The Real Meaning of Taylor Swift’s April 29 Lyric Has to Do With Not 1 But 3 Exes
If there’s anything Taylor Swift loves, it’s an Easter Egg. And if there’s anything Taylor Swift fans are trained to do, it’s try to figure out the clues in every little thing. The singer has, after all, spent most of her career leaving little hints that her fans have decoded. This is the game she plays with fans, and most people absolutely love it. But some of the things Swift says in her songs feel more like nods to herself. Only she knows what they mean.
The meaning of the date April 29, which she brings up in the song “High Infidelity, is one of them.
Related: Who has Travis Kelce dated?
But who is April 29 about? Which of Swift’s exes is she discussing in the song? Is the lyric related to multiple of them? Why are people so fixated on the date, anyway?
Who is Taylor Swift’s April 29 Lyric About?
People started wondering about the date when Swift first released the song “High Infidelity,” which was one of seven bonus tracks from her Midnights (3 a.m. Edition) album that dropped in October 2022. In the song, Swift sings, “Do you really want to know where I was April 29th?” continuing with, “Do I really have to tell you how he brought me back to life?”
Swifties have become detectives trying to figure out the significance of April 29. And there are some pretty solid leads. For example, there’s April 29, 2016. Swift was dating Calvin Harris at the time, and was spotted leaving Gigi Hadid’s birthday party in the early hours of that date. Days later, she attended the Met Gala, where she would famously dance with Tom Hiddleston, whom she would go on to date that summer.
That’s not all! Fans also believe Swift met Joe Alwyn at the annual benefit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, since it is the first public event they both attended. The plot thickens. Maybe the song it’s just about the convergence of men in her life!
Oh, and there’s more fuel for the April 29, 2016, fire. That’s also the date when Harris and Rihanna released the “This Is What You Came For” collab. Nils Sjöberg was listed as a cowriter. After Harris and Swift broke up, it was confirmed that she co-wrote the tune under the Swedish pseudonym. Harris then came after Swift, who was at that time dating Hiddleston, in a series of since-deleted posts via X.
“I figure if you’re happy in your new relationship you should focus on that instead of trying to tear your ex bf down for something to do,” he wrote. “I know you’re off tour and you need someone new to try and bury like Katy [Perry] ETC but I’m not that guy, sorry. I won’t allow it.”
Harris admitted Swift’s contributions, but said that he “wrote the music, produced the song, arranged it and cut the vocals.” He also said, “And initially she wanted it kept secret, hence the pseudonym. And she sings on a little bit of it too — Amazing lyric writer and she smashed it as usual.”
Another Easter Egg? When Swift released “Look What You Made Me Do” music video, from her Reputation album, there was a tombstone that read, “Nils Sjöberg.” Ouch, Calvin Harris. Ouch.
Swift is now happily dating Travis Kelce, and the Calvin Harris, Tom Hiddleston and even Joe Alwyn days are over. The songs are much happier. But that doesn’t mean fans are done trying to decode things. It feels like April 29 is not a mystery anymore, though. This one, it feels like we’ve cracked.
