Who was Jeff Lang? All about Taylor Swift's rumored muse for 'Ruin the Friendship'

Taylor Swift often draws inspiration from her personal life and relationships to create her most heartfelt songs. People think "Ruin the Friendship" looks back at a story from her teen years, showing a connection that ended with loss and regret.

Swift might have made more than one song about Jeff Lang, fans have noted. Her song Forever Winter, included in the Red (Taylor’s Version) album, is frequently associated with Lang as it was about how a friend fights mental illness. The imagery and tone of the song echoes the narrative of a person who has gone through challenges that eventually result in a tragic ending.

Who was Jeff Lang?

Jeff Lang was Taylor Swift's close friend in high school. The singer talked about him in public in 2010 when she got the BMI Country Songwriter of the Year award. Swift told everyone that Lang had died at just 21 years old, a few days after she put out her album Speak Now.

On November 9, 2010, she told the crowd she had sung at his funeral a day before coming to the ceremony.

“It’s been a really emotional week for me,” she said 2010 BMI Country Music Awards. “Yesterday, I sang at the funeral of one of my best friends. He was 21, and I used to play my songs for him first. So, I would like to thank Jeff Lang.”

Swift also said Lang was one of the first to hear her early songs, showing how important their friendship was when she was starting out as an artist.

Taylor Swift and Jeff Lang: The story behind “Ruin the Friendship”

At first, a lot of people thought "Ruin the Friendship" was about celebrity friends like Blake Lively. But Swift's words point to something else. The song talks about a love that's never said out loud. In it, the singer feels bad about not showing her feelings for a good friend before she lost the chance.

References to learning about his passing from her longtime friend Abigail Anderson connect the narrative to her high school years. The lyrics also reflect the theme of missed chances and the pain of words left unsaid, ending with advice to listeners to avoid similar regrets.

Although Swift rarely speaks in detail about Lang, the few times she has referenced him suggest the depth of their friendship.