There's nothing quite as therapeutic as putting your feelings into words as you try to process them. And if there's any artist who knows how to succinctly capture the gamut of emotions with addictive hooks and vivid imagery, it's Taylor Swift [1]. The 12-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter [2] has penned many gut-wrenching, soul-piercing songs that perfectly sum up the complex feelings of love, which her passionate fans often relate to all too well. One of her past subjects just so happens to be fellow superstar and ex-boyfriend Harry Styles [3].
Swift and Styles reportedly dated [4] from December 2012 to January 2013, and though the whirlwind romance between the two singers didn't last long, it's believed to have helped inspire multiple great songs [5] from both Swift and the former One Direction bandmate — including quite a few tracks on Swift's "1989," released in 2014. FYI, no — not all of Swift's songs about Styles are from a decade ago. When she released her 2022 album "Midnights," she said her songs are inspired by moments throughout her life, opening the door for any of them to be about any relationship — including her fling with Styles. With the release of "1989 (Taylor's Version)" on Oct. 27 [6], Swift dropped some "vault" songs (which were written during the album's original production) that fans think are also about their romance.
As for where their relationship is now, it seems the pair are on good terms. Swift cheered on Styles at the 2023 Grammys [7] — where Styles had a major night, including an album of the year win — and they were spotted catching up at the 2021 Grammys [8].
While the two have never explicitly mentioned each other in their songs, fans have long speculated about certain lyrics that supposedly point at one another. Swift also left fans a trail of clues via her original "1989" album's lyric booklet: lowercase words spell out a phrase for each song, and the phrases jointly tell a story.
Keep reading to find a roundup of all the songs from Swift's vast discography that are widely believed to be about Styles.
Is Taylor Swift's "Style" About Harry Styles? Theory
The telling lyrics: "Midnight / You come and pick me up, no headlights," "You got that James Dean daydream look in your eye," "You got that long hair, slicked back, white T-shirt"
The secret message behind the song: "Her heart belonged to someone who couldn't stay."
Why it's about Harry Styles: The hit "1989" single, "Style," details a roller-coaster relationship, where the two people keep running around in circles, never really able to cut the ties for good. The chorus describes the male as a dreamy persona reminiscent of James Dean, and the long hair and slicked-back look she describes strikingly resembles Styles's appearance at the time. The opening lines of the first verse also point to the secrecy of the relationship, which further hints Styles inspired this song. The two were the center of a highly publicized romance while they were and were often the subject of speculation by the tabloids. The song cleverly references One Direction projects [14], such as their song, "You & I," and their second studio album, "Take Me Home." Not to mention, the track's title is as much a giveaway as its lyrics.
"'Style' is a song that I wrote about kind of observing fashion trends and cultural trends and seeing how there are certain things that are constant," Swift said [15] in her Big Machine Radio commentary while explaining the inception of the song, likening classic staples such as a little black dress or red lips to feelings that inspired the lyrics. "I started thinking about that in terms of feelings. There are certain feelings like that. There are certain people that float in and out of your life, sort of, like a trend that keeps coming back in style and never fully fades away."
Is Taylor Swift's "Out Of The Woods" About Harry Styles? Theory
The telling lyrics: "Ooh, your necklace hanging from my neck," "Remember when you hit the brakes too soon? / Twenty stitches in the hospital room / When you started crying, baby, I did too"
The secret message behind the song: "They loved each other recklessly."
Why it's about Harry Styles: "Out Of The Woods" chronicles the ups and downs of a relationship that often leaves you feeling apprehensive about the time when it all finally comes crashing down. Chronologically placed right after "Style" on the "1989" tracklist, the secret message behind "Out Of The Woods" ties the subject, heavily speculated to be Styles, together to the rest of the album. The bridge of the track takes a metaphorical route where Swift sings about how the relationship suddenly came to a screeching halt, which might be a nod to their real-life snowmobile accident in September 2014, further suggesting Styles influenced the song. Furthermore, the exact replica of the paper airplane necklace that Styles was spotted wearing [16] on multiple occasions in 2012 also appears in the music video for "Out Of The Woods."
"This song is about the fragility and kind of breakable nature of some relationships," Swift explained [17] the song's lyrics in her Big Machine Radio commentary. "This was a relationship where it was, kind of, living day-to-day, wondering where it was going, if it was going to go anywhere, if it was gonna end the next day. It was a relationship where you kind of never feel like you're standing on solid ground. And that kind of a feeling brings on excitement but also extreme anxiety and, kind of a frantic feeling of wondering endless questions." She added that the sound of "Out Of The Woods" (see: the repetitive questioning in the chorus) perfectly mirrors the anxious feelings that sparked the lyrics. "It stresses that even if a relationship is breakable and fragile and full of anxiety, it doesn't mean it isn't worthwhile, exciting, beautiful, and all the things that we look for," Swift concluded.
Is Taylor Swift's "All You Had to Do Was Stay" About Harry Styles? Theory
The telling lyrics: "Here you are now, calling me up / But I don't know what to say / I've been picking up the pieces / Of the mess you made"
The secret message behind the song: "They paid the price."
Why it's about Harry Styles: The upbeat track paints a heartbreaking picture of a crumbling love that fell through due to one person's indecisiveness. Fans have long pointed out that track No. 5 on Swift's albums tends to be the most emotionally raw — and this track No. 5 touches on the subject's tendency to return to her asking for forgiveness when they were the one to sever ties in the first place. Many listeners have speculated that "All You Had To Do Was Stay" might've had its origins in the British Virgin Islands trip the pair took in January 2013. The two artists reportedly called it quits while on vacation, with Swift returning home alone.
Swift explained the peculiar chorus vocals during a 2015 GQ [18] interview with Ryan Adams, "I had a dream that my ex showed up at my door, knocked on the door, and I opened it up, and I was about ready to launch into, like, the perfect thing to say, and instead, all that would come out of my mouth was that high-pitched chorus of people singing 'stay!'"
Is Taylor Swift's "I Wish You Would" About Harry Styles? Theory
The telling lyrics: "We're a crooked love in a straight line down / Makes you want to run and hide / But it makes you turn right back around"
The secret message behind the song: "He drove past her street each night."
Why it's about Harry Styles: In "I Wish You Would," Swift wistfully looks back on her past relationship without any bitter feelings regarding its outcome. Here she wishes the other person would say what you want them to say — to get back together — because she knows she too wants another chance at this love deep down. For this song, Swift created a John Hughes cinematic narrative where both people are pining for one another, but keep missing each other, not letting the other in. "It talks about a relationship. It says it's a 'crooked love in a straight line down / makes you wanna run and hide, but it makes you turn right back around.' So it just kind of is like that dramatic love that's never really quite where it needs to be and that tension that creates," Swift said [19] in her Big Machine radio commentary about the song.
When speaking about "Style" on "On Air With Ryan Seacrest [20]" in 2014, Swift also related the song to "I Wish You Would," stating that the two songs share a bond that's not quite "synced up."
Is Taylor Swift's "How You Get the Girl" About Harry Styles? Theory
The telling lyrics: "Broke your heart, I'll put it back together / I would wait forever and ever," "Remind her how it used to be, be, yeah-yeah / With pictures in frames of kisses on cheeks, cheeks"
The secret message behind the song: "Then one day he came back."
Why it's about Harry Styles: In a 2014 interview with Audacy [21], Swift shared that she wrote "How You Get the Girl" as an instruction manual to help guide the guys who want to get back together with an ex they haven't spoken to in over six months — leading fans to believe that Swift's tumultuous on-again-off-again relationship with Styles might have lent itself to the creation of this track. The secret one-liner, along with the subtle lyrical shift at the end, "And that's how it works / That's how you got the girl," signifies that she may have taken him back at one point after a significant amount of time.
Is Taylor Swift's "This Love" About Harry Styles? Theory
The telling lyrics: "This love is good, this love is bad / This love is alive back from the dead, oh-oh, oh / These hands had to let it go free, and / This love came back to me, oh-oh, oh," "Your kiss, my cheek / I watched you leave / Your smile, my ghost / I fell to my knees / When you're young, you just run / But you come back to what you need"
The secret message behind the song: "Timing is a funny thing."
Why it's about Harry Styles: In 2022, Swift released the remastered version of this track, titled "This Love (Taylor's Version)," as part of her efforts to reclaim her earlier work amid an ongoing fight for ownership of her masters. [22] The track, solely written by Swift, ponders on a love that was great when it lasted and the haunting aftermath of letting this person go because they're not quite on the same page despite deeply caring about one another.
"It's about kind of an experience I had where if you truly care about someone and you know they're not ready to be in a relationship, you will let them go. And it sucks to be the one who has to let something go and cut someone loose when you don't want to. But I think you have to be selfless in relationships when you know that it's not the right time," Swift said in her Big Machine Radio commentary [23] for "This Love."
She went on to add that this person supposedly came back into her life when the time was right. "And if you make that decision and that person is supposed to be in your life, they'll come back. And this was the way I felt when that came back around."
Is Taylor Swift's "Question...?" About Harry Styles? Theory
The telling lyrics: "Did you ever have someone kiss you in a crowded room? / And every single one of your friends was making fun of you / But 15 seconds latеr they were clapping, too?"
Why it's about Harry Styles: Styles and Swift shared a New Year's Eve kiss [27] in 2013, so this could be a reference to their kiss followed by an explosion of cheers when the ball dropped. Fans also noticed that the song sounds similar to "Out of the Woods," which is also thought to be about her romance with Styles.