Is Matty Healy ‘Florida’ in Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department? Fan Theory Explained
There’s another tune from The Tortured Poets Department that Taylor Swift fans are speculating is about her romance with ex Matty Healy.
In Swift’s song “Florida!!!”, which featured Florence Welch, she sings, “I need to forget, so take me to Florida.”
After Swift, 34, and Joe Alwyn split after six years together in April 2023, her next Era’s Tour show was in Florida. One fan pointed out via TikTok on Tuesday, April 23, that her lyrics could mean she “needed to forget about Joe Alwyn.”
She then sings, “So you work your life away just to pay for a time-share down in Destin.” The fan pointed out that Swift and Healy, 35, “only shared a short time together.”
Every Song About Matty Healy on Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’
One month after her split from Alwyn, 33, Swift became linked to The 1975 singer. But the pair called it quits in June 2023 after a resurfaced podcast interview of Healy’s began circulating on the internet, where he made problematic comments about Swift’s pal Ice Spice. (Swift and Healy were previously rumored to be together in 2014.)
“Florida is one hell of a drug / Florida can I use you up?” Swift continues on the track. The fan speculated that Swift’s “drugs” reference could actually mean Healy.
“That’s why we saw them together after the break up with Joe,” the fan continued. “He’s one hell of a drug because he works. He actually takes her mind off of Joe.”
The fan hinted that Swift’s line, “I’ve got some regrets, I’ll bury them in Florida,” could actually symbolize her feelings toward her relationship with Healy.
Taylor Swift and The 1975 Singer Matty Healy’s Relationship Timeline
“Tell me I’m despicable, say it’s unforgivable,” Swift sings, which the fan speculated could relate to how “the whole world hated their relationship together.” The fan added, “The world judged Taylor for dating Matty.”
After TTPD was released on Friday, Swift shared her actual inspiration behind the track. “I think I was coming up with this idea of, ‘What happens if your life doesn’t fit or your choices you’ve made catch up to you and you’re surrounded by these harsh consequences and judgment and circumstances did not lead you to where you thought you would be and you just want to escape from everything you’ve ever known — is there a place you can go?’” Swift said on iHeartRadio. “I’m always watching Dateline and people, you know, have these crimes that they commit and they immediately escape town [and] go to Florida, try to reinvent themselves and have this new identity, blend in.”
She added, “And I think when you go through heartbreak, there’s part of you that thinks, ‘I want a new name, I want a new life. I don’t want anyone to know where I’ve been or know me at all.’”
If the fan theory holds true, “Florida!!!” wouldn’t be the only song on TTPD that’s an ode to her relationship with Healy. Since her 11th studio album’s release, fans have speculated that tracks like “But Daddy I Love Him” to “Fortnight” and “Fresh Out the Slammer” could be about The 1975 musician.
Decoding Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ Album: Lyric Parallels and Easter Eggs
As for how Healy is faring after Swift’s music drop, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that he’s breathing a sigh of “relief.”
“Matty still thinks very highly of Taylor but we were all nervous about what she might have said on the album,” the insider told Us earlier this month, noting that people close to Healy “couldn’t be happier” with how the record turned out.