The History Of 'Dear John': Taylor Swift's Most Famous Deep Cut

6 July 2023, 16:15

'Dear John' has been launched back into pop culture memory as the release of 'Speak Now (Taylor's Version)' looms, here are all the answered questions on one of Taylor Swift's most famous tracks.

Taylor Swift's 'Speak Now' renaissance inches closer and closer and all eyes have turned to one of the most infamous Track 5 of them all, 'Dear John'.

The ballad was first released in 2010 but due to the pop cultural event that is Taylor re-recording her first six albums, fans are patiently awaiting their first listen of the reimagined track on July 7.

Over a decade on and listeners still feel passionately about 'Dear John's subject matter, something the songstress referenced in a recent Eras Tour concert.

As Taylor introduced the song in question during the surprise segment of her show on June 24, she cautioned her fans against fighting her battles and targeting the people who inspire her heartwrenching break-up songs.

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"I’m 33 years old. I don’t care about anything that happened to me when I was 19,” she said about the 14-years-in-the-grave relationship.

Speaking on her third studio album's re-recording, she continued: "I’m not putting this album out so that you can go and should feel the need to defend me on the internet against someone you think I might have written a song about 14 billion years ago.”

From the fan-favourite lyrics of 'Dear John' to who inspired the cutting track, here's everything you need to know about the ballad that has stood the test of time...

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Who is Taylor Swift's 'Dear John' about?

Although never officially confirmed – a magician never reveals her secrets – it's widely assumed that 'Dear John' is about musician and Taylor's famous former flame, John Mayer.

The stars had a short-lived whirlwind romance that began towards the end of 2009, the pair called it quits early the next year; at the time of the break-up, Taylor was 19 and John was 32.

In 2012, Mayer spoke to Rolling Stone about how their relationship had been immortalised in Taylor's cutting lyrics, he said: "I never got an e-mail. 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."

When the interviewer asked him about the chorus line 'Don’t you think I was too young to be messed with?', he replied: "I don’t want to go into that.”

“I will say as a songwriter that I think it’s kind of cheap songwriting," the 'Gravity' singer told the publication.

Is John Mayer's 'Paper Doll' about Taylor Swift?

John went on to release his own musical rebuttal 'Paper Doll' in 2013, which is thought to be about the pop star due to the lines "You're like twenty-two girls in one," and "Someone’s going to paint you another sky.”

The former is a reference to Taylor's famous hit '22' and the latter is a direct response to the 'Dear John' lyric: "You paint me a blue sky then go back and turn it to rain."

What's a Dear John Letter?

The loyal player of words that Taylor is, of course, she couldn't resist the urge to make 'Speak Now's fifth track a harsh double entendre.

As well as referencing Mayer's first name, the song is also named after a Dear John Letter, which is a letter written by a woman to a man she's ending a romance with, historically in times of war.

Upon her third record's release, Taylor explained on her website: "The song ‘Dear John’ is sort of like the last email you would ever send to someone that you used to be in a relationship with. Usually people write this venting last email to someone and they say everything that they want to say to that person, and then they usually don’t send it. I guess by putting this song on the album I am pushing send."

Taylor Swift's full 'Dear John' lyrics

[Verse 1]
Long were the nights when
My days once revolved around you
Counting my footsteps
Praying the floor won't fall through again
And my mother accused me of losing my mind
But I swore I was fine
You paint me a blue sky
Then go back and turn it to rain
And I lived in your chess game
But you changed the rules every day
Wondering which version of you I might get on the phone tonight
Well, I stopped pickin' up and this song is to let you know why

[Chorus]
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
I should've known

[Verse 2]
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
And you'll add my name to your long list of traitors
Who don't understand
And I look back in regret how I ignored when they said
"Run as fast as you can"

[Chorus]
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
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 when I loved you so?
I should've known

[Bridge]
You are an expert at sorry and keeping lines blurry
Never impressed by me acing your tests
All the girls that you've run dry have tired lifeless eyes
'Cause you burned them out
But I took your matches before fire could catch me
So don't look now
I'm shining like fireworks over your sad empty town
Oh, oh

[Chorus]
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
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 wrote you a song
You should've known

You should've known
You should've known
Don't you think I was too young?

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