‘Style’ to ‘Wildest Dreams’: All Taylor Swift songs rumoured to be about Harry Styles

Tag : Lifestyle

Much of Taylor Swift’s discography is deeply personal, with many of her songs delving into her past relationships. The singer knows how to aptly put her life experiences and the gamut of emotions into her songs, which is what makes her so relatable, and her songs absolutely therapeutic. You know it’s not a Taylor Swift album without legions of fans trying to determine who the songs are about. The pop star has dated many showbiz personalities and one of her most popular past subjects happens to be British singer Harry Styles. While her romance with Styles lasted only briefly, their relationship inspired a trail of beautiful songs that’ll be etched in our hearts for a lifetime. We’ve rounded up all the songs from Taylor Swift’s vast discography that are believed to be about Harry Styles.

A brief timeline of Harry Styles-Taylor Swift’s relationship

For those unversed, Taylor and the former One Direction member reportedly dated from the last few months of 2012 to January 2013. The whirlwind romance caught all the media glare, and the first rumours of their alleged fling started when Taylor sported a paper aeroplane necklace (which had long become a signature of Style’s). The eagle-eyed paparazzi further captured them strolling together in the Central Park Zoo. Multiple reports claimed that the duo broke up in January 2013 during a vacation on the British Virgin Islands. Swift apparently flew home alone, while Styles stayed on the islands.

Most of the songs that hint at their romance are from two of Taylor’s albums – 1989 and Red. From Style, Out of the Woods to All You Had to Do Was Stay – here are all the Taylor Swift songs that hint at her relationship with Harry Styles.

All songs inspired by Taylor Swift–Harry Styles’s alleged romance

1. Style

Not only does the song share its name with Taylor’s ex, but the heavily referencing lyrics make it pretty clear that it’s an ode to Harry Styles. The hit single from her 1989 album talks about a roller-coaster relationship, filled with extreme highs and lows as the two people go round and round in circles, never really able to cut ties. The song talks about a romance that’s both passionate and reckless, and given how briefly Taylor’s relationship with Harry lasted, one can think about the song being dedicated to a rocky union that was bound to doom. A relationship that was all about late nights and long drives rather than trust and stability!

Take it from us, this mystery, dreamy James Dean guy who “got that long hair, slicked back, white T-shirt” is none other than the 2012-2013 Harry. Additionally, the lyrics “Midnight / You come and pick me up, no headlights” point towards the secrecy of the relationship, further cementing speculations that it’s about Styles. Further, the song cleverly references two songs by One Direction – You & I as well as Take Me Home. Coincidence? Likely not!

For all the Swifties who might have glanced through the album’s liner notes, the message “Her Heart Belonged To Someone Who Couldn’t Stay” is another take on Taylor and Harry’s rocky romance.

2. Out Of The Woods

Another song talking about the trials and tribulations of a reckless romance, Out Of The Woods is chronologically next to Style in Taylor’s 1989 album. The placement also made fans think that there’s a storyline connecting the two. The song echoes Taylor’s anxious state while being stuck in a highly-publicised relationship, as she mentioned in an earlier interview with Billboard.

What makes the song’s connotation to Harry even more clear is Taylor’s secret trip to the emergency room after a snowmobile accident with one of her exes. It can be noted in the lyrics – “Remember when you hit the brakes too soon/ Twenty stitches in a hospital room.” While it’s reported that Taylor didn’t get any serious injuries, Styles cut his chin badly and had to get 20 stitches.

Another reference which gives it all away is the mention of “paper airplanes” and a “necklace”. All One Direction fans can confirm that it’s a direct hint at Harry’s aeroplane necklace he wore at that time. What’s interesting is that the music video of Out Of The Woods features an exact same replica of the necklace Harry wore.

“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,” Swift mentioned while explaining the song in her Big Machine Radio commentary.

3. I Know Places

Taylor doesn’t shy away from calling out the hounding paparazzi in this massive 2014 hit. Constant media glare is any celebrity’s worst nightmare, with Taylor recounting the perils of dating someone in the spotlight and how constant speculation ultimately drowned her relationship. It’s no secret that the media was constantly badgering the couple and if you closely pay attention to the song, there’s constant use of midnight, camera flashlights, and the fox-and-hunter imagery to throw light on this lack of privacy.

“They are the hunters, we are the foxes,” “Lights flash and we’ll run for the fences / Let them say what they want, we won’t hear it,” are some of the many paparazzi references across the track. The song further highlights what it would be like if Taylor met a person who could be with her just as she is, with a few places to hide if need arises.

“I had this idea of when you’re in love, along the lines of ‘Out of the Woods,’ it’s very precious, it’s fragile,” Taylor mentioned in an earlier conversation with Billboard. The singer added that the frenzy around her relationship made her believe, “No one is gonna sign up for this. There are just too many cameras pointed at me. There are too many ridiculous elaborations on my life. It’s just not ever gonna work.”

4. All You Had to Do Was Stay

If you’ve closely followed Taylor’s relationships, you’ll remember a point when ‘Sad Taylor’ memes flooded the internet after her breakup with Styles. During their breakup in the British Virgin Islands, Harry apparently left Taylor on a boat, where she was clicked by the paparazzi, leading to a surge of memes. Many people have drawn parallels between their breakup and All You Had To Do Was Stay as the song talks about picking up the broken pieces and telling her past lover that all he had to do was stay!

The song take on an emotional rollercoaster, as Taylor yearns for how great the relationship could’ve been only if the other person was willing to try harder. The lyrics also mention “paper airplanes,” the famous necklace gift by Harry that has found its way into Style and Out Of The Woods as well.

5. I Wish You Would

I Wish You Would is all about Taylor basking in the memories of her past relationship, but this time, with no bitter feelings about how it ended. The singer creates a universe where both people are pining for each other, terribly missing each other, but still don’t let each other in. I Wish You Would will have you scream at the top of your lungs, wishing your long-lost love just comes rushing to you and tells you to get back together. Phew, why is love so hard?

One of the major lyrical hints that points towards Harry is “crooked love”. Taylor used the exact same phrase in an interview while describing her relationship with Styles. In an appearance on On Air With Ryan Seacrest in 2014, Swift drew parallels between I Wish You Would and Style (and we all know the latter screams her romance with Harry).

6. Clean

“She lost him but she found herself and somehow that was everything,” is what this pop ballad aims to convey. In the closing track of her 1989 album, Taylor finally seems to be liberated from all the shackles of her relationships. Trust us, the song is the ultimate goal for anyone enduring a heartbreak, giving you hope that there’s healing from all of it. Taylor establishes that she’s finally ‘clean’ and no longer imbued in deep emotions or attached to her past.

We’ve all had that gut-wrenching feeling after a breakup, feeling so conflicted and just nothing seems to distract us from it. However, the song stresses that as time passes, you build newer life patterns and habits away from getting those mushy good morning texts from that one person, away from those late-night calls where you sought comfort in each other. That’s when you finally move on!

The aforementioned message of Clean comes right at the end of the Out Of The Woods music video, which we’ve established by now, was about Styles.

7. Wonderland

This song has several (in) direct references to Harry Styles, the most obvious ones being “green eyes” and “Cheshire cat.” Styles has gorgeous green eyes and not to miss, he’s from Cheshire! Coincidence? We don’t think so!

Wonderland employs the concept of Alice In Wonderland to describe a relationship that feels too good to be true/ almost intoxicating at first but is bound to be doomed. Furthermore, the lyrics “But there were strangers watching / And whispers turned to talking/ And talking turned to screams, oh,” also shed light on the repetitive ‘media glare’ that Taylor and Harry’s relationship was mired by. All in all, Wonderland is the tale of a rocky romance, wherein it’s all fun and games till someone gets hurt.

8. Question…?

Released in 2022 as a part of Taylor’s Midnights album, this track is quite a throwback reference to the duo’s decade-old romance. There are two major reasons why fans think this song is about Harry. Firstly, the song sounds similar to Out Of The Woods, Taylor’s famous ode to Styles. Both the tracks echo many similar lyrics, including the lingering phrase “I remember”.

Secondly, the lyrics of Question…? talk about her friends laughing and clapping as she kissed in a crowded room, seemingly talking about Taylor and Harry’s New Year’s Eve kiss in 2013.

9. Wildest Dreams

A love both passionate and straight out of a fairytale, isn’t that all we want? Well, Taylor surely lived all our dreamy fantasies in her song, Wildest Dreams, released in 2015 (just a year after she dropped Styles-centered album, 1989). While there’s no explicit reference towards Styles, the timing of its release made many fans think she’s still penning songs about him. Moreover, there were also speculations that the lyrics “snow falling on a beach” talk about the trip Taylor and Styles took to St. Barts.

(Hero image credit: taylorswift/ harrystyles/ Instagram)

(Feature image credit: IMDb)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What song did Taylor Swift write about Harry Styles?

Many believe that Taylor Swift’s songs like Style, Out Of The Woods, I Know Places, Wonderland and Clean are about Harry Styles.

Who did Taylor Swift write Wonderland about?

Taylor Swift apparently wrote Wonderland about her whirlwind romance with Harry Styles. The duo briefly dated till January 2013.

Who did Harry Styles date after Taylor Swift?

Harry Styles has since been linked with many famous personalities including Olivia Wilde and Kendall Jenner.

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