Earlier this month, Taylor Swift announced the release date for her third re-recorded album, Speak Now (Taylor's Version). The album, with the inclusion of several unreleased vault tracks, is set to come out on July 7th.
The fully self-written album famously includes songs about two of her ex-boyfriends at the time — Taylor Lautner and John Mayer.
Lautner, who is rumored to be the inspiration behind "Back to December," commented on the album's re-release, saying, "I think it's a great album. Yeah, I feel safe....Praying for John." Honestly........he's so valid for that.
Amongst Swifties, Lautner is often praised as one of Taylor's fan-favorite exes. Frankly, he's been a generally unproblematic ex, remained respectful, and hasn't been the subject of any scathing songs like others have. In "Back to December," Taylor actually apologizes for how she acted in the relationship, with lyrics like, "So this is me swallowing my pride / standing in front of you saying I'm sorry for that night."
Lautner's comments come from the influx of hate some of Taylor's other exes have received after her re-recorded albums, like (to a lesser extent) Joe Jonas with Fearless (Taylor's Version) and (to a much greater extent) Jake Gyllenhaal with Red (Taylor's Version). I think it's safe to say Jake has not known peace since the beloved 10-minute version of "All Too Well" came out.
Much like Jake, John is the assumed subject of some very telling songs, like "Dear John." He's also believed to be the inspiration behind "Would've, Could've, Should've" off the 3 a.m. version of Taylor's Midnights album — one of Taylor's rawest songs that addresses the pain and regrets behind a relationship when she was 19 years old. She was 19 when she and John Mayer dated.
