17 Popular Songs You Probably Didn't Realize Were About Famous People Until Reading This Post

Lauryn Hill's 1998 hit "Ex-Factor" is about her affair with fellow Fugees member Wyclef Jean.

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1. Taylor Swift's "Style" from her legendary album 1989 is allegedly about her early 2010s romance with Harry Styles.

Big Machine / David Krieger / Bauer-Griffin / Getty Images

In a 2020 interview, when asked about Taylor Swift's songs about him, Styles said: "I think about what it means to me to write a song about somebody else and for somebody else to do that — it's, like, flattering, even if the song isn't that flattering. You still spent time on it. And, ultimately, using Taylor as an example, she's a great songwriter. So, at least they're good songs."

Listen to the song here:

Big Machine / Via youtube.com

2. "Obsessed" by Mariah Carey is about her infamous feud with Eminem. After she claimed over and over again they never dated, Eminem persisted they did, and Carey released this hell of a diss track.

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Listen to the song here:

Island / Via youtube.com

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3. Amy Winehouse's "Me & Mr. Jones" from her final studio album, Back to Black, is about her relationship with Nas. She even references their shared birthday (Sept. 14) in the lyric: "Mr. Destiny 9 and 14, nobody stands in between me and my man."

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Nas said in a 2011 interview: "I don't really remember if Salaam (Winehouse's producer), who was really close to her [introduced us], if he told me about it or not. I don't remember right now. But I heard a lot about it before I even heard the song."

Listen to the song here:

Island / Via youtube.com

4. Lauryn Hill's "Ex-Factor" from her Grammy Award–winning album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, is about her affair and tumultuous breakup with fellow Fugees member Wyclef Jean.

Ruffhouse / Columbia / Paul Natkin / Getty Images

The first track from Hill's Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, "Lost Ones," is also allegedly about her relationship with Jean.

Listen to the song here:

Ruffhouse / Columbia / Via youtube.com

5. Kurt Cobain wrote the 1993 Nirvana hit "Heart-Shaped Box" about Courtney Love's vagina.

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Listen to the song here:

DGC / Via youtube.com

6. Katy Perry revealed in a 2008 interview that her first major hit, "I Kissed a Girl," was inspired by Scarlett Johansson.

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Perry said: "I was with my boyfriend at the time, and I said to him, 'I'm not going to lie: If Scarlett Johansson walked into the room and wanted to make out with me, I would make out with her. I hope you're okay with that.'"

Listen to the song here:

Capitol / Via youtube.com

7. Nick Jonas wrote the Jonas Brothers song "Lovebug" about his relationship with Miley Cyrus in the mid-2000s.

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In the Jonas Brothers' 2019 documentary Chasing Happiness, Kevin Jonas confirmed Nick wrote "Lovebug" about Miley Cyrus. He said: "That [relationship] changed girls for Nick forever — he met Miley. I think that kid's head exploded."

Listen to the song here:

Hollywood / Via youtube.com

8. "I Need a Girl (Part One)" by Diddy is partially about his 2001 breakup from Jennifer Lopez after dating on and off for a few years.

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Listen to the song here:

Bad Boy / Arista / Via youtube.com

9. Little Mix's "Shout Out to my Ex" is allegedly about Perrie Edwards' breakup with Zayn Malik in 2015. Only a few months after Malik broke off their engagement via text message, he started dating Gigi Hadid.

Syco / Darren Gerrish / Getty Images

Listen to the song here:

Syco / Via youtube.com

10. Green Day's classic song "Holiday," from their album American Idiot, is about George W. Bush. In a concert, Billie Joe Armstrong introduced the song as, "a big 'Fuck you!' to George W. Bush."

Reprise / WEA / William B. Plowman / Getty Images

Listen to the song here:

Reprise / WEA / Via youtube.com

11. Lil' Kim released "Black Friday" in 2011 in response to Nicki Minaj's song "Roman's Revenge," which was allegedly about the '90s rapper. The title "Black Friday" is a direct diss toward Minaj's debut album, Pink Friday.

I.R.S. Records / Young Money / Cash Money / Universal Motown

Listen to the song here:

I.R.S. Records / Via youtube.com

12. Lenny Kravitz wrote "It Ain't Over 'til It's Over," from his 1991 album Mama Said, about getting divorced from his then-wife, Lisa Bonet.

Virgin / Vinnie Zuffante / Getty Images

In a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone, Kravitz said: "I wrote that to my ex-wife [Lisa Bonet]. We were going through our break-off, which led to a divorce. We had our child [Zoë Kravitz] and a great life together. We were sort of mirror images of each other; she was the female version of me and I was the male version of her, and we blended together — so, it was a very difficult time."

Listen to the song here:

Virgin / Via youtube.com

13. Stevie Nicks wrote "Landslide" about her difficult breakup with Lindsey Buckingham in 1974 just before they joined Fleetwood Mac.

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On Oprah's Master Class, Nicks revealed the real inspiration behind writing "Landslide." She said that in 1974, her romantic relationship with Buckingham was turning unhealthy and stressful. She considered going back to school if their music career never panned out, and claimed that the year before she and Buckingham joined Fleetwood Mac was a tumultuous one. "This didn't do a lot for our relationship," Nicks said, "because fear never helps relationships, and when you're scared about where your next money is coming from, it's really nerve-racking."

Listen to the song here:

Reprise / Via youtube.com

14. Diana Ross's 1984 hit "Missing You" was written by Lionel Richie in honor of their late friend, Marvin Gaye, who had been murdered five months earlier. The music video contains old concert clips of Ross performing with Gaye, filled with pure and utter joy.

RCA Records

Listen to the song here:

RCA Records / Via youtube.com

15. Carole King wrote "You've Got a Friend" for James Taylor in response to his song "Fire and Rain." She wrote it when she heard Taylor sing, "I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend."

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Listen to the song here:

Ode / A&M / Via youtube.com

16. Florence Welch wrote Florence + the Machine's 2018 song "Patricia" about her admiration for legendary rock 'n' roller Patti Smith.

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In a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone, Welch recalled the process of writing "Patricia." She said: "When I was making High as Hope, I was thinking about how to live creatively without chaos. [Patti Smith's] writing was like a blueprint. She seems to bring such reverence to the act of living that I find so inspiring. I could just read her write about her morning coffee for pages."

Listen to the song here:

Label Republic / Virgin EMI / Via youtube.com

17. And "Ms. Jackson" by Outkast is André 3000's apology to Erykah Badu's mom for the breakup between the two hip-hop artists.

Arista / LaFace / Kedar Records

In an interview with Rap Radar, Badu revealed how she felt when she first heard "Ms. Jackson." She said, "I still kind of had a sore spot — I didn't wanna hear that. But when I heard André's verse, I felt very good because his verse was really, really inspiring. He just told [us] how he felt, and I've always respected that and listened to what he felt and appreciated it."

Listen to the song here:

Arista / LaFace / Via youtube.com

What's *your* favorite popular song written about a celebrity? Let us know in the comments below!

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