Was Joe Alwyn actually the ex who walked into “some bar called the Black Dog” after his breakup with Taylor Swift?
On The Tortured Poets Department track The Black Dog, the pop star reminisces about a relationship that has come to an end. She sings at one point:
“You forgot to turn it off / And so I watch as you walk into some bar called The Black Dog / And pierce new holes in my heart / How you don’t miss me in The Black Dog / When someone plays The Starting Line and you jump up / But she’s too young to know this song. That was intertwined in the magic fabric of our dreaming.”
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Taylor doesn’t name names, but many fans speculated the song is one of the few about the Conversations with Friends star. As it turned out, The Black Dog is the name of a real-life pub in Vauxhall, a suburb of London. The owner even hinted that Joe was a frequent visitor to their establishment! Lily Bottomley told Sky News in April:
“I don’t want to give too much away. We do have a certain blond regular who frequents, let’s just say that.”
The “blond regular” is obviously Joe! But did he really frequent the pub? His interview with The Sunday Times on Saturday would suggest otherwise! When asked point-blank if The Black Dog pub in Vauxhall was his least favorite eatery now because of Taylor’s song, he simply replied:
“I’ve never been to Vauxhall.”
The outlet did note that the London Boy was “smiling a smile that hints that there is more to say.” What?! But in true Joe fashion, he didn’t give any more deets! Ugh! But here’s the thing! Joe didn’t outright deny inspiring the breakup track. He just said he’s never been to Vauxhall, implying he never stopped by The Black Dog in the area. It is possible Taylor chose a random bar name, and the song is still about Joe — but he was actually at another pub IRL instead! Was it actually another place called The Black Dog? Or there’s a chance fans were wrong all along! Perhaps, the track is actually about a different ex at The Black Dog and not Joe. Hmm. This response certainly poked some holes in the fan theory now!
What do YOU think, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments below!
[Image via MEGA/WENN, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon/YouTube, The Black Dog/TikTok]