17 Breakup And Love Songs You Likely Didn't Know Are About Other Celebrities
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1."The One That Got Away" by Katy Perry is about Josh Groban.
Lyrics of note: "In another life, I would make you stay / So I don't have to say you were the one that got away."
The evidence: Katy has confirmed the tune is about Josh. The pair dated for a bit back in '09. Josh himself said that he was, "Very flattered by it, but I was very surprised by it."
2.And "Still Feel Like Your Man" by John Mayer is about Katy Perry.
Lyrics of note: "I still keep your shampoo in my shower / In case you wanna wash your hair."
The evidence: John confirmed the inspiration and said, “Who else would I be thinking about?”
3."Don’t" by Ed Sheeran is rumored to be about Ellie Goulding and Niall Horan.
Lyrics of note: "I never saw him as a threat / Until you disappeared with him to have sex, of course / It's not like we were both on tour / We were staying on the same fucking hotel floor."
The evidence: Although none of them have ever confirmed it, timelines and photos seem to heavily suggest that Ed wrote the song about his romance with Ellie Goulding — who then hooked up with his friend, aka Niall Horan. Ed even said in an interview that, "Everyone fucking knows" who it's about, so...
4."Colors" by Halsey is likely about Matty Healy from The 1975.
Lyrics of note: "You said your mother only smiled on her TV show / You're only happy when your sorry head is filled with dope."
The evidence: Matty's mom is an actor and he's been open about his problems with heroin addiction in the past. Halsey and Matty dated in 2015 after Halsey went to a 1975 concert.
5."Call out My Name" by The Weeknd is theorized to be about his relationship with Selena Gomez.
Lyrics of note: "I almost cut a piece of myself for your life / Guess I was just another pit stop / 'Til you made up your mind / You just wasted my time."
The evidence: Hey, remember when The Weeknd and Selena Gomez dated for almost a year? The above lyrics are most widely considered to be a reference to Selena for two big reasons: a) The "piece of myself" The Weeknd offers to cut out could be a reference to Selena's kidney transplant, and b) Selena dated her ex, Justin Bieber, after her breakup with The Weeknd — which could be why he's referring to himself as a "pit stop."
6."Shout Out to My Ex" is likely about Perrie Edwards' own ex, Zayn Malik (and Gigi Hadid).
Lyrics of note: "I hope she gettin' better sex / Hope she ain't fakin' it like I did, babe / Took four long years to call it quits."
The evidence: The song calls out an ex who the singer was with for four years, who moved on to another woman super quickly, and who got a tattoo dedicated to the relationship. All of this tracks with Perrie and her ex-fiancé, Zayn — who then has famously gone on to date Gigi Hadid.
7."You're So Vain" by Carly Simon is partly about her relationship with Warren Beatty in the '70s.
Lyrics of note: "You had me several years ago when I was still quite naive / Well you said that we made such a pretty pair and that you would never leave / But you gave away the things you loved / And one of them was me."
The evidence: Carly confirmed that the second verse was about Warren.
8."Ms. Jackson" by Outkast is about Erykah Badu (and her mom) following their divorce in the '90s.
Lyrics of note: "So know this, know that everything's cool / And yes, I will be present on the first day of school and graduation."
The evidence: It's been confirmed that the song is about André 3000's ex-wife Erykah — and apparently her mom has a ton of Ms. Jackson merch.
9."Gonna Get Caught" by Demi Lovato is about Joe Jonas.
Lyrics of note: "You reeled me in with your smile / You made me melt with your voice."
The evidence: Demi has confirmed that the song was written about their relationship with Joe when they were just 15 — and that his brother, Nick Jonas, helped write it. Demi later said of Nick's involvement, "Poor thing, he’s been stuck in the middle for a while.”
10.And "Flattery" by Aly & AJ is also about AJ's breakup from Joe Jonas after the pair dated for about a year back in 2006.
Lyrics of note: "Please, don't flatter yourself / You're not the only one this heart has ever felt."
The evidence: The Aly & AJ account tweeted that it was this song — not "Potential Breakup Song" — that was about AJ's relationship with Joe.
11."7 Things" by Miley Cyrus is about her relationship with Nick Jonas.
Lyrics of note: "You're vain, your games, you're insecure."
The evidence: Miley is wearing the dog tags that Nick gave her in the video. Also, Nick apparently once said, "I know it's about me.'' Of course, Nick gave his own thoughts on the relationship in the Jonas Brothers song "Wedding Bells."
12.And "Wedding Bells" by the Jonas Brothers — written by Nick — is about Miley Cyrus's engagement to Liam Hemsworth.
Lyrics of note: "Cause if you recall our anniversary falls /11 nights into June."
The evidence: The song shouts out the day the couple met. Miley herself said, "I don't know who else is getting married...So I feel like that's pretty blatant, it's whatever."
13.“You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette is likely about her breakup from Full House star Dave Coulier.
Lyrics of note: "I hate to bug you in the middle of dinner / It was a slap in the face how quickly I was replaced"
The evidence: Dave said that the above line is the giveaway that the song is about him — he said, “We had already broken up… She called and I said, ‘Hey, you know, I’m right in the middle of dinner. Can I just call you right back?’”
14."Ex-Factor" by Lauryn Hill is about her affair and breakup with fellow Fugees member Wyclef Jean.
Lyrics of note: "Is this just a silly game / That forces you to act this way? / Forces you to scream my name / Then pretend that you can't stay."
The evidence: Wyclef previously said, "When [The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill] came out, y'all was mad at me...All the girls was like, 'Oh, we can't believe Wyclef broke Lauryn Hill's heart.'
15."I Need a Girl (Part One)" by Diddy is partly about his 2001 breakup from Jennifer Lopez.
Lyrics of note: "I had a girl that would've died for me / Didn't 'preciate her so I made her cry for me"
The evidence: He explained, "It’s written to my past relationships — not just to the Jennifer one, but a couple of them."
16.Lady Gaga's "Perfect Illusion" is about her ex-fiancé, Vampire Diaries star Taylor Kinney.
Lyrics of note: "It wasn't love, it wasn't love / It was a perfect illusion."
The evidence: When asked about the song's meaning, Gaga responded by saying, "I have said it before—I love Taylor so much and he's my best friend."
17.Finally, "All Too Well" by Taylor Swift is very likely about Jake Gyllenhaal.
Lyrics of note: "I'll get older, but your lovers stay my age."
The evidence: This song has long been rumored to be about Taylor's three-month relationship with Jake, but the new lyrics that specifically call out the age difference between the two have added fuel to the fire — as Taylor was 20 and Jake was 29 when the pair dated.
