Everything Taylor Swift said about Travis Kelce on The Tortured Poets Department

Swift has seemingly dedicated a very sweet song to the Kansas City Chiefs star
John Locher / AP
Seren Morris19 April 2024
The Weekender

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Taylor Swift’s fans woke up to the news on Friday morning that her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, was actually a double album.

While the 31-track album features songs about ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn – and a surprising number of songs about The 1975’s Matty Healy, whom she briefly dated last year –there appear to be a couple of very sweet songs about her current boyfriend, Travis Kelce.

Swift began dating the Kansas City Chiefs tight end around August or September last year, and they’ve enjoyed a very public relationship since then, with Kelce attending the Eras tour and Swift going to several NFL games, including the Super Bowl.

It only makes sense, then, that Kelce got a shoutout on Swift’s new album. So which songs are about him and what did Swift have to say?

Taylor Swift Super Bowl celebrations

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What did Taylor Swift sing about Travis Kelce?

So High School

Swift’s new song, So High School, appears to be about Kelce. She sings about how he makes her feel like a teenager in love, being “a sweet 16 suddenly” and how it feels “brand new”.

She sings about how they spend time with his friends watching “American Pie with you on a Saturday night” and they hang out while his “bros play Grand Theft Auto”.

One clue that this song is about Kelce is the line: “You knew what you wanted, and, boy, you got her.”

Kelce was very vocal about wanting to date Swift: he famously wrote his number on a friendship bracelet hoping to give it to the singer at the Eras tour. Although that didn’t work out, he must have caught her attention by sharing his plan on his podcast with his brother.

Another clue is the line: “You know how to ball, I know Aristotle.” All Swifties know that Kelce is famous for playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, an NFL team that won the Super Bowl in February. While Taylor may be highlighting their different interests with this line, it’s clear from the rest of the song that opposites attract. 

There are other little clues in the song that it’s about Kelce, like “Get my car door, isn't that sweet?” and “I'm sinking, our fingers entwined”. Swift’s fans have been very impressed by Kelce’s gentlemanly behaviour, as the couple have been papped looking loved-up and physically affectionate, while Kelce has been seen doing sweet things like opening doors for her. 

Finally, Kelce is also known for his impressions (he’s recently imitated his teammate Patrick Mahomes and Love is Blind contestant Chelsea Blackwell), so the line, “I feel like laughing in the middle of practice / To that impression you did of your dad again,” seems like a cute nod to Kelce’s comedic tendencies. 

The Alchemy

Another song, The Alchemy, makes a few references to American football, like “touch down”, “warm the benches”, and “winning streak”.

She also refers to the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl, and how she was there to celebrate with him: “There was no chance trying to be the greatest in the league / Where's the trophy? He just comes runnin' over to me.”

While Alwyn and Healy may not be delighted with the material they’ve inspired on this album, we think Kelce will be very pleased.

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