There’s no denying that a big part of the appeal of Taylor Swift‘s music is the insight into her love life. Curiosity is humankind’s Achilles heel and the singer’s trademark evocative and detailed lyrics are like catnip for the nosy. Naturally, everyone is itching to get their first exclusive glimpse into Taylor’s feelings for what might be her most popular boyfriend to date, NFL man-of-the-hour Travis Kelce.
While Taylor never publicly discloses the subjects of her songs, fans have long been using timeframes and lyric clues to work out a comprehensive directory of which person (and that includes boyfriends, friends, or business associates) inspired which track.
Has Taylor Swift released any songs that are about Travis Kelce?
There’s a very good chance the song “So High School” from Taylor Swift’s 11th studio album The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology is about Travis Kelce. The song is rich with references to Travis’ sporty interests, which seemingly remind Swift of a high school romance.
The most telling lyric in the entire song can be found in the bridge when the musician sings “You know how to ball, I know Aristotle” — a very adequate summary of their contrasting public images as a jock and a songwriter. It’s funny Taylor should mention that the relationship makes her feel “so high school” because the pair has been described as giving off “prom king and queen” vibes in the past.
In the song, Swift mentions a number of moments with Kelce that even fans have been privy to, as well as some others that feel rather private. In the former category we can include lyrics like “Get my car door, isn’t that sweet?” and “You knew what you wanted and, boy, you got her,” referring to the times we have seen Travis hold the door for his girlfriend and what we know about him pursuing the singer ever since he attended her concert in Kansas City, where he lives and works as a tight end for the Chiefs.
In other, more mature, lyrics Taylor sings about “stifling [her] sighs” because his friends are in the next room playing Grand Theft Auto. The whole song is written according to the high school theme so there are also references to typical teenage games of “spin the bottle” and “kiss, marry, kill.” The latter, however, could also be referencing an old interview with Travis where he was asked to pick between Taylor, Katy Perry, and Ariana Grande (Spoiler alert: he picked Taylor to “Kiss”).
Besides “So High School,” there’s one other song on the album that fans believe could be about Taylor’s current beau. Titled “The Alchemy,” this track also contains many possible American Football nods such as “touch down,” “cutting [the amateurs] from the team,” men “warming the benches,” “winning streak,” being “the greatest in the league,” and winning “the trophy.”
The only reason “The Alchemy” is a bit more divisive than “So High School” is because the first verse indicates that Taylor is going back to an old love, which would fit the prime subject of The Tortured Poets Department, The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, a bit better. Songs don’t have to be entirely literal, however, and Taylor may be mixing several real-life inspirations into one idea for a song as she’s done repeatedly in the past.