The Relationship between Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhaal in “All Too Well”

By Aditi Shukla

Gainesville, Florida

Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhaal (US Magazine Weekly)

Taylor Swift’s new album, Red (Taylor’s Version), has stirred up controversy regarding the original people the songs were about. One of the songs that has come into the spotlight is “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” a 10-minute rendition of the original Red song, which was made into a short film starring Dylan O’Brien and Sadie Sink. Fans speculate that the song is about the short romance between Taylor Swift and Jake Gyllenhaal during the fall of 2010.

Many parts of the song allude to Swift’s relationship with Gyllenhaal. The lyrics feature fall-related imagery, such as “autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place.” The lyric “we’re singing in the car, getting lost upstate'' may allude to Gyllenhaal’s family home in upstate Pennsylvania. Furthermore, Swift referenced the age gap between Gyllenhall and Swift in the lyric, “You said if we had been closer in age maybe it would have been fine.” Swift was twenty when she dated Gyllenhaal, who was nine years her senior.

One of the biggest controversies in the short film and the lyrics of the song is the infamous red scarf, first mentioned in the lyric, “And I left my scarf there at your sister's house, and you've still got it in your drawer even now.” Many of Swift’s fans wonder where that red scarf is today, as Swift later sings in the song, “But you keep my old scarf from that very first week.”

Gyllenhaal was rumored to have flaked at Swift's 21st birthday party. A source said that he was planning on showing up the day before the party, but never ended up coming, and neglecting to call or text Swift about a change of plans. Swift is said to have spent her 21st birthday crying in the bathroom, “willing him to come”. Swift sings about that alleged incident, recalling her father telling her, “It’s supposed to be fun, turning 21.”

After the song was released, Swift said in an interview she hadn’t thought about the reactions of the people about whom she wrote the songs. However, many listeners were very curious about Gyllenhaal’s reaction.

According to an inside source, Gyllenhaal was mortified by the re-release of “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version).” The insider said, “He’s such a private person and goes out of his way to avoid drama, so having their three-month fling dragged up in the song and hearing people gossip about it is a hard pill for him to swallow.” He is bothered by the album because he doesn’t like being questioned about a relationship that happened eleven years ago. According to the insider, Gyllenhaal feels that “anyone who has dated Taylor can never escape from their past.” There is also a ‘diss’ in the song about Gyllenhaal’s current relationship with 25-year-old model Jeanne Cadieu, where Swift sings, “I’ll get older but your lovers stay my age.”

Both celebrities seem happy in their current relationships, but the question remains: where is that red scarf?