Bad Romances: The True Stories Behind Ten Epic Break Up Songs

by Meghan O'Keefe (@megsokay)

“I Knew You Were Trouble” by Taylor Swift

The Story of the Song: Taylor Swift is no stranger to sharing her romantic feelings with the world. This song is a little different than others, though, because rather than completely paint the horrible ex-boyfriend as the bad guy, Swifty takes responsibility for knowing the bad boy “was trouble” from the start.

The Story Behind the Song: At first, the media assumed that the song was about Swift’s romantic dealings with older man–and noted lothario–John Mayer. However, as time wore on, it seemed that the song was actually about One Direction’s Harry Styles. Styles pursued Taylor upon first meeting her, but she was reticent due to his well-known flirtatious streak, and then she finally succumbed to his charms for a second ill-fated time late last year. Either way, it seems like Mayer and Styles were both probably trouble for the goldilocked songstress.