The Truth About Taylor Swift And Jake's Break Up

We finally know what really happened between Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhaal when they dated. It didn't last long, but the relationship between Taylor and Jake was impactful enough to leave a lasting impression on the two stars and fans everywhere. With the release of Taylor's extended 10-minute-long version of All Too Well and subsequent short film, fans and followers are suddenly clamoring for more details about the decade-old fling between the young country pop singer and the actor. The Real Relationship Story While the video tells one version of events, in truth, Taylor and Jake met in early 2010. By fall of that year, they were seen spending time together a lot, attending a Saturday night live show to support mutual friend Emma Stone. Despite the huge impression the relationship left on Taylor's life and her music, the pair were only together for about three months. They parted ways before the end of the year. Two years after her breakup from Jake Gyllenhaal, Taylor released the acclaimed album Red. The hit album included the songs All Too Well and We Are Never Getting Back Together. It was pretty obvious that the songs were inspired by her whirlwind romance from 2010. Of course, Taylor never explicitly tells us which exes the songs are about. Fans can put together the clues. Did anyone else immediately connect the dots? The Short Film After an ongoing battle with Big Machine Records and Scooter Braun for the rights to her previous tracks, Taylor decided to re-record her old songs, including adding a longer version of All Too Well, which led to production of the 15-minute short film of the same name. The beautifully shot video was written and directed by Swift herself, and stars Stranger Things actress Sadie Sink opposite Maze Runner actor Dylan O'Brien. For anyone doubting that the song was absolutely about Taylor's long-past relationship with Jake, they can just watch the last few minutes of the film, which show a grown-up version of Sadie's character played by none other than Taylor Swift, signing copies of her new book titled, you guessed it, All Too Well. And if that's not enough to send the message home, an older version of Dylan O'Brien's character peeks into the window, played by an actor named Jake Lyon. Mm-hmm. But those aren't the only tasty Easter eggs hidden in Taylor's recent work. The Age Gap The actors from Taylor's short film immediately received praise for their honest and heartbreaking portrayals of the characters from Taylor's song. A stir of controversy began, however, when fans noticed the stark age gap between the two stars. Sink is 19, while O'Brien is 30. Which is actually weird. Which sounds like an inappropriate gap, until you realize that when they dated, Taylor was 20 and Jake was 29. Where you've got one foot in childhood and one foot in adulthood, and you don't quite know where to stand. The realization left many TikTok users hopping on the trend of reevaluating age gaps from their past relationships, and cringing knowingly at Taylor's poignant lyrics. And I was never good at telling jokes, but the punchline goes, I'll get older, but your lovers stay my age. Ouch. What Jake Says After the release of Red in 2012, Taylor told New York Magazine that Jake had commented on the songs which were supposedly about their relationship. She said, He was like, I just listened to the album, and it was a really bittersweet experience for me. It was like going through a photo album. That was nice. Taylor also said that Jake took it better than the unnamed other ex, adding, Nicer than, like, the ranting, crazy emails I got from this one dude. Jake hasn't responded to the new noise surrounding the songs, yet. Artistic Inspiration It's not news that Taylor draws inspiration from her past loves and breakups for her lyrics and music. The talented songwriter uses situations from her real life to create passionate and relatable songs for her fans. And let's face it, we're glad she's had so many love interests, because it means there's always a song we can see ourselves and our own relationships reflected in. Red was no different. The singer once told Elle UK, I love writing songs because I love preserving memories, like putting a picture frame around a feeling you once had. I like to use nostalgia as an inspiration when I'm writing songs for the same reason I like to take photographs. I like to be able to remember the extremely good and extremely bad times. Taylor later explained in an interview with Rolling Stone that recording the song All Too Well happened naturally. I ended up sort of just playing four chords over and over again, and the band started kicking in. I think they could tell I was really going through it. I just started singing and riffing and sort of ad-libbing this song that basically was all too well. The Breakup At the time, Taylor didn't speak about the breakup, but sources explained that Jake had called it off, leaving Taylor reeling from the abruptly ended romance. The All Too Well lyric said, You said if we had been closer in age, maybe it would have been fine, indicating that the large age gap played a factor in their split. Changes to the second verse in the newer version even had some fans speculating that Jake tried to rekindle the damaged relationship after breaking up, which would make sense given that Taylor was adamant about never, ever, ever getting back together. I'm being told I need to ask you if you're still with Taylor Swift. That's not a question I'm gonna answer. Okay. She Moved On More than a decade after the breakup, some are wondering if the resurgence of these songs indicates that Taylor never got over the relationship. Is she over it? This was something that started out as a really hard thing I went through. The singer admitted that while she's definitely feeling emotions of nostalgia with the new song versions, those feelings are with her fans, who have been connected to and passionate about music for so long. Since the 2010 romance, Taylor has been involved with other A-list celebs, including John Mayer, Harry Styles, and Kelvin Harris. Yeah, she does alright. Lyrical Jabs All Too Well and other songs from Red are full of hints at Taylor's heartbroken feelings from her time with Jake. The song not only details the whirlwind romance and downfall of their doomed relationship. The longer version describes some of Jake's less desirable traits, according to Taylor. Given O'Brien's on-point wardrobe choices of plaids and beanies, it's clear that the character is meant to resemble a 2010 version of Gyllenhaal's style. In the new Blake Lively directed video featuring Miles Teller for I Bet You Think About Me, Taylor also sings, "'You laughed at my dreams. Rolled your eyes at my jokes. Mr. Superior thinking. Do you have all the space that you need?' Wonder who that's about?" Did you pick up on any other subtle jabs in Taylor's lyrics? It turns out that elements of All Too Well's visuals, like a keychain and a certain piece of winter outerwear, took on a folklore and fandom of their own. Stolen Scarves While re-listening to the longer version of the song, fans caught on to the lyrics, "'Left my scarf there at your sister's house, and you've still got it in your drawer even now.'" Now asking, hey, where's the scarf? The lyrics from later in the song seem to give us the answer, "'But you keep my old scarf from that very first week, cause it reminds you of innocence, and it smells like me.'" Some fans also think that the dinner party scene hints at her Thanksgiving spent in New York with Jake's sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal, the fall they dated. So, where's the scarf, Jake? Chances are it's long gone, but can't you just picture Taylor's scarf hanging around the actor's home? Fans have been posting jokes and memes galore about the scarf mystery, and true fans may have even noticed scarves popping up in random places all over the world. All a show of solidarity for the breakup we've all been through. On a Roll From re-releasing her award-winning music to dropping two albums in the middle of a pandemic, to writing and producing a short film, Taylor Swift is on a roll. There's really no stopping this multi-talented and successful powerhouse of the music industry. No ex-boyfriends, record labels, or internet haters can stand in the way of what Swift has planned, and her fans will be there supporting, and hiding secret scarves, along the way. Regardless of what really happened in their relationship all those years ago, at least we got some solid Taylor music out of it. Anyone else listening to Red on repeat? What do you think of Swift and Gyllenhaal's relationship? We want to hear your opinions in the comments below. Remember to subscribe to TheThingCelebrity for more on your favorite stars.