Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Stephen Colbert asks Taylor Swift whether ‘Hey Stephen’ is about him or not

The singer has re-recorded her 2008 track for new album Fearless (Taylor’s Version)

Ellie Harrison
Wednesday 14 April 2021 08:56 BST
Comments
Taylor Swift shares cryptic video inviting fans to hunt for Easter Eggs

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Taylor Swift has finally revealed who her 2008 track “Hey Stephen” is about – although it’s not clear if she’s joking.

The singer made an appearance on The Late Show on Tuesday night (13 April), during which she was asked by host Stephen Colbert if the song is about him.

“I recorded that song in 2008, I think I was like 18,” she said, dismissing the suggestion.

“Right, and I was also a younger age,” said Colbert, who would have been 44 at the time.

The skit also saw Swift quipping that to get into the “right headspace” to authentically re-record the song, she dug out a mood board covered in pictures of Colbert.

Telling Colbert who the song is really about, Swift said: “I’ve never revealed this before to anyone, but ‘Hey Stephen’ is about Stephen King. He’s amazing. The Dark Tower series changed my life, plus The Shining, The Stand, and don’t even get me started on his short stories. Absolutely luminescent.”

Swift’s appearance on the show ended with the singer pretending she was getting a call from King himself.

Swift has been creating new versions of the albums released with her old label Big Machine Records, after a long-running dispute with the label’s new owner Scooter Braun over the rights to her master recordings.

On Friday (9 April), Swift released the full-length re-recording of her 2008 record Fearless, calling the new release Fearless (Taylor’s Version).

The album, which is out now, has been met with positive reviews and has already led fans to attempt to “disappear” the original recording of Fearless on Spotify.

Read The Independent’s four-star review of the album here.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in