Taylor Swift Asks Fans Not to Hate Ex John Mayer Performing 'Dear John' For the First Time in 10 Years

The American singer-songwriter takes inspiration from her life and experiences to write songs, and it's one of the reasons fans find her music so relatable and so touching.

Iconic hits like 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together' and 'Style' were born from heartbreak, and fans aren't too fond of the men they believe the songs to be about. We can't blame the Swifties for being overprotective. However, fans in Minneapolis were surprised by Taylor's song choice, and the request that came with it.

Each night of her Eras Tour, Taylor performed two acoustic songs at the end, and on this particular night, she prepared to sing a song that she had not performed for over 10 years, but first, she said this to her thousands of fans:

@gnocchilover16 she prefaced the song with a speech asking her fans to behave kindly online and leave John Mayer alone #fyp #theerastour #erastourminneapolis #taylorswift #dearjohn #johnmayer #speaknow ♬ original sound - meow

The song 'Dear John' was written about John Mayer, whom she dated when she was 19 years old, and he was 32. The song details a brief romance gone bad, with lyrics like 'Don't you think nineteen is too young / To be played by your dark twisted games, when I loved you so?'

Listening to the lyrics, it's understandable why fans would feel negatively towards John Mayer, and even though he hurt Taylor all those years ago, the singer songwriter clearly wants to protect him from the wrath of her fans.

Taylor released 'Dear John' in 2010, and John Mayer was not impressed, to say the least. Back in 2012 he recalled in an interview with Rolling Stone that 'It made me feel terrible. Because I didn’t deserve it. I’m pretty good at taking accountability now, and I never did anything to deserve that. It was a really lousy thing for her to do,' and later wrote the song 'Paper Doll' that details an ex he 'was good to,' but was too fragile to handle the relationship.

Taylor and John's breakup and music feud seems to be long in the past, but it's clear that Taylor worries the song will bring everything back to the surface, especially since she has been rerecording her first six albums. John Mayer also revealed in 2021 that he was still being trolled online and receiving death threats from begrudged Swifties.

Taylor's re-recorded version of her 2010 album is set to be released on the 7th of July, and with the rebirth of 'Dear John,' along with her recent appeal to fans for kindness towards her ex, it seems this upcoming album will be an emotional one.

The big question is: Are fans going to listen to Taylor? Or will her recent performance of 'Dear John' result in John Mayer being trolled online once again?

Source: Rolling Stone.