Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn were dating for nearly seven years. During that time, Taylor wrote several songs about this long-term boyfriend. Here they all are.
1. “Delicate” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2017
The song “Delicate” is one of Swift’s most vulnerable. She conveys sensitive moments in her then-budding relationship with Alwyn and admits to the public that she’s sensitive about her reputation.
It’s about getting to know someone and feeling self-conscious but also being self-aware about who you are and what you can bring to a relationship. It also speaks to constantly being in the public eye and how that reality makes it difficult to get to know someone.
Swift speaks to “this lover” – likely Joe Alwyn based on the year the song came out – about how he must love her for who she is.
2. “End Game” by Taylor Swift, Featuring Future and Ed Sheeran
Song Year: 2017
It becomes clear that multiple songs in the Reputation album are about Alwyn. That is not only because she was dating him at the time. As she wrote the album, their relationship was forming, and many of the lyrics reflect that.
In “End Game,” Swift sings about how she and her loved one both have big reputations, which is true. Taylor Swift is a pop star, and Joe Alwyn is a famous actor.
The song is about how her reputation in the media does not reflect who she is and what she wants. She often gets seen as a villain in relationships or painted as a crazy girlfriend, and she even made the song and video “Blank Space” to make fun of that media portrayal.
So through this song, she assures Alwyn that she wants him for the long run, not just to hurt and play games.
3. “Gorgeous” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2017
“Gorgeous” is a cutesy, fun, upbeat song that fans immediately loved but had a difficult time figuring out who it was about – Joe Alwyn or Tom Hiddleston.
She mentions “blue eyes” and makes fun of how this person talks and both Alwyn and Hiddleston have blue eyes and British accents.
Though, what makes most people assume that it’s about Alwyn is that most of the other love songs on Reputation presumably.
More tellingly, she mentions that she has an older boyfriend who goes to the club, likely a reference to Calvin Harris, who she was with when she met Alwyn and Hiddleston but is older than Alwyn and not Hiddleston.
4. “Call It What You Want” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2017
Swift started dating Alwyn towards the end of 2016, but it was different this time. She made it a point to keep things more private and probably hesitated to drop any labels due to this desire for more secrecy.
The song “Call It What You Want” works as a blanket response to everyone who asks her, “are you dating someone” or “do you have another boyfriend.”
To Swift, it didn’t matter what you called the relationship; what mattered was how good the relationship was making her feel, as she conveys through the loving lyrics of the song.
5. “King of My Heart” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2017
Taylor’s no stranger to incorporating metaphors about royalty and fairytales into her music, especially her love songs, as she did it in “Love Story,” “Enchanted,” “Archer,” and more, and “King of My Heart,” is a fantastic addition to the list.
It’s another likely love song directed towards Alwyn in Reputation, one very different from her other poignant, grittier, and sassier songs on the album. It resembled more of her earlier music, which was a treat to die-hard Swifties.
In this song, listeners get a sense that Joe is different than all her other exes, including her two most recent at the time, Calvin Harris and Tom Hiddleston. Joe is, as the lyrics suggest, the one she’s been waiting for.
6. “Dress” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2017
“Dress” is one of Taylor Swift’s more sensual tracks.
As mentioned earlier, her relationship with Alwyn was one that she wanted to keep more out of the public eye than the ones before, but in “Dress,” she lets people in on her and Alwyn’s secret rendezvous and more intimate moments.
It’s clear she’s talking about Alwyn because she mentions how her lover had a buzzcut and her hair got bleached when they first met, and these hairstyles are what they were rocking when they met at the 2016 Met Gala.
7. “Lover” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2019
If you thought Reputation had a lot of songs about Joe Alwyn, Lover might have topped it, as the album seemed almost dedicated to her now long-term boyfriend.
The song “Lover” has a different feel than any of the Reputation songs because it’s less about the beginnings of a relationship and more about building a future together. It speaks specifically about moving in together and perhaps one day tying the not.
Usually, Swift drops hints about the person she’s writing about through imagery, dates or months, physical features, etc.
In “Lover,” she drops an interesting timeline, stating that she’s loved this person for three summers, which lines up with her beginning to fall in love with Joe in the summer of 2016.
8. Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2019
In “Cruel Summer,” Swift reflects on a tumultuous summer that was confusing at best and frustrating at most.
She got caught in an emotional love triangle, which likely refers to dating Tom Hiddleston but hitting it off with Joe Alwyn in the summer of 2016.
Swift alludes to bending the rules, angels rolling their eyes at them, crying in the back of the car, keeping secrets, sneaking away, and ultimately getting swept up in a risky romance.
9. “Paper Rings” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2019
The most chipper song about Joe Alwynis “Paper Rings,” from her Lover album. She mentions being friends first but accidentally falling into “this,” i.e., a romantic relationship.
It has a funky and fun beat that’s fun to dance to and has cute, heartwarming lyrics about wanting to marry someone even if you have to marry them with cheap paper rings.
Both the lyrics and beat are responsible for this song becoming a common choice for a modern wedding song.
10. “London Boy” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2019
At the start of “London Boy,” the listener hears the voice of an English man, and it’s easy to wonder if that’s Joe Alwyn.
The voice is that of famous actor Idris Elba, but it’s still safe to say that “London Boy” is entirely about Alwyn. Swift writes about visiting Highgate and meeting her significant other’s best friends, and lo’ and behold, Alwyn grew up right near Highgate.
Plus, she wrote a song about a London boy while in a relationship with a London boy, so she certainly wasn’t trying to hide her love for Alwyn at this point!
11. “Daylight” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2019
In “Daylight,” Swift sings about how her past love life looked terrible in the light but how this current love makes her see beautiful, promising daylight.
She also writes about not wanting to see anything else after seeing this person, which is a beautiful sentiment to write about someone you love.
Again, it was clear that Swift was referring to Alwyn, and it was another love song to him on her Lover album.
12. “Archer” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2019
“Archer” is more about how negatively she’s historically gotten portrayed in the media. She labels herself as both the archer and the prey, or in other words, both the villain and the victim, regarding her reputation.
In a sense, this song is about her life in general and her insecurities about being able to keep someone in her high-publicized, abnormal life.
But when she asks who can ever stay, she finally responds “you” towards the end, with you referring to Joe Alwyn. She highly appreciates his commitment to her, regardless of what the press says about her.
13. “Cornelia Street” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2019
“Cornelia Street” references Taylor Swift’s townhouse in NYC, where she resided between 2016 and 2017 – the same timeline that lines up with her budding relationship with Joe Alwyn.
This song is unlike others on Lover in that it has a more melancholy feel. She refers to being intoxicated in the backseat, which alludes to her lyrics in “Cruel Summer,” thus making it even clearer that both songs are likely about Alwyn.
The reason it sounds a bit sad is that it expresses her fear of losing Alwyn.
14. “Invisible String” by Taylor Swift
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuFnpmGwg5k
Song Year: 2020
“Invisible String” is one of Swift’s most heartwarming hits from Folklore.
She conveys how past failed relationships and random moments in life led her to her true love – Joe!
Fans easily found out that this was about Joe – and not an entirely made-up “folklore” story – because Joe used to work in a frozen yogurt shop, and Swift mentions how this lover used to work at “a yogurt shop” to make a little money.
It’s a beautiful sentiment to believe you and your significant other were destined to be together, tied by an invisible string.
15. “Gold Rush” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2020
It’s common knowledge that when Swift sings about “Gold,” it’s about Joe, so it was clear that “Gold Rush” was about feeling self-conscious in her relationship with Joe.
She understands that he’s a huge catch. He’s gorgeous, talented, and sweet, so of course, so many people would want him, just as everyone wants gold.
Many people feel similarly at the start of the relationship, but feeling like your partner is too good for you could indicate that you love, respect, and admire them!
16. “Peace” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2020
In an interview, Taylor spoke directly about the meaning of “Peace,” stating that it’s about trying to carve out a more personal, human life instead of carrying on in the ultra-public, exposed life she has, and doing this with someone you love who seems more grounded than you.
She makes references in various songs to how public attention is both a blessing and a crime, especially when it comes to making a relationship work.
Ultimately, this song is about her wanting a normal, peaceful life with Joe but being afraid about what might pop up about her in the media at any moment, thus not being able to give him peace.
17. “Lavender Haze” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2022
If it wasn’t clear in Reputation and Lover that Taylor Swift was speaking about Joe, Midnights made it loud and clear, as they had been a couple for around six years when it came out.
And Swift has always had a knack for writing about her personal life, but Midnights is probably her most personally revealing and vulnerable album.
It starts with the opening track, “Lavender Haze,” which is a phrase that speaks to being very in love with someone in an all-encompassing way and not wanting to be knocked off that dreamy, glorious lavender cloud.
18. “Snow on the Beach” by Taylor Swift, Featuring Lana Del Rey
Song Year: 2022
Swift has described the song “Snow on the Beach” as being about that strange and exciting feeling of falling in love with someone and having it reciprocated.
It’s a weird yet beautiful feeling when love just works. It’s especially weird when you feel like someone is out of your league, and you’re genuinely surprised they like you back, which is the sentiment of this dreamy, wispy song.
19. “Labyrinth” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2022
“Labyrinth” has a similarly wispy and lighthearted feel to it as “Snow on the Beach,” yet with the support of some subtle synth-pop notes that add a classic Taylor-pop feel.
The song illustrates that excited yet nerve-wracking feeling you get when you know you’re starting to fall in love with someone again.
It’s a raw, confusing, dizzying feeling that’s hard to describe, but the lyrics and sentiment of this song do it very well, and we can assume it represents how she felt at the beginning of Joe Alwyn’s relationship.
20. “Sweet Nothing” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2022
“Sweet Nothing” follows the same light- and romantic-pop vibe of “Labyrinth” and “Snow on the Beach,” but it takes a calmer tone.
The song is about how other people might doubt your relationship, but it’s crucial to listen to yourself and how you’re feeling, even if it’s hard to describe. It’s especially true for Swift, as everyone wants something from her, but Joe wants nothing from her – “Sweet Nothing.”
Swift wrote this song with Joe Alwyn as the co-writer under the pen name Willaim Bowery.
22. “Mastermind” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2022
By the time Midnights came out, Swift had already released several tracks that alluded to the first time she and Alwyn met, which people now recognize as the 2016 Met Gala. She had also met Tom Hiddleston there and was currently dating Calvin Harris, so it was surely an interesting, pivotal night.
“Mastermind,” however, ties all this together by alluding to the idea that she had planned for them to meet and fall in love. She had this idea in her head the whole time, according to this cheeky song.
Swift is potentially poking fun at the fact that she is seen as overly “calculated.” She has taken it upon herself to call herself a “mastermind” in both her art and relationships!
23. “Paris” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2022
The song “Paris” is featured on Swift’s Midnights 3 am Edition and was a beautiful, lighthearted addition to a more somber extension overall.
“Paris” is about being so in love that you don’t feel like you’re even in the same space as anyone else, and don’t care what else is happening in the world.
In your head, you might as well be in “Paris,” given how giddy and romantic you’re feeling. This song was likely inspired by her romantic times with Alwyn.
24. “Glitch” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2022
Taylor Swift is well-known for her intentional, almost comically specific lyrics that are fun for her fans to catch and interpret.
“Glitch” has a line about it being “2,190 days” of her and the person she’s singing about being together to some capacity. That’s 365 x 6, i.e., six years – the period she’s been with Joe Alwyn!
She also alludes to how they were supposed to just be friends, which she points out in other songs, such as suggesting in “Paper Rings” that it was an accident going from friends to lovers.
25. “The Great War” by Taylor Swift
Song Year: 2022
Last but not least is “The Great War.” As beautiful as a relationship can be, there are always struggles and battles, which is what “The Great War” is about.
However, it has a positive message, as it’s ultimately about surviving the “war,” as in getting through the tough times in a relationship.
People think this might be about Joe Alwyn because it’s the only relationship she has that has “survived” since she is still with him!
Top Taylor Swift Songs About Joe Alwyn, Final Word
Taylor Swift is a singer, songwriter, actress, guitarist, pianist, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and producer with worldwide fame and recognition.
She’s known for writing about love, which sometimes includes writing about men that the public knows, such as her current boyfriend, Joe Alwyn.
Which of these Taylor Swift songs about Joe Alwyn makes your heart melt the most? Let us know in the comments!