Taylor Swift’s new song “Cleveland!” appears to reference her husband, NFL star Travis Kelce, with lyrics pointing to his home city and his podcast with his brother, Jason Kelce.
The track was released on Friday as one of four additional songs on the deluxe album The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore.
Swifties had already linked the title to Kelce, who grew up in the Cleveland area. The connection was strengthened by the song’s chorus, in which Swift sings: “He already took me to Cleveland and showed me The Heights. So hate all you like. This is the love of my life.”
The reference to “The Heights” has been interpreted as a nod to New Heights, the podcast hosted by Kelce and his brother.
A later version of the chorus includes the line: “He already took me to Cleveland, now I’m wearing white, so hate all you like. This is the love of my life.”
Fans have interpreted the mention of wearing white as a possible reference to the couple’s wedding, although the song does not explicitly explain the lyric.
Swift has previously incorporated apparent references to her relationship with Kelce into her music. Songs including “So High School” and “Wood” have been widely interpreted by fans as being about their romance.
However, “Cleveland!” takes a more direct approach, addressing people who have criticised or questioned the relationship while linking Swift’s lyrics to Kelce’s upbringing and public life.
