Pop icon Taylor Swift has dismissed long-standing fan theories that her song The Black Dog is about her English ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, during a recent interview on BBC Radio 2 with host Scott Mills.
The 35-year-old singer revealed that listeners have “always had the wrong idea” about the track, featured on her 2024 album The Tortured Poets Department. For years, fans speculated the song referenced a real London pub, “The Black Dog,” which they believed Alwyn frequented after their breakup. The lyrics mention an ex walking “into some bar called The Black Dog,” and forgetting to disable location sharing — fueling speculation that it was inspired by Alwyn.
However, Swift debunked those theories, saying: “I did not [notify the pub] and still nobody knows what I’m even talking about on that song. They think they know, but they have no idea.”
The Grammy winner also spoke about her close-knit inner circle, crediting her friends for keeping her music plans secret. “My friends don’t rat,” she told Mills, adding that her label wasn’t even aware of the album until it was complete.
Fans have connected other songs from The Tortured Poets Department to both Alwyn — her former partner of six years — and The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, whom she briefly dated in 2023. Despite speculation, Alwyn has denied ever visiting The Black Dog pub in Vauxhall, London, telling The Sunday Times he’s “never been to Vauxhall.”
Swift’s comments mark the first time she has publicly clarified the meaning of The Black Dog, leaving fans intrigued by the true story behind one of her most speculated songs.
Her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, continues her trend of blending personal storytelling with artistic mystique.
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