The Ties that Bind Matty Healy and Taylor Swift
I should be embarrassed at how emotionally invested I have been in the ties that bind Matty Healy and Taylor Swift — but I’m not. My jaw first dropped when Taylor Swift walked through the infamous rectangle door at The 1975 concert in January 2023. I was hoping the special appearance was a hint at some kind of romance brewing between two of my favorite musicians. But it would be months before the two are publicly (and romantically) connected. My jaw has refused to set as I learn more every day about Matty Healy and Taylor Swift’s romantic history.
The Beginning of Matty and Taylor’s Situationship
If you’re not familiar with the history between Matty and Taylor, step into my time machine. The year is 2013. Matty mentions Taylor in an interview (she asked him to tour with her!). People believe Taylor and Matty first connected on MySpace years before this interview, but there isn’t any actual evidence.
Exactly one year later, Taylor Swift releases “1989” on October 27, 2014. A LOT HAPPENS after her album debuts. Almost two weeks later on November 4, Matty Healy steps on stage wearing a ‘1989’ T-shirt during The 1975’s concert in Milwaukee. Twelve days later, November 19 Taylor Swift is seen at The 1975 concert with Ellie Goulding and Selena Gomez. Taylor hangs with the band backstage and reportedly exchanges numbers with Matty. She recaps her night on social with photos and lyrics from “The City” in her caption: “ Yeah you wanna find love, Then you know where the city is.” On November 22, Taylor is seen wearing a t-shirt for her new favorite band. Then a few days later, Matty tells a fan he is ‘taken’ so he can’t kiss her on the lips.
On December 4, 2014: Swift appears at Terminal 5 in New York for another 1975 concert, this time with her friends Karlie Kloss and Lily Aldridge. At this concert, Matty stares at Taylor while singing, “FallingForYou”. What happens next is not very exciting, as the public meetings aren’t worth mentioning. Of course they’re interviewed about one another, but it’s my understanding that Taylor and Matty keep their “-ship” very quiet. So quiet that it is years — 8 to be exact — before the duo is rumored to be working together on Taylor’s “Midnights” album. The 1975’s work on the album is scrapped and we don’t hear anymore of them until January 12, 2023.
Taylor Swift and Matty Healy’s First Public Appearance Together
My husband woke me up to show me the breaking news — TAYLOR SWIFT ON THE 1975’s LONDON STAGE! I watched Taylor’s performance of “The City” so many times I lost count. I told anyone who’d listen Matty and Taylor are more than just friends, but there wasn’t any proof. Taylor breaks up with Joe Alwyn sometime before April 2023, but the world finds out on April 9th. On April 10 Matty tells his Australia audience he is deactivating his social media accounts. “It’s because everything happens in eras. The 1975 is a very eras band. The era of me being a fucking arsehole is coming to an end. I’ve had enough…. I perform all the time, and it’s my job, and I love doing this, but I can’t perform off the stage anymore as I just want to be a bloke.” Do Eras and Taylor Swift ring a bell?
Context: Matty is a performance artist with an alter ego named Truman Black. Much of what he says and does both online and on stage are not direct reflections of who he is really is.
That same night Matty says, “Hey, I love you” before singing “About You.” THIS IS BIG friends. Is this the first clue he and Taylor are secretly seeing each other? Perhaps we should look at the history of “About You” and how it is connected to one of Swift’s songs on Folklore.
“Cardigan” and “About You”
On October 14, 2022 The 1975 releases Being Funny in a Foreign Language. Fans find a lot of love songs on their fifth studio album — like “About You”. While the chorus echoes “Do you think I have forgotten about you?” one may wonder WHO is Matty serenading? Listen closely to the lyrics: “And I miss you on a train…I never know what to think about, I think about you (so don’t let go).” Does this train reference ring a bell for any Taylor Swift’s “Cardigan” fans: “Cause I knew you, stepping on the last train.”
“Cardigan” was released on July 24, 2020, two years before anyone hears “About You,” with countless references to Matty. Peter losing Wendy, linger like a tattoo kiss, the smell of smoke — how could “Cardigan” not be about him? It is 100% about Matty Healy.
Taylor Swift Records Music in New Orleans December 2022
Many fans speculate there are missing pieces to the Taylor and Matty timeline. For example, some Maylors hold tight to a rumor Taylor and Matty were spotted together at a Halloween party in 2022. But Taylor was actually seen in New Orleans with Joe Alwyn the night before her birthday in 2022 — so obviously she and Joe were still trying to make things work.
NEW INFORMATION REVEALS Taylor spent her 33rd birthday recording music in New Orleans. A little X bird called Taylor Swift Updates (@ThrowbackTaylor on Twitter) states Taylor Swift recorded parts of Fresh Out The Slammer, Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me & Florida!!! at the Esplanade studios in New Orleans. What does this mean for Taylor and Matty? It means Taylor was writing about a reunion with Matty long before we could ever imagine (or prove). Want to see how the lyrics connect to the timeline — click here to read the lyrical connections between Taylor and Matty.
Taylor and Matty are Dating!!
On May 3, 2023, The Sun reports Taylor Swift and Matty Healy are ‘madly in love.’ But from April to May, there are innumerable romantic hints dropped by Matty and Taylor that something was brewing. One of my favorite Matty Healy accounts on Twitter, @1989healy, deserves an award for her investigative work. Esra, a fellow Taylor + Matty aficionado, has been sharing her research on their secret relationship for quite some time. She’s drawn ties between the two through interviews, photos, songs, and social media posts — uncovering some of the best allusions to one another I’ve ever seen.
If you really want to dive into the Matty Healy and Taylor Swift timeline I highly suggest clicking the image below. It will take you to Tumblr — the place in which they interacted before Instagram was a thing.
The Ties that Bind Matty Healy and Taylor Swift
On June 5, 2023 TMZ is the first media outlet to report Taylor Swift and Matty Healy are no longer dating. The reactions to the split of the most famous American female pop star and the British rock star everyone loves to hate were all over the place. The #SpeakUpNow fan base celebrated the breakup (they were the ugly voices behind this ridiculous petition). For fans of both Taylor Swift and The 1975 — like myself — we were deeply saddened. It felt like kismet watching two of my favorite artists come together. Their two worlds colliding was so poetic, but seemingly over in the blink of an eye.
I won’t spend a lot of time discussing why they broke up — mainly because no one really knows for sure. Deux Moi, one of my main sources for celebrity news, says an anonymous source told her Matty hopped on a jet and left Taylor without any explanation. It’s been implied he walked away from their love easily — but they were both visibly heartbroken at their concerts in the beginning of June.
I believe their breakup had a lot to do with the negativity from Taylor’s fanbase. That’s just my opinion — and I don’t have any facts to back up any of my theories — except for what I’ve now heard on Taylor’s new album: The Tortured Poets Department.
The Tortured Poets Department Songs about Matty Healy
To be honest, we are all still working through the secrets hidden in each song on The Tortured Poets Department. Esra (and many other super sleuths like Sic) are always uncovering more Easter eggs connecting Taylor to Matty on The Tortured Poets Department. I return often to this article to update my findings — but for now, here are the ties that bind Matty Healy and Taylor Swift in TTPD.
- “Fortnight” — Initially I struggled with drawing connections here, but this music video explanation all but confirms the song is about Matty. The music video is an homage to Healy, starting with Post Malone dressed exactly like him in the “About You” music video. Read more on “About You” being linked to Taylor Swift here.
- “The Tortured Poets Department” — The reference points come fast and furious, starting with the subject’s love of typewriters. Just google Matty Healy and Typewriter — you’ll see a lot of proof.
- “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys” — “There was a litany of reasons why we could’ve played for keeps this time” — or perhaps this song is just about every ex-boyfriend breaking his favorite toy (Taylor)
- “Down Bad” — “They’ll say I’m nuts if I talk about the existence of you” / “For a moment I knew cosmic love” -“I loved your hostile take-overs / Encounters closer and closer / All your indecent exposures.” -I’ll build you a fort on some planet / Where they can all understand it”
- “But Daddy I Love Him” — THIS song is literally about Taylor’s fans not supporting her love for ‘a bad boy’ — it’s harsh, it’s critical, and I love it. Some say the song’s ending is about Travis Kelce, but you know we will never know for sure.
- “Fresh Out the Slammer” — “All those nights, he kept me goin’ / Swirled you into all of my poems.” What happens when Taylor and Joe breakup? This allegorical vision. Fun fact: Taylor wrote “Fresh Out the Slammer” BEFORE their breakup. Also, the lyric “Now we’re at the starting line, I did my time” — could be a reference to The Starting Line ( Matty Healy’s favorite band).
- “Florida” — This may be a reach but Florida = Matty. She runs to him to escape Joe (and life). She wrote and recorded this song before her breakup with Alywn!
- “Guilty as Sin?” — “Drowning in the Blue Nile / He sent me ‘Downtown Lights’ / I hadn’t heard it in a while.” — The 1975 hit “Love It If We Made It” is based on the song “Downtown Lights” by The Blue Nile.
- “I Can Fix Him (No I Really Can)” — “The smoke cloud billows out his mouth / Like a freight train through a small town.”
- “Loml” — “waltzing back into rekindled flames” and the loss of her life
- “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” — “I don’t even want you back, I just want to know / If rusting my sparkling summer was the goal” (this one has a lot of references too)
- “The Black Dog” — from the repeated references to the band the Starting Line, which Healy has covered one of their songs, “The Best of Me” and proclaimed he is a fan — to the actual black dog you can see in the “About You” music video
- “imgonnagetyouback” — Swift is torn between getting revenge on an ex or getting him back. She mentions smashing a lover’s bike, which might allude to Healy’s lyric “all we need is my bike and your enormous house” from The 1975 song “Fallingforyou.” (Read more here)
- “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus” — the mention of drugs and someone dating a starlet? Very much a nod to Matty’s sordid past.
- “Peter” — Aside from Peter chasing Wendy in “Cardigan,” this song explores the storyline of Matty and Taylor not working out the first time, but giving it another try (and failing). Matty once called his bandmates his ‘Lost Boys’ too. “Said you were gonna grow up then you were gonna come and find me, words from the mouths of babes, promises oceans deep but never to keep.”
UPDATE: Taylor and Matty on their Relationship in 2024
There have not been any formal statements made about Taylor by Matty and Matty by Taylor in the media since the release of The Tortured Poets Department. Of course there are quotes taken out of context with various meanings attached, but that’s how the media works.
Taylor Swift is known for her creative acoustic surprise song session during the Eras tour. We have been dissecting any possible messages to Matty or the hidden meaning to Taylor’s song choices ever since TTPD was released. However, Taylor has never discussed why she sings what she sings — or admits lyric changes are significant. X accounts like Tortured Typewriter and CaitNoelle24 spend a lot of time sharing thoughts on Taylor Swift’s mashups.
In an October 2024 Doomscroll podcast interview, Matty Healy discusses his plans for the new The 1975 album. An obvious move would be for him to write about his most recent relationships, but Matty would like to keep his love life out of his lyrics.
“I think that a lot of artists become very interested in their lore, or they become interested in the things that have happened outside of their art that people know about, and they want to address that [in their music.]”…
“I would just be lying if I made a record about, I don’t know, all the stuff that was said about me or my casual romantic liaisons or whatever it may be that I’ve kind of become known for, just because I was famous,” he said. “I think that that’s an obvious thing to draw from. And I’m just not interested in it.” — Matty Healy
Many people have interpreted “casual romantic liaisons” as a dig at Taylor Swift — since she dedicated almost an entire album to their tragically complicated relationship. However, I believe Matty made an obvious choice to not mention Taylor or their 10 year history. Matty wants people to think he has more important topics to sing about than what people have read about re his love life online. Taylor has built a lyrical empire on the story of her love life — so it is easy to expect Matty would do the same.
There is more speculation his interview throws shade at Taylor belittling artists who use lore in their music. Matty also insults the rich — and we all know Taylor Swift is at the top of the wealthy list. I believe you can’t put much weight on what Matty says since he is notorious for intentionally making controversial remarks.
Fans may never know the truth of Matty and Taylor’s romantic timeline. As of October 2024, they are both in serious relationship. Matty is engaged to Gabbriette Bechtel and Taylor is committed to Travis Kelce. Interestingly enough, Matty’s implied preference of privacy over transparency tracks as he and his fiancé have not been seen in public together in months. He has made no mention of Gabbriette as his fiancé (while Gabbriette speaks of him in every interview, but their relationship is another article). Taylor and Travis are seen together often and everywhere, with Taylor attending his NFL games and Travis appearing at multiple Eras Tour shows.
My current state of mind: I hope Taylor and Matty’s love story is not over. They are so intertwined it is hard to believe all romantic ties have been permanently severed.
It should come as no surprise to any CHB fans that I’m obsessed with Taylor Swift and Matty Healy. I’ve been to three The 1975 shows and we hosted the Ultimate Taylor Swift Eras Party last year!
Originally published at https://caitlinhoustonblog.com on October 25, 2024.
