Here, Taylor Swift uses various shades of red to invoke memories of a past romance. The mark they saw on my collarbone The rust that grew between telephones The lips I used to call home So scarlet, it was maroon "Maroon" is a track from Swift's 10th album, Midnights. Swift released the album on October 21, 2022, almost exactly 10 years after she dropped Red on October 22, 2012. That album details the intense "red" emotions Swift felt over several relationships during its conception. The pop star does something similar on this synth-pop ballad.

Swifties spent hours going through Red's lyrics, trying to work out which ex-boyfriend each song was about. "Maroon" has fans playing the same guessing game. There are a few candidates for the subject of this song. 1. Actor Jake Gyllenhaal, whom Swift dated for three months in 2010. Much of Red centers on the singer's breakup with Gyllenhaal, and there are a couple of potential clues the actor is the subject of this song too. When the morning came We were cleaning incense off your vinyl shelf On "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" Swift recalls Gyllenhaal's love of hipster indie records that are "much cooler than mine." The burgundy on my T-shirt When you splashed your wine into me Swift's Folklore track "The 1" is about a lost romance that some fans believe to be about Gyllenhaal. Both songs reference wine. (On "The 1" she sings, "Rosé flowing with your chosen family"). 2. English pop star Harry Styles, with whom Swift had a much-documented romance during the winter of 2012-13. Again we reference the "burgundy on my T-shirt" lyric. On the 1989 track "Clean," which is widely thought to be about Styles, Swift mentions a "wine-stained dress." The "rust that grew between telephones" lyric in the chorus implies it was a long-distance relationship. Styles, of course, hails from England. 3. Singer-songwriter John Mayer, with whom Taylor had a brief relationship after they recorded a duet, "Half of My Heart," in 2009. There aren't any specific hints in the lyrics, but Mayer has synaesthesia, which means he sees music as colors. 4. Though Midnights features Swift's usual first-person narratives, her previous two albums, Folklore and Evermore, focus on fictional narratives. Does this song continue along those lines?