Taylor Swift Says She Wrote 'Love Story' When She Was 'Mad' at Her Parents for Not Letting Her Go on a Date with an Older Man
Taylor Swift Says She Wrote 'Love Story' When She Was 'Mad' at Her Parents for Not Letting Her Go on a Date with an Older Man
Rachel McRadyTue, April 28, 2026 at 12:48 PM UTC
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Taylor Swift; Swift with her parents Scott and Andrea SwiftCredit: The New York Times/YouTube; Rick Diamond/ACMA2013/Getty -
Taylor Swift says writing “Love Story” at 17 helped her embrace creating music she loved without fear of criticism
Swift credits her early songwriting success to the intense emotions and attention to detail she felt as a teenager
She revealed her 2017 album Reputation was a personal favorite, despite mixed initial reactions from fans and critics
Taylor Swift fancied herself Juliet when she was 17.
The now 36-year-old singer-songwriter was featured in The New York Times Magazine as one of the 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters, where she delved into the creative process behind some of her biggest hits.
Swift, who has been writing songs since she was 12, discussed how strong passion fueled some of her early hits. She also discussed the idea of ignoring her fears on how her songs might be critically received in favor of what she loved creating.
“I think the first time I felt I don’t care if people hate this because I love it so much was when I wrote the song ‘Love Story’ when I was 17, sitting in my bedroom, mad at my parents because they wouldn’t let me go on a date with a guy who was too old so I shouldn’t have been on a date with him anyway,” Swift said of her parents, Andrea and Scott Swift.
She jokingly added, “And this is why you need to discipline your kids because they might write songs that go [to] No. 1.”
Swift famously dated actor Jake Gyllenhaal, who was nearly 10 years her senior, in 2010, writing the heartbreak anthem “All Too Well” about their painful split.
And while she keeps her fans in mind for certain details in her album, Swift doesn’t let perception dictate the music she releases.
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Taylor Swift in the 'Love Story' music videoCredit: Taylor Swift/YouTube
“Oftentimes when I love it to a certain degree, that tends to match up with people,” Swift said of her biggest hits. “And it could be that it doesn’t match up with the way people feel ‘til six years later.”
Specifically highlighting her 2017 album, Reputation, Swift said, “I loved the Reputation album. I was like, ‘You guys say what you want. I know what I did. I love it. Go with God. Sorry. You can come around if you want. It’s OK if you don’t.’ ”
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Taylor Swift with her brother Austin and parents Andrea and Scott Swift in 2014Credit: Gardiner Anderson/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
One of Swift’s keys to success is writing how she feels in the moment at the many different stages of her life.
“I have this very strong opinion that when you’re young you feel things on such an intense and detailed level,” Swift explained.
Taylor Swift in 2006 at the 41st Academy of Country Music AwardsCredit: Denise Truscello/WireImage
The Grammy winner said that this visceral feeling led to a focus on the details of a feeling and a situation that she’s tried to maintain throughout her songwriting career.
“There’s an attention to detail when you’re 17-22 years old and you’re longing or you’re reaching and grasping but you’re never holding someone’s attention or someone’s love or someone’s dedication,” she continued. “You can’t understand why you spend all day thinking about it."
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
