Larry Busacca/Getty ImagesWhen "Speak Now" was released, Swift wasn't shy about framing the album as a diary set to music.
"Every single song is like a roadmap to what that relationship stood for, with little markers that maybe everyone won't know, but there are things that were little nuances of the relationship, little hints.
And every single song is like that."
"Dear John" is the most obvious example, likely owing its title to Swift's ex John Mayer (though it also doubles as a reference to a wartime breakup letter, historically sent from a woman to a soldier).
Indeed, the tabloid fodder attached to "Dear John" may have threatened to eclipse the song's power, had 20-year-old Swift been a less capable songwriter.
Persons:
John, Larry Busacca, Swift, Chris Willman, John Mayer, Willman, John Lennon's
Organizations:
Yahoo