Is John Mayer’s Song Daughters About Taylor Swift?

Written by Jeff Campbell in Solo Artists,Pop Last Updated February 1, 2023

John Mayer’s song Daughters is about his relationship with an ex-girlfriend who had a hard time trusting men. Since Taylor Swift is John’s ex and she wrote a song about him, is John Mayer’s song Daughters about Taylor Swift?

John Mayer’s song Daughters is not about Taylor Swift, as it was released in 2003, long before Mayer ever met Swift. Mayer has never publicly stated who the song was about, but Taylor Swift and John Mayer dated in late 2009 and early 2010. 

The confusion that the song Daughters is about Taylor Swift may have arisen from the fact that Mayer talks about a woman in the music who yearns for male attention because of her father’s absence in her life.

And Taylor has often been labeled by the media as an attention-hungry, needy, and emotionally volatile girlfriend. And let’s be honest, she has a long list of ex-boyfriends, many of whom claim she gets psychotic when she doesn’t get what she wants.

Plus, Taylor wrote the song “Dear John” as a criticism of Mayer, so it would only be right for him to return the favor. But that’s not how it happened.

To its core, the song Daughters is about a dysfunctional relationship. And even if it’s not about Taylor, did John ever write one about her?

Let us find out in the other sections.

Does John Mayer have a song about Taylor Swift?

John Mayer’s song ‘Paper Doll’ from 2013 is full of references about his failed relationship with Taylor Swift. The song is a direct response to Swift’s 2010 song ‘Dear John.’

Here are some references that point that the song is directed at Swift.

1. The dishonest girlfriend

Mayer sings about a woman in the song who keeps trying different dresses.

“Paper doll, come try it on/ Step out of that black chiffon/here’s a dress of gold and blue/ Sure was fun being good to you.”

The implication that these lines are directed at Swift comes from the possibility that Swift has been consistently accused of switching boyfriends as quickly as a dress.

2. The reference to Taylor’s single 22

Mayer talks about his ex-girlfriend, who’s like “22 girls in one.” This line refers to Taylor because 22 is also a song by Swift.

3. The girlfriend uses men for inspiration and then breaks up with them

In “Dear John,” Swift sings:

“You paint me a blue sky/ And go back and turn it to rain”

And Mayer in Paper Doll, who took inspiration from this line, says that the woman he is in love with pretends to be an innocent person.

“Someone’s gonna paint you another sky”

This line could mean if John could not love the girl as she wanted, someone else would love her. It is hard to say that the song isn’t about Taylor.

I will leave it up to you to decide.

How did John Mayer react to Taylor Swift’s song “Dear John”?

Though initially unhappy with Taylor Swift’s interpretation of their relationship in her song “Dear John”, John Mayer says he would be glad if his exes still wrote a song about him.

Swift is notorious for dropping the names of her exes in the line of songs.

And she didn’t shy away from writing a song called “Dear John”, which she released shortly after her romance with Mayer ended.

The song featured biting lyrics, which Mayer condemned as “cheap songwriting, and a lousy thing to do”.

Taylor responded to the allegation by saying John was presumptuous that the song was about him. “I never disclose who my songs are about.”

But given that Taylor has included names of her boyfriends in the past, the chances that this song is about John are higher.

Although initially, the song caught Mayer off guard, he later doused the fire by saying:

“Sometimes, I hope it’s about me. Sometimes, it’s a perfect song. I don’t think it’s a dirty admission. Sometimes, a song is so good; I go, Man, I hope that’s about me. I’ll check everyone’s music out. I’m a fan.” 

Swift, for her part, doesn’t particularly care how her exes feel about her making music on them. She has never regretted writing a song about her exes because she feels one doesn’t write a song unless they want to forget them.

But is there a song Taylor didn’t write about her exes?

Luckily, I discussed it in my recent article. I get into her whole catalog, songwriting history, as well as how she collaborates with other songwriters.

Just click the link to read it on my site.

How long did Taylor Swift Date John Mayer?

Taylor Swift dated John Mayer between December 2009 and February 2010. This came after Mayer tweeting about his desire to record a song with her in early 2009 which led to their meeting. The pair recorded “Half of My Heart” in 2009, but it was not released until after their breakup.

And it’s worth noting that he doesn’t credit her on the song and later went back and re-recorded it without her.

But they did perform live together at New York’s Jingle Bell in December 2009. Rumors have it, after this performance, the singers started dating. Fans witnessed serious onstage chemistry. The pair were reportedly each other’s apple of the eye throughout.

But judging from Taylor’s breakup anthem “Dear John”, a song presumably dedicated to musician John Mayer, disclosed that it was hardly an amicable breakup.

John Mayer was 32 and Taylor was 19, and for Taylor, “it was wrong”. Things quickly turned sour between the two, and the relationship reportedly ended in 2010.

Who is the John Mayer song Daughters about?

John Mayer has avoided publicly naming the subject of his song Daughters. The song is about one of his ex-girlfriends who had issues trusting men.

Mayer appeared for an interview on the VH1 program Storytellers. He explained that he was frustrated with beautiful women who had “daddy issues” and couldn’t trust men.

Mayer further added to his statement:

“I know this song sounds like I’m just sitting around the house, spitballing, thinking of really lofty things, but it is the result of tracing it back to find out how I could love this person. And the answer is: you can’t. Because someone else didn’t come before you.” 

In 2010, Mayer tried explaining the song’s meaning saying:

“Daughters is about an ex-girlfriend who had trust issues because her father was absent from her life”, eventually leading to his breakup.

The song also talks about how fathers and mothers should nurture their daughters in their childhood.

This is because the love they receive when they are young is carried on when they grow and affects their future relationship with men as adults.

How many songs has John Mayer written about exes?

John Mayer has written at least 4 songs about his exes, including a farewell letter allegedly dedicated to Jennifer Aniston as well as songs about Taylor Swift, Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Katy Perry. Mayer’s songwriting comes from his relationships.

Unlike Taylor, who names her ex-boyfriends in her songs, Mayer has a different way of talking about women in his life. He gives only subtle hints that the song is about a former lover.

Here is a list of songs that are said to be about Mayer’s exes:

Your Body is a Wonderland: The ode is said to be a dedication to Mayer’s one-time lady love, Jennifer Love Hewitt, who was his first girlfriend.

Shadow Days: Also said to be penned for a lover, the song was a farewell letter to Jennifer Aniston after their breakup in 2009.

Who You Love: After being spotted on and off again with Katy Perry, Mayer was hesitant to take things seriously with her. He allegedly took her as a muse for a laid-back love song called “Who You Love”, which he sings with her.

John Mayer - Daughters (Official HD Video)

Conclusion

John Mayer and Swift initially dated from December 2009 to February 2010.

Their romance was a short-lived affair. After the breakup, the duo launched a battle of accusations.

Both the singers have engaged in verbal battles accusing each other through their songs. And name-calling in pieces is often done under presumable names; many fans get confused whether or not a particular song is about the musician’s ex-girlfriend/ boyfriend.

But while Taylor directly addresses her boyfriends, Mayer chooses to stay very subtle. This uncertainty gave rise to a rumor back in 2009 if Mayer’s song Daughters was about Swift.

However, the same is not true because Mayer wrote the song in 2003. By this time, Mayer hadn’t met Swift. For now, both are on good terms and keep busy making music.

Photo which requires attribution:

John Mayer @ Vancouver GM Place by noahbloom and Taylor Swift by Eva Rinaldi are licensed under CC2.0 and were cropped, edited, merged, and had a text overlay added.

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