If there’s a leading man in Taylor Swift’s new album Midnights, it’s definitely Joe Alwyn, who takes center stage in the album’s more positive, romantic tracks. (Alwyn even co-wrote “Sweet Nothing” with her, under his pseudonym William Bowery.) The two have dated for six years now, and in the past year engagement rumors have swirled around every one of their public appearances.
In Midnights, Swift acknowledges the speculation lyrically, though she refuses to outright answer if or when she and Alwyn are getting married (or if they’re secretly married already). Her song “Lavender Haze” details the couple’s decision to enjoy their relationship away from the spotlight, addressing how neither wanted the public’s perception of their romance to impact their private reality. The song makes it clear that, even six years into their relationship, Swift and Alwyn aren’t interested in catering to the public’s curiosity when their under-the-radar romance has worked so well for so long.
Still, Swift does address her frustration directly in several “Lavender Haze” lines: “All they keep asking me (all they keep asking me) / Is if I’m gonna be your bride / The only kind of girl they see (The only kind of girl they see) / Is a one night or a wife.”
She also touches on the public perception of her love life and how Alwyn doesn’t seem worried about what others think: “I find it dizzying (yeah oh yeah) / They’re bringing up my history (yeah oh yeah) / But you aren’t even listening (yeah oh yeah).” She later references cultural pressure to become a wife: “I’m damned if I do give a damn what people say / No deal / The 1950s shit they want for me.”
In April, Alwyn spoke with The Wall Street Journal about how he and Swift have no plans to reveal their exact relationship status. “If I had a pound for every time I think I’ve been told I’ve been engaged, then I’d have a lot of pound coins,” he said. “I mean, the truth is, if the answer was yes, I wouldn’t say, and if the answer was no, I wouldn’t say.”
And Swift, in August 2019, explained to The Guardian why she hasn’t talked about Alwyn publicly. “I’ve learned that if I do, people think it’s up for discussion, and our relationship isn’t up for discussion,” she said with a laugh. “If you and I were having a glass of wine right now, we’d be talking about it—but it’s just that it goes out into the world. That’s where the boundary is, and that’s where my life has become manageable. I really want to keep it feeling manageable.”
Elsewhere in the album, Swift seems to address her romance with Alwyn in songs such as “Mastermind” and “Sweet Nothing.”
“Sweet Nothing” contrasts Swift’s home life with the political landscape and media frenzy surrounding her, and how Alwyn has been a safe space to her through it all: “Everyone’s up to something / I found myself running home to your sweet nothings / I’ll take their pushin’, shovin’ / You’re in the kitchen humming / All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothing.” Alwyn is also credited as a co-writer for the song.
Finally, “Mastermind” seems to reference the night she met Alwyn at the 2016 Met Gala, teasing that she hoped to date him from the moment she met him (despite her high-profile summer fling with Tom Hiddleston that year). She addresses Alwyn’s reaction to her pursuits near the end of the song, singing, “So I told you none of it was accidental / And the first night that you saw me, nothing was gonna stop me / I laid the groundwork and then, saw a wild smirk / On your face, you knew the entire time.”
Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.
Lauren Puckett-Pope is an associate editor at ELLE, where she covers film, TV, books and fashion.
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