Taylor Swift opens up about the sad backstory behind her song 'All Too Well'

Taylor Swift's pulled double duty making a back-to-back late night appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and Late Night With Seth Meyers as her highly-anticipated album Red (Taylor's Version), the re-recorded version of her 2012 album, dropped at midnight Friday.

On The Tonight Show, the 11-time Grammy award winning singer discussed the 10-minute version of her critically acclaimed song "All Too Well," and how it basically started off as just an ad-libbed jam session with her band during a "sad time" in her life.

Swift explained, "I showed up for rehearsals and I just was really upset, and sad, and everybody could tell, it was really, like, not fun to be around me that day." Following the improvised session, Swift said they went on with the regularly scheduled rehearsal, but it was her mother who had asked the sound guy if he happened to record the session. As luck would have it, he did, and handed her mother the CD.

Fortunately, that specific emotional chapter in her life is over, and on Late Night With Seth Meyers, Swift shared how much better of an experience it was recording "All Too Well" this time around.

"At the time I was, like, honestly, really sad. Cause I'd actually gone through, you know, the stuff that I had sung about. But this time, I've got sunglasses on and a mojito and just, like, it's chill this time. It's really nice to be able to put this album out and not be sad not be, like, taking breaks in between interviews to cry. I'm telling you, it's much better this way," Swift told Meyers.

Swifties have always speculated that the song, which was originally released in 2012, is about her ex-boyfriend, Jake Gyllenhaal. While Swift has not officially confirmed whether or not that is true, when Meyers asked, "I wonder if there are people, who might think that they were the one you were singing about, if it's easier or far, far worse for them ten years later," Swift responded, "I haven't thought about their experience, to be honest." Meyers laughed while stating, "I think that's the biggest burn. I think there's nothing they'd rather hear less."

Video Transcript

TAYLOR SWIFT: Showed up for rehearsals, and I just was really upset, and sad, and everybody could tell. It was, like, really, like, not fun to be around me that day. And so I started playing guitar and just kind of playing the same four chords over and over again.

KYLIE MAR: As Taylor Swift's highly anticipated album "Red Taylor's Version" dropped at midnight, Friday, the 11-time Grammy Award winning singer made a back-to-back late night appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," and "Late Night with Seth Meyers," where she discussed the 10-minute version of her critically acclaimed song "All Too Well."

On "Fallon," Swift shared how the song basically started off as just an ad lib, jam session with her band during a sad time in her life. But after 10 minutes, she just moved on to her regularly scheduled rehearsal.

TAYLOR SWIFT: At the end of the day, my mom came up to my sound guy, and she's like, is there any chance that you recorded that?

JIMMY FALLON: Yeah.

TAYLOR SWIFT: And he was like, yup, and handed her a CD.

KYLIE MAR: And while fans have always speculated that the song, which was originally released in 2012, was about her ex-boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal, following its re-release, some are saying the 10-minute version confirms the song is definitely about the actor.

Fortunately, that specific emotional chapter in her life is over. And on "Meyers," Swift shared how much better of an experience it was recording "All Too Well" this time around.

TAYLOR SWIFT: It's chill this time. It's really nice to be able to put this album out, and like-- and not be sad, not be, like, taking breaks in between interviews to cry. It's very-- I'm telling you, it's much better this way.

SETH MEYERS: Yeah.

KYLIE MAR: As for if it's easier or worse for allegedly Jake Gyllenhaal to hear the song 10 years later, Swift said--

TAYLOR SWIFT: I haven't thought about their experience, to be honest.

SETH MEYERS: I think that's the-- that's the biggest burn. [LAUGHS]