It's a popular opinion among Taylor Swift fans that Sweet Nothing, a track from her 10th studio album Midnights, is laced with subtle references to the singer's ex, Joe Alwyn. But eagle-eyed fans have noticed that she recently liked a post on X - formerly Twitter - that discusses another theory about this song.
Bear with us on this one - it gets a bit complicated. Beatles singer Paul McCartney had a sweet tradition with his late wife Linda McCartney that he described in a poem, Blessed, which he dedicated to her. Part of the poem read: "I would come back from a run with a poem to share and having listened Linda would say, 'What a mind'."
In her song Sweet Nothing, the Eras Tour star sings: "On the way home. I wrote a poem. You say, ‘What a mind'. This happens all the time."
The similarities are clear. But Taylor recently liking a post from a Paul McCartney archives account has further added fuel to the fire. The post, referencing Paul's poem to Linda, read: "I would come back from a run with a poem to share and having listened Linda would say 'what a mind' though the lines may not have been supreme, she wasn't merely being kind. She meant what she said. It's going to make a man feel good, that kind of a thing."
"i would come back from a run with a poem to share and having listened linda would say 'what a mind'though the lines may not have been supreme, she wasn't merely being kind. she meant what she said.it's going to make a man feel good, that kind of a thing."- paul mccartney pic.twitter.com/lPsQKSwCMGOctober 27, 2022
Taylor's fans were quick to notice that she's like the post, with one writing: "I love Sweet Nothing. It’s about how the simple and pure things mean the most. And I love being able to add this new context."
While another said: "Sweet Nothing about Paul & Linda theory CONFIRMED." And another commented: "Not her liking this old post now?? As if to say… it was never about Joe."
While fans may be re-thinking the meaning behind Sweet Nothing, there's no doubt it still has strong links to Taylor's past relationship. The Midnights hit was co-written with Taylor's boyfriend Joe Alwyn using the pseudonym William Bowery, so there's no doubt that it brings back memories of the relationship for the singer. But the jury's still out on whether the lyrics themselves are giving an insight into the couple's relationship.
The rumour mill around Taylor and her ex has been rife this week, with gossip blog DeuxMoi claiming that Swift had married Alwyn in 'either 2020 or 2021' - but it was never made legal. Taylor's publicist Tree Paine has strongly denied the claims, taking to X to set the record straight.
Enough is enough with these fabricated lies about Taylor from Deuxmoi. There was NEVER a marriage or ceremony of ANY kind. This is an insane thing to post. It’s time for you to be held accountable for the pain and trauma you cause with posts like these. pic.twitter.com/cFi0wQc9cpDecember 1, 2023
"Enough is enough with these fabricated lies about Taylor from Deuxmoi," she wrote.
"This is an insane thing to post. It's time for you to be held accountable for the pain and trauma you cause with posts like these."
Well, that's that.
