Jack Antonoff is providing some insight into Taylor Swift’s Midnights breakup ballad “You’re Losing Me.”
“‘You’re Losing Me’ is out today, a very special track from the Midnights sessions that’s finally streaming!” Antonoff, 39, wrote via his Instagram Story on Wednesday, November 28, alongside a photo of Swift, 33, digging into some snacks. “Written and recorded at home on 12/5/21 after Taylor ate these raisins.”
Swift initially dropped the vault track — which was coproduced by Antonoff — in May as a digital release track via her web store after it appeared on an exclusive CD edition sold to fans at her Eras Tour stop at MetLife Stadium. Upon the song’s release, eagle-eyed fans immediately began to speculate if Swift was referencing the end of her relationship with ex Joe Alwyn.
“Do I throw out everything we built or keep it? / I’m getting tired even for a phoenix,” Swift sings in the pre-chorus. “Always rising from the ashes / Mending all her gashes / You might just have dealt the final blow.”
The second verse seemingly features Swift begging for her partner to see her pain. “I glared at you with storms in my eyes / How can you say that you love someone you can’t tell is dying?” she asks. “I sent you signals and bit my nails down to the quick / My face was gray, but you wouldn’t admit that we were sick.”
It’s the bridge, however, where Swift belts out the song’s most devastating lyrics. “I wouldn’t marry me either / A pathological people pleaser / Who only wanted you to see her,” Swift croons. “And I’m fading thinking / Do something, babe, say something / Lose something, babe, risk something / Choose something, babe, I got nothing to believe, unless you’re choosing me.”
Fans were surprised by Antonoff’s claims about the timeline of the song, which would mean Swift penned the track more than one year before calling it quits with Alwyn, 32. (The pair were together for nearly six years before going their separate ways in April.)
“So she felt this way for years,” one person commented via X (formerly Twitter). Another wrote, “Insane how she still tried to make it with him for a whole year after writing this devastating song.”
At the time of their split, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that the Grammy winner’s A-list celebrity status contributed to the pair’s breakup.
“Joe is very shy and never liked all of the attention that came with dating one of the most popular singers in the world,” the insider explained, noting that the Conversations With Friends star “didn’t like having to be on all the time.”
Since calling it quits with Alwyn, Swift has sparked a romance with Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce. The twosome were first linked in September after Kelce, 34, invited the singer to watch him play at Arrowhead Stadium in his game against the Chicago Bears.
They have since been spotted around the globe together. Earlier this month, an insider told Us exclusively that the couple “can’t wait” to celebrate the holidays with each other. According to the source, the pair will likely spend time at Swift’s Tenn essee home before Swift heads off on the next leg of her Eras Tour in the new year. “Travis hasn’t been to Taylor’s Nashville place yet, so he’s really looking forward to it,” the insider added.
Swift is moving on in more ways than one. Earlier on Wednesday, she announced that she would be releasing “You’re Losing Me” on streaming services in celebration of being named Spotify’s Global Top Artist for 2023.
“Um ok this is unreal??” she wrote via social media alongside new Spotify artwork. “I just wanted to say to anyone who listened to my music this year, anywhere in the world, thank you. Getting named Spotify’s Global Top Artist in 2023 is truly the best birthday/holiday gift you could’ve given me.”
She continued, “So I was trying to think of a way to thank you, and a lot of you have been asking me to put “You’re Losing Me (From The Vault)” on streaming… so here you go! You can finally listen EVERYWHERE now 💋.”
