Taylor Alison Swift, the talented, often vicious songwriter, is presently on her whirlwind Eras Tour, after unleashing emotional havoc with one album launch after another in recent years. Following the release of her folklore and evermore albums in 2020, Taylor said that she will be releasing new versions of her older albums in order to reclaim ownership of her masters. Fearless and Red were released in 2021, thrusting us all into the emotional agony of our adolescence and early adolescent sorrow. Then came the release of Midnights in 2022. It’s safe to say our girl has been very busy!
Taylor fans have been busy rediscovering the thrill of her pop-country sound with the publication of these records, particularly the 10-minute version of All Too Well. Not to mention listening to her break-up songs about Mr. “Steal Your Scarf” himself, Jake Gyllenhaal. Of course, Taylor Swift’s Version, Speak Now, 1989, and Reputation are still on the way.
Unconfirmed reports claim “Speak Now is next on the list,” Taylor wrote the album fully when she was 19 years old, and it includes soul-destroying songs about her famous exes Joe Jonas, Taylor Lautner, and John Mayer.
Are Taylor Swift and John Mayer’s Wife Friends?
While Joe is already in on the joke — he and his wife Sophie Turner are good friends with Taylor – ex-partners like John may be caught off guard. If you weren’t aware of this juicy moment in pop culture history, you might be asking, did Taylor Swift and John Mayer really date? Yes, the answer is yes!
Taylor and John dated from 2009 to 2010, when she was 19 and he was 32. A sore point that earned its own famous, heartbreaking line in the appropriately titled song Dear John. Their age difference and ill-fated love were brought to light again when Taylor recorded Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve on her Midnights album. While they were dating, they worked on music together and would afterwards tear each other to shreds with their own songs. However, it’s safe to conclude that the majority of individuals in this debate support Swift. So, let’s start from the beginning.
How Did Taylor Swift and John Mayer’s Relationship Start?
In March 2009, John initially contacted Taylor via Twitter, which was reportedly the only method he could contact her… for some reason. John expressed his desire to record a song with Fearless, comparing her to Fleetwood Mac’s renowned Stevie Nicks.
“Waking up to this song idea that won’t leave my head. 3 days straight now. That means it’s good enough to finish,” he explained. “The song is called Half of My Heart, and I’d like to sing it with Taylor Swift.” In contrast to my Tom Petty song, she would make a fantastic Stevie Nicks.” Taylor, who had just published her second album at the time, was understandably star struck when she learned John wanted to collaborate with her. “I freaked out when I heard, because I’ve been such a big fan of John for such a long time,” she told Elle later. “I’m really excited about just the idea that he would even mention me in his Twitter.
The couple has never came out publicly to announce that they were dating. They were rumored to be a “official couple” from December 2009 to mid-2010. There were rumours that the couple separated up in February 2010, which would explain why John presented Taylor with an award later that year. When John presented Taylor with an award at the 41st Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Ceremony in June 2010, there looked to be no ill will between the two. Given how she felt about their divorce, we doubt they would have been hugging and complimenting each other if they were broken up at this point.
The Song Half of My Heart Dropped December 2009
Taylor was joined on stage by John as she began her Fearless tour across the United States. He appeared at her performance at Los Angeles’ Staples Center, singing Your Body Is A Wonderland and White Horse. Swiftie had a meltdown after his surprise guest appearances, and the two went on to release Half of My Heart in June 2009.
Given the events that transpired between these two, the lyrics to Half of My Heart were rather suitable. The song was about someone who perceived their heart as divided: half of it wanted to stay with their spouse, while the other half wanted to leave the relationship. The track’s most telling lyric was perhaps. They sang the song together during John’s act at Z100’s Jingle Ball in December 2009, after it was released. Close sources “confirmed” that they were an item at this stage.
The Songwriters Awards followed the CMT Awards, which both stars attended. News outlets said that they were there together at the time. Many believe Taylor’s song The Story of Us, which narrates the story of an on-again, off-again affair coming to an end and sings about being in a “crowded room” but not speaking to one another, is about their encounter at that award presentation. Taylor would utilize her lyrical prowess to recount their divorce in painful detail a few months later, in October, when she published Dear John.
Taylor Swift’s Dear John
Dear John letter is one you send to your partner to tell them you no longer love them. Also, his name is unmistakably John. So there you have it. The ultimate scorcher of a song was released in October 2010 as part of Taylor’s Speak Now album, and is regarded as one of the album’s standout tunes.
“Dear John, I see it all now it was wrong
“Don’t you think nineteen is too young”
“To be played by your dark twisted games, when I loved you so?”
“I should’ve known – “Well maybe it’s me and my blind optimism to blame…. Maybe it’s you and your sick need to give love then take it away… And you’ll add my name to your long list of traitors who don’t understand…. And I’ll look back and regret how I ignored when they said “run as fast as you can”
Photocredit to NME News