Fans have long suspected that John Mayer’s diss track Paper Doll is aimed at Taylor Swift and now, Mayer himself seems to have confirmed that it is.
For those who need a reminder, Mayer and Swift briefly dated between 2009 and 2010, when Swift was 19 and Mayer was 32.
When Paper Doll was released in 2013, listeners quickly picked up on the various nod’s to Swift, including “You’re like 22 girls in one” (a suspected reference to Taylor’s song 22) and “fold a scarf, Moroccan red” (nodding to the scarf lyric in All Too Well and the song Red).
Mayer however, never confirmed the song was about anyone in particular—until now.
At a recent show, Mayer admitted that the song is a “bitchy” track about an ex-girlfriend. He also told the crowd that he doesn’t like to sound “pissed off” in his songs, which may be a slight at Swift, who is known for writing about her ex-boyfriends—including Mayer.
After their relationship ended, Swift released Dear John, which is suspected to be about Mayer.
As well as having his name in the song title, the song also references Swift’s age when they dated with the line “Don’t you think nineteen is too young.”
At the time, Mayer wasn’t happy that Swift had written about him in the song, telling Rolling Stone that he felt “humiliated” by the lyrics.
“It made me feel terrible,” Mayer told the outlet. “Because I didn’t deserve it. I’m pretty good at taking accountability now, and I never did anything to deserve that. It was a really lousy thing for her to do.
“… I was really caught off guard, and it really humiliated me at a time when I’d already been dressed down. I mean, how would you feel if, at the lowest you’ve ever been, someone kicked you even lower?.”
We also can’t ignore that Mayer has chosen a very interesting time to finally discuss the track—Swift has only just broken up with her long-term boyfriend Joe Alwyn and is currently dominating the headlines.
Given that Swift is currently on tour (and rumoured to be re-recording her Speak Now album which features Dear John) Mayer should be treading very carefully, or he might be receiving a very public clapback.
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
