Originally appeared on E! Online
Taylor Swift still feels enchanted by Jeff Lang.
Following the release of the “Blank Space” singer’s latest album “The Life of a Showgirl,” fans have been theorizing as to who “Ruin the Friendship”—a song in which she shares regret about not expressing her feelings for a childhood friend before he passed away—was about.
Now, Susan Lang — mother to Jeff — says she believes the song is about her late son.
“They were really good friends,” she told The Tennessean in an interview published Oct. 10. “That’s rare these days. They hung out at her house a lot. They were always joking around with each other.”
Lang went on to express how touched she was that Swift had seemingly written a song about Jeff, whose obituary said that he died suddenly at the age of 21 on November 2, 2010, days after the release of Swift’s album “Speak Now,” per The Express Tribune.
“After all this time, she hasn’t forgotten about him,” she shared. “I’m thankful she’s keeping his name alive.”
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In the song, Swift sings about wishing she had kissed someone when she had the chance to in high school, only to learn through her best friend Abigail Anderson that the friend had passed away.
“And it was not convenient, no / But your girlfriend was away / Should’ve kissed you anyway, hey,” the lyrics go. “When I left school, I lost track of you / Abigail called me with the bad news / Goodbye, and we’ll never know why.”
The 35-year-old goes on to allude to attending the subject’s funeral.
“It was not convenient, no,” she sings, “But I whispered at the grave / ‘Should’ve kissed you anyway.’”
This wouldn’t be the first time that Swift has referenced her connection with Jeff in public, either. The Grammy winner honored him while accepting the award for Songwriter of the Year at the 2010 BMI Country Awards days after attending his funeral.
“It’s a really emotional week for me,” she said at the time. “Yesterday, I sang at the funeral of one of my best friends. He was 21, and I used to play my songs for him first. So I would like to thank Jeff Lang.”
Taylor Swift talks about releasing her album “The Life of a Showgirl,” Travis Kelce trying to distract her from his surprise proposal and why she’s not performing at the Super Bowl.
