Taylor Swift just released her new album, The Tortured Poets Department, and among its tracklist was a song called "The Black Dog" named after a pub in London. More recently, the pop star's fans swarmed the establishment, and employees had no choice but to turn them away because of the high number of people arriving.
According to Business Insider, track 17 of the new album was a metaphor for depression, but some of its lyrics contain "some bar," which many fans believe is about the pub located in the Vauxhall area of London.
Fans continue to share their theories and speculations online, saying that the track might be about the singer's relationship with Joe Alwyn, whom she dated for six years, or Matty Healy.
There’s a new, unexpected tourist attraction - a pub in south London named on @taylorswift13's album. A track on her new album is named The Black Dog and is apparently a reference to a pub in Vauxhall.
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) April 22, 2024
Staff say they don’t remember the US star visiting the venue but are… pic.twitter.com/H49KuM8anJ
"I am someone who until recent events you shared your secrets with and your location / You forgot to turn it off / And so I watch as you walk into some bar called The Black Dog," the lyrics read.
The Black Dog Pub Turning Swifties Away
The pub staff took to social media to ride into the trend as they had already amassed hundreds of thousands of views in two videos on TikTok.
The Black Dog's marketing consultant, Amy Cowly, spoke with the PA news agency to share what the pub is like today after Taylor Swift released the song, saying they are excited with the fame they amassed.
"To now get that sort of international level of recognition is surreal but it's lots of fun. It's been a bit of a whirlwind, but we're enjoying it," she said.
READ ALSO: Matty Healy's Aunt Claims The 1975 Frontman Shared Something 'More' With Taylor Swift
Cowley added that since the song went viral and people are now finding out about their establishment, fans have been swarming the area, and they had no choice but to turn them away because of their total capacity.
"We were turning people away because we were at total mass capacity," she said.
The Black Dog Pub also had a marketing stint for fans as they revealed that the first 100 people who will enter and quote lyrics from the pop star's song will get a free "Swift Half" of Black Dog Iager.
Taylor Swift's 'The Black Dog' Was About Matty Healy?
According to Elle, Swift revealed in "The Black Dog" that her ex-boyfriend is dating someone younger than her. Fans speculate that the track might be about Healy as he moved on with someone new, and she was younger than Swift.
After their brief relationship, The 1975 frontman had a relationship with 24-year-old Meredith Mickelson, but their romance didn't last as the singer went on to date 26-year-old Gabbriette Bechtel in 2023.
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