Tonight, Taylor Swift appeared on The Late Show to dispel some of the speculations that have been circulating over her song “Hey Stephen.” The singer, who had just released Fearless: Taylor’s Version, had a conversation with presenter Stephen Colbert about the song, during which she addressed any concerns that listeners may have had and put them to rest.
Taylor Swift confirms her new song isn’t about Stephen Colbert
Swift and Colbert spent several minutes joking about their age and rumors that her recent songs weren’t about anyone in particular. Colbert jokingly called himself “trying to get away with this shit,” and asked if she could hear some of his guesses. She nodded “yes,” but then brought it back to herself. “You’re wrong,” Swift laughed, adding “So I don’t know who the song’s about…” before Colbert declared that her latest single wasn’t about him. The 27-year-old singer surprised the audience and fans when she appeared on The Late Show after taking a break from the music scene after the release of 1989. Swift also made a surprise appearance at the MTV VMAs, giving a heartfelt speech and then closing the show with her single “Bad Blood.
The ‘Blindsided’ singer
“Well, it’s not about Stephen at all!” Swift said. “It’s about me, this guy, and I don’t know his name.” The rumor started back in 2011 when Colbert said on the show that he was very confused by the lyrics in Swift’s song, “The Outsiders.” “My friends think it’s about me. I don’t know what it is,” Colbert admitted. Swift had no idea that Colbert was going to ask her about the rumors, telling him that they were all “fake news” as they listened to “Hey Stephen.” Check out the YouTube video clip above. The feud? The song “The Outsiders” was originally about a man and his friends but became about a random girl in the bar that Colbert refused to name, according to MTV. He also made a remark about having to ask a woman out, which Swift took to mean that it was about her.
The original rumor
Earlier this week, a fan tweeted out a video of the 1989 singer on Stephen Colbert’s show, pretending to play “Hey Stephen” on her phone. Hello, Stephen The fan inquired, “Was this song about you?,” to which the host replied, “Yes,” according to MTV. After being astonished, the fan sought evidence and continued to question Stephen about it. Colbert said, “Where are you from?” The fan said, “I’m from South Dakota. Stephen next requested information from the fan on their visit. The fan said, “I’m not going to tell you because I don’t want to let you down.” “Don’t tell me, then. So, Stephen, where are you from? the host inquired. The admirer responded once again, “I’m from South Dakota.” Stephen went on to say that, regrettably, the song is not about him.
Taylor Swift speaks about her new song
Colbert also brought up the rumor that she composed the song as a way to “punish” her ex-boyfriend, who had just started dating model Cara Delevingne, who had a small role in the music video for “Hey Stephen.” “I’m quite sure I simply made that up. And this has nothing to do with her. I simply don’t believe it’s possible to know someone. Therefore, I do not like to cause any inconvenience or controversy, but this is not about her. Again, Taylor was unable to provide any specifics in response to Colbert’s question on the initial inspiration for the song’s creation. Colbert had the final laugh by informing her that he is aware of the situation and that she should “just say it” so that he can reveal his knowledge. “I can’t say it. You just have no idea what the discussion is about.” Taylor has said unequivocally that the song was not intended to be about Stephen Colbert.
We can only come to the conclusion that the song isn’t about Stephen Colbert and probably isn’t about anybody in particular after looking at the Twitter feed that her team maintains. The artist, who often shares photos of herself with Colbert on her social media sites, spoke openly about the creative process that went into writing the song in the interview. Swift is scheduled to perform the song at this year’s Video Music Awards on Sunday. “Because I have a deep and abiding affection for Stephen, I’ve been a little bit anxious about this, but the video is just incredible. I simply want to express how proud I am of each and every one of you. I don’t want to imply that the dancers in the video are stunt doubles because they are really, really fantastic dancers, and it’s a huge pleasure to be able to work with them. I’ve been a supporter for such a long time, and I’ve been following the show for such a long time, and I’ve been following Stephen for such a long time, so it’s just a huge honor for me. I am completely at a loss for words here.
