“Now That We Don’t Talk” is Taylor Swift’s shortest song at two minutes, 26 seconds. Still, what it lacks in length, it makes up for in shade. In true Swift style, “Now That We Don’t Talk” is about a painful breakup. In the song, Swift seeks comfort from her mom after discovering that her ex-boyfriend has moved on to new pastures and left her behind. “Now that we don’t talk / I call my mom, she says that it was for the best,” she sings.
So, who is the ex that left Swift sobbing into her cell phone? All the evidence points to Harry Styles. The opening verse lyrics, “Did you get anxious though, on the way home?” seem to refer to Styles flying home from the British Virgin Islands following their split in 2013. To add further credence, Swift later sings, “You grew your hair long, you got new icons, and from the outside, it looks like you’re tryin’ lives on.” Buzzfeed notes that Styles let his hair grow out after they broke up before cutting it short again in 2016.
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The final clue is in the outro. Swift sings, “I don’t have to pretend I like acid rock / Or that I’d like to be on a mega yacht / With important men who think important thoughts / Guess maybe I am better off now that we don’t talk.” Styles regularly draws inspiration from acid rock and psychedelic bands in his solo music.
