Never say Harry Styles isn't inspiring. Even though Taylor Swift herself has stopped naming names, at least four songs on her new album , 1989 , seem entirely about, or vaguely inspired by, style: "Out of the Woods," " Style," "Blank Space," and possibly the bonus track "Wonderland," however, in addition to an album full of songs we'll be playing on repeat for the rest of the year, Swift also shared 1989 in the album booklet. Hidden message for those who care to read it I don't know about you, but after reading all the messages, I'm starting to think she's dropping another hint here but Swift's secret message from 1989 is about Styles. Yes? Very likely.
This is the story told by secret messages.
Our story begins in New York. Once upon a time there was a girl whom everyone knew but no one knew. Her heart belongs to a person who cannot stay. They love each other without hesitation. They paid the price. She danced to forget him. He drives by her street every night. She made friends and enemies. He had only seen her in his dreams. Then one day he came back. Timing is a funny thing. Everyone is watching. She lost him, but she found herself, and somehow that's what it's all about.
Each line corresponds to one of the album's 13 tracks, from "Welcome to New York" to "Clean." So is this story about Styles? Maybe. Swift and Styles first met backstage at the Kids' Choice Awards in California in early 2012, but their love story really caught people's attention when the two were walking together in Central Park. It's certainly a way to start your story in New York, about a girl everyone knows but no one knows.
Even more damning, even if their relationship wasn't short-lived, Styles was described as "the one who couldn't stay." Styles and Swift are both very famous pop stars, which means their touring and their reputation for having recurring relationships - whether justified or not - would make any relationship between the two of them very popular. Difficult to maintain. That may have been the real reason they paid the price and she had to dance her way out of him, rather than any rumors circulating at the time about Styles ditching Swift for being "uptight." (Does he look like that? Really?)
The rest of the story, however, is more open-ended. As far as we know, there's no great reunion between Swift and Styles — or is there ever? After all, when "Out of the Woods" was released and rumored to involve Styles, some fans might have thought it would be another snarky ex song from Swift detailing everything that went wrong in the relationship . However, it's sweet, surprisingly poignant, and maybe even a little hopeful for their future. Rumors later surfaced that Styles wrote "I Love You" for Swift, a song that's equally sweet and poignant. Swift said that, combined with the snowmobile accident line in "Out of the Woods," suggests there's a lot going on in her life that people don't know about, and that the two estranged exes may have met and were in some way. A way to bury the hatchet.
Could these secret messages mean a Heller reunion is in our future? To be honest, I would doubt it. Swift may (probably) have dedicated as many as four songs and a hidden story to him and her relationship with him, but that's likely because he was her last romantic encounter, not because she wanted him return. She's always drawn material for songs from her own journals and experiences, and if all this new music is any indication, Heller seems to have been a whirlwind experience for her. If I had to guess, I'd say these songs were Swift's way of sorting through her emotions about the whole incident, now that she can look back on it with objectivity and clarity. After all, "she lost him, but she found herself, and somehow that's what it's all about."
Image: Getty Images
