Taylor Swift Songs Everyone Thinks Are About John Mayer

John Mayer joined Taylor Swift's complex dating history in 2009, seemingly unencumbered by the fact that he was 32 at the time and she was just 19. They began dating in March, after the "Gravity" singer took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share that he wanted to collaborate with Swift on an unreleased track, "Half of My Heart." Speaking to Elle in June, the "Cruel Summer" hitmaker confessed that she had a total fangirl moment after learning of Mayer's tweet because she had such a deep admiration for his work. So, we can only imagine how great the pop star felt when Mayer joined her on stage during her Fearless Tour, to perform "Your Body Is A Wonderland" and "White Horse." Meanwhile, Mayer's wishes came true as Swift joined forces with him on "Half Of My Heart." 

He went on to gush about his collaborator during a subsequent appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," noting, "She's one of the smartest, most talented people around right now. [...] I think she's that genuine." Despite everything, the musical duo only sparked dating rumors in January 2010 after being photographed out on a date. However, it seems like their romance was short-lived because rumors of a split started popping up as early as February. Still, the supposed exes hugged and shared a peck on the cheek in June after Mayer raved about Swift at the Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. While their relationship may have been brief, it clearly made a mark on the "Shake It Off" songstress since she went on to supposedly write several emotional songs about him.

Although Taylor Swift has been open about why so many of her songs are about her life, she has consistently refused to reveal the muses behind her music. However, it didn't seem like her 2010 track "Dear John" could be about anybody except John Mayer. In the powerful ballad, Swift regrettably looks back on their relationship and wonders why she didn't pay more attention to all the glaring red flags. She sings about how others warned her that the "Daughters" singer was nothing but trouble, but Swift ignored them and ended up learning about his manipulative tendencies firsthand as a result. The "I Knew You Were Trouble" hitmaker compares their romance to an ever-changing "chess game" where each move had to be calculated with razor-sharp precision. Swift also calls out their 13-year age gap with the scathing lyric, "Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?"

During a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone, Mayer confessed to feeling "humiliated" by the track, decrying it as "cheap songwriting." As the singer-songwriter snarked, "I know she's the biggest thing in the world, and I'm not trying to sink anybody's ship, but I think it's abusing your talent to rub your hands together and go, 'Wait till he gets a load of this!' That's bull****." When Mayer's response came up in the "Blank Space" hitmaker's Glamour interview just a few months later, she called her ex "presumptuous" for assuming the song was about him, reiterating that the inspiration behind her music would remain a secret.

During a chat with USA Today, Taylor Swift revealed that "The Story Of Us," her explosive 2010 track, "is about running into someone I had been in a relationship with at an awards show, and we were seated a few seats away from each other." The pop star added, "I just wanted to say to him, 'Is this killing you? Because it's killing me.' But I didn't. Because I couldn't. Because we both had these silent shields up." It certainly seems like the song chronicles the time the Grammy winner and John Mayer were both in attendance at the 2010 CMT Music Awards. "The Story Of Us" starts with the singer-songwriter happily imagining how she would walk into an event with her beau someday and share their sweet love story with people. In reality, however, she had to find a seat for herself knowing full well that somebody she once knew and loved was also in the room. 

In fact, they were both making desperate attempts to put on a show of nonchalance and make it seem like they barely even noticed each other's presence at the star-studded event. However, Swift acknowledges in the song that her mind was overrun by all the things they didn't say to each other during their relationship. Despite all the supposed pain, she still candidly confesses, "But I would lay my armor down, if you'd say you'd rather love than fight." And yet, the pop star already knew that their love story had turned into a tragedy.

Although Taylor Swift and John Mayer's relationship clearly brought her tons of heartbreak, a couple of songs on "Speak Now" highlight the happier times. For instance, in "Ours," Swift seemingly sings about how her romance with Mayer was met with skepticism from the public, but she chose to tune out all the negativity to focus on their love. While speaking to VH1.com, the pop star disclosed that she wrote the sweet song for "this guy that nobody thought I should be with." Swift continued, "I wrote this song specifically just to play it for him, just to show him like I don't care what anyone says. [...] I love you for who you are," (via YouTube). Of course, that description could allude to Mayer's bad reputation, which brought warnings that she regretted ignoring in "Dear John." 

Additionally, the "22" hitmaker also sings about how she loves Mayer's quirks like the gap between his teeth and his tattoos, of which her parents would inevitably disapprove. The singer-songwriter is also believed to have written "Superman" as an ode to her former lover. In the track, she puts herself in Lois Lane's shoes as she watches her partner fly away to save the day. While Swift acknowledges that many might understandably consider her beau the villain, she sings that she doesn't see him the same way, reasoning, "Something in his deep brown eyes has me singing he's not all bad like his reputation."

Most of the songs that Taylor Swift wrote for John Mayer were featured on her 2010 release "Speak Now." However, she revisited their relationship from a more adult perspective in 2022 predominantly through "Would've, Could've, Should've." In many ways, the track serves as a counterpart to "Dear John" as the singer-songwriter admits that her grave regrets about their union continue to haunt her over a decade later. From the very first verse, the "Anti-Hero" songstress makes it clear that the song refers to a relationship with an older partner, with the cutting lyric, "And if I was some paint, did it splatter on a promising grown man? And if I was a child, did it matter if you got to wash your hands?" 

Later on, she seemingly confirms that Mayer was the inspiration for the track by stating outright that she was 19 years old during their relationship. Throughout, Swift wishes that her ex would have ended things before they really began. Still, she also divulges that the heartache felt like "heaven" back then. As the third verse concludes, Swift hits us with a career highlight of a lyric: "Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first." 

Interestingly, "Would've, Could've, Should've" has a direct parallel to "Dear John." In the earlier release, Swift sings "I should have known" to express her regrets about ignoring the many warning signs. Meanwhile, in the 2022 track, the pop star sings about how she learned Mayer's truth with the lyric: "And now that I know I wish you left me wondering." 

Before Taylor Swift released her own version of "Speak Now" in 2023, she called for online kindness, presumably to stop her fans from tearing into John Mayer after listening to the unreleased tracks. Fortunately for him, the "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" vault offerings only had one song in store for him: "Foolish One." Similar to many other heartbreaking tracks on the original release, "Foolish One" describes a relationship with a confusing partner who constantly runs hot and cold. While most of those songs focus on Mayer's manipulative tendencies, this one takes a more introspective approach as Swift sings about how she essentially deluded herself into seeing him in a more positive light. 

The pop star contends that there were some glaring red flags in his behavior, like the "New Light" hitmaker's inconsistent attention and inability to define their relationship. But instead of focusing on the negatives in her partner, Swift chooses to believe that they will have a happy future someday when none of these things will matter anymore. However, these fantasies are rudely interrupted by the singer-songwriter's voice of reason.

It reminds her: "You are not the exception. You will never learn your lesson." Unfortunately, the "Fortnight" hitmaker only sees her partner's true colors after she learns that he has another woman in his life. Despite everything, Swift talks to her past self in a reassuring and compassionate tone as she sweetly ends the song with, "Foolish one, the day is gonna come for your confessions of love. When all is said and done, he just wasn't the one."