Here's Why Fans Think Taylor Swift's "When Emma Falls In Love" Is About Longtime Friend Emma Stone

With the re-release of Taylor Swift's 2010 album Speak Now comes six (!!) all-new songs from the Grammy-winning songwriter's vault. ICYMI, vault tracks are songs that didn't make the cut on Taylor's initial album release. Most famously, the 10-minute version of Taylor's Red magnum opus, "All Too Well" was in the vault until the album's re-release in 2021. Now, star-studded collaborations with Hayley Williams and Fall Out Boy have been released from Taylor's vault as well as her heartwarming ode to friendship, "When Emma Falls In Love."

Based on the title alone, fans were quick to theorize that the track may allude to Tay's longtime friendship with actress Emma Stone and her romance with Andrew Garfield. While their relationship timeline doesn't fully overlap with the original release of Taylor's album, the pair reportedly met in 2010 ahead of filming The Amazing Spider-Man and ultimately got engaged before splitting in April 2015. Fans also speculated that the track may reference the actress' relationship with Succession star Kieran Culkin from 2010 to 2011.

As for Taylor and Emma's friendship, the dynamic duo met when they were teens in 2008. Last month, during the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic in New York City, Emma opened up about her friendship with Taylor and how she helped her snag Eras Tour tickets. "I was lucky 'cause we've been friends for a really long time," Emma said. "I've known her since we were 17 and 18, so she hooked me up, which was very nice 'cause I know those tickets are impossible to get. She’s a wonderful friend. She blows my mind."

In true Taylor fashion, the singer has not confirmed who really inspired her latest vault track and likely won't speak about it. Ahead, find our full breakdown of Taylor Swift's "When Emma Falls In Love" lyrics meaning.

Lyrics provided by Genius.

[Verse 1]
When Emma falls in love, she paces the floor
Closes the blinds and locks the door
When Emma falls in love, she calls up her mom
Jokes about the ways that this one could go wrong
She waits and takes her time
'Cause Little Miss Sunshine always thinks it's gonna rain
When Emma falls in love, I know
That boy will never be the same

There isn't any confirmation that the song is really about Emma, but the receipts are providing some pretty convincing evidence. In a 2012 interview with Teen Vogue, the actress revealed that she's close to her mom and alludes to her as her hero. "My mom [is my hero], for so many reasons—for her bravery. For everything," she said.

"Little Miss Sunshine" could also be a reference to Emma's 2010 teen flick Easy A, in which her character has a hilarious montage singing to Natasha Bedingfield's "Pocketful of Sunshine."

[Chorus]
'Cause she's the kind of book that you can't put down
Like if Cleopatra grew up in a small town
And all the bad boys would be good boys
If they only had a chance to love her
And to tell you the truth, sometimes I wish I was her

Back to the Emma/Andrew theory behind the track, the actor gushed about his ex-fiancé and referred to her as a "shot of sunshine" in an interview when they were still together in 2014. "I will write a book one day about how I feel about every aspect of Emily Stone [Emma's real name]," Andrew said on Good Morning America, via Just Jared Jr. "She's a full genius, or she has found her genius and she's doing it so beautifully. I think everyone who works with her, everyone who brushes shoulders with her or even makes eye contact with her gets a shot of sunshine."

Cleopatra, the tantalizing queen of Egypt, would be a hot topic in a small town. Taylor likens Emma to the historic figure and says that boys would change their ways (or pretend to, anyway) for the chance to be with her. She then admits that she wishes she was Emma.

[Verse 2]
When Emma falls in love, it's all on her face
Hangs in the air like stars in outer space
When Emma falls in love, she disappears
And we all just laugh after seein' it all these years
When Emma falls apart, it's when she's alone
She takes on the pain and bears it on her own
'Cause when Emma falls in love, she's in it for keeps
She won't walk away unless she knows she absolutely has to leave

The second verse reveals that when Emma falls, she falls deeply. Taylor insinuates that Emma won't get into relationships unless she feels sure about her romantic partner, and she won't break up with them unless there's a massive dealbreaker.

[Chorus]

[Bridge]
Well, she's so New York when she's in LA.
She won't lose herself in love the way that I did
'Cause she'll call you out, she'll put you in your place
When Emma falls in love, I'm learning

Emma Stone is currently bi-coastal as she reportedly owns homes in both New York and LA. When the song was originally written in the late 2000s/early 2010s, Emma was living in Los Angeles but was frequently photographed with Taylor in NYC, according to Entertainment Weekly.

[Verse 3]
Emma met a boy with eyes like a man
Turns out her heart fits right in the palm of his hand
Now he'll be her shelter when it rains
Little does he know, his whole world's about to change

[Outro]

Yeah, between me and you, sometimes I wish I was her

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