All the References About Matty Healy in Taylor Swift’s TTPD

In The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift’s devasting lyrical disclosures get hauntingly murkier with nods to her past relationships. This heartbreaker of an album arrives amid the singer’s groundbreaking success as she continues to sell out stadiums for her Eras tour, that is to conclude in December this year. In her new double album, Swift bares her heart as a songwriter, and the result is some truly inspired lyrics with clever references to her brief relationship with Matty Healy.

The 1975 frontman and Swift made the headlines when they were first spotted together shortly after her split from Joe Alwyn, whom she dated for over six years. Her brief romance with Healy, which spanned over the summer of last year, was touted to be a rebound relationship that has unexpectedly taken centre stage in her new album.

In keeping with the traditions of every album release, Swifties have been hard at work trying to decode every easter egg and meaning behind the singer’s poetic lines, many of which seem to point at Healy. Despite the internet’s obsession with discovering what truly went down between Taylor and Matty, the latter has thusfar appeared unfazed by it.

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How Matty Healy has reacted to Taylor Swift’s new album?

In a recent video, Healy was asked to react to the supposed “diss track” about him on Swift’s album, and he said, “My diss track? Oh! I haven’t really listened to that much of it, but I’m sure it’s good.” A few songs on The Tortured Poets Department that are widely believed to be about him include The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived, Guilty as Sin, and the title track, The Tortured Poets Department. Before we dig into all the Matty Healy references in Taylor Swift’s TTPD, here’s what you need to know about the former couple’s brief relationship.

Matty Healy and Taylor Swift’s relationship

Following her split from ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn in early 2023, Swift was seen hanging out with Healy. The speculations of their romance ran rampant amid her Eras Tour performances in Nashville and Philadelphia, where he also turned up to support her. In fact, in a surprise performance, Healy also joined Phoebe Bridgers on stage during her opening set on the Nashville tour. From dinner date sightings to the two singers being photographed holding hands, the summer bore witness to a fast-paced fling that ended up lasting barely two months.

However, their relationship seemingly ran deeper than expected, given Swift’s lyrical nods to their time together in her new album. There appears to be more to their History, as the rumours of their link-up go back to 2014. A resurfaced photo from the time also showcases Taylor and her close friend Selena Gomez chatting with Healy. Check out all the references to Matty Healy in Taylor Swift’s TTPD.

All about the Matty Healy references in Taylor Swift’s TTPD

The English singer-songwriter and frontman of the alt-rock group The 1975 is currently under the spotlight with all the excitement surrounding TTPD, but he isn’t a newbie when it comes to courting controversies. From being called out for following Kenosha shooter Kyle Rittenhouse and self-declared misogynist Andrew Tate on Instagram to kissing fans on stage, Healy’s personality is not meant for ‘delicate’ sensibilities (if you know what we mean!). The 35-year-old singer’s eccentricities have made many headlines in the past, including that head-scratching moment when he ate raw steak on stage while performing at Finsbury Park show.

While we may have come to know Matty Healy — the performer all too well, in Taylor Swift’s lyrics, there are a lot more references to the cigarette-smoking singer’s personal tastes. Going by the TTPD title track, Healy probably thinks Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist, much like how he famously wished for the Gallagher brothers (Noel and Liam) to reunite as Oasis, calling them the greatest band of all time. Let’s unpack some more lyrics and references by Taylor Swift that hint at her time with Matty Healy in TTPD.

All references to Matty Healy in Fortnight

In Fortnight, Taylor sings about a temporary romance. The usage of the British term, which indicates a timespan of two weeks, has been considered by fans to be a nod to Healy. Despite their brief fling, as Swift sings “And I love you, it’s ruining my life”, the song appears to confirm her strong feelings for Healy. Many have also speculated that the song could be referring to her time with Matty from 2014, when they were first romantically linked together. The black-and-white vibe of the music video and the lab coats worn by Post Malone, Ethan Hawke, and Josh Charles also seem like a nod to Healy’s artistic choices as seen in his 1975 music videos.

The Blue Nile fanboy in Guilty as Sin?

At first glance, the song feels like it could be about any potential paramour of Swift. She sings about lusting after someone and further refers to Healy’s favourite band of all time, Blue Nile, which certainly raises eyebrows. In the song, Swift sings about someone from her past sending her The Downtown Lights, a 1989 song by the Scottish band. The song, which was released in their birth year (yes, they both are 1989ers) is known to be one of Healy’s favourites, and was also an inspiration for The 1975’s song Love It If We Made It.

The alleged Matty Healy diss track

A post-breakup song where Taylor Swift truly cuts deep with her words is The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived. Swifties are convinced that this is the ultimate diss track about Healy, given that it seemingly takes several jabs at him right from the first verse. The image of Matty and his 1975 bandmates performing in suits is well-known, and hence, as the lines “Gazing at me starry-eyed / In your Jehovah’s Witness suit” appear to be an obvious reference.

In another verse, Taylor seems to suggest that the end of her brief relationship with Healy was the downpour on her perfect summer of Eras tour highs, with, “If rusting my sparkling summer was the goal.” In several tracks, Taylor’s lyrics suggest she was ghosted by The 1975 lead singer, and an example of it also appears in this track with the words, “In public, showed me off / Then sank in stoned oblivion.”  

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Swifties Flock to The Black Dog, a London pub named in The Tortured Poets Department

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Was Taylor Swift “The girl of his American dreams”?

Taylor Swift’s genius in encoding her songs with secret coded messages for Swifties to decipher approached new levels with The Tortured Poets Department. Even a song as simple as Fresh Out of the Slammer, which comes across as a post-breakup track about regaining freedom, comes with subtle nods. The song appears to be peppered with small details of Matty and Taylor’s conversations during their time together, including a suggestion that the American pop princess may have been the girl of his dreams. Singing about being at the “starting line” (Healy’s favourite pop-punk band), she further adds, “To the one who says I’m the girl of his American dreams.”

Matty’s bad boy reputation in I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)

As mentioned earlier, Matty Healy has been controversy’s child from the beginning, and the History of his bad boy image seemingly takes centre stage in the song I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can). In a supposed nod to his inappropriate viral comments, she sings, “The jokes that he told across the bar / Were revolting and far too loud.”

These lyrics possibly allude to the controversy involving Swift’s friend Ice Spice. Healy was accused of making fun of Ice Spice with Adam Friedland and Nick Mullen, calling the rapper “Inuit Spice Girl” and a “chubby Chinese lady” during a February 2023 episode of The Adam Friedland Show.

The song also captures the displeased reaction of Swift’s fans over her relationship with Healy as she sings, “They shake their heads sayin’, “God, help her”/ When I tell ’em he’s my man.” It also seemingly acknowledges the singer’s battle with drug addiction with the words, “The dopamine races through his brain.“

The Black Dog – The London bar with a history

Anything that Taylor Swift sings about becomes an instant phenomenon, and thus it’s no surprise that the London’s The Black Dog bar has become a hotbed of Swiftie activity since the songstress’ unexpected namedrop. While initially considered to be a song about Joe Alwyn, fans have found receipts indicating its strong connection to Matty Healy instead.

A flashback to May 2023 is a great reminder to everyone that Matty once took to the stage to cover a song by the 2000s band The Starting Line. Before his performance, he was famously captured mouthing the lines, “This one is about you. You know who you are. I love you.” Not long after this performance, he was spotted cheering for Swift at her Nashville concert where she secretly quipped the very same thing.

Cut to Swift’s new TTPD track where she sings, “When someone plays ‘The Starting Line’ and you jump up / But she’s too young to know this song / That was intertwined in the magic fabric of our dreaming / Old habits die screaming.” Evidence much?

Healy’s love for typewriters and Charlie Puth

We bet Matty Healy didn’t know back in 2019, when he revealed his love for typewriters in a GQ interview, that it would become a major reference to him in a Taylor Swift song. Whether he left his typewriter at Swift’s apartment is up for speculation, but her lyrics indicate the same, with, “You left your typewriter at my apartment / Straight from the Tortured Poets Department.”

But this isn’t the only way that she captures him in the album’s title track. The other nods to Healy include his belief in Charlie Puth’s talent, which dates back to 2018 when he endorsed the singer’s talent on Twitter writing, “Charlie Puth and Boyz II Men track is harrrrrd”, possibly referring to the track If You Leave Me Now.

A nod to The 1975 singer’s many tattoos also appears to be made in the title track, with the description indicating that he is a “tattooed golden retriever.” As The Tortured Poets Department continues to dominate all streaming charts, one thing becomes clear: Ever the storyteller and mastermind, Taylor Swift has once again succeeded in getting her fans to comb through her song lyrics for clues that may, sadly, never be verified.

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(Main and featured images: Matt Winkelmeyer; Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

– Did Taylor Swift and Matty Healy date?

Taylor Swift and Matty Healy first sparked romance rumours in 2014. Later, they were linked again in 2023 and reportedly dated for two months.

– What song did Taylor Swift write about Matty Healy?

Several songs on Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department are reportedly about her ex Matty Healy. Songs like The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived, Guilty as Sin, The Black Dog, and the title track seemingly reference him.

– Is Matt Healy in a relationship?

The 1975 frontman is reportedly in a relationship with model Gabbriette Bechtel. The duo have been linked together since September 2023.