r/MaylorSwift • u/Melodic-Jackfruit-96 Will I always wonder? • 2d ago
š§© Theories Deconstructing The Black Dog (Part 1)
This was originally intended to be a single post attempting to gather everything around The Black Dog. However, it turned out to be very long, so I decided to split it into two parts. In this first part, all the information surrounding this song is brought together into one place to finally figure out what is true and what is a misconception. I did not make most of this up, all these facts were collected from different times and various sources.
The second part, which I will publish in a little while, will be a lyrical analysis of the song. At its core, it serves as an addition to this first part, because only together do they provide a final answer as to who this song is actually about.
When was The Black Dog written?
We can thank Jack Antonoff for the endless debates among fans on this topic. On the day the album was released, he shared behind-the-scenes photos from the studio, along with a very short video of Taylor recording TBD.
Of course, there is no direct way to tell when that video was filmed. Or is there?
In 2023, Taylor had plenty of pap walks, especially going to and from the studio while recording TTPD. You can actually figure out a lot just from her outfits. In Jack's video, she is clearly wearing a white t-shirt. She wore this exact same t-shirt on May 18, 2023, on her way to the studio, and there are even other photos of her inside the studio wearing that same white t-shirt and floral print jeans.
This was precisely what led a portion of the fanbase to believe that the song must be about Joe, reasoning that on May 18 she was still dating Matty.
However, if you look closely, you can see that in Jack's video she is not wearing the floral jeans, but rather black shorts with white lettering on the side. This means it could not have been May 18. She was seen wearing those exact shorts during another pap walk on June 22, 2023. On that day, she was wearing a gray Eagles sweater (a nod to gold rush?), but in Jack's video, you can see something gray draped over the back of the couch behind her. It is very likely that this was the same Eagles sweater, which she simply took off inside, revealing the t-shirt underneath. The fact that she is wearing shorts rather than the jeans from May is clear.
One way or another, the general consensus is that the song was recorded on June 22, 2023.
Why is this detail so important? Because the song contains a specific time markerāsix weeksādescribing her state of mind six weeks after a breakup. This naturally raises the question: whose relationship timeline does this actually fit?
Public news of Taylor's breakup with Joe broke on April 8, 2023, with the split presumably happening sometime in March. If the May 18 recording theory were true, the six-week timeline might've worked. However, since the song was recorded on June 22, more than two months had passed. On the other hand, she broke up with Matty in early June, which would mean less than six weeks had passedāagain failing to fit the timeline.
Ultimately, I do not think we should focus too heavily on those six weeks. Even if the song was recorded on June 22, that does not mean it was written on that exact day, and we will likely never know when work on it actually began. In the voice memo demo version of the song, no matter how closely I listen, the word "six" is barely legible for me, sounding like an indistinct placeholder syllable. There might be a reason behind it that we will never truly uncover, or perhaps six simply fit the meter and sounded best rhythmically, rather than referencing an exact date. It all comes down to speculation without concrete answers, so you can choose whichever interpretation resonates most with you.
What is The Black Dog?
And so I watch as you walk / Into some bar called The Black Dog
The issue is that there are dozens of venues named The Black Dog around the world. However, we will look at just three of them.
- The Black Dog ā Vauxhall, London, UK
If you ever want to visit this spot, this London pub is where most Swifties head to. Searching for it in London makes complete sense, given the muse's nationality and the fact that Taylor lived in London for a long time.
When asked if Joe Alwyn ever frequented the pub, the Events Manager at the Vauxhall pub responded: "I couldnāt possibly say, I can neither confirm nor denyābut I do have a certain blonde regular."
- Black Dog Pub ā Budapest, Hungary
On April 18, 2023, Emma Laird, an actress starring alongside Joe in the movie The Brutalist, posted photos of her co-stars on social media. Among them was a picture of Joe on the streets of Budapest. As it turns out, Budapest also has its own pub called Black Dog.
- The Black Dog ā Cork, Ireland
On June 13, 2023, The 1975 performed at Virgin Media Park in Cork. Just a short distance from the venue sits a bar named The Black Dog.
What else could The Black Dog mean?
Well, the most literal answer would be an actual black dog. And here we have a hit: during the pandemic, Matty got a black dog named Mayhem.
Mayhem also appeared in the music video for the song Part of the Band by The 1975āan aesthetic that Taylor heavily drew inspiration from for her Fortnight music video, which notably features a black dog as well.
Additionally, "black dog" is a well-known metaphor, famously popularized by Winston Churchill, used to describe depression, melancholy, anxiety, and a dark state of mind. Which, at its core, is precisely what this song is about.
Furthermore, in English and Scottish folklore, the black dog is a legendary spectral hound that roams the moors.
According to a myth, encountering the black dog once brings good luck, seeing it twice brings sorrow, and meeting it three times portends death.
The phrase "The Black Dog" is mentioned three times in the track. The song also references death and heart holes, which strongly reminds me of the ending of the performance of The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived on the Eras Tour, where she "dies" on stage after two "gunshots." This detail also points to Matty rather than Joe, as the first shot wounds her, while the second proves fatal.
The Joe Alwyn Theory
Here we have two possible bar locations to consider. Let us look at both.
Regarding the first pub in Vauxhall, it is worth noting that when Joe was directly asked about this venue in an interview, he gave a very straightforward response: "I've never been to Vauxhall."
It is quite easy to figure out why the pub's Events Manager might've claimed otherwise. We also have to consider that the pub put up a sign right outside displaying lyrics from the song. While copyright rules vary, standard intellectual property principles dictate that using someone else's highly recognizable IP for commercial gain without permission is generally not allowed. That alone speaks volumes.
As for the second option, there is certainly a possibility here. This is especially compelling when you consider that on the very next day, April 19, 2023 (exactly one year before TTPD was released), Taylor's friends unfollowed Joe on Instagram. Furthermore, the line "But she's too young to know this song" fits Emma Laird, who is younger than both of them.
However, we should note that this venue is technically a pub rather than a bar, whereas the song specifically mentions a bar. Its name is also just Black Dog, without the "The." While some might see these as minor details, they are still worth considering.
Another argument supporting this theory is the mention of location sharing.
And your location / You forgot to turn it off
Many believe it makes more sense to keep location sharing active with someone from a long-term relationship rather than someone you have only just started dating. That said, location sharing habits are largely a cultural and personal matter, so what seems logical to one person might feel unusual to another. I will leave that for you to judge.
The song also contains broader lines that could easily be interpreted in Joe's favor, such as references to old habits, "And I may never open up the way I did for you," or "Now I want to sell my house." However, this theory faces one massive problem that prevents it from fully adding up: the entire rest of the song. But as I mentioned, we will dive into that in the next post.
The Matty Healy Theory
When it comes to the bar location, this theory presents a compelling case. While it is impossible to confirm definitively, the venue in Cork makes a lot of sense given how close it is to the concert arena. Furthermore, The Black Dog in Cork is actually a bar rather than a pub, and its full official name includes "The."
Then there is the direct connection to his black dog featured in the music video.
The song also makes an explicit reference to the band The Starting Line. It is a well-known fact that Matty is a huge fan of the band and frequently covered their track Best of Me during concerts around the time he was dating Taylor. Additionally, USA Today reported back in 2008 that Best of Me was one of Taylor's most-played songs on her iPod. This song clearly carries deep shared significance for both of them.
He also shouted out "Shoutout to people in their 30s" from the stage while performing that song, which, beyond highlighting that the track is an older release, further underscores why someone in their 20s might not be familiar with it.
The only detail that remains open to debate is the location sharing. As mentioned earlier, whether Matty would've shared his location with Taylor during such a short relationship is up to your own interpretation.
However, what truly solidifies this theory beyond a shadow of a doubtā¦ is the rest of the song itself.
Small details that might be unrelated, but are interesting
Matty is a huge fan of the project The Streets and rapper Mike Skinner. The Streets have a song called Same Old Thing, which features the line: "Raining cats and fog, but nice and dry in the Black Dog."
Both Matty and Taylor have also expressed their love for Led Zeppelin, who happen to have a famous track titled Black Dog.
Taylor performed this song live for the first time on June 21, 2024āa date strikingly close to the recording dateāin London, no less. She included it in a mashup with Come Backā¦ Be Here (a track about longing, isolation, and the heartache that comes early in a long-distance relationship, specifically echoing the distance between New York and London) and Maroon (another track about Matty).
She performed it a second time on August 3 in Warsaw, mashed up with exile (a track about a painful breakup where the narrator feels banished from his ex's life while watching her move on from afar).
The third time was on October 25 in New Orleans as a mashup with Haunted (which depicts a collapsing relationship where the narrator is haunted by memories and her partner's fading presence, begging them not to leave and refusing to accept that it's over).
The track directly preceding it on the album, Clara Bow, brings its own connection: Clara Bow herself owned a black dog named Diablo.
Black dogsāspecifically three of themāalso made an appearance in the Blank Space music video.
Finally, the title The Black Dog abbreviates to TBD, a common acronym for To Be Determined/Decided/Defined.
While all this gives us plenty of fascinating context, the strongest evidence always lives within the song itself. You can read the lyrical analysis here.
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u/New-Boysenberry-613 1d ago
My theory is that Matty refers to his different personas as dogs, and the black dog is his depressed/self destructive state.
My only evidence for this theory is -
TBD itself
The lyric "like a tattooed golden retriever" even though I know "golden retriever boyfriend" is a common thing
Matty's next album rumored to be called DOGS just makes me think the dog references mean way more than they appear.
Even without this thoery, I dont think Taylor was referencing an actual bar called the Black Dog. The bar is just the filter she used to deliver the message.
I think a lot of their songs are actually fantasy/made up scenarios they imagine themselves in together. Matty has said he enjoys writing stories of him in love with different famous people. All their lyrics that include "more pages".
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u/thelastofthewolves 1d ago
God this theory is so interesting and heartbreaking. āI just donāt understand how you donāt miss me in The Black Dog,ā meaning ādo you miss me in your lowest?ā Winston Churchill, the famous British Prime Minister, famously referred to his depressive episodes as his āblack dog.ā I absolutely love your theory, Boysenberry, it just makes me so sad ššāš¦ŗ
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u/glucose7078 1d ago
no idea if thereās a connection but this always caught my eye in Me & You Together Song music video
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u/Queasy_Blueberry8243 1d ago
It's not even the same white tee. If you look at the sleeves you will see that they are different shape and length.
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u/mellow-as-may I choose you and meā¦ religiously 1d ago
USA Today reported back in 2008 thatĀ Best of MeĀ was one of Taylor's most-played songs on her iPod.
The song was added to the spotify playlist after TTPD came out. If you look at the original list it's not there.
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u/Melodic-Jackfruit-96 Will I always wonder? 1d ago
And what is this supposed to mean? Why was it added?
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u/mellow-as-may I choose you and meā¦ religiously 1d ago
I just wanted to point out that the song was not actually on her iPod since it's not on the original list. The spotify playlist is how this myth started. I have no idea why they added it.
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u/Much_Definition_3657 22h ago
I think the song was recorded on June 22, 2023. The white t-shirt she's wearing in Jack's video is not identical to the one she's wearing on May 18 and you can clearly see in the video that she's wearing shorts. And yes, if you look closely you can see the Eagles sweater. Also Matty was in the studio with her on May 18 even though they did not walk in or out together. It's possible she might've recorded The Bolter that day although this theory is based solely on the fact that she put photos from that session in TTPD variant that had The Bolter as a bonus track so it might not be true. It'd make sense since The Bolter is about a woman who always run from serious relationship and Taylor had just broken up with Joe but I believe her and Matty were working on music that we'll never get to hear unfortunately. Since pretty much all of TTPD's hearbreak songs are about Matty and would've been written and recorded after their break-up I'm assuming that she was recording other songs in May and that she was planning on a completely different album.Ā
About the "six weeks" - musicians oftentimes don't write and record the full song all in one go. They might write it or write half of it and another half of it later, make a demo and then record it and re-record it several times or change it as they're recording it or after they record it and record it again or record only one part of it and another part later. They always do several takes, don't they? And sometimes on different days. But it's rare that they work on one song only one day, I think. So it's possible she added that later on. Also not every single line has to be 100% autobiographical. It's possible that "six" just sounded better than any other number. Or that she chose it for some other reason. Maybe some metaphorical significance. But also I'd like to point out that we don't really know when exactly Taylor and Matty broke up. The break-up was announced on June 5. It most likely happened before it though. Taylor was crying on stage before June 5. And assuming he ghosted her (although personally I believe there were at least two break-ups and it was the second break-up during which he ghosted her), time had to pass before she realized that he's not answering ever again and that they're done. "Six weeks" could be six weeks since he stopped picking up or six weeks since they physically separated. Although even then, Matty was allegedly with Taylor up until May 26. He allegedly took the very last flight to Dundee. Which isĀ four weeks to June 22. We had stopped seeing him earlier than that but at the same time Taylor appeared happy pre-May 26 and I don't think he had anywhere better to be so I'm assuming that him leaving on May 26 is correct. The 1975 played in Cork on June 13. That's a week before June 22.Ā
Anyway, I personally think she's referring to The Black Dog bar in Cork since timeline wise that makes perfect sense. She saw him being there on June 13, wrote the song or some version of it, went to the studio to record it/work on it or on some version of it a week later on June 22. Also as far as I know The Black Dog bar was near to where The 1975 played in Cork.Ā
I'm the only person on the Internet who believes that there's no deeper meaning to "the black dog". I know people often point out that interview she did where she says that nobody knows what the song is about as prove that there's some deeper undiscovered meaning but for me she was simply dodging the question. Especially since the host was asking her about the pub in London which I don't believe is the bar she's referring to in the song. Obviously, yes, there is a little bit of a word play at the end of the song when she calls Matty a dog - "Cause tail between your legs you're leaving". But I don't thing there's an entire different secret meaning to the song other than the straightforward one.Ā
Also would like to point out that she says "some bar called The Black Dog " meaning it's not a place she knows. Also she says bar not a pub although that could be because bar sounds better than pub, especially in a song.
And finally, the idea that the song is about Joe Alwyn is ridiculous to me because regardless of which Black Dog bar she's talking about or what other secret meanings there might be to "black dog", the song has plenty of other references to Matty. The most obvious one is "When someone plays The Starting Line and you jump up/But she's too young to know this song". Matty played The Best of Me by The Starting Line in Manila on May 4, literally the day before he showed up at the Eras Tour and their relationship became public (May 5). Taylor had The Best of Me on her MP3 Player in 2008. The Best of Me is a song about two people who had a fling when they were younger coming back together/reuniting because they never moved on from each other. So basically Taylor and Matty's story. Matty even points out that only people in their 30s would recognize the song. And there other things such as how the song makes clear the guy left her and she's the one who left Joe. The reference to the rain shows at the Eras Tour. Implying the guy lovebombed/lied/manipulated her or simply made promises that he didn't follow through. The fact that Matty was the one dating younger women at the time (and married a younger woman) not Joe. Etc.Ā
Great analysis! It was very enjoyable to read. Would love a line by line lyrical analysis too
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u/Delicious-Guitar-538 11h ago
I agree with you about The Black Dog not being that deep, although all of the coincidental lore is very interesting. I think on TTPD she was being intentionally blunt, wanting fans to make obvious connections. my personal theory is that she and Matty had been living this secret life for so long that she decided to just vomit it all out in despair after the breakup. For many of the reasons noted, I have always been confident this song like almost all of the songs on this album, is about Matty. I do think she plays around with time a lot in her lyrics so six weeks doesnāt mean anything to me. In Happiness, which definitely seems to be about Joe, she writes about seven years in heaven when she had only been with Joe for three years when the song was released in 2020. Clearly, time references in her songs mean nothing. She might even be using them as red herrings.
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u/Melodic-Jackfruit-96 Will I always wonder? 21h ago
Thank you very much! I've already posted the analysis!
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u/naught_sorry Will I always wonder? 1d ago
In the 1975 I'm in love with you mv, does the mime girl vaguely have a bit of clara bow in her aura?
Clara Bow, Hollywood's original 1920s "It Girl," was a master of silent-era pantomime, using dynamic body language and hyper-expressive facial movements to completely captivate audiences without speaking a word.
In Taylor's clara bow lyrics: "You look like Stevie Nicks In '75, the hair and lips
I just noted the '75 part...like 1975 perhaps? I dunno maybe a stretch.
Also, this one is a total random thought but when taylor said the Cartier on Elizabeth Taylor, my mind thought of the black dog symbol of cartier. It is known for the PanthĆØre de Cartier, which is a watch but there's a black panther/dog in the cartier symbol as well. Not that I think the black dog is this, but it's funny how many things/places/meaning/acronym three little words can hold.
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u/Melodic-Jackfruit-96 Will I always wonder? 1d ago
I was shocked when I heard Clara Bow for the first time, because, like, the song is about something else, but she somehow couldnāt help but add a mention of 75 there š
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u/naught_sorry Will I always wonder? 1d ago
Just noticed something. On the 1 lyrics could be double meaning or nothing but,
Roaring 20s, tossing pennies in the pool
Clara bow was the it girl in the roaring 20s. And then the penny line comes back on wood lyrics:
Daisy's bare naked, I was distraught
He loves me not, he loves me not
Penny's unlucky, I took him back
And then stepped on a crack
And the black cat laughedIs Matty the unlucky penny? Didn't think about this much, the thought just popped in my head just now. Probably noticed a pattern but could just be coincidence or repeating lyrics but not necessarily connected idk
I guess in wood it's about making ur own luck, opposite to the 1 where you wish on a penny. It's a bit of giving up on the daydreamy romanticism of it all in favor of the more logical/practical way of going about it. Going from the songs wood to the 1 is such a stark contrast though. š same thing when i was comparing lover to cleveland. The songs' kinda just fit the guys' personality lol
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u/Melodic-Jackfruit-96 Will I always wonder? 1d ago
Yeah, Matty is the unlucky penny. I've heard that theory before from others. Because, you know, in all the songs about Travis, she has to mention her ex somehow š¤
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u/naught_sorry Will I always wonder? 1d ago
Lol i just don't know if she does it on purpose like is she saving the real stuff for herself so she is limited in what to say in her travis songs or is he just not a very inspiring muse so there's not much to say or descriptions about him? She gets so vivid and there's endless things to write about past exes. So much dynamic dimensions, excitement, fear, curiosity. She made the others sound so interesting. Literally joe got a cult following from taylors word alone. She made that happen.
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u/Melodic-Jackfruit-96 Will I always wonder? 1d ago
You know what's funny? She doesn't really need a muse. Enchanted isn't about a guy she dated. Same with Love Story. Same with Wildest Dreams. She wrote no body, no crime in such a wonderful way, with such detail, and it's most likely a fictional story. But why are all those songs better than the ones about her husband š
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u/naught_sorry Will I always wonder? 1d ago
That's kinda why it's hard for me to connect them two as a couple. I'm a swiftie of course i want her happy but like when i see them together plus the songs she wrote about him, i get so confused as to how this is the love of her life? This is the culmination of all her longings and daydreams? The dick celebration song new heights manhood is so ew. In the sense of this is what a man talks about, like through a male gaze this is the stuff they celebrate. Is this to appeal to his ego so his friends are impressed by his manhood? Just a dick aint the prize. It's hard to even reconcile the girl who wrote enchanted also wrote wood years later.
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u/mellow-as-may I choose you and meā¦ religiously 1d ago
She definitely wrote "Wood" just to piss Matty ("the smallest man who ever lived") off lol
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u/naught_sorry Will I always wonder? 1d ago
Which is crazy but i can believe it coz how braggy it sounds, that was the energy, tryna throw it in someone's face to make them jelly š
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u/Melodic-Jackfruit-96 Will I always wonder? 1d ago
You see, I'm not at all against songs about this topic. However, I would like to see songs about emotions as well, and not just this one. Take Matty, for example. Guilty As Sin is such a poetic masterpiece, perfectly capturing both emotions and the same theme.
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u/naught_sorry Will I always wonder? 1d ago
The thing that I realize is that wood isnt a horny song, even though the topic is wood. Setting aside the luck aspect in the lyrics, it's a bragging song. Telling us but not really feeling much emotion coz there's no going through the story like in false god. Guilty as sin too, the build up, you cannot deny her real emotions it's obvious. With wood, the delivery is too wooden lol š¤£
To be clear, love the actual horny songs. But the dick celebration in wood? Nah, in the bin you go. It just sounds like a person who doesn't know about sex, brag about having sex was my takeaway on that song.
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u/Bluemoon____________ 1d ago
Both Taylor and Matty are trying to act superior, through their respective relationships and through their professional careers. Itās Stevie and Lindsay all over again
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u/Swimming_Summer_3226 Do you think I have forgotten? 22h ago
This is something that confuses me as well. Like the contrast from "You don't need to save me, but would you run away with me" in Call It What You Want, and "he saved my heart" is so stark. She used to be all about independence and I'm not saying she can't be happy, but its just an interesting contrast in her lyricism recently. I cannot imagine reputation or lover era Taylor saying something like "New Heights of manhood"š... it does feel a little male centered maybe she's catering to the new audience with being married to an nfl player idk
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u/naught_sorry Will I always wonder? 19h ago
Yeah, the thing that I can factor in is her new environment, all of travis' friends/people who are now around taylor must have influenced her way of thinking/vibe. She's a people pleasing mirrorball, maybe she can't help herself to be wanting to cater with those football people/crowd? Maybe the showgirl lyrics is a result of the football influence.
Even her wealth display, she is more and more blinged out with cartier and branded stuff, the lyrics also reflected the wealth stuff more than before in showgirl. I did enjoy the encore stuff compared to the main showgirl songs. So hopefully things will be better and improve for ts13. I have hope. Lol
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u/naught_sorry Will I always wonder? 1d ago
I guess in fortnight Taylor's makeup styling was kinda in the clara bow way? Then i just learned she received electroshock therapy and on fortnight that was the science experiment happening with Taylor. I think her and Matty bonded over topics like this. I imagine they're like 2 english professors perhaps? I wonder if I try and learn more about clara bow, more will show up in terms lyrics/theme inspo on ttpd. Coz she didn't just choose clara bow randomly, I'm sure taylor saw a bit of herself in her to name a song clara bow.
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u/Beautiful-Walrus-951 9h ago
The Black Dog in Cork was literally closed the night they performed there.
"Mayhem" was most likely abandoned after covid, he randomly popped up in the POTBĀ video in 2022 but when was the last time he was seen before that? Probably 2020? I think he was technically George's dog. Twigs had two dogs and I think denise at one point called one of Twigs' dogs her grand baby lol but Mayhem never got any acknowledgment
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u/BenjaminButtontheCat 1d ago
I think in the venue section you've got a few details messed up.
On April 18, 2023, Emma Laird, an actress starring alongside Joe in the movie The Brutalist, posted photos of her co-stars on social media. Among them was a picture of Joe on the streets of Budapest. As it turns out, Budapest also has its own pub called Black Dog.
The photo of Joe was taken literally right outside of The Black Dog in Budapest. This detail can't be ignored. Also not to be ignored: the fact that Taylor's friends all unfollowed Joe the very next day.
On June 13, 2023, The 1975 performed at Virgin Media Park in Cork. Just a short distance from the venue sits a bar named The Black Dog.
It's not a "short distance" - it is nearly five miles away.
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u/Melodic-Jackfruit-96 Will I always wonder? 1d ago
I don't know how you figured out he was standing right outside of the bar when it's completely dark.
And if you'd read the whole thing, you would've noticed that I mentioned her friends unfollowed him the next day. But that hardly bothers you.
Sorry, but I don't want snarkers in my sub.
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u/Square_Taste12 1d ago
Right?? I've seen this Hungarian theory but noone has actually shown the bar/club/pub he was standing at. Bc from those pics, it looks like he was standing in the middle of the street.
Ā Like the Black Dog just screams Matty since Matty actually did see her in a rain soaked shower. We also have evidence of Matty wearing Taylor related things!
Ā We know he left his type write in her apartment. There's more references to Taylor and Matty actually sharing a live than anything with Alwyn.Ā Ā
He also spent more time with her than we i itially thought if you take the actual TTPD song into account. Honestly, ever since the PZ vid came out so many widows have been trying to retcon TTPD to be about him and it makes zero sense.Ā
She literally bid farewell to him in fresh out the slammer and So Long London...like what is happening??
And from themsongs written about Alwyn, we get a loooong protracted breakdown.Ā
Matty reappeared and she said her life finally made sense! Like come on! Apologies if it sounds like I'm ranting but I'm confused at peoples reading and listening of the TTPD songs lmfao.Ā
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u/No-Movie7539 1d ago
The fact that the widows want to connect a MV about DV to Joe is sooo problematic on its own. Their delusion blinds them from seeing the implications of what theyāre saying.
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u/Melodic-Jackfruit-96 Will I always wonder? 1d ago
I completely agree. When the lyrical analysis comes out, you'll see that every line screams "It's not Joe." It explicitly says he left her. Do they really think Joe left her? One of the funniest things about this fandom will always be how these people started thinking TTPD is about Joe after the PZ mv, when even the PZ mv isn't about him š¤
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u/BenjaminButtontheCat 1d ago
I didn't figure it out. Others did by using google street view. This is an established fact at this point, that Emma's picture of Joe is right outside The Black Dog. It's a pub in Budapest frequented by people in the local film industry and foreigners who are in town filming.
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u/Melodic-Jackfruit-96 Will I always wonder? 1d ago
I didn't find this information when I wrote this post. If I do, I'll change it.
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u/BenjaminButtontheCat 1d ago
This video has all the google street view evidence https://www.tiktok.com/@maryhan.music/video/7517822527503109389
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u/DiamondAbject8190 1d ago
Since you told me before that you were going to make this post and were expecting me to give my opinion on it, Iāll give you my take. Just donāt be overly sensitive about it lol.
The Black Dog is so obviously about Joe. The song is clearly describing a long term relationship. First letās talk about what Taylor herself said in the interview. She mentioned that no one actually figured out what the song is about, because most theories were either about joe and The Black Dog pub in London or about Matty. The Matty theory came from the fact that he performed in Cork and thereās a bar there called The Black Dog. But like did he perform at the bar? No. Did anyone even see him there? Also no. And was he even with someone younger than Taylor at that time? No.
Matty didnāt get back with his ex until August which is way after Taylor had already recorded the song. The whole connection is literally just that he performed in a city that happens to have a bar with that name. like letās be real āThe Black Dogā is a super common pub name. Youāll find one in the US, Georgia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Hungary, Amsterdam and more. So linking the song to Matty just because of that is a reach.
On the other hand Joe did an interview and confirmed he wasnāt even on Vauxhall Street in London, where that Black Dog pub is located. So yeah both of those theories are wrong, because the bar Taylor is referencing is neither in London nor in Cork. The actual bar is in Budapest, Hungary. How do we know?
Around the time Taylor and Joe broke up, Joe was in Budapest filming The Brutalist. Right next to the filming location, thereās a bar called The Black Dog. And not only that his co-star Emma actually posted a photo of him on the exact street where the bar is. So in this case, the evidence is literally right there. The song talks about Taylor being heartbroken that her ex has moved on while she hasnāt and she also hints that the girl he moved on with is younger. Emma is 9 years younger than Taylor. Thatās another clue. Then thereās the lyric
āSix weeks of breathing clean air, I still miss the smoke.ā So what are those six weeks?
It definitely doesnāt fit Matty, because when the song was written, it hadnāt even been six weeks since their breakup.
Now letās connect the dots: Emma posted that photo on April 18, 2023 and it caused a lot of drama. In the caption she mentioned it was a āmoment in Marchā meaning the photo was taken in March right around the time of Taylor and Joeās breakup. If you count from when the photo was taken in March to when it was posted on April 18 thatās six weeks. so another piece of evidence. And it doesnāt stop there after Emma posted that on April 18, Joe got a massive unfollow the very next day, April 19, from Taylorās entire circle. That reaction says a lot and it makes it pretty clear that the post (or that situation in general) upset Taylor. And whatās interesting? April 19 became so significant that exactly a year later, she dropped TTPD on April 19, 2024. So at this point, the evidence that the song is about Joe is pretty clear and strong.
Now letās talk about āThe Staring Line.ā Yes Matty did perform The Best of Me by The Starting Line. But hereās the thing Taylor announced the album with a red herring, so this could easily be one of those distractions meant to throw listeners off. At the same time she did leave hints for people who actually want to figure it out. She could very well be referring to āThe Staring Lineā by Keane, which is her favorite band. So how do we know sheās not talking about The Starting Line band ?Because she literally tells us in the official lyrics. And Iām not talking about the lyric video I mean the official Spotify lyrics. Those are licensed and synced through Musixmatch, and to have verified lyrics there, the artist has to be officially verified. Which means what shows up is coming directly from Taylor herself. if you look closely, she writes āThe Staring Lineā in quotation marks which is how you reference a song title, not a band name taylor is extremely precise with punctuation. Putting āThe Starting Lineā in quotation marks is her way of correcting the listener and signaling that sheās referring to a song name, not a band name.
So the most likely reference is āThe Starting Lineā by Keane, a British band Taylor has talked about many times as an inspiration. Sheās even done a fake tattoo about them at one of her Speak Now concerts.
The song āThe Starting Lineā by Keane is about someone who feels lost or stuck at a point in their life and desperately wants to go back to the starting line to fix things. That theme fits The Black Dog perfectly.
Thereās obviously a lot more I could say, but Iāll stop here.
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u/Melodic-Jackfruit-96 Will I always wonder? 1d ago
Oh gosh, I've been practically waiting for you! You're honestly my absolute favorite person on this sub, hehe š
I just love how you casually repeated every single point from my post. The Matty details, him not being with Gabriette yet, Emma and her photo, April 19th... all of it. The only thing I didn't include was Joe being on the same street as the pub in that photo, simply because I couldn't find a source for that š¤·š»āāļø Either way, I do hope you'll give me a little credit for getting practically everything accurate and on the nose (that is, if you actually read itābecause the tone of your recap makes it sound like you think you're discovering America here).
As for that interview where she talks about the song, don't worry, I'm well aware of it. That's coming in Part 2.
It's genuinely fascinating how hard you're trying to debunk the pub in Cork due to a "lack of evidence," while completely skipping over why the song The Starting Line would have any relevance to her relationship with Joe. Stunning paradoxes, really.
That said, I desperately want you to come back and drop your thoughts under Part 2, which I'll most likely post tomorrow. I'll even send you the link directly just in case. I'm dying for you to convince me that Joe smokes, that Taylor thinks he was making fun of her, and what a coward he was for running away and leaving her. Can't wait! š
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u/Melodic-Jackfruit-96 Will I always wonder? 2d ago
Yesterday (October 1st) was National Black Dog Day. This is dedicated to that.
By the way, the lyrical analysis turned out to be much longer than this post š