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‘Home is where the heart is, but god, I love the English,’ Taylor Swift penned five years ago on ‘London Boy’. And Tay-tay doesn’t just love the English: she loves London, too. This city has been mentioned loads of times in her lyrics, from the lush pastures of Hampstead Heath to local pubs in Vauxhall.
And there’s never been a better time to highlight Tay-Tay’s love for London. The pop superstar is in town for five nights at Wembley Stadium this weekend, totalling eight shows in the capital this summer. And plenty of Swift’s London songs feature in the setlist.
T-Swizzle’s affection for London dates back to at least 2008, when she played her first gig across the pond as part of her Fearless tour. Her first ever UK show was at the humble student union of King’s College London – safe to say she’s come a long way since then.
Over 15 years later and after a six-year break from touring the capital, Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour returns this weekend. To get you excited for those shows, we’ve done some prep and broken down all the times the pop star has mentioned (or alluded to) London in her lyrics over the years. And there’s a lot – here goes.
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London (general)
- ‘You know I love a London boy’ from ‘London Boy’ on Lover (2019)
- ‘I’ll never wander London streets alone and haunted’ and ‘Too young to wander London streets alone and haunted’ from ‘Beautiful Ghosts’ on Cats: Highlights from the Motion Picture Soundtrack (2019)
- ‘I guess you’re in London today’ from ‘Come Back… Be Here' on Red (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
- ‘How is it in London? Where were you while I’m wondering if I’ll ever see you again?’ from ‘Message In A Bottle’ on Red (Taylor’s Version) (2021)
- ‘For so long, London’ from ‘So Long, London’ from The Tortured Poets Department (2024)
- ‘I’m just mad as hell ’cause I loved this place for / So (so) long (long), London (London).’ on ‘So Long, London’ from The Tortured Poets Department (2024)
Central London
- ‘And now I love high tea, stories from uni, and the West End’ from ‘London Boy’ on Lover (2019)
- ‘I enjoy walking Soho, drinking in the afternoon’ from ‘London Boy’ on Lover (2019)
- ‘... doesn’t have to be Louis V up on Bond Street’ from 'London Boy’ on Lover (2019)
North London
- ‘I enjoy walking Camden Market in the afternoon’ from ‘London Boy’ on Lover (2019)
- ‘Took me back to Highgate, met all of his best mates’ from ‘London Boy’ on Lover (2019)
- ‘And I snuck in through the garden gate, Every night that summer just to seal my fate’ (possibly referring to The Garden Gate) in ‘Cruel Summer’ on Lover (2019)
- ‘I left all I knew. You left me at the house by the Heath’ from ‘So Long, London' from The Tortured Poets Department (2024)
East London
- ‘...Shoreditch in the afternoon. He likes my American smile’ from ‘London Boy’ on Lover (2019)
- ‘So please show me Hackney’ from ‘London Boy’ on Lover (2019)
South London
- ‘Into some bar called The Black Dog’ from ‘The Black Dog’ on The Tortured Poets Department (2024)
- ‘I enjoy nights in Brixton’ from ‘London Boy’ on Lover (2019)
Bonus round
But that ain’t all. There are other nuggets of London trivia in Taylor Swift’s music. Did you know...
- T-Swizzle spent time in our city shooting a part of the video for her 2018 single ‘End Game’ from Reputation (2017). Featuring Ed Sheeran, the video was filmed in a north London kebab shop called Kentish Delight Kebab.
- The songs ‘Daylight’ & ‘London Boy’ from Lover were recorded at Metropolis Studios in London.
- Talking to Elle in 2015, Tay mentioned she wrote the song ‘Clean’ on 1989 as she was ‘walking out of Liberty in London’.
- The Christmas song ‘Christmas Tree Farm’ was recorded at London Lane Studios in 2019, then re-recorded at Abbey Road Studios with an orchestra in 2021.
There you have it! Now, here’s everything you need to know about Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium.
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