Is Travis Kelce serving as Taylor Swift’s latest muse? The 34-year-old songstress has dropped her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, delighting fans with a few new love songs sprinkled between the heartbreak tracks.
Among the notable tracks to catch Swifties’ ears was track 15, titled “The Alchemy,” which seems to be chock full of football references.
“So when I touch down / Call the amateurs and cut ’em from the team / Ditch the clowns, get the crown / Baby, I’m the one to be / ‘Cause the sign on your heart / Said it’s still reserved for me / Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy,” Swift sings on the chorus.
In the bridge, Swift appears to reference a huge win — not unlike the Kansas City Chiefs’ numerous victories on their way to Super Bowl LVIII.
“Shirts off, and your friends lift you up, over their heads / Beer stickin’ to the floor, cheers chanted ’cause they said / ‘There was no chance trying to be the greatest in the league’ / Where’s the trophy? He just comes, running over to me,” she declares.
There’s also a cheeky map reference in the first verse, which could be a callbackto the early days of her relationship with Kelce.
As for whether the heartwarming track was inspired by her budding romance with Kelce, the timing seems to check out.
Swift previously announced the news of Tortured Poets onstage at the GRAMMYs while accepting her 13th trophy from the Recording Academy in February. At the time, Swift teased that the project had been in the works for two years. Then, during a tour stop in Tokyo, Japan, Swift further elaborated on the timeline.
“I’ve been working on Tortured Poets since right after I turned in Midnights,” she told the audience, clarifying that albums are submitted “months in advance” so they can be finalized.
Midnights was released in October 2022. Since then, the star has also notably released two rerecorded albums: Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version).
“I’ve been working on it for about two years,” she confirmed of Tortured Poets. “I kept working on it throughout the U.S. tour and when it was perfect, in my opinion, when it was good enough for you, I finished it.”
It was in April 2023 that ET broke the news that Swift and her boyfriend of six years, Joe Alwyn, had called it quits. At the time, a source said the split was amicable and “was not dramatic.” 360aproko was also told “the relationship had just run its course.”
Then, in November, Jack Antonoff let slip a messy new detail. Offering a digital breadcrumb for sleuthing Swifties, the producer revealed that he and Swift had written and recorded her song about a dying relationship, “You’re Losing Me,” on Dec. 5, 2021.
Tortured Poets was widely anticipated to be a scathing breakup album about Swift’s split from Alwyn. Though Swift herself rarely confirms who her songs are about, the album title appears to be a reference to an interview Alwyn gave an interview to Variety in late 2022 when he revealed that he was in a group chat called “the Tortured Man Club.” The track “So Long, London” also caught many eyes, with Swifties wondering if it might also be a reference to Alwyn, who is English.
The celebrated songwriter is, of course, well known for her deeply personal lyrics and storytelling.
Following her split from Alwyn, Swift briefly reconnected with The 1975’s Matty Healy in the spring of 2023. The fling fizzled after about a month, with a source telling 360aproko at the time that “they are both extremely busy and realized they’re not really compatible with each other.”
In September, the songstress confirmed her relationship with Kelce when she began attending his Kansas City Chiefs games. Since then, the two have been by each other’s side through several major moments, including a Super Bowl win for Kelce and multiple international Eras Tour stops for Swift.
And they haven’t been shy about gushing over one another publicly.
“When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care,” Swift declared in an interview with Time. “The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other.”
Just last week, the couple put their love on display while attending the Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival. In social media videos posted from the event, Swift and Kelce were seen happily embracing, dancing and even making out while enjoying the festivities.
“Taylor and Travis were so excited to go to Coachella together,” a source told ET this week. “They wanted to be there to support their friends and just have fun. They had the best time at the festival and were in their own world even though so many people were around them. They are very in love and in sync in so many aspects of their lives, and it’s very sweet to see.”
Another source added, “The two are continuing to explore their relationship by supporting each other’s endeavors and doing what every other couple does, and that’s go on dates. This is one of many adventures yet to come for the duo.”
The Tortured Poets Department is out now. Meanwhile, Kelce is gearing up to host his second annual Kelce Jam, presented by Jim Beam. The festival goes down May 18 at Azura Amphitheater in Kansas City. Some of this year’s featured artists include like Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz and Diplo.
“It’s definitely been fun to experience her taste in music, for sure,” Kelce recently said of Swift in an interview with 360aproko. “She’s so amazing at what she does. And to find that creativity to see where she likes to pull things from and just, really, how she listens to music is very eye-opening for me. It’s been fun to hear her take on it.”
See the full lyrics to “The Alchemy” below:
First Verse:
This happens once every few lifetimes
These chemicals hit me like a white wine
What if I told you I’m back?
The hospital was a drag
Worst sleep that I ever had
I circled you on a map
I haven’t come around in so long
But I’m coming back so strong
Chorus:
So when I touch down
Call the amateurs and cut ’em from the team
Ditch the clowns, get the crown
Baby, I’m the one to be
‘Cause the sign on your heart
Says it’s still reserved for me
Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?
Second Verse:
Hey, you, what if I told you we’re cool?
That child’s play back in school
Is forgiven under my rule
I haven’t come around in so long
But I’m making a comeback to where I belong
Chorus:
So when I touch down
Call the amateurs and cut ’em from the team
Ditch the clowns, get the crown
Baby, I’m the one to be
‘Cause the sign on your heart
Says it’s still reserved for me
Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?
Post-Chorus:
These blokes warm the benches
We’ve been on a winning streak
He jokes that ‘It’s heroin, but this time with an E’
‘Cause the sign on your heart
Said it’s still reserved for me
Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?
Bridge:
Shirts off and your friends lift you up over their heads
Beer stickin’ to the floor, cheers chanted ’cause they said
‘There was no chance trying to be the greatest in the league’
Where’s the trophy? He just comes running over to me
Chorus:
So when I touch down
Call the amateurs and cut ’em from the team
Ditch the clowns, get the crown
Baby, I’m the one to be
‘Cause the sign on your heart
Says it’s still reserved for me
Honestly, who are we to fight the alchemy?
