Jam: Spotlight on Music StarsTaylor Swift debuts ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’ video: Five clues it is about Jake Gyllenhaal
As well all know, Taylor Swift writes a song about every guy she remotely romances. "Forever & Always" (from her 2008 Fearless album) was about Joe Jonas, who dumped her via a 27-second phone call. Two years later, Speak Now featured "Back To December," a musical mea culpa to Taylor Lautner, "Dear John," a kiss-off to John Mayer, and "Enchanted," about having a fleeting moment she shared with Owl City singer Adam Young.
So when Swift, 22, announced the October 22 release of her fourth album, Red, our natural first reaction was to try and guess which songs were about the men she has been with in the two years since Speak Now: Jake Gyllenhaal, "Glee" stars Cory Monteith and Chord Overstreet, "My Week With Marilyn" actor Eddie Redmayne, or maybe even NFL star Tim Tebow.
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There's been speculation that the first single, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," could be about the "Jarhead" actor. Although the country-pop singer — who is now dating 18-year-old high school senior Conor Kennedy — has remained mum on the ID of the heart-breaking muse, she sure does give some pretty good hints as to who he is in the song's music video, which she debuted on MTV on Thursday night. And all signs point to … Jake Gyllenhaal!
Here are five (very subtle) pieces of evidence:
The setting: The single-take "WANEGBT" video starts out with a sweeping view of what appears to be New York City. Although there are no shots of the Empire State Building or Chrysler Building to make it glaringly obvious, the apartments surrounding Swift look to be straight out of a backlot for a movie set in the Big Apple — the same location where Swift and Gyllenhaal's fall-winter 2010 romance took place. Who can forget that photo splashed across the cover of Us Weekly with the twosome walking arm in arm down a sidewalk near his Brooklyn brownstone?
The leading man: About 25 seconds into the video, Swift's boyfriend enters — and between the shortly-cropped brown hair, sparse beard, and hipster-esque button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up, he looks like a dead ringer for the "Zodiac" actor.
The creepy Furries: After a pajama-clad Swift kicks her faux beau out of her apartment, she has a dance fest with her band, who are all inexplicably dressed in animal costumes to like a bear, squirrel, cat, and what looks like it may be a donkey. Although it's pretty random, it could also be a hint. After all, in Gyllenhaal's first big role — the 2001 cult indie flick "Donnie Darko" — a guy dressed in a rabbit costume is "friends" with Gyllenhaal's character and convinces him to do really bad things.
The coffee date: Throughout their relationship, Swift and Gyllenhaal were often spotted in both NYC and Nashville on coffee dates. And in a scene in the video, where her main squeeze is ignoring her and listening to "an indie record much cooler than mine," coffee cups are prominently displayed on the table in front of them.
The seasons: Towards the end of the video, Swift and her boyfriend are walking through an orchard … just like she and Gyllenhaal did for an apple-picking date in October 2010. Before the singer and her on-screen beau part ways, a snowy scene plays out ahead of them, perhaps a nod to her Christmastime split with Gyllenhaal (they were also spotted on a dinner date weeks later in late January 2012). At the end of the video, during what looks like a New Year's Eve party (it was reported at the time that Swift and Gyllenhaal spent the holiday apart), the boyfriend comes back to Swift's apartment one last time, dressed in a winter-friendly down vest almost identical to the jacket Gyllenhaal wore in the photos of them that appeared in Us Weekly.
What do you think … is Taylor trying to subtly hint "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" is about Jake?
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