Taylor Swift is known for singing about her romantic relationships, but her music covers a lot more ground than that. The pop star has some seriously famous friendships. If you follow her on Instagram, you’ll see her constantly hyping up friends like Selena Gomez and Sophie Turner. If there’s one thing that she understands, it’s that friendship, just like romantic relationships, can be fierce and complicated. She’s written lots of tributes to her friends—not to mention some songs about friendships that are totally fictional. Here are Taylor Swift’s most spot-on songs about friends!
Videos by American Songwriter
1. “dorothea”
Falling out of touch with old friends is a part of life. It’s not fun, but it happens. As with most of the other songs on Swift’s album folklore, “dorothea” is a largely fictional story, but it still rings familiar for most of us. The character of Dorothea is a famous actress, and the narrator sees her in movies while wondering if she remembers their childhood together. It’s probably similar to how some of Swift’s old friends think about her! While most of us don’t have friends who have become famous, we can still relate to the story of missing someone who used to be important to us.
2. “It’s Nice to Have a Friend”
Falling in love with a childhood friend is a tale as old as time. They say that the best relationships are grounded in friendship. “It’s Nice to Have a Friend” follows two children who bond at school and grow up together. The last stanza flashes forward to their wedding, with the repetition of the poignant line, It’s nice to have a friend. It’s a sweet flashback to some of Swift’s earlier music where she embodied the “girl next door.”
3. “no body, no crime” feat. HAIM
Okay, bear with us here—yes, “no body, no crime” is the story of a revenge murder. It’s written from the point of view of a protagonist who thinks her missing friend isn’t missing at all. In fact, she’s been murdered by her husband. There’s no proof, so the singer takes matters into her own hands. So she’s doing a nice thing for her late friend (i.e. killing her treacherous husband), and fun fact: the fictional murder victim, Este, was named after one of Swift’s real-life friends, Este Haim (of the band HAIM). Let’s just say that friendship can be expressed in many ways, some of which are a bit more macabre than others.
[RELATED: 6 Times Taylor Swift Paid Tribute to American Cultural Icons]
4. “22”
Remember when you were young and went out with a group of friends? You probably noticed older people getting annoyed and rolling their eyes, but you didn’t care. We’ve all been there, and Taylor Swift manages to capture that stage of life in her über-poppy song “22.” When you’re 22, everybody tells you you’re immature and irresponsible, but Swift has never been one to be ashamed of whatever stage of life she’s in, or is reminiscing about in song. This infectious tune brings back memories of a simpler time in life when spending time with your friends was everything.
5. “seven”
Kids have a unique and beautiful take on friendship. Swift nails it in the song “seven,” a folksy piano ballad reminiscing about a childhood playmate. At first, things seem innocent enough. She describes the sort of things every kid experiences: playing on the swings, playing pretend, and acting crazy outside. But there’s something more sinister going on; the narrator’s friend has an abusive father. So she deals with the problem the only way she knows how—she plays pretend games to help provide an escape for her friend. Kids might not always understand, but they show an amazing amount of love.
6. “Long Live”
Pop icons inherently have pretty dedicated fanbases. And then there are the Swifties. “Long Live” is a tribute to her followers, some of whom are her fiercest supporters, despite the fact that they’ve never met. There are also nods to the members of her band, who have accompanied her through lots of ups and downs. The emotional anthem often appears as a closing song during live performances.
Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images
