1. “When I first saw you/From across the room/I could tell that you were curious/Girl, I hope you’re sure/What you’re looking for/ ‘Cause I’m not good at making promises.
“Perfect” basically tells the story of a guy who wasn’t looking for anything serious in a relationship, but rather, wanted to just have some fun every once in a while — and Taylor alludes to this in many of her own songs. In “I Knew You Were Trouble,” she sings, “He was long gone when he met me,” which is a direct comparison to 1D’s above lyrics about a guy not wanting to make promises from the very beginning.
LISTEN: ‘Perfect’ & ‘Style’ Get An Epic Mash-Up
2. “But if you like causing trouble up in hotel rooms”
Throughout their brief relationship, Taylor and Harry spent a lot of time in New York City, where they were photographed coming in and out of the same hotel on many occasions.
3. “And if you like secret little rendezvous.”
For Taylor, a major part of her relationship with Harry was spent escaping the public’s attention. In “Out Of The Woods,” she sings of an incident where she and a boyfriend got in a snow mobile accident and wound up in the hospital, which was during a secret getaway the couple had that the media had managed not to get ahold of until Tay discussed it in an interview. Her entire song “I Know Places” is also about finding somewhere secret and private to go where her and a lover wouldn’t be found.
4. “If you like to do the things you know that we shouldn’t do.”
“I Knew You Were Trouble” is all about Taylor knowing she shouldn’t get into a relationship from the beginning…but ignoring the warning signs and going for it anyway. In “Style,” she also mentions, “I should just tell you to leave cause I know exactly where it leads,” which is another reference to her going forward with something even if she knows it’s a bad idea.
5. “If you like midnight driving with the windows down.”
Okay, this one is a SCARY direct comparison to TWO of the 25-year-old’s songs. “Style” starts with Taylor singing, “Midnight, you come and pick me up no headlights,” and in “I Wish You Would,” she adds, “It’s 2AM in your car, windows down, you pass my street, the memories start.” Click here to pre-order 1D’s new album on Amazon.
6. “That don’t mean that we can’t live here in the moment/Cause I can be the one you love from time to time.”
A lot of songs on 1989 reference coming back to a specific relationship time and time again. “Style”: “When we go crashing down, we come back every time.” “I Wish You Would”: “We’re a crooked love in a straight line down, makes you want to run and hide but it made you turn right back around” and “This mad, mad love makes you come running.” “This Love”: “This love is alive back from the dead, these hands had to let it go free, and this love came back to me” and “When you’re young, you just run, but you come back to what you need.” Oh, and we can’t forget in “Out Of The Woods,” when she sings, “We were built to fall apart, then fall back together.” HELLO!
7. “And if you like cameras flashing every time we go out.”
I mean…come on. Taylor and Harry were HOUNDED by cameras and the media when they were together, and a lot of Taylor’s lyrics were about this, too. “I Know Places” is literally ABOUT that exact topics, with some specific lines including, “See the vultures circling dark clouds,” “They’ll be chasing their tails trying to track us down,” and “Lights flash and we’ll run for the fences.” Her bonus track, “Wonderland,” also includes the lyrics, “Flashing lights and we, took a wrong turn and we fell down a rabbit hole.”
8. “If you’re looking for someone to write your breakup songs about.”
Okay…do I even need to explain this one? Taylor has been known for writing songs about her exes since the beginning of her career. ‘Nuff said.
HollywoodLifers, are you convinced that “Perfect” is about Taylor?
— Alyssa Norwin