Taylor Swift‘s “All Too Well” 10-minute version is packed with references, including several allusions to her relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal. Nine years after the release of the singer/songwriter’s Red album in 2012, she has released its re-recording. This is due to the change of ownership of the masters of Swift’s first six studio albums, which hinders her from legally performing their songs. But, instead of simply recreating the tracks, Swift also opted to update some of them, including the fan-favorite “All Too Well,” which now has an extended version. Here’s the “All Too Well” Jake Gyllenhaal controversy explained, and what the lyrics mean.
Released on November 12, 2021, the new version of the album, officially titled Red (Taylor’s Version), runs for about 130 minutes. As part of the promotional efforts for her new release, Swift also wrote and directed a short film for “All Too Well,” based on the song’s lyrics. The short feature stars Dylan O’Brien and Sadie Sink as its primary couple, and it tackles the highs and lows of the duration of their relationship, which ultimately ends in a break-up. Fans are convinced that it’s about Swift’s romance with Jake Gyllenhaal, which started in the fall of 2010.
Appropos of the “All Too Well” Easter eggs and overall message, its short film starts with Pablo Neruda’s quote: “Love is so short, forgetting is so long” — a potential reference to Swift and Gyllenhaal’s relationship. It’s worth noting that the pair supposedly only dated for three months. However, assuming that the song is actually about that relationship, the break-up clearly impacted Swift significantly. The “All Too Well” Jake Gyllenhaal controversy is furthered by the lyrics, which also feature a lot of allusion to Gyllenhaal, and its new 10-minute version reveals more about their doomed romance.
All Too Well Verse 1: Dating Jake Gyllenhaal & What The Scarf Means
I walked through the door with you, the air was coldBut something ’bout it felt like home somehowAnd I left my scarf there at your sister’s houseAnd you’ve still got it in your drawer, even nowOh, your sweet disposition and my wide-eyed gazeWe’re singing in the car, getting lost upstateAutumn leaves falling down like pieces into placeAnd I can picture it after all these days
Taylor Swift sings the song from a first-person’s perspective. The lyrics of the “All Too Well” 10-minute version start with her memory of visiting her boyfriend’s sister’s place. The description of the weather fits the timeline of her relationship with Gyllenhaal, as the pair started dating in October 2010. Her lover’s sister could be Maggie Gyllenhaal, who confirmed then that she did have Swift in her home for dinner. As for the scarf, it’s been the subject of discussions among Swift’s fans for years. The piece of clothing has also been a signature of the singer’s real-life aesthetic for a while, and it has even been a focal point in some of her music videos. Paparazzi photos of Swift around the time of the romance show her wearing a scarf that Gyllenhaal was previously spotted sporting. This could very well be the same one referenced in the aforementioned song, only exacerbating the “All Too Well” Jake Gyllenhaal controversy.
All Too Well Verse 2: Swift’s Ex’s Family, Love & Breakup
Photo album on the counter, your cheeks were turning redYou used to be a little kid with glasses in a twin-sized bedAnd your mother’s telling stories ’bout you on the tee-ball teamYou tell me ’bout your past, thinking your future was meAnd you were tossing me the car keys, fuck the patriarchyKey chain on the ground, we were always skipping townAnd I was thinking on the drive down, any time nowHe’s gonna say it’s love, you never called it what it was’Til we were dead and gone and buriedCheck the pulse and come back swearing it’s the sameAfter three months in the graveAnd then you wondered where it went to as I reached for youBut all I felt was shame and you held my lifeless frame
The second verse of the song is a mix of old and new lyrics. Its first half sings of Swift talking about spending time with the mystery man’s family, with a specific memory of his mom sharing stories about his childhood. The guy himself also becomes forthcoming with his past. He starts opening up about his life before he met her because he supposedly believes that there’s a future for them and their relationship. Swift’s additional lyrics then come in, focusing on an entirely new incident where she expected him to admit that things are getting serious between them finally. But, the guy never did. Instead, she accuses him of denying the true nature of their relationship, refusing to call it love.
The last three lines in this part of “All Too Well” get metaphorical, but songwriter/actress Taylor Swift could be referring to the man’s effort to reconcile months after their split. Interestingly, the song “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” is also supposedly about Gyllenhaal, which would check out with the idea behind the “All Too Well” Jake Gyllenhaal controversy.
All Too Well Bridge Meaning: Swift Remembers What Went Wrong
Well maybe we got lost in translationMaybe I asked for too muchBut maybe this thing was a masterpiece’Til you tore it all upRunning scared, I was thereI remember it all too wellAnd you call me up againJust to break me like a promiseSo casually cruel in the name of being honestI’m a crumpled up piece of paper lying here’Cause I remember it all, all, all
The bridge for the “All Too Well” 10-minute version is about Swift ruminating on why their relationship ended in the first place. In it, she comes up with a couple of reasons, including the part where she blames herself for asking too much. But after that, she realizes that perhaps, it isn’t her fault at all. Maybe the guy is to blame for meekly walking away from the relationship. This bodes well in the “All Too Well” 10-minute short film, as this is the point where Teen Wolf star O’Brien and Sink’s characters break up. Based on the feature, he decides to split, and while the actual conversation cannot be heard, it’s clear that she finds his reason for giving up preposterous. Despite her objections, his mind has been made up. As Verse 2 of the song notes, however, the man eventually returns. But her description of their reunion makes it look like it’s a bad idea overall, as it only worsened the break-up.
All Too Well Verse 3: Swift & Gyllenhaal’s Age Difference
They say all’s well that ends wellBut I’m in a new hell every time you double-cross my mindYou said if we had been closer in age maybe it would have been fineAnd that made me want to dieThe idea you had of me, who was she?A never-needy ever lovely jewel whose shine reflects on youNot weeping in a party bathroomSome actress asking me what happened, you, that’s what happened, youYou who charmed my dad with self-effacing jokesSipping coffee like you’re on a late night showBut then he watched me watch the front door all night, willing you to comeAnd he said, “It’s supposed to be fun turning twenty-one”
The whole Verse 3 of the song “All Too Well” is an addition for the re-release. Taylor Swift’s line about the age difference further solidifies theories that she’s indeed singing about Gyllenhaal in the song. For context, the pair had a ten-year age difference; when they dated, Swift was 20 while The Guilty star Gyllenhaal was 30. Here, Swift seemingly blames this particular element in their relationship for their break-up, which, once again, was mirrored in the “All Too Well” 10-minute version’s short film. During the song break, Sink and O’Brien get into an argument where she points out that she feels out of place around his older friends. However, there have been no reports on whether the real-life couple’s split was caused by their age difference.
Then, Miss Americana star Taylor Swift talks about another memory wherein she finds herself weeping in a bathroom at a party. An unnamed actress supposedly reached out to ask what happened, and she answered “you” — at least according to the song. There are ongoing rumors that the celebrity who checked up on her was Friends star, Jennifer Aniston. Others claim it’s Gyllenhaal’s Love & Other Drugs co-star, Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway. But with no additional information, no conclusion can really be reached.
All Too Well Verse 4: What Taylor Swift’s Brooklyn Line Means
And I was never good at telling jokes but the punch line goesI’ll get older but your lovers stay my ageFrom when your Brooklyn broke my skin and bonesI’m a soldier who’s returning half her weightAnd did the twin flame bruise paint you blue?Just between us, did the love affair maim you too?’Cause in this city’s barren cold, I still remember the first fall of snowAnd how it glistened as it fell, I remember it all too well
Like its predecessor, the “All Too Well” 10-minute versions’ Verse 4 is all new material that Swift added when she re-recorded the song for Red (Taylor’s Version). It arguably has the most brutal dig at Gyllenhaal, assuming that the song is about him. Swift sings that the man she’s referring to continues to date women her age despite blaming their age difference as the reason for their split. She also piles up on the notion that she’s talking about Gyllenhaal as she mentions Brooklyn, where The Dark Knight actress Maggie Gyllenhaal lives. This refers back to Verse 1, where Swift recalls visiting her house. Going back to Brooklyn is difficult for her as she and the man in the song spent a lot of time there. As she ponders on this, she also wonders if their relationship permanently wounded him, furthering the “All Too Well” Jake Gyllenhaal controversy.
All Too Well’s Pre-Chorus & Chorus Meaning
[Pre-Chorus]And I know it’s long gone andThat magic’s not here no moreAnd I might be okay, but I’m not fine at allOh, oh, oh
[Chorus]’Causе there we arе again on that little town streetYou almost ran the red ’cause you were lookin’ over at meWind in my hair, I was thereI remember it all too well
[Pre-Chorus]And I know it’s long gone andThere was nothing else I could doAnd I forget about you long enoughTo forget why I needed to
[Chorus]’Cause there we are again in the middle of the nightWe’re dancing ’round the kitchen in the refrigerator lightDown the stairs, I was thereI remember it all too wellAnd there we are again when nobody had to knowYou kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oathSacred prayer and we’d swearTo remember it all too well, yeah
[Chorus]Time won’t fly, it’s like I’m paralyzed by itI’d like to be my old self again, but I’m still trying to find itAfter plaid shirt days and nights when you made me your ownNow you mail back my things and I walk home aloneBut you keep my old scarf from that very first week’Cause it reminds you of innocence and it smells like meYou can’t get rid of it’Cause you remember it all too well, yeah’Cause there we are again when I loved you soBack before you lost the one real thing you’ve ever known
The “All Too Well” 10-minute version has two iterations of its Pre-Chorus. Both start similarly, with Swift admitting that the relationship is finished, and despite not choosing to end things, there’s nothing she could do about it. But, their second halves reveal that she is still struggling with the break-up. Meanwhile, there are three variations of the Chorus, and they’re all quite different. The first one recalls their drive upstate New York, where the man in the popular song got distracted while driving because he was looking at her. It’s followed by another memory where they danced in the refrigerator light, but this time, Swift adds more post-breakup thoughts by implying that while she seriously took their romance, he may have been hesitant about it. Finally, the third chorus takes a different route than its predecessors. It’s Swift in the middle of the heartbreak from the split; she desperately wants to move on from it, and while time is said to heal all wounds, she feels like it’s not moving for her, hence why she’s stuck.
All Too Well Outro Meaning
Just between us, did the love affair maim you all too well?Just between us, do you remember it all too well?Just between us, I remember it (Just between us) all too wellWind in my hair, I was there, I was thereDown the stairs, I was there, I was thereSacred prayer, I was there, I was thereIt was rare, you remember it all too wellWind in my hair, I was there, I was thereDown the stairs, I was there, I was thereSacred prayer, I was there, I was thereIt was rare, you remember itWind in my hair, I was there, I was thereDown the stairs, I was there, I was thereSacred prayer, I was there, I was thereIt was rare, you remember itWind in my hair, I was there, I was thereDown the stairs, I was there, I was thereSacred prayer, I was there, I was thereIt was rare, you remember it
The outro for the “All Too Well” 10-minute version is composed of a few lines repeated until the ending of the song. Basically, it’s a Taylor Swift performance in which she’s still contemplating that despite the longevity of the relationship and the way it ended, what she and the man had in the song is special and rare. She emphasized that she remembers everything that happened in the short-lived romance, proving that despite the abrupt split, the love shared between the former couple was intense. She also asks if the man was as scarred as she was by what happened. Taylor Swift essentially comes to terms with how things went down in the relationship and chooses to remember it for all it was — both the good and bad things about it.
Jake Gyllenhaal’s Reaction To All Too Well
After the “All Too Well” extended cut came out, many were curious as to what movie star Jake Gyllenhaal’s reaction would be considering Taylor Swift fans tore the actor apart. After a couple of months, the actor finally had a response, though it certainly wasn’t what people were expecting. In an interview with Esquire, the star started out by saying that he didn’t resent Taylor Swift for the song at all, because he didn’t think it was about him. While many believe that the song was a direct representation of their three-month relationship and her heartbreak over its outcome, Gyllenhaal put the ax on that speculation and claimed that the song was about her relationship with her fans. He then went on to express that she uses her songwriting to express her feelings artistically — and this expression wasn’t directed at him.
“It has nothing to do with me. […] It’s about her relationship with her fans. It is her expression. Artists tap into personal experiences for inspiration, and I don’t begrudge anyone that,” Jake Gyllenhaal said. He then immediately jumped topics to online bullying, as he’s been severely affected by the backlash of Taylor Swift listeners after the short film’s release. People have been finding pictures of him wearing the alleged scarf, tweeting about his so-called crimes, and constantly posting negative comments on his Instagram account. Due to the media firestorm that accompanied “All Too Well” and the vitriol that Gyllenhaal received, he had to turn off his Instagram comments for a time after the video was released. His full comment on cyber-bullying can be read below.
“At some point, I think it’s important when supporters get unruly that we feel a responsibility to have them be civil and not allow for cyberbullying in one’s name. That begs for a deeper philosophical question. Not about any individual, per se, but a conversation that allows us to examine how we can — or should, even — take responsibility for what we put into the world, our contributions into the world.”
Reactions to Jake Gyllenhaal’s response were understandably mixed. The more positive side of the reactions praised the actor for his mature response to the “All Too Well” incident, saying that he could’ve reacted negatively due to all of the backlash that he received. Many believe he took it in stride and decided to take the high road this time around. Others were not nearly as taken by his statements. As Newsweek reports, many fans were confused by his proclamation and took to Twitter to vent their frustration. One person responded, “It’s literally all about you but go off sis.” Another blamed the actor Jake Gyllenhaal for mansplaining, saying “Not Jake trying to explain what HER song is about.”
All in all, his nervous jumping of topics doesn’t paint the star in a good light. He had a whole lot more to say about cyberbullying than he did to explain why and how “All Too Well” wasn’t about him. While some fans accepted his response, others were much more scrupulous and refused to let the issue go. Taylor Swift herself hasn’t said much about the song, so it’s really up to the listener to decide whether it’s about Jake Gyllenhaal, another relationship she had, or her relationship with her fanbase.
About The Author