Long before her famous boyfriends, Taylor Swift wrote a song about a guy named Drew and found mainstream success with her ballad "Teardrops on My Guitar." Now when Swift writes a tune, while she may not confirm who she's singing about, her muses are a lot more high-profile. And with the news of her breakup with Jake Gyllenhaal, fans will be waiting to hear what she'll sing about the Hollywood hunk in the future. Here's a look back at Swift's dating history.
(Check out photos of Taylor Swift and her past loves.)
Just as she was emerging on the pop scene, rumors began to surface that the blond chanteuse and Joe Jonas were an item. In the summer of 2008, the pair were spotted hanging out, and she danced around the issue when speaking to MTV News about the rumors. "For me, in dealing with things that people write, I try not to let it affect my life," she said. "He's an amazing guy, and anyone would be lucky to be dating him."
Months later, the pair broke up over the phone when Jonas allegedly left Swift for his "Lovebug" video co-star Camilla Belle. Swift wrote a song about it. "And I addressed it, and, you know, that's a chapter in my life that's closed now," she said of the song, "Forever & Always."
Swift kept busy after her split from Jonas, but in late 2009, her "You Belong With Me" co-star Lucas Till admitted that the two had a bit of a fling. "We just really both liked each other," he said. "[But] most relationships work out 'cause you get along and then you don't, and then you make up and it's passionate. And with us I really just liked her as a friend. That's the only reason that didn't work out."
By the time news came out that Swift had dated Till, she was already dating her "Valentine's Day" co-star Taylor Lautner. They met in the summer of 2009 and while they never publicly addressed the relationship, they were spotted hanging out together until their breakup in December 2009. In October 2010, Swift admitted she'd always have a crush on him, saying, "Taylor Lautner. It's always going to be Taylor."
In 2010, Swift had been rumored to be dating John Mayer, about whom she allegedly wrote her song "Dear John," "Glee" star Cory Monteith, and even her "Mine" co-star Toby Hemingway, never owning up to any of the rumors. "I write in great detail about my personal life," she explained of addressing rumors. "But I don't talk about it."
But her brief romance with Jake Gyllenhaal in the fall of 2010 caused the most headlines. They reportedly began dating in October, and although they never spoke about one another publicly, they were photographed holding hands and being generally adorable until it was learned this week that the couple had split.