Taylor Swift Confirms ‘Lover’ Is About Moving In With Joe Alwyn — A Recap Of Their Love Story
Almost one year after it came out, Taylor Swift has finally revealed what her track “Lover” is really about. Yep,
Lillie Gissen
Almost one year after it came out, Taylor Swift has finally revealed what her track “Lover” is really about. Yep, while speaking at the 2020 Nashville Songwriter Awards, she explained that it was inspired by moving in with her boyfriend,Joe Alwyn.
“Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand?/ With every guitar string scar on my hand / I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover,” the lyrics to the romantic love song read. “My heart’s been borrowed and yours has been blue / All’s well that ends well to end up with you / Swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover / And you’ll save all your dirtiest jokes for me / And at every table, I’ll save you a seat, lover.”
“Obviously… I have a lot of guitar string scars on my hand from changing strings, tuning over the years, but there’s also the symbolic part of it which is I’ve written a lot of songs about break ups and let downs, so you kind of hope that if somebody’s going to choose you, they’re going to choose you along with all the hurt in the past and that you’re going to do the same for them,” Swift revealed about the song in the new interview. “And then the rest of the song I wanted to paint a picture of two people who are learning to live together for the first time, realizing you can make your own traditions, stay up as late as you want, keep the Christmas lights up as long as you want, you can let your friends stay over if the night goes on too long… because this is your life and your family that you are choosing.”
As fans know, when the tune first premiered in August 2019, many fans were quick to notice that she had included a lot of clues in the lyrics and in the music video, that hinted it was about her relationship with Alwyn. Like, for example, when she threw in a British flag in the visual.
The singer concluded, “I think that’s a really beautiful thing when people choose to spend their life together. And so it’s sort of a celebration of taking that very adult step of living with someone and deciding this is the path forward for you, walking alongside somebody else.”
OK, is anyone else’s hearts bursting right now?! We know ours are. But wait, when did these two first start dating, you ask? How did they even meet? What have they said about each other? And what else do we know about their relationship? Not to worry, people, because we went ahead and recapped their entire love story from start to finish for you. Here’s a complete timeline of their adorable romance…
It All Started In October 2016
So unfortunately, it’s still unclear when exactly they officially started dating, but the two stars both attended the Met Gala in May 2016, and some people believe that’s where they met for the first time (although there’s no photo evidence of them even interacting at the event)! Then, in October 2016, they were both spotted at the same Kings of Leon concert (but again, there’s no photos). Plus, one month later, the “Cardigan” songstress was caught entering a movie theater with her mom, and they were reportedly going to see Alwyn’s new movie, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk.
Rumors First Hit The Web That They Were Dating In May 2017
But it wasn’t until May 2017, when the first news reports hit the web, that we had any idea that they were dating. And at the time, The Sun claimed that they had secretly been together for months before that.
“Taylor and Joe are the real deal, this is a very serious relationship,” a source told them. “Taylor has flown in via private jets and her security has made it a military-like mission to prevent her from being seen.”
They Were Photographed Together For The First Time In June 2017
Despite all the speculation that something was going on between them, it wasn’t until June 2017 that the couple was photographed together for the first time. Paparazzi caught them sitting on a balcony together in Nashville, TN, and it was a pretty big deal, TBH.
When ‘Reputation’ Came Out In November 2017, There Were A Lot Of Songs On It About Joe Alwyn
When Swift dropped her album, Reputation, later that year, fans finally got some insight on their super private relationship! It’s believed that the songs “Don’t Blame Me,” “Delicate,” “Gorgeous,” “King of My Heart,” “Dress,” “Call it What You Want” and “New Year’s Day” were all about him.
That’s not all. Some eagle-eyed followers noticed around the same time that the pop star was wearing a necklace with the letter “J” on it in a few of her social media snaps.
They Publicly Packed On The PDA For The First Time In December 2017
Since they had been notoriously secretive about their relationship, when they were caught packing on the PDA at Capital FM’s Jingle Bell Ball in December 2017, the internet quickly went into a frenzy. Yep, fans took some videos of them cuddling and dancing with their arms around each other in the audience, and it was everything!
Taylor and Joe watching Ed Sheeran perform #CapitalJBB [IG story: stefflondon] pic.twitter.com/yA3QhqEyQt
— Taylor Swift News (@TSwiftNZ) December 11, 2017
They Kind Of Went Instagram Official In May 2018
In May 2018, both stars shared photos of themselves standing in front of the exact same cactus. That just had to mean that they were together when the pictures were taken, right?!
Does this count as making their relationship Instagram official?! We’ll let you decide.
Joe Alwyn Spoke About Their Relationship For The First Time During A September 2018 Interview
September 2018 was monumental for the couple. Why? Well, besides being photographed walking hand-in-hand around New York City, the movie star also spoke out about their relationship for the first time ever that month! Well, sort of.
“I’m aware people want to know about that side of things,” he told British Vogue, when asked about Swift. “I think we have been successfully very private and that has now sunk in for people… but I really prefer to talk about work.”
Taylor Swift Shouted Joe Alwyn Out On Instagram In November 2018
Technically, the musician shouted out his new movie, The Favourite, but she tagged Alwyn in the post, and that was enough for us.
“The Favourite is absolutely phenomenal, and it opens in NY and LA tomorrow — Swipe to see cities and dates! @thefavouritemovie @joe.alwyn @nicholashoult,” she wrote.
Plus, when GQ Magazine tried to get some more info on their relationship during an interview that same month, Alwyn quickly shut them down.
“Someone’s private life is, by definition, private. No one is obliged to share their personal life,” he said. And when they pressed on, he added, “I’m just not even going to go into that side of the world.”
In The Months That Followed, Joe Alwyn Spilled A Few More Details About Their Relationship
During an interview with Esquire in December 2018, the actor revealed he didn’t get any advice from his friends when it came to his relationship with Swift.
“I didn’t seek out advice on that,” he said. “Because I know what I feel about it. I think there’s a very clear line as to what somebody should share, or feel like they have to share, and what they don’t want to and shouldn’t have to.”
He also explained to Mr. Porter’s The Journal why he didn’t like speaking about his love life during interviews.
“I don’t think anyone you meet on the streets would just spill their guts out to you, and therefore why should I?” he told them. “And then that is defined as being ‘strangely private.’ Fine. But I don’t think it is. I think it’s normal.”
Things Heated Up Between Them In February 2019
The pair definitely did not try to hide their love at the after party for the 2019 BAFTA Awards. Not only were they photographed entering the party holding hands, but onlookers from inside the event also got some pics and videos of them slow dancing and kissing!
Taylor Swift Dropped Her Album ‘Lover’ In August 2019
We already know the song “Lover” is about her relationship with Alwyn, but there were numerous other songs that are believed to be written about him on the album, including “London Boy,” “The Archer,” “I Think He Knows,” “Paper Rings” and “False God.”
Plus, while promoting the new LP that same month, the superstar explained to The Guardian about why she doesn’t want to talk about the relationship to the public.
“I’ve learned that if I do, people think it’s up for discussion, and our relationship isn’t up for discussion,” she dished. “If you and I were having a glass of wine right now, we’d be talking about it – but it’s just that it goes out into the world. That’s where the boundary is, and that’s where my life has become manageable. I really want to keep it feeling manageable.”
They Got Cozy In October 2019
The couple was spotted getting pretty cozy during the SNL after party in October 2019.
“They were definitely very cozy with each other. Taylor was on Joe’s arm the whole night and were definitely holding hands a bunch. They were surprisingly warm and intimate towards one another the whole evening,” an eyewitness told Us Weekly, adding that it was rare for the two stars to be “more than a few feet away from one another” even if they were chatting with other people. So cute!
They Spent Thanksgiving Together In November 2019
According to reports, the duo spent Thanksgiving together in London in November 2019. Plus, a few weeks later, the 29-year-old got real about how he deals with all the attention surrounding his relationship with Swift.
“I just don’t really engage with anything that I don’t want to engage with,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “And so if there’s any kind of extra noise about things that I’m not so interested in, I’ll just turn it off. And so it just disappears, to a degree.”
Joe Alwyn Said He Didn’t Mind That Taylor Swift Wrote Songs About Him
During a December 2019 interview with The Sunday Times, Alwyn was asked if he was bothered by Swift writing songs about him. And he explained, “No, not at all. No. It’s flattering.”
He also said that “99.9 percent of what the press write about them is false.”
“I just don’t pay attention to what I don’t want to pay attention to,” he added. “I turn everything else down on a dial. I don’t have any interest in tabloids. I know what I want to do, and that’s this, and that’s what I am doing.”
Plus, the actor was spotted supporting his girlfriend at the Cats: The Movie premiere in London that same month.
They Rang In The New Year Together In The Maldives
British singer Matthew Crane claimed on Instagram that Swift and Alwyn rang in the New Year together in the Maldvies! How romantic is that?!
“So I can now finally reveal who I sung to on New Year’s Eve in the Maldives, probably the most notable pop star at the moment, the one and only @taylorswift and @joe.alwyn. They were both so friendly and kind to me when I performed, they even gave me a standing ovation and complimented on my voice,” he wrote on Instagram a few months later. “It was truly an honor and an experience that I will never forget.”
In the same month, cameras panned to the audience during the 2020 Golden Globes, and everyone was in for a treat when they spotted Swift and Alwyn sitting side by side.
Taylor and Joe giving standing ovations, in sync TOGETHER #GoldenGlobes via @carlyylalaa pic.twitter.com/t79RdsnJh4
— Taylor Swift Updates (@SimplySFans) January 6, 2020
When Taylor Swift’s Documentary Came Out In January 2020, She Spilled So Much Tea On The Relationship
Although she didn’t say his name, Swift seemingly spilled a lot of tea on her relationship with Alwyn during her Miss Americana Netflix documentary. She revealed that she fell for her beau after having her now-infamous feud with Kim Kardashian in 2016.
“I felt alone, I felt really bitter. I felt sort of like a wounded animal lashing out,” she said. “I figured I had to reset everything. I had to reconstruct an entire belief system for my own personal sanity. I also was falling in love with someone who had a wonderfully normal, balanced life.”
The 30-year-old continued, “We decided together we wanted our relationship to be private. Even though [my public image in 2016] was really horrible, I was happy. But I wasn’t happy in the way I was trained to be happy. It was happiness without anyone else’s input. We were just… happy.”
Now, They’re Quarantined Together
In April 2020, Alwyn confirmed that he and Swift were indeed spending the coronavirus quarantine together. He shared some pictures of her cats to his Instagram stories, proving he was with the singer. We can’t wait to see what’s next for them!
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