SONGS of love gone awry are nothing new, but Taylor Swift has taken the concept to the next level on her latest album, following in many hallowed footsteps in so doing.
What’s Swift up to?
The 31-year-old US pop star is busy re-recording all of her early albums to essentially devalue the original recordings after they were sold to a music manager she claims bullied her in the past.
So what’s her latest release?
Red (Taylor’s version) has earned the singer her eighth UK number one album, featuring songs that are already well known, having been released as singles when the original came out in 2012, such as We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together and I Knew You Were Trouble.
However?
The song attracting the most buzz was never released as a single. Called All Too Well, it tells the tale of a relationship that may have been a “masterpiece” till the guy “tore it all up”.
Who is it about?
Although Swift has not confirmed who the guy in question is, her fans believe it is Hollywood star Jake Gyllenhaal, and is abuzz over clues. Meanwhile, one of the verses includes a bit about leaving “my scarf there at your sister’s house and you’ve still got it in your drawer, even now”, with fans desperate to know where the scarf is.
So how has she taken it to the next level?
Aware it was always a fan favourite, the star has taken what was a five minutes and 29 second song and added in a couple of verses to make it a chunky 10 minutes to add in more detail about the “casually cruel” former lover and released a short film to go along with it.
What does Gyllenhaal say?
A source told E! News in the US he "has no interest in any of it. He's living his life and focused on himself. He's ignoring all of the noise.”
It’s a well-trodden path?
Take your pick from a vast array from the genre. Perhaps one of the most renowned “songs of wrath” could easily be You’re So Vain by Carly Simon seemingly about an ex, including the lines,” You walked into the party like you were walking onto a yacht…You're so vain you probably think this song is about you.” Simon never revealed who the song was about when it was released in 1972, but years later, told the Washington Post: “It certainly sounds like it was about Warren Beatty. He certainly thought it was about him - he called me and said thanks for the song.”
There’s so many to choose from?
Paul Simon’s She Moves On from 1990 was about his relationship with Carrie Fisher, including the line: “Abandoned, forsaken in her cold coffee eyes.”
Adele loves to pull at the old heart-strings?
Her new hit album, 30, has been described as a "divorce" album, with reports suggesting her ex-husband "had to resign himself to the fact she would talk" through her music.
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