“Dear John” by Taylor Swift
These days female pop singers ain’t no joke. If they feel that you have messed around with their hearts and you too happen to be famous, there’s a good chance you’ll be shamed for years to come by having a diss song dropped about you. And that’s pretty much the public’s perception when it comes to Taylor Swift’s “Dear John”. No, Tay Tay has never stated forthrightly that it is about any particular individual. But by and large everyone knows that the track is about a musician she reportedly dated named John Mayer. And even John Mayer himself has acknowledged this.
And basically, the way Taylor presents him in the song is as a manipulative playa. Indeed she was warned by others, including her own mom, that he was not the one for her. But simultaneously, she presents herself as a youthful lady who was caught up in his game. Indeed she even points out that he was significantly older than her while they dated, thus insinuating that he took advantage of her.
So it’s easy to understand how Mayer may have taken this song to heart. For concerning whoever it may be about, it centers on a relationship where the singer, an innocent young lady, did in fact fall in love, albeit with a crafty, older male who she broke up with just in the nick of time. And conclusively she puts the blame on him, as she states that he “should’ve known” that she “was too young” to deal with in such a fashion.
Why many believe John Mayer is the addressee of “Dear John”
Though Swift never fully admitted that this song was about John Mayer, obvious hints such as the titular John, and mentioning how she was young and nineteen prove that she is talking to Mayer. During an interview with Rolling Stone, Mayer himself explained that he was humiliated and felt he did not deserve those lines in the song.
Mayer’s 2013 song “Paper Doll” has references to his relationship with Taylor, particularly talking about how short-lived it was, and making references to lyrics in her song “Dear John”.
Taylor Swift and John Mayer
Taylor Swift and John Mayer’s relationship lasted a short while yet continues to be talked about by most fans. That’s pretty understandable because both musicians sang about it in some of their most notable songs.
Although the two did not officially confirm that they were dating during the period, several media outlets including Billboard reported that they were in a relationship between December 2009 and February 2010. At that time John was aged 32 and Taylor had just hit 20. Speculatively also, they are said to have been first connected virtually when Mayer made the first move by tweeting about a song titled “Half of My Heart” which he wanted to duet with Taylor. He is said to have deleted the post later but Taylor saw it and affirmed in an interview with Elle that she was excited about the Tweet.
During a performance at the Staples Center in Los Angeles May 2009, Taylor invited Mayer as a surprise guest. The two performed John’s hit track, “Your Body Is a Wonderland” and Taylor’s “White Horse” to the amazement of fans. Eventually, John released Half of My Heart featuring Taylor Swift in June 2009, performing live with her at The Jingle Ball in New York that December.
