Why Fans Are Convinced Taylor Swift’s ‘But Daddy I Love Him’ Is About Harry Styles
While many Taylor Swift fans are convinced the main subject of her upcoming album, The Tortured Poets Department, is her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, some Swifties found evidence that another ex might have inspired one specific track. Fans honed in on Harry Styles, whom Swift dated in late 2012 to early 2013, as being the possible subject of “But Daddy I Love Him.”
This is Swift’s full track list, for reference. She released it last night:
Side A
Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)
The Tortured Poets Department
My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys
Down BadSide B
So Long, London
But Daddy I Love Him
Fresh Out the Slammer
Florida!!! (feat. Florence + the Machine)Side C
Guilty as Sin?
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?
I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)
lomlSide D
I Can Do It With a Broken Heart
The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
The Alchemy
Clara Bow
Bonus Track: The Manuscript
Cosmopolitan noted that fans brought up the fact Styles once wore a shirt on Jan. 1, 2020 that said, “But Daddy I Love Him.”
The quote comes from The Little Mermaid, a Disney film that was released in Swift’s birth year, 1989. Swift was also Ariel for a 2019 New Year’s Eve party where she and her friends dressed up like their childhood heroes, another Easter egg.
Some fans noted it is possible the song could feature Styles rather than be about him. The only evidence against that is Swift announced other contributors in her track list already.
Still, Swift and Styles are on better terms now. The former couple went viral at the 2023 Grammys for having a friendly moment together. After the show, a source spoke to Entertainment Tonight about their relationship status. At that point, Swift was still dating Alwyn.
“Taylor and Harry have no issues and they are friendly,” the source said then. “Taylor thinks Harry is such a talented artist and has nothing but respect for him. Their relationship was a long time ago, and Taylor has moved on and is very happy in her relationship with Joe [Alwyn]. She has matured as a person, and things are peaceful and good between them.”