**UK Fans Wonder if Taylor Swift Will Say ‘So Long, London’ After Eras Tour**
LONDON (AP) — Taylor Swift fans are known for dissecting her lyrics for clues about her romantic life and mental state. However, her U.K. fans didn't need to scrutinize her latest album, "The Tortured Poets Department," to sense that Swift might be growing disenchanted with London. The record’s fifth track, titled "So Long, London," seems to hint at a shift in her relationship with the city she once considered a second home.
As Swift brings her Eras Tour to London’s Wembley Stadium, some fans are speculating whether they are witnessing the start of a prolonged farewell. She is set to perform three nights starting Friday and will return for six more nights in August to conclude the tour. London is the only city on the tour where Swift is making two stops, leading some to worry that this might be a swan song, while others believe it signifies a new chapter in her connection with the city. Whether "So Long, London" marks a final goodbye or a new beginning, the Eras Tour is undeniably an emotional milestone.
“Her relationship now kind of assumes London won’t be somewhere she will be. It’s not like there is an American football player living here,” said Maggie Fekete, 22, a Canadian graduate student who found comfort in the London references in Swift’s music when she moved to the city three years ago. “I think there will be a lot less London in her music, which is sad.”
For those not keeping track, Swift has had a series of high-profile romances with British celebrities, starting with Harry Styles in 2012 and ending last year when she began dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The speculation around "So Long, London" and its somber companion track, "The Black Dog," stems from her 2023 breakup with English actor Joe Alwyn, with whom she was in a relationship for over six years.
Alwyn is believed to have inspired "London Boy," a track from her 2019 album "Lover." A special-edition "Lover" CD included what appeared to be a January 2017 diary entry where Swift mentioned being “essentially based in London” but trying to stay under the radar. British tabloids later reported that Swift spent much of the COVID-19 pandemic with Alwyn in north London.
In December, The Sun reported that the multiple Grammy-winner had purchased a large property in the area and was renovating it to serve as her European base. However, after the release of "The Tortured Poets Department" last month, a writer for the British edition of ELLE magazine noted that Londoners might now have an opening “for an all-American A-lister who can slot into her place in our collective consciousness.” Naomi May playfully suggested that Zendaya, often seen with her British boyfriend Tom Holland, might be filling that void.
Regardless, London is rolling out the red carpet to ensure Swift and her fans feel appreciated. Guides are offering walking, bus, and taxi tours retracing her steps, including a kebab shop whose owner claims to be providing sandwiches for Swift and her crew. Before the end of August, fans can enjoy Swift-themed brunches, dance parties, and even a ride on the London Eye Ferris wheel accompanied by a string quartet playing her music. Souvenir stalls in Camden Market, a location mentioned in "London Boy," are stocked with Swift-specific caps, T-shirts, bags, and stickers.
“We’re very proud that London is hosting more shows than any other city on Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour, a real testament to her love for London,” said Laura Citron, CEO of tourism agency London & Partners.