In anticipation of 1989 (Taylor’s Version), Taylor Swift has spent the last month actively reliving her “Shake It Off†years. She’s doing girl-squad pap walks around New York City, boldly embracing a new romance in public again, and now, resurfacing Haylor, her ship name with former boyfriend/fellow sequin appreciator Harry Styles, on “Is It Over Now?†Written by Swift and Jack Antonoff, this 1989 (TV) vault track sees Swift reminiscing about her notorious on-again, off-again relationship with a former boy-bander who had a thing for blue eyes, wondering whether it was finished for good. How do we know for sure? Let’s take a Central Park–themed walk through some of the song’s lyrics.
Clue: “When you lost control / Red blood, White snowâ€
Translation: Ah, yes, the snowmobile accident, the same one referenced in “Out of the Woods†(“Remember when you hit the brakes too soon? Twenty stitches in the hospital roomâ€). This confirms the song is almost certainly about Styles. Fans suspect the incident happened on a trip the two took a few days before Christmas 2012, since Styles was later seen attempting to hide his stitches with a scarf. (Also, he made a very conspicuous tweet about it the same day.) Later, Swift confirmed to Rolling Stone that she was in a snowmobile accident with an ex.
Clue: “I see your profile and your smile on unsuspecting waitersâ€
Translation: The two pop stars allegedly first met at the Kids Choice Awards in March 2012. While there are no reports of them actually interacting at the show, “unsuspecting†might mean this was the night they were just foxes hiding in plain sight.
Clue: “Baby was it over when she laid down on your couch? / Was it over when he unbuttoned my blouse? / Was it over then and was it over now?â€
Translation: An allusion to the many beginnings and endings of their relationship. After crushing for months, the two allegedly started seeing each other for a few weeks in April 2012 — until Styles was caught kissing with “Gotta Be You†model Emily Ostilly. Later that year, Swift had a summer romance with Connor Kennedy, who might be the “he†she is referring to in this lyric. And “Was it over now†could be a time jump to January 2013, when Swift and Styles broke up for the second time.Â
Clue: “And did you think I didn’t see you? There were flashing lights / At least I had the decency to keep my nights out of sightâ€
Translation: A possible reference to the paparazzi photos of Styles kissing Ostilly. Vanity Fair claimed that Styles told Swift that he was just “kissing a friend good-bye,†which prompted Swift to Google pictures of the two clearly making out.
Clue: “You dream of my mouth before it called you a lying traitorâ€
Translation: Styles’s childhood friend, Nick Clough, tells the Mirror that the One Direction star had a crush on Swift years before they got together. “He was like ‘Oh my god, she’s really, really good looking. I would do anything for a bit of that.’ Then he went and got with her years later!†And perhaps Swift called Styles a “lying traitor†after hearing his explanation for the Ostilly kiss.
Clue: “Your new girl is my clone†and “If she’s got blue eyes I will surmise that you’ll probably date herâ€
Translation: Back in 2012, Styles had a type, and Swift clocked it immediately (Ostilly was also a tall blonde with blue eyes). Styles was later rumored to be hanging out with Rod Stewart’s blue-eyed daughter, Kimberly Stewart, in April 2013.
Clue: “You search in every model’s bed for something greaterâ€
Translation: Ostilly = model.
Clue: “Blue dress on a boatâ€
Translation: Swift finally references the rumored fight she had with Styles in the British Virgin Islands, where she was seen in a blue dress, sitting on a yacht alone on her way to the airport. The fight must’ve been particularly painful since the two had just shared a a kiss on New Year’s Eve.
Clue: “Once the flight has flown, with the wilt of a rose, I slept all aloneâ€
Translation: Swift flew back from her vacation with Styles on the British Virgin Islands “all alone. A few days later, she recorded the Styles-coded “All You Had to Do Was Stay.â€