Every Taylor Swift Song That Joe Alwyn Secretly Co-Wrote As “William Bowery” Explained

The songwriting partnership between Taylor Swift and her British ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, writing secretly under the name William Bowery, led to several beautiful songs on three of Taylor’s beloved albums. While Swift had previously been romantically linked to other notable celebrities, such as Harry Styles and Calvin Harris, the actor Alwyn stood as her longest relationship and the pair were together for six years between 2017 and 2023. Together, the duo wrote five songs, often with Alwyn coming up with the piano melody while Swift wrote the lyrics.

Upon the release of Swift and Alwyn’s first collaborations together on Folklore, the identity of William Bowery was a mystery and listeners wildly speculated about whom this unknown and intriguing songwriter could be. Swift revealed Alwyn as Bowery in her concert documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions as the couple started writing songs while quarantining during the pandemic. Alwyn later explained the name came from his great-grandfather William Alwyn (via The Wall Street Journal), who was a music composer, and Bowery, New York, which was the neighborhood William spent time in when he first arrived in the United States.

6 Exile

Folklore (2020)

The very first song credited to Taylor Swift and William Bowery on Evermore was the beautiful duet “Exile” featuring Bon Iver’s frontman Justin Vernon. A charming piano-based ballad about two estranged lovers, with the power of hindsight, it acted as an oddly appropriate examination of the relationship between Swift and her former partner and co-writer Joe Alwyn. As the duo sang, “I think I’ve seen this film before, and I didn’t like the ending”, it acted as a sad foreshadowing of Swift and Alwyn’s eventual breakup three years after its release.

On “Exile”, Alwyn was responsible for the piano-based melody and Vernon’s first verse (via Vulture), which Swift turned into a rough demo where she sang the male and female parts. A dialogue between two lovers discussing their old relationship, the call-and-response structure of “Exile” powerfully showcased Swift’s ability to capture the essence of love and heartbreak as two characters revealed the pain they felt, and the difficulties of moving on. “Exile” was a raw, emotive, and vulnerable single, whose concept about the challenge of getting past a broken relationship was particularly resonant from it came to Swift and Alwyn.

5 Betty

Folklore (2020)

The second of Taylor Swift’s Folklore collaborations with the man known as William Bowery was also the second single from the album called “Betty”, an Americana-inspired story about a fictitious couple named Betty and James. An enjoyable throwback to Swift’s earlier more country-focused music, Swift was inspired by Bob Dylan’s early folk album The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, and his later record John Wesley Harding (via Vulture.) “Betty” was connected to two other tracks on Folklore that tell the story a love triangle, the song “Cardigan” was from Betty’s perspective and “August” introduced a third unnamed love interest.

In the concert film Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, Swift outlined how Bowery, her then-boyfriend Joe Alwyn under a pseudonym, contributed to the song after she overheard singing the chorus fully formed and that’s what inspired them to start collaborating while quarantining during the pandemic (via USA Today.) “There’s nothing else going on, could we just try to see what it’s like if we write this song together?’”, Swift recalled asking Alwyn. Together the couple completed the song, and “Betty” would only be the beginning.

4 Champagne Problems

Evermore (2020)

With the release of Evermore in 2020, eagle-eyed listeners were quick to spot the return of the mysterious William Bowery on three tracks, with the first being “Champagne Problems.” A sentimental piano-based ballad about a girl turning down her lover’s request for marriage because she’s not ready, it’s impossible not to imagine how this track related to Swift and Joe Alwyn’s relationship and how the bittersweet ending of the fictional couple’s romance mimicked their real break up three years later. A powerful example of Swift’s skill as a storyteller, the track drew listeners in with its sentimental emotional core.

The lyrics and meaning of “Champagne Problems” dealt with a proposal that ended in heartache, and it was a highlight of the Taylor Swift: The Era Tour concert on Disney+ as it stood as one of Swift’s most popular songs. While Swift did write the song with Alwyn, “Champagne Problems” was not about their romance, but dealt with a fictional couple who could not walk the same path together anymore. On social media, Swift explained they were “longtime college sweethearts” who sadly had different plans for the same night, “one to end it and one who a bought a ring.”

3 Coney Island

Evermore (2020)

Taylor Swift and the mysterious William Bowery teamed up with Aaron and Bryce Dessner from indie rock band The National for the heartfelt duet “Coney Island” on Evermore. After hearing some instrumentals made by the Dessner brothers, Swift and Bowery, a pseudonym for her then-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, wrote the lyrics and recorded a demo (via Rolling Stone.) After hearing the track the Dessners’ felt it related well to The National and their lead singer Matt Berninger was brought in along with drummer Bryan Devendorf and “Coney Island” became a true collaboration between Swift, Alwyn, and The National.

A haunting and mournful track, “Coney Island” explored a romance coming to an end as Swift sang about losing a love because she didn’t make them her “centerfold.” The theme of being unable to give oneself over entirely to a relationship appeared in songs throughout Swift’s career as the challenges of writing, recording, and touring have continually affected her ability to maintain a long-term romantic connection. The fact that she co-wrote a song so deeply personal with Alwyn showcased the vulnerability they shared, but sadly, after six years together, her longest romance ever, the two broke up.

2 Evermore

Evermore (2020)

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn, under the name William Bowery, wrote the title track for Evermore together and, much like in their very first collaboration, Justin Vernon from Bon Iver contributed to the vocals. A slow piano-based closure to an album much more reflective and introspective than much of Swift’s previous work, she revealed in an interview with Zane Lowe that “Evermore” was a song about trying to find hope through difficult times. The track was about walking through the forest barefoot in the cold and the warm, safe feeling of finally going back inside again.

Swift told Lowe she and Alwyn wrote the track the same way they did for “Exile”, where Alwyn came up with the piano melody that Swift based her vocals on, and finally, Vernon added the bridge. Swift spoke about “Evermore” as a beautiful “clutter of all your anxieties” and “they’re all speaking at once.” However, Swift believed “Evermore” also contained a “beacon of hope” as “you realize the pain won’t be there forever” and wanted to end her album on this note, on the idea that “it could get better.”

1 Sweet Nothing

Midnights (2022)

The final collaboration between Taylor Swift and her now ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, under the name William Bowery, was the tender ballad “Sweet Nothing” which quietly stood as one of Swift’s most beautiful compositions. As the penultimate track on Midnights, Swift’s tenth studio album, “Sweet Nothing” was a charming and romantic song about the comfort of someone who provided love and affection without expecting anything in return. Swift’s innate vulnerability was on display in “Sweet Nothing” as she sang “I can admit that I’m just too soft for all of it”, which compounded the importance of having someone to rely on.

As the only song on Midnights co-written with Alwyn, and his and Swift’s last song together before their breakup, there’s a strong argument to be made that “Sweet Nothing” was about their relationship. As Taylor Swift sang about “missing Wicklow” those paying attention will be quick to point out that this was the Irish location where Alwyn filmed the Sally Rooney adapted TV series Conversations with Friends during the pair’s relationship. “Sweet Nothing” was a beautiful end to a fruitful collaboration, and while it’s unlikely the two will ever write together again, the songs will live on forevermore.

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is a film rendition of the colossal worldwide event that sees the legendary pop star hit the stage in a specially curated film event. Performing the hits of her over seventeen-year career in music, The Eras Tour highlights Taylor Swift and her team as they put on a show of a lifetime.

Director

Sam Wrench

Release Date

October 13, 2023

Runtime

170 Minutes

Sources: The Wall Street Journal, Vulture, USA Today, X, Rolling Stone, Zane Lowe Interview