What did John Mayer do to Taylor Swift? Age gap explored as 'Would've, Could've, Should've' lyrics spark online memefest

Taylor Swift and John Mayer infamously dated in 2009 for a year when Swift was only 19 Mayer was 32. After their breakup, in her 2010 album, Speak Now, Taylor released a song detailing their relationship.

On October 21, 2022, Taylor Swift released her 10th studio album Midnights and three hours later, she dropped an additional album that had three songs. The new album, Midnights (3am edition), had a song titled, Would've, Could've, Should've.

The song has caught the attention of her fans, the Swifties, who have brought John Mayer into the limelight again.

The new album has thirteen 'stories,' as Taylor calls them, that have stories of her past dating life. The singer-songwriter's motivation for her music has always stemmed from her break-ups and the new album talks about all of them.

However, it is Would've, Could've, Should've that has found a special place on the internet with its tell-all lyrics. In the song, Swift highlights her deep regret about dating older men, and now, fans can't seem to figure out if she's talking about John Mayer or Jake Gyllenhaal. Swift had allegedly dated Gyllenhaal, who is nearly 19 years older than her, in 2010 for a few months.

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What did John Mayer do?

When the Wild Blue singer and Swift ended their relationship in 2010, the latter released a very pointed song about their relationship in her album Speak Now. The song was titled Dear John and the lyrics paint a picture that insinuates that she was a victim of grooming. The lyrics go:

"Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?"

However, that wasn't all as the lyrics also say:

"Don't you think nineteen's too young to be played by your dark, twisted games."

When asked about the song, Mayer revealed that he was humiliated by it, and claimed to not know about her feelings towards him until after he heard it. The singer had already received quite a lot of hate for the age-difference between the two.

John Mayer and Taylor Swift perform at the Jingle Ball in NYC 2009 (image via Shutter Shock)

In an interview with Rolling Stone, he claimed not to like the fact that he was the subject of the song. The Love on the Weekend singer claimed that Swift's lyrics were a cheap shot and added:

"I know she’s the biggest thing in the world, and I’m not trying to sink anybody’s ship, but I think it’s abusing your talent to rub your hands together and go, ‘Wait till he gets a load of this!’ That’s bullsh*t.”

Fans allege that Mayer may have written his song Paper Doll in retaliation to Swift's song. The lyrics to his song go "was it just too far to fall, for a little paper doll."

Now, following the release of Swift's new album Midnights, John Mayer is back in the limelight. The lyrics to the new song allege inappropriate behavior on Mayer's part.

In Would've, Could've, Should've, as she expresses her regrets and demands her 'girlhood' back, Taylor sings:

"And I'm d*mn sure I never would've danced with the devil at nineteen."

Lyrics to Swift's new song on Ex, John Mayer (image via genius.com)

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Internet flooded with memes at John Mayer's expense

When John Mayer joined TikTok in March 2021, he was met with immediate backlash from the Swifties. Although he attempted to humor them away, a negative slew of comments filled his content. One user even warned him and said that he wasn't "safe here."

While Mayer hasn't said anything to or about Swift, following the release of her new song, Taylor's fans have come forward to voice their opinions. They've brought his "crimes" back into focus, berating him and hoping for his downfall via memes and funny quips.

Swift's latest album was released at the midnight on October 21, 2022. It chronicles her journey through "terrors and sweet dreams" and of "13 sleepless nights" of her life.

Midnights has 20 songs in total including the 3am tracks and is available to stream on all music platforms.