UK fans wonder if Taylor Swift will say ‘So long, London’ after Eras Tour

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LONDON (AP) — Taylor Swift's fans are having fun analyzing the singer-songwriter's lyrics for references to her romantic life and insight into her state of mind.

But fans of the U.K. pop star didn't have to listen closely to her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” to feel that Swift had soured in the nation's capital after having long made it a regular hangout and then second home. The record's fifth track is titled “So Long, London”.

As Swift brings her successful Eras Tour to London's Wembley Stadium, some Swifties are wondering if they're witnessing the beginning of an extended farewell. She will perform three nights from Friday, and is scheduled to return to Wembley for six nights in August to conclude the European leg of the tour.

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London is the only city on the tour where Swift has stopped twice. Some worry that the arrangement may represent a swan song of sorts, while others believe it reflects a new era in Swift's relationship with the Big Smoke. Whether “So Long, London” serves as the final chapter or bookend for her city lover, “London Boy,” Eras reaches an emotional milestone.

“Her relationship now assumes that London is not going to be somewhere. It doesn't seem like there's a football player out there,” said Maggie Fickett, 22, a Canadian graduate student who credits the London references in Swift's music with guiding her when she moved to the city three years ago. An American lives here.” “I think there will be a lot less of London in her music, which is sad.”

For those who haven't been paying attention, Swift has had a string of romances with famous Brits, starting with Harry Styles in 2012 and ending last year, when she started dating Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce. Speculation surrounding “So Long, London” and its somber accompanying song that mentions a London pub, “The Black Dog,” stems from the 2023 breakup of Swift and English actor Joe Alwyn, who had been together for more than six years.

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Alwyn supposedly inspired the song “London Boy” from her 2019 album “Lover.” The “Lover” CD includes what appears to be a January 2017 diary entry in which Swift talks about being “primarily based in London” but trying to hide. British tabloids later reported that Swift spent much of the COVID-19 pandemic sheltering in place with Alwyn in north London.

The multiple Grammy winner had purchased a large property in the area and was remodeling it as her base in Europe, The Sun reported in December. But after Swift released “Tortured Poets Oath” last month, a writer for the British edition of ELLE magazine noted that Londoners have a chance to “shed light on an all-American who can take her place in our collective consciousness.”

“We had Swift before we lost her to her record-breaking, box-office-breaking Eras Tour, and now it looks like Zendaya has filled her vacant position,” writer Naomi May posited before listing the American actor's various spots. She was seen with her long-time boyfriend, British actor Tom Holland.

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Either way, DC is putting on a show of its own to make sure Swift and her fans feel appreciated. Guides offer walking, bus and taxi tours to retrace her steps, including a kebab shop whose owner says his establishment serves sandwiches to the singer and her crew on Fridays.

Before the end of August, Swifties can partake in a full diet of Swift-themed breakfasts, lunches and dance parties, or take a ride on the London Eye Ferris wheel accompanied by a quarter string playing its music. Souvenir stalls at Camden Market, one of the places mentioned in the movie “London Boy,” are filled with hats, T-shirts, bags and posters of Swift in the making.

“We are so proud that London is hosting more shows than any other city on Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour, which is a true testament to her love of London,” said Laura Citron, CEO of tourism agency London & Partners.

Fans began queuing outside Wembley on Thursday in the hope of being among the first ticket holders to get places in the standing sections near the stage. A pop-up merchandise store opened in the parking lot next to the stadium that morning.

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Zachary Hourihane, who co-hosts Swift's podcast “Evolution of a Snake” and posts videos on YouTube and TikTok under the name Swiftologist, said it's too early to tell whether the singer will retain her honorary citizenship or break away from London. As her fans know all too well, only time will tell Taylor.

Hourihane notes that Swift has begun spending more time in London after a difficult year in which she went from winning album of the year at the 2016 Grammy Awards for her album “1989” to seeing her popularity decline amid a public feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. Through his study of her life in England, he believes that the happy memories she created there were mixed with “a feeling of isolation.”

“There is a lot of nostalgia that may have turned into regret,” Hourihani said. “She felt like she was trapped there for a while.”

Fast forward several friends, 10 albums (including a re-recording of Taylor's version) and the Eras Tour crew, and it's no surprise that her life is ripe for re-evaluation. Hourihane believes Swift is “not quite ready to abandon London” for practical and technical reasons.

“Taylor is someone who retraces her steps a lot. Things are never over with her. She likes to revisit things that are over,” he said. “Let’s be real about it. Her relationship, even if it is very long, goodbye, she has good reason to stay in London and good money to earn there.

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