John Mayer Didn't Hide His Feelings About Taylor Swift's Song Dear John

As Swifties know, Taylor Swift regularly writes music inspired by her personal life. The country songstress turned pop star once told Elle, "I love writing songs because I love preserving memories, like putting a picture frame around a feeling you once had." She added, "I like to be able to remember the extremely good and extremely bad times." Fans are constantly dissecting the subtext of Swift's songs, which often allude to rocky relationships and bad breakups.

When "Dear John" came out in 2010, there was no doubt that the track was about Swift's ex, John Mayer. The musical duo first drew attention in 2009 when they recorded "Half of My Heart," according to People. Prior to their collaboration, the two artists gushed about each other and expressed their desire to work together.

Aside from teaming up creatively, Swift and Mayer also briefly dated. However, they called it quits in 2010. Swift then released "Dear John," which focused on a manipulative relationship with someone older. The puzzle pieces all came together in the hit. Besides including Mayer's first name in the song title, Swift sang, "Don't you think nineteen's too young / To be played by your dark, twisted games when I loved you so?" Swift didn't keep her relationship under wraps, as she was 19 when she dated Mayer. So, how did her ex feel about the song?

In a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone (via Entertainment Weekly), John Mayer revealed his candid reaction to Taylor Swift's song "Dear John." He said, "It made me feel terrible. Because I didn't deserve it. I'm pretty good at taking accountability now, and I never did anything to deserve that. It was a really lousy thing for her to do." Mayer was blindsided, noting he would have liked to have been directly notified ahead of time. He explained, "I never got an email. I never got a phone call. I was really caught off-guard, and it really humiliated me at a time when I'd already been dressed down." As for the songwriting, Mayer thought Swift's approach was tacky.

After Mayer spoke up about "Dear John," Swift shared her thoughts on the singer's remarks. In an issue of Glamour (via Us Weekly), Swift brushed off rumors that the song was even about Mayer. She declared, "How presumptuous! I never disclose who my songs are about." She didn't want to hear what Mayer's specific comments were either. She added, "I know it wasn't good, so I don't want to know. I put a high priority on staying happy, and I know what I can't handle."

While John Mayer slammed Taylor Swift for "Dear John," he subsequently praised her on numerous occasions. During the 2015 NBC special "7 Days of Genius" (via Billboard), he eagerly talked about Swift. While the star's albums are now available on Spotify, Swift once faced off with the company over lack of artist royalties. In 2014, she removed her music from the streaming service, per The Guardian. Mayer commented on the saga, saying, "Artists need the person with the loudest voice to speak for them... I think that's a really cool thing for a musician to do." He added, "The only reason we're talking about Taylor Swift taking Spotify on is because she's Taylor Swift!"

In 2018, Mayer gave Swift some props when he unintentionally referred to her album, "Reputation." In a Q&A session at his iHeartRadio LIVE show (via People), he discussed the writing process behind his song, "New Light," sharing that he "started thinking about reputation." Then, a fan threw out some applause for his ex's album. Mayer clarified, "Not the album, but that's still fine. That's a fine piece of work." Mayer may have been annoyed at Swift's "Dear John" jab, but he doesn't seem to be holding any grudges.