The track features on Swift’s re-recording of Red, the 2012 heartbreak album that featured big hits such as “22,” “We Are Never Getting Back Together” and “I Knew You Were Trouble.”
“All Too Well” was quickly cemented as a fan favorite at the time, and so when Swift teased there was a 10-minute version of the song back in 2012, excitement reached fever pitch.
To accompany the new version of the track, Swift wrote and directed a short film starring Stranger Things actress Sadie Sink as “Her” and Teen Wolf’s Dylan O’Brien as “Him.” Swift even appears at the end of the video as “Her, later on,” pretty much confirming the song is about her own experiences.
Indeed, fans have long been sure the song alludes to Swift’s brief relationship with actor Jake Gyllenhaal and there are plenty of Easter Eggs in the film (and song), pointing to this.
The biggest clue of all is the age difference between Sink and O’Brien, which mirrors the gap between Swift and Gyllenhaal when they dated.
The Age Difference Explained
Sink celebrated her 19th birthday on April 16 this year, while O’Brien was born on August 26, 1991, making him 30-years-old and the age gap just over 10 years.
When Swift and Gyllenhaal dated, Swift was 20 and Gyllenhaal was 29.
But that is not all. There are even references to their age difference in the 10-minute version, such as: “You said if we had been closer in age maybe it would have been fine / And that made me want to die
“And I was never good at telling jokes but the punch line goes / I’ll get older but your lovers stay my age.”
Other “All Too Well” Easter eggs
The iPhone
When Swift belts “And you call me up again just to break me like a promise / So casually cruel in the name of being honest,” Her’s iPhone can be seen ringing on the bed as she cries into her pillow.
Eagle-eyed fans may have noticed the iPhone’s outdated lock button and the screen display to answer the call featured on iPhones dating back to 2010, the year Swift and Gyllenhaal dated.
Spider-Man Kiss
At one point in the “All Too Well” short, Him and Her kiss upside down, in the same way Spider-Man (played by Tobey Maguire) kisses Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) in 2002’s Spider-Man.
Gyllenhaal recently starred in Spider-Man: Far From Home and fans think the kiss in “All Too Well” was an allusion to his villainous role in the film.
The Woods
In the short film for “All Too Well,” Him puts his arm around Her as they stroll through the woods in Upstate New York.
The photo mirrors the infamous paparazzi photo of Swift and Gyllenhaal walking together through Brooklyn, where Swift had her arm wrapped around Gyllenhaal and was holding onto a maple latte.
The pair were also rumored to have spent a romantic weekend Upstate around the same time, over the Thanksgiving weekend in 2010.
Him, Later On
Him, later on arrives outside the bookstore where She, later on (Swift) is giving a reading, dressed in a red scarf.
The actor cast for the role is called Jake Lyon. A coincidence? Swifties think not.
Taylor has never confirmed who exactly “All Too Well” and has remained tight-lipped about the subject. That said, in a recent interview on Late Night With Seth Meyers, she was asked: “I wonder if there are people who might think that they were the one you were singing about, if it’s easier or far, far worse for them 10 years later?”
Swift simply responded: “I haven’t thought about their experience, to be honest.” Burn.
The 1989 Easter Eggs
If you need some time to recover from the release of Red (Taylor’s Version), you might not have very long, as it looks like her version of 1989 may be on the way. Here’s why…
- The 1989 Mercedes
In the “All Too Well” short film, the car He is driving is a 1989 Mercedes Benz. In a recent TikTok, Swift confirmed the car choice was intentional.
- The Book
The book Her, later on writes is titled “All Too Well,” but the cover resembles the 1989 edition of Lewis Carroll’s classic novel, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
Not only are both pale blue in color, they feature a white tree and red detail—only instead of hearts, Taylor’s version (so to speak) includes a red scarf.
“Wonderland” is also a song from 1989 and even alludes to the story of Alice in Wonderland, with the lyrics: “We took a wrong turn and we fell down a rabbit hole.”
The Hand
In the “All Too Well” short film, He and Her argue over His behavior at a dinner party with his friends.
Her shouts: “You dropped my f****** hand! What am I supposed to do with that?”
The reference to the hand dropping is made in the song “Champagne Problems” on Swift’s 2020 LP, evermore.
The lyrics read: “Because I dropped your hand while dancing / Left you out there standing / Crestfallen on the landing / Champagne problems.”
Ed Sheeran
Him and Her are playing cards in the short film, which some fans believe is a reference to Sheeran’s song “The Joker and The Queen.”
Red (Taylor’s Version) is out now.
