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From The Alchemy To So High School: All of Taylor Swift's TTPD Songs Seemingly Referring To Travis Kelce
The Tortured Poets Department not only sees Taylor Swift reflecting on her past relationships, but also detailing her exciting romance with Travis Kelce.
Taylor Swift's new album, The Tortured Poets Department, has been taking the world by storm. In the wake of the release of the record, fans were convinced that several of the pop star's lyrics seemingly referred to Kansas City Chiefs football player Travis Kelce and their love story. Listeners also believe that through new album, Swift also discusses her past romances and heartbreaks, including her relationships with ex-boyfriends Joe Alwyn and Matty Healy, who she briefly dated in 2023.
The album also includes references to her childhood love and the tumultuous times she experienced in her life. While discussing the album during her Eras Tour earlier this year, Swift said writing the songs was a real lifeline for her as she dealt with heartbreak, disappointment, and her time in the spotlight. Amid the release of the album, take a look at all the songs fans believe referes to Travis Kelce.
The Alchemy
The second-to-last song on The Tortured Poets Department, The Alchemy, is one of the only pure love songs on an album that skews melancholy. This is a story of a love that “happens once every few lifetimes,” Swift’s narrator sings. Alchemy refers to the quest in ancient and Medieval times to find a philosopher’s stone, which would make it possible to turn any substance, like lead, into gold.
Beyond medieval magic, what’s especially notable is that The Alchemy is replete with football imagery. Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce, to whom she has been linked since her first Chiefs game appearance in September 2023 was not expected to be the focus of the album.
The song is getting the most attention and it also includes many football references. Throughout the song, Swift seemingly sings about making a big “comeback” following various heartbreaks. At one point, the lyrics appear to be about moving on from her English ex-boyfriends Alwyn and Healy and dating Kelce as she sings, “These blokes warm the benches / We've been on a winning streak."
The bridge also seems to include a pointed reference to Kelce winning the Super Bowl. “Shirts off, and your friends lift you up, over their heads / Beer stickin' to the floor, cheers chanted 'cause they said / ‘There was no chance trying to be the greatest in the league’ / Where's the trophy? He just comes, running over to me,” she sings.
Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus
In The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, Taylor Swift seemingly makes another reference to Travis Kelce in Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus. Swift is recognized for her transparent and enigmatic songwriting, frequently alluding to Kim Kardashian in her Tortured Poets Department song thanK you aIMee.
She also takes pleasure in unraveling the many Easter eggs in her music, like her unexpected track Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus, where she hints at lines aimed at a former partner only to cleverly shift the focus to someone else.
Take the line “You saw my bones out with somebody new / who seemed like he would’ve bullied you in school.” Swift ended her relationship with ex Joe Alwyn in 2023, and soon after briefly dated The 1975 frontman Matty Healy. Both Alwyn and Healy are British, and it’s certainly not a stretch to imagine someone like Healy bullying Alwyn, had the two shared classes in their youth.
But some fans think the line might instead reference Swift’s current boyfriend Kelce, a football player and former high school jock who, if the stereotype bears weight, could theoretically have teased the “uncool” kids.
So High School
So High School also hints at her relationship, including mentions of ball games and Kelce's commitment to getting the girl. Swift sings about a newfound love feeling which many have theorized is about Kelce.
The song, which is reminiscent of music from her Fearless era, also includes some pointed football references as a nod to Kelce. At one point, she even references an old interview Kelce did where he was asked who he would marry, kiss, and kill between her, Ariana Grande and Katy Perry.
"You know how to ball, I know Aristotle, brand new, full throttle / Touch me while your bros play Grand Theft Auto / It's true, swear, scouts honor / You knew what you wanted, and, boy, you got her," she sings on the track, with the ball clearly referencing Kelce's job in the NFL, and the "you got her" line echoing his recent comments about not knowing how he managed to get Swift to like him.
"Are you gonna marry, kiss, or kill me (Kill me) / It's just a game, but really (Really) / I'm bettin' on all three for us two (All three),” Swift sings.
ALSO READ: What Is Taylor Swift's But Daddy I Love Him From TTPD About? Lyrics Explored
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