During a tour date in Minneapolis on Saturday, Taylor Swift performed her song Dear John live for the first time in 11 years.
Ever since the single debuted in 2010, fans have assumed the lyrics are about John Mayer, with whom she had a rancorous breakup earlier that year.
Onstage this Saturday night, the songstress also teased her upcoming re-release of Dear John as part of ‘Taylor’s Version’ of her 2010 album Speak Now.
In the midst of her legal battle with Scooter Braun over her original masters, Taylor decided years ago to re-record all of her old albums, releasing new ‘Taylor’s Versions’ to which she would own the rights.
‘I’m putting this album out because I want to own my music and I believe any artist who has a desire to own their music should be able to,’ she said during her latest Minneapolis show, according to USA Today.
Wow: During a Saturday night tour date in Minneapolis, Taylor Swift performed her song Dear John live for the first time in 11 years; pictured onstage in Arizona this March
Throwback: Ever since the single debuted in 2010, fans have assumed the lyrics are about John Mayer, with whom she had a rancorous breakup earlier that year; pictured December 2009
Taylor previously gave a live performance of Dear John in 2012 during a concert engagement in Auckland, New Zealand.
Her upcoming ‘Taylor’s Version’ of Speak Now, including a new recording of Dear John, is slated for release on July 7.
John reportedly dated Taylor from December 2009 through February 2010 when he was 31 and she was 19 – with the breakup being far from amicable.
‘Don’t you think I was too young to be messed with?’ Taylor sang in Dear John. ‘The girl in the dress, cried the whole way home – I should’ve known.’
She goes on: ‘Well, maybe it’s me and my blind optimism to blame – or maybe it’s you and your sick need to give love then take it away.’
Taylor blisteringly continues: ‘And you’ll add my name to your long list of traitors who don’t understand, and I’ll look back and regret how I ignored when they said: “Run as fast as you can.”‘
Taylor’s latest performance comes two months after John, 45, spoke out about his 2013 song Paper Doll, which is thought to be a rebuttal to Dear John.
During his John Mayer Solo live show in April, John discussed Paper Doll, telling the audience: ‘I wonder if people don’t like it because it sounds a little pi**ed off. I don’t like “pi**ed off’ as a song. I think it was more hurt,’ via Yahoo.
His words: John, 45, this April addressed 2013 song Paper Doll, which has long been thought to be a rebuttal to Dear John; seen on March 27, 2023 in Atlanta
No love lost: John reportedly dated Taylor from December 2009 through February 2010 when he was 31 and she was 19 – with the breakup being far from amicable; seen at Jingle Ball in December 2009
Adding: ‘Is there something about it that’s a little b****y? I try not to give bi***ness in the song and that happens sometimes. I guess I don’t do it very well – sarcastic b***h.’
His candid comments came just days after it was revealed Taylor split from boyfriend of six years Joe Alwyn – whom she rebounded from by conducting a whirlwind romance with the bad boy British rocker Matty Healy.
However, in 2019, John had song the song wasn’t about what people thought it was about on his Instagram talk show.
The duo have a 12 year age difference.
They originally met when she collaborated on his song Half of My Heart, which led to the brief three month relationship from December 2009 to February 2010.
The name of her song Dear John as well as lyrics recalling her age (19) at the time of the romance appear to lead to the conclusion that is is fact about John and their rocky but brief romance, although the songstress never confirmed it was about him.
The timing of the song also confirms its about John: She also released the song in October 2010 on her Speak Now album, eight months after their reported split.
The tune gave insight on how Taylor and John’s reported romance went wrong, with the singer singing in tune: ‘Dear John, I see it all now that you’re gone/ Don’t you think I was too young to be messed with / The girl in the dress cried the whole way home.’
She also wrote the lyrics: ‘Well maybe it’s me / And my blind optimism to blame / Or maybe it’s you and your sick need / To give love and take it away.
‘Dear John, I see it all now, it was wrong / Don’t you think nineteen’s too young / To be played by your dark, twisted games.’
His lyrics seemingly reply back to Taylor’s statements.
Interesting: During his John Mayer Solo live show in April, John spoke out about his song Paper Doll, telling the audience: ‘I wonder if people don’t like it because it sounds a little pi**ed off. I don’t like “pi**ed off’ as a song. I think it was more hurt,’ via Yahoo; seen March 24, 2023
Drama: The romance seemingly ended on bad terms, based on her scathing song Dear John which many people believe is about him; seen December 11, 2009
Taylor had sang: ‘You paint me a blue sky then go back and turn it to rain,’ with his lyric seemingly responding back: ‘and if those angel wings don’t fly, someone’s going to paint you another sky.’
She sang: ‘And I look back in regret how I ignored when they said, run as fast as you can’ with his line being: ‘You’re like twenty-two girls in one, and none of them know what they’re running from.’
He added more fuel to the fire in 2012 when he told Rolling Stone magazine that he felt ‘really humiliated’ about the song, which ‘made’ him ‘feel terrible.’
He said to the outlet in the 2012 interview: ‘Because I didn’t deserve it. I’m pretty good at taking accountability now, and I never did anything to deserve that. It was a really lousy thing for her to do.’
He said at the time that he didn’t know how she felt until after the song was released: ‘I never got an email. I never got a phone call. I was really caught off-guard, and it really humiliated me at a time when I’d already been dressed down. I mean, how would you feel if, at the lowest you’ve ever been, someone kicked you even lower?’
Present: His candid comments came just days after it was revealed Taylor split from boyfriend of six years Joe Alwyn; seen March 17, 2013 in Glendale, Arizona
He also took a swipe at Taylor’s songwriting in the candid interview: ‘I will say as a songwriter that I think it’s kind of cheap songwriting. I know she ‘s the biggest thing in the world, and I’m not trying to sink anybody’s ship, but I think it’s abusing your talent to rub your hands together and go, “Wait till he gets a load of this!” That’s bull***t.’
After his pointed words, Taylor was asked her thoughts about what he told Rolling Stone.
She told Glamour magazine: ‘How presumptuous! I never disclose who my songs are about. I know it wasn’t good, so I don’t want to know. I put a high priority on staying happy, and I know what I can’t handle,’ via MTV.
She continued: ‘It’s not that I’m this egomaniac and I don’t want to hear anything negative, because I do keep myself in check. But I’ve never developed that thick a skin. So I just kind of live a life, and I let all the gossip live somewhere else. If you go too far down the rabbit hole of what people think about you, it can change everything about who you are.’
