Who is Taylor Swift's 'Actually Romantic' about? The savage lyrics and meaning explained
6 October 2025, 10:18
Taylor Swift appears to take aim at someone in her 'Actually Romantic' lyrics but who are they about? Is it about Charli xcx?
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Taylor Swift has just put out one of her most direct diss tracks but who are her 'Actually Romantic' lyrics really about?
Taylor Swift is no stranger to calling out other celebrities on record. For example, 'Dear John' is famously believed to be a rousing takedown of her ex John Mayer and fans are convinced that 'Bad Blood' was inspired by her past feud with Katy Perry. Not to mention, 'thanK you aIMee' appears to be about her history with Kim Kardashian.
Now, Taylor's new song 'Actually Romantic' takes aim at another star and the meaning of it is breaking the internet. Who could it be about? Well, many fans think it's about Charli xcx... Here's what we know, and what Taylor has actually said.
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Is Taylor Swift's 'Actually Romantic' about Charli xcx?
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Who are Taylor Swift's 'Actually Romantic' lyrics about?
In 'Actually Romantic', Taylor criticises another person for talking about her behind her back. She sings: I heard you call me 'boring Barbie' when the coke's got you brave / High-fived my ex and then you said you're glad he ghosted me / Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face / Some people might be offended.
Taylor then jokes that this person's obsession with her is "actually romantic". Taylor adds: But it's actually sweet / All the time you've spent on me / It's honestly wild / All the effort you've put in / It's actually romantic, I've really got to hand it to you / No man has ever loved me like you do.
Taylor is more direct in the second verse singing: Hadn't thought of you in a long time / But you keep sending me funny Valentine's / And I know you think it comes off vicious / But it's precious adorable / Like a toy Chihuahua barking at me from a tiny purse / That's how much it hurts.
Explaining the song on Amazon Music, Taylor said it's "a song about realising that someone else has kind of had a one-sided, adversarial relationship with you that you didn’t know about. And all of a sudden they start doing too much and they start letting you know that actually, you’ve been living in their head rent-free and you had no idea.
"It’s presenting itself as them sort of resenting you or having a problem with you but you take that and just accept it as love and you accept it as attention and affection, and how flattering that somebody has made you such a big part of their reality when you didn’t even think about this. It’s actually pretty romantic if you really think about it."
She didn't specifically mention who it was about, but fans have jumped to their own conclusions...
Are Taylor Swift's 'Actually Romantic' lyrics about Charli xcx?
As it stands, Taylor hasn't said who her 'Actually Romantic' lyrics about but fans believe that it's a response to Charli xcx's song 'Sympathy is a knife' on Brat. In 'Sympathy is a knife', Charli sings about feeling insecure when she's around another female celebrity who is more famous than her and it's widely believed to be about Taylor.
In 'Sympathy is a knife', Charli sings: I don't wanna share the space / I don't wanna force a smile / This one girl taps my insecurities / Don't know if it's real or if I'm spiralling.
Later in the song, she also seemingly refers to Taylor's past relationship with Matty Healy, who is in The 1975 with Charli's husband George Daniels, singing: Don't wanna see her backstage at my boyfriend's show / Fingers crossed behind my back, I hope they break up quick.
In singing, Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face, and How many times has your boyfriend said / 'Why are we always talking about her?', Taylor appears to directly reference 'Sympathy is a knife'.
However, 'Sympathy is a knife' is not a diss track. Charli's song was praised for its nuance when it came out because it isn't Charli taking shots at another star. Instead, she's criticising herself for acting weird around another celebrity. Charli also supported Taylor on the Reputation Stadium Tour and sang 'Shake It Off' with her every night.
Meanwhile, Taylor even praised Charli in a Vulture profile shortly after 'Sympathy is a knife' initially came out. Taylor said: "I’ve been blown away by Charli’s melodic sensibilities since I first heard ‘Stay Away’ in 2011. Her writing is surreal and inventive, always."
Taylor added: "She just takes a song to places you wouldn’t expect it to go, and she’s been doing it consistently for over a decade. I love to see hard work like that pay off."
As it stands, neither Taylor nor Charli have spoken about 'Actually Romantic'. We'll update you if they do.
Taylor Swift - 'Actually Romantic' lyrics
VERSE 1
I heard you call me 'boring Barbie' when the coke's got you brave
High-fived my ex and then you said you're glad he ghosted me
Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face
Some people might be offended
CHORUS
But it's actually sweet, all the time you've spent on me
It's honestly wild, all the effort you've put in
It's actually romantic, I've really got to hand it to you
No man has ever loved me like you do
VERSE 2
Hadn't thought of you in a long time
But you keep sending me funny Valentine's
And I know you think it comes off vicious
But it's precious adorable
Like a toy Chihuahua barking at me from a tiny purse
That's how much it hurts
How many times has your boyfriend said
'Why are we always talking about her?'
CHORUS
But it's actually sweet, all the time you've spent on me
It's honestly wild, all the effort you've put in
It's actually romantic, I've really got to hand it to you
No man has ever loved me like you do
BRIDGE
You think I'm tacky baby, stop talking dirty to me
It sounded nasty but it feels like you're flirting with me
I mind by business, God's my witness that I don't provoke it
But it's kind of making me wild
CHORUS
But it's actually sweet, all the time you've spent on me
It's honestly lovely, all the effort you've put in
It's actually romantic, really got to hand it to you, to you
No man has ever loved me like you do
It's actually romantic, you just give me so much attention
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