Taylor Swift urged fans to exercise kindness on internet to the men they speculate her songs are written about ahead of the upcoming release of “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” next month.
Swift, 33, gave a speech ahead of her acoustic set during her “Eras Tour” show in Minneapolis Saturday night, a portion of the show where she plays two surprise songs for the crowd. In her speech, Swift spoke about how she watched and heard stories of fans forming bonds during her sold-out tour all over the country.
She told them that she would love for “that kindness and gentleness to extend onto our internet activities” for her July 7 album release.
“So what I’m saying is, I’m putting this album out because I want to own my music…I’m not putting this album out so you can go on the internet and defend me against someone you think I wrote a song about 14 million years ago,” Swift said, according to multiple videos posted online.
Swift also said that she does not care “about anything that happened when I was 19 except the songs I wrote and the memories we made together.”
She then played her song “Dear John,” which fans have long speculated was written about a romance between her and singer John Mayer.
“Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” is the third album to be re-recorded by the pop star since her masters were sold by her former record label to Scooter Braun in 2019, then sold again to investment firm Shamrock Capital.
When “Red (Taylor’s Version)” was released in 2021, fans made jokes and memes directed at Jake Gyllenhaal, who they believe to be the inspiration behind her song “All Too Well.” Swift has never confirmed who exactly she writes about in her songs, some of which she said are slightly autobiographical while others are fictional.
Gyllenhaal told Esquire in an interview that he thought the song’s re-release, which included a 10-minute long version, was more about Swift’s relationships with her fans than with him.
“It is her expression,” he told the magazine last year. “Artists tap into personal experiences for inspiration, and I don’t begrudge anyone that.”
Many have joked about the onslaught of attention that will likely shift from Gyllenhaal and onto John Mayer when “Dear John (Taylor’s Version)” is finally released.
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Even Swift’s former actor boyfriend, Taylor Lautner, has poked fun at the situation.
Lautner spoke to TODAY.com last month about how he was feeling ahead of the re-release of Swift’s 2010 album. The ballad “Back to December,” which is on the album, is speculated to be inspired by him.
“I think it’s a great album,” he said. “Yeah, I feel safe. Praying for John.”
Lautner also made a TikTok video jokingly praying on his knees while “Dear John” played.
Mayer told Rolling Stone in 2012 that he felt humiliated by the song because he felt he “didn’t deserve it.”
“I’m pretty good at taking accountability now, and I never did anything to deserve that,” Mayer said. “It was a really lousy thing for her to do.”
Swift was only 19 and Mayer was 32 in 2009 when they reportedly dated, after they worked together on a musical collaboration. Some of the lyrics of “Dear John” include a reference to Swift’s age, including “don’t you think I was too young to be messed with.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
