' in an e-mail," he said. "And she said how she had never heard anyone really use that word earlier. So when that word was in the song, I was like, 'this vocal has to be about me.'"

"Hey Stephen" is nearly her tour buddy Stephen Barker Liles.

Stephen Barker Liles performing at the 2013 CMA's.
Terry Wyatt/Getty Images

Back in 2008, Taylor Swift'due south unmarried "Hey Stephen" was written virtually the Love & Theft musician Stephen Barker Liles, who Swift toured with the year before. Liles was surprised that information technology was actually a squeamish vocal about their romance.

"S he doesn't really write very many nice songs about guys," Liles told Taste of Country. "And so I was very relieved when it turned out to be a nice song, and information technology's actually one of the nicest things everyone's e'er done for me."

Liles returned the favor, releasing a song about her a few months later chosen "Endeavor to Make It Anyhow."

Even though they had a brief relationship, Martin Johnson seems to be the subject of three Swift songs.

Martin Johnson at the 2014 ASCAP Pop Music Awards.
Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

When recording the song "Ii is Improve Than One" for "Hannah Montana: The Picture show," Boys Like Girls singer Martin Johnson and Swift fell for each other briefly in 2008.

After breaking upward, fans suspected that Martin was the topic of three of Swift's songs: "Love Story," "White Equus caballus," and "If This Was a Picture show."

Co-ordinate to Complex, Swift was actually into Johnson but concluded things considering her campsite thought his punk stone background wouldn't be expert fit for her image.

This reasoning explains her lyric in "Love Story," where Swift sang, "I sneak out to the garden to see you. We go along quiet considering we're expressionless if they knew," which supposedly references her publicists' advice to stay away from him.

Sam Armstrong is ane of Swift's three loftier school boyfriends she'south rumored to have written about.

Taylor Swift performing at the 2007 Academy Of State Music New Artists' Prove Party for a Cause.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

The trend of Swift'south supposed revenge breakdown songs started with her high-school boyfriend Sam Armstrong, according to Complex.

Her 2006 single "Should've Said No,"  is rumored to be based on Armstrong adulterous on her.

Swift sang, "You should've said, 'No,' you should've gone domicile / Y'all should've thought twice 'fore you let it all go," revealing  that Armstrong had cheated on her with another daughter.

"Tim McGraw" holds a special identify in her relationship with Brandon Borello.

Swift performing "Tim McGraw" at the 42nd Almanac Academy of Country Music Awards in 2007.
AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Swift dedicated iii songs to her beginning high school boyfriend, Brandon Borello. "Our Vocal, "Tim McGraw," and "Xv." Swift told The Boot that "Our Song" was titled subsequently i of the high school plays she and Borello starred in, along with the song "Tim McGraw" that Swift admitted she wanted Borello to recall of her every time he heard a Tim McGraw vocal. The song too references a relationship ending with high schoolhouse, which is what happened to theirs.

"The concept for this vocal hitting me, because I was dating a guy who moved away, and it was going to be over for us," Swift said. "Then I started thinking of things that I knew would remind him of me."

Jordan Alford reportedly cheated on Swift with his now-wife, inspiring "Picture to Burn down."

Taylor Swift at the CMA Awards in 2006, when the singer was 16 years erstwhile.
Peter Kramer/Getty Images

Another early boyfriend vocal is said to exist "Flick to Fire," about another loftier school ex, Jordan Alford, who cheated on her with his now-wife.

She released it when she was just 16 years old, which could help explicate the homophobic lyrics: "So go and tell your friends that I'm obsessive and crazy/That'due south fine, I'll tell mine that you're gay/By the manner."

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