NEED TO KNOW
- Taylor Swift released her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, in 2024
- Fans believe that three songs reference her relationship with Travis Kelce: “The Alchemy,” “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus” and “So High School”
- Swift seemingly confirmed that “So High School” was about Kelce when she announced their engagement in August 2025
Taylor Swift’s engagement to Travis Kelce has only fueled fan theories about her recent discography.
Though the “Fortnight” singer dropped her 11th album The Tortured Poets Department (and a double album at 2 a.m.) a year before the Kansas City Chiefs football player popped the question in August 2025, fans believe a few lyrics are about their sweet relationship.
Not only did she include football references in one song, but she also sang about their love feeling “so high school,” following cute memes that compared their romance to her living out her Fearless song “You Belong With Me.”
While discussing the album during her Eras Tour, Swift said writing the songs was a real “lifeline” for her as she dealt with heartbreak, disappointment and her time in the spotlight.
Read ahead for all the songs that reference Kelce.
“The Alchemy”
The song that got the most attention at the time was track 15, “The Alchemy,” which included many football references.
Throughout the song, Swift seemingly sang about making a big “comeback” following various heartbreaks. At one point, the lyrics appeared to be about moving on from her English ex-boyfriends Alwyn and Healy and dating Kelce as she sang, “These blokes warm the benches / We’ve been on a winning streak.”
The bridge also seemed to include a pointed reference to Kelce winning the 2024 Super Bowl (for which Swift was by his side).
“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 sang, apparently a nod to Kelce reuniting with her on the field after his big win.
“Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus”
In The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology, the double album of The Tortured Poets Department released at 2 a.m., Swift seemingly made another reference to Kelce in “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus.”
Though fans have theorized that the song was largely about the aftermath of her relationship with Matty Healy, she did include a quick lyric about moving on with someone else (and that someone else just might be a popular football star): “And you saw my bones out with somebody new / Who seemed like he would’ve bullied you in school.”
“So High School”
In track 22, Swift sang about a newfound love feeling “so high school” which many theorized was about Kelce (after all, their love story has been compared by fans to Gabriella and Troy from High School Musical on many occasions).
The song, which was reminiscent of music from her Fearless era, also included some pointed football references as a nod to Kelce. At one point, she even referenced an old interview Kelce did where he was asked who he would marry, kiss and kill between her, Ariana Grande and Katy Perry. (For what it’s worth, he said he’d kiss Swift.)
“Are you gonna marry, kiss, or kill me (Kill me) / It’s just a game, but really (Really) / I’m bettin’ on all three for us two (All three),” Swift sang.
She seemingly confirmed that Kelce was the inspiration for the song when she announced their engagement in August 2025. The singer captioned a series of photos from the proposal with a reference to the track, writing “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”
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