5. John Mayer – Paper Doll
John Mayer’s song “Paper Doll” was reportedly written in response to Taylor Swift’s song “Dear John.” A couple of the lyrics seem to indicate that the country singer turned pop sensation is indeed the subject: “You’re like 22 girls in one/And none of them know what they’re running from/Was it just too far to fall for a little paper doll?”
4. Billy Joel – Uptown Girl
Billy Joel has stated that his hit song “Uptown Girl” was written about his relationship with Elle Macpherson; however, after they broke up, it also became about his soon-to-be wife, Christie Brinkley.
3. Britney Spears – Everytime
According to one of Britney Spears’ old backing vocalists, Annet Artani, the song “Everytime” was written in response to Justin Timberlake’s song “Cry Me a River”:
“He was getting personal. Here, she had a different type of image, and he was really exposing some stuff that she probably didn’t want out there, and in front of her little sister,” Artani had explained.
2. Ed Sheeran – Don’t
After a lot of speculation, Ed Sheeran finally confirmed that his song “Don’t” is about his ex, Ellie Golding. According to him, she was fooling around with one of his friends while they were together. Many believe that the friend in question was Niall Horan from One Direction, but that speculation has yet to be confirmed.
1. Justin Timberlake – What Goes Around…Comes Around
Justin Timberlake’s song “What Goes Around…Comes Around” was reportedly inspired by the relationship his good friend Trace Ayala had with actress Elisha Cuthbert. These two were engaged when she cheated on him with a friend of his. Other people think that this song is about Britney Spears. She had cheated on Timberlake back in the day, which is what ruined their relationship.
Jack Sackman
Jack Sackman has been writing about movies and TV for Goliath since 2013.