Top 10 Times Singers Exposed Other Celebs in Their Songs
#10: “The Heart Wants What It Wants”
Selena Gomez
Jelena’s roller-coaster on-again, off-again relationship was pretty well documented throughout its time. Both even released several songs that were thought to be about each other. While Selena hasn’t really ever confirmed who this song is about, the writing is pretty much on the wall. Her music video contains footage resembling images we’ve seen on social media or in the tabloids. Meanwhile, she sings about loving someone who's bad for her but being unable to resist them. The intro in the music video also mentions having her confidence shattered and being made to feel crazy. It wasn’t hard to figure out that she was singing about Justin Beiber.
#9: “Bad Blood” & “Swish Swish”
Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar & Katy Perry feat. Nicki Minaj
When “Bad Blood” was first released, Swift refused to disclose who she’d written it about. She told “Rolling Stone” that it was about a former female friend who she claims tried to sabotage her “Red” tour. Well, it didn’t take long for us to learn exactly who she was talking about. And this song marked the beginning of her feud with Katy Perry. Then, in 2017, when Perry released her “Witness” album, fans searched for her rebuttal, which they believed they found in the song “Swish Swish”. The pair have since called a truce so now we’re just waiting on their collaboration single.
#8: “Don’t”
Ed Sheeran
Don’t get on this singer’s bad side unless you want to be the subject of an anger-fueled track. Sheeran wrote “Don’t” in response to Ellie Goulding reportedly cheating on him with his friend Niall Horan. Fans had already speculated as much long before Sheeran was ready to admit it. He divulged that writing this song was therapeutic and helped him let go of his anger. He also confirmed that the story was completely true but confessed that he could have been meaner. He might be over it now, but this song lives on as a constant reminder of that unfortunate incident.
#7: “Shout Out to My Ex”
Little Mix
Following a four-year relationship, which included an engagement, Zayn Malik allegedly broke things off with Perrie Edwards via text. Now Little Mix aren’t ones to break up and tell, but this song speaks volumes. Lyrics about tattoos, moving on to someone else, and even pinpointing a four-year relationship were all very telling. Especially as Edwards was leading the number. However, if you ask the band, they’ll just say that the song is about female empowerment. While that may be true, it’s certainly not the only purpose of the track. Still, we guess that things worked out how they were supposed to and we got this banging tune.
#6: “You’re So Vain”
Carly Simon
Back when this song first came out, it had people wondering, who was vain enough to think that this song was about them? Names like Mick Jagger, Davie Bowie, Warren Beaty, Cat Stevens, and even her ex-husband James Taylor were thrown about. As the song’s success skyrocketed, she teased clues but ultimately stayed tight-lipped. But then in 2015, she revealed that one verse was about Warren Beaty. She joked that he thought the whole song was about him which kinda proved her point after all. So who are the other verses about? Well, Simon isn’t ready to spill any more tea quite yet.
#5: “Obsessed”
Mariah Carey
During the noughties, rapper Eminem seemed pretty hellbent on the world knowing that he and Mariah Carey had once been an item. But the singer adamantly denied that they had ever even dated. Evidently fed up with him bringing up the subject, she released “Obsessed” in response. While she doesn’t name him per se, she dropped enough hints for us all to connect the dots. He’s not the only one she’s taken shots at either. She also gave a nod to her feud with Wendy Williams in her song “Touch My Body”. If you come for Mariah Carey, be prepared for the clap back.
#4: “All Too Well”
Taylor Swift
Taylor is no stranger to sharing her heartbreak through music. Sometimes the subjects of her songs are pretty obvious as in “Dear John. Other times it’s a little more cryptic like in “All Too Well”. However, since the song was released in 2012, after her break up with Jake Gyllenhaal in 2011, we all had our theories. Now, almost a decade later, if we still had any doubts, they disappeared with the re-released 10-minute long version. With additional and revised lyrics not to mention plenty of visual clues, the relationship sounded intense. The song remains her most critically acclaimed.
#3: “Hold Up”
Beyoncé
“Lemonade” was nothing short of a masterpiece. Among its many poignant and empowering themes, is a woman scorned by her husband’s infidelity. Indeed, its release had us all obsessing over who on earth “Becky with the good hair” could be? For a song called “Sorry,” there was nothing apologetic about it. However, that was nothing compared to “Hold Up”. It almost felt like we were right there raging with Bey as she confronted her allegedly unfaithful husband. She even goes as far as asking if anyone would even be interested in him if he weren’t famous. This lemonade was scalding hot.
#2: “You Oughta Know”
Alanis Morissette
Fans have guessed that this song could be about Matt LeBlanc, Ryan Reynolds, Mike Peluso, or Leslie Howe. But there’s one guy who thinks that “you oughta know” that it’s probably about him. In the 90s, Morisette famously dated “Full House” actor Dave Coulier. Not long after their split she recorded this anger-filled breakup anthem. Throughout the years, he’s both acknowledged and denied that the song is about him. However, he’s admitted that he can see their relationship reflected in the lyrics. Will we ever know for sure who this song is about? Well, Morissette seems to be keeping the tea all to herself.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
“7 Things”, Miley Cyrus
The Singer Admitted She Wrote the Song to “Punish” Nick Jonas for Breaking Her Heart
“Hollaback Girl”, Gwen Stefani
Written in Response to Courtney Love Insulting Stefani During an Interview
“Call Out My Name”, The Weeknd
The Weeknd Released This Track Following His Break Ip from Selena Gomez
“Blame Game”, Ye feat. John Legend
This Song Was Inspired by His Split from Amber Rose
#1: “The Story of Adidon (Drake Diss)”
Pusha T
Drake and Pusha T have been exchanging diss tracks for a while. However, on this occasion, Pusha T proved that there was no subject off-limits and it was savage. He brought up his father, and even questioned whether he writes his own songs. But the biggest shock was when he revealed that Drake had fathered a child with French model and former adult entertainment star, Sophie Brussaux. Thanks to this information overload, the song massed about 2.5 million views on its first day and, of course, people wanted answers. Drake was left with no choice but to admit the truth.