When Taylor Swift released "Cruel Summer" with her album "Lover" in August 2019, it didn't take long for fans to become obsessed.
As the months flew by and the summer of 2020 drew near, many were sure that the song would be a smash hit on radio stations all over. Indeed, when summer finally arrived, they were proven right; "Cruel Summer" had its moment and became a summer anthem for Swifties everywhere.
When the pandemic of COVID-19 started in March 2020, the "Lavender Haze" hitmaker had to push back her album release.
But, by July 2020 she was able to bring out "Folklore."
Three years later in 2023, Taylor went on the "Eras" Tour and featured her hit song "Cruel Summer" as part of the track list.
At her June 17 concert in Pittsburgh, she shared with the crowd what she described as a "weird and magical" thing.
The response to one of her songs had been so great that Republic Records decided to make it an official single - something which had never happened before during her music career.
READ ALSO: Taylor Swift Generously Gives Out $100K In Bonuses To 'Eras' Tour Truckers
But Who Is 'Cruel Summer' Really About?
Per Hollywood Life, summer of 2016 was a tumultuous one for pop star, Taylor Swift; she had just broken up with Tom Hiddleston when her new flame, Joe Alwyn began to enter the picture.
Although their official relationship only began in September 2016, it appears that her song "Cruel Summer" implies that her feelings for him started earlier than that.
At the 2016 Met Gala, Taylor and Joe first crossed paths. This was when Taylor was still in a relationship with Calvin Harris, so a lot of curiosity surrounded the encounter.
Taylor's attitude towards Joe is most evident in her singing during the bridge of her song, where she croons: "I'm drunk in the back of a car, and I cried like a baby coming home from the bar, said I'm fine but it wasn't true, I don't want to keep secrets just to keep you, snuck in through the garden gate every night that summer just to seal my fate."
During their summer romance, it appears that Joe and the singer were careful to keep the relationship a mystery.
There is a suggestion that when with Tom Hiddleston, she may have been secretly sneaking away to spend time with Joe - something which seemingly sealed her fate in terms of her relationship with this Hollywood actor.
After she yells, "I scream for whatever it's worth, 'I love you' Ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?"
When Joe heard Taylor whisper "I Love You" to Tom after she entered the room, he felt like it was the most painful thing he had ever experienced. Joe wished that she would have chosen him instead of his friend.
Still, this has not been confirmed by Taylor at all.
