Taylor Swift Songs About Travis Kelce on TTPD: So High School, More

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce began their romance before The Tortured Poets Department dropped and fans want to know if there’s a love song inspired by him.

While the majority of Swift’s 11th studio album are about past loves like Matty Healy and Joe Alwyn, one song, titled “The Alchemy” seemingly refers to her new love with Kelce.

Using clever wordplay, Swift uses football references in her lyrics to give a shout-out to her boyfriend, who is a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. “So when I touchdown, call the amateurs and cut them from the team / Ditch the clowns, get the crown / Baby I’m the one to beat,” she sings,  “Because the sign on your heart said it’s still reserved for me / Honestly, who are we to fight The Alchemy?” 

The pop star also appears to reference her moment on the field with Kelce after he won Super Bowl LVIII in February. “Shirts off and your friends lift you up over their heads / Beer sticking to the floor / Cheers chanting ‘cause they said there was no chance trying to be the greatest in the league, where’s the trophy?” 

In the second batch of surprise songs dropped hours later, Swift seemingly references Kelce (a lover of comedies and video games) again on the track “So High School,” where she compares falling for the athlete to being 16 again.

“I’m watching American Pie with you on a Saturday night / Your friends are around so be quiet / I’m trying to stifle my sighs,” she croons on the upbeat track. ‘Cause I feel so high school every time I look at you / But look at you.”

Swift appears to reference a viral video of Kelce being asked to play “Kiss, Marry, Kill” with her, Ariana Grande and Katy Perry back in 2016. “Are you gonna marry, kiss, or kill me (Kill me) / It’s just a game, but really (Really) / I’m bettin’ on all three for us two (All three),” she sings. (For the record, he opted to “kiss” Swift at the time, “kill” Grande and “marry” Swift’s once-rival Perry.)

Swift continues with the teenage metaphors (and football references) in the bridge, singing, “Truth, dare, spin bottles / You know how to ball, I’m no Aristotle /  Brand new, full throttle / Teach me while your boys play Grand Theft Auto.” And makes a reference to his dad, Ed Kelce, when she sings: “I feel like laughing in the middle of practice / To that impression you did of your dad again / I’m hearing voices like a madman.”

Swift and Kelce, 34, began dating in summer 2023 after the Kansas City Chiefs tight end revealed he wanted to give the singer his number via a friendship bracelet at her Eras Tour. Though he was unsuccessful at the time, the pair eventually connected. Swift ultimately began attending Kelce’s football games and cheered on the athlete all the way to Super Bowl LVIII.

Swift announced her 11th studio album in February, after she took home her 13th Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. Although Kelce was unable to attend the ceremony due to prepping for the Super Bowl, he later revealed that he got a sneak peek at the upcoming album and was seriously impressed.

“I have heard some of it. It is unbelievable,” Kelce said during a press event at the time. “I can’t wait for her to shake up the world when it finally drops.”

Weeks later at her Melbourne, Australia concert, Swift opened up about why she wrote TTPD during her busy touring schedule.

“I needed to make it. It was really a lifeline for me,” she told concertgoers in March. “It sort of reminded me of why songwriting is something that actually gets me through life and I’ve never had an album where I’ve needed songwriting more than I needed it on Tortured Poets.”

That same month, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that Swift had already written a couple of songs inspired by her romance with Kelce but she was keeping them close to her chest.

“She’s written at least two songs. They have to do with their love story and falling in love with him,” the insider explained of the “very personal” tracks. “She likely won’t share them with anyone. They’re very special. Songs are like poetry to her. Just like most people journal, Taylor writes lyrics. Her relationship with Travis has inspired her.”

Once Swift announced TTPD, many fans speculated the record would be her breakup album for ex Joe Alwyn. The twosome dated for six years before their split in April 2023. The name of the album itself is seemingly a reference to Alwyn, 33, as he shared that he, Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott were in a group chat with a similar name.

“It’s the Tortured Man Club, I think. It’s me, you — and Andrew Scott started the group,” he said during Variety‘s Actors on Actors interview special in December 2022. “[Andrew is] just messaging himself good mornings. We were both in the Sally Rooney universe and crossed over with Lenny Abrahamson. We were so lucky to have that experience.”

The Tortured Poets Department is out now.