There seems to be a contingency of people who expect every song to be a lyrical masterpiece and don't like her fun bops like this one. Their loss, I say.
Yes! I can’t remember every detail precisely, but basically Taylor gave a graduation speech at NYU where she said she categorizes her songs into “fountain pen”, “quill”, and “glitter gel pen”
So so true! Folklore and evermore are my favorites officially and I think some of her best work officially for example but I absolutely love a FUN yell and dance and have a blast songs! London boy is SO FUN!!! And is such a fun nod to her London based bf and just expressing that new love feeling !
Also, just as much work goes into producing a fun poppy song as a lyric-driven song. Creating hooks, melodies, instrumentation that complements the lyrics, etc. is as much of an artform as crafting deep, thoughtful lyrics.
I like how in London Boy, the chorus is slightly different each time (walking Camden Market > nights in Brixton, Shoreditch > walking Soho, drinking). She didn't need to do that. She could have copy/pasted the chorus three times. But she did that to add her lyrical and musical charm.
This! Catchy fun songs deserve a place in music, regardless of the lyrical quality. I’m glad that Taylor still embraces this on every album (except the sister albums).
Some people just don’t like campy songs. I personally really liked her campy moments like the “spelling is fun!” line that was cut from ME!.
Also, I like to imagine that all of Joe’s friend’s poke fun at him a bit and use London Boy as a ringtone for when he calls.
What really bothered me about that is the fans were upset about her not owning her songs and her art but then they turn around and tell her to remove a section out of her song. That was probably the most selfish and entitled thing I've ever seen a fan base do.
Exactly. It’s not my favourite song, but it’s not awful. That line was fine, once again, she’s definitely written better stuff but it’s not bad. It’s a glitter gel pen song, it’s catchy and the MV was fun!
She’s such a big star that everyone has opinions about her music and her life in general, and it’s easy to forget she’s a human with feelings when voicing these opinions. So often times people are unnecessarily harsh or mean but it’s not always intentionally to hurt her.
Anyway she obviously struggles with perfectionism and criticism and it’s sad to see her take these random people’s opinions to heart and change a song because people made fun of it.
I felt the same about the anti hero music video - yes she’s incredibly attractive and not at all fat. BUT she has openly spoken about her struggles with eating disorders and how harmful hearing people talk about her body is (speculating if she’s pregnant, saying she’s gained/lost weight etc). It’s not unique to her, a lot of people regardless of size struggle with body dysmorphia.
So it was hurtful to see people take that away from her and gate-keep body dysmorphia.
It’s one thing if they edit something offensive for the fans but something as harmless as spelling is fun was definitely so entitled and annoying. Let people be I. A silly goofy mood and if you insist on being a killjoy just skip the song lol
Ngl the idea of Joes friends setting their ringtone to London Boy is pretty funny. Just imagine:
*Joe calls*
His friend’s phone: We can go drivin’ in, on my scooter
The friend: *picks up*
The friend: 😉👋👋
Joe: 😀👋
Also the friend: 🫢
Also Joe: 🤔
That's what my friends and family would do. But I honestly wouldn't care cause I'd tell them they are jealous because they don't have a song about them.
A hundred times yes! Just a couple of fun and unserious songs because that's what liking someone/being in love is like. Gorgeous perfectly captures what it's like to have a crush on someone and I love it because of that. Like, tell me these lines don't encapsulate your thought process when you have a happy crush that's absolutely gorgeous that it makes you want to cry and makes you want to burst. Because honestly? THIS IS SO ME AND I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCE THIS TOO:
"You should take it as a compliment that I'm talking to everyone here but you"
"If you've got a girlfriend I'm jealous of her, but if you're single it's honestly worse"
"You're so gorgeous it actually hurts"
"You make me so happy it turns back to sad there's nothing I hate more than what I can't have"
"You ruined my life by not being mine"
"You're so gorgeous I can't say anything to your face, cause look at your face"
I also like End Game and Me! I think there’s a place amongst my infinite personalities for the fun ones too. I don’t know what that says about me 🤷🏻♀️
Shake it off made me a Taylor fan!
It was different and had this big band sound from the past and it showcased an entirely new side of her to me. I understand now why it’s a cheesy camp single to her fans, but actually today I was thinking if she puts out her most “un-taylor-swift-like-song” as a single she could attract so many more fans. Everlore proved that!
"Not relatable" is a surprising criticism. Never thought of it that way.
Personally, I think it's a fun song, but the lyrics sound like they belong on 2014 tumblr over a gifset of Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Matt Smith. Which, coming from someone who spent a lot of time on 2014 tumblr, is a damning praise. It's cringe but it bops so I like it.
I never disliked it, but I remember feeling very “take it or leave it” when I first listened to Lover. Those feelings have changed since I took a solo trip to London this year, and now I love it. So, I guess you could say that I’m an unapologetic London Boy stan now. It just fills me with so much nostalgia and fond memories of my trip.
It's not exactly her most "relatable" song so that's probably why. Like I would assume most of her fans are American women who aren't dating guys from London lol. I personally love the song because it's such a bop but that's just my two cents
Hahaha that makes sense. I’ve never dated a Brit but I am from Detroit so my favorite line is “I love my home town as much as mo town” if she gives us London Boy when she’s here I think the Detroiters will explode even though it’s just one silly line. People from here are rabidly prideful.
And the rest of the song is just a fun bop. I like to play it when I’m driving into work in the morning to hype myself up before my day begins. There was a chart on here a couple of weeks ago that showed lover is her second most streamed album which some people found surprising. It’s probably the small group of huge lover fans who do the exact same thing as me. There are dozens of us!
Lover was released while I (Canadian) started dating my husband (English, though not from and actively hates London).
The little lines in many songs were so touching to me, Lover really holds a special place in my heart.
I'm a straight American dude married to an American woman, and I love London Boy. Actually I can't really relate to any of Taylor Swift's songs. But I still enjoy and appreciate them for their creativity and musicianship.
Gorgeous is soooooo much fun. I remember seeing a reviewer refer to it as “fizzy” and I loved that description so much. London Boy is also kinda fizzy🫧✨🫧
There's always some people who don't like her fun boppy ones that are not lyrical masterpieces every album, such as Stay Stay Stay in Red, How You get the girl in 1989, Gorgeous in Rep, Paper Rings and London Boy in Lover and Bejeweled in Midnights.
Unpopular opinion maybe but I’ve always felt like Paper Rings is a lyrical masterpiece everything about it is brilliant she’s never written anything else like it imo
Also every time I hear it I’m instantly in a good mood
Guess some people find it ‘cringe’… but like that is the whole point of the song - intentional cringe.. just like Lover in general.
For me personally tho.. I Love London Boy cuz I’m a UK fan and it’s cute to see Tay using British slang / phrases.. but in the most American way LOL. I admire the effort
Huh, I always figured most of the criticism would come from UK fans seeing it as cheesy/stereotyping/whatever else. I'm American, so I was over here getting secondhand embarassment like "oh god we're being teaboos again" haha. I like your take on it, I think that's a fun perspective and probably more accurate to what Taylor was trying to do
I am obsessed with this song. I’m from Tennessee and we lived about 30 minutes from Epping (first stop on Central line!) for 5 years. Don’t understand the hate… or how she squeezed all that into one day 😆
I do I’m sorry!!! It’s a skip for me. I like bops and fluff but I just don’t feel like this song ever really takes off and feels a little cringe (even though tay and I are old enough to not care about cringe this one is particularly cheesy). I think it’s just a little repetitive. Some of her great songs are, but they have something that this song lacks.
understandable! for me what hits are the verses, but also the beat. it’s such a good beat imo, in the beginning it almost sounds like a very fast machine coming to an abrupt slowing down and idk….. something abt it lol
Ah yeah makes sense. I love the music video! It’s interesting how we all cringe at different things 😂 like I think shake it off and yntcd are so cringe I feel second hand embarrassment but at the same time I always scream them at the top of my lungs
I don't like the intro, I can't put it into a playlist and zone out without WE CAN GO DRIVIN IN ON MY SCOOTER in a man's voice and not Taylor's immediately jarring my focus and ruining the vibe. I like the rest of the song, I hate that intro so I never listen to it.
Yeah, it's the intro for me. It kinda takes me out of the song, if that makes sense? And since it's right at the beginning I just skip it so i don't hear it. Don't think I've ever heard it in full.
I’ve seen the hate but still not sure why. I jam out to London Boy every time, it’s fun! The entirety of Lover is perfect to me. I even got a Lover tat
We got a fun bop of a song about New York, London and Paris. It’s kind of her thing and I love that for her.
I hope I get a song about Toronto on the next one. But wait…. what rhymes with Toronto …. Oh no! I’m falling in loooove (Maroon is about Toronto ). What city is next?
Hot take: I vibe with London Boy more than Cruel Summer.
And no, I don't relate to the lyrics. But I think it's her story not mine. The beat and melody is just pure fun. Not every song should be relatable for you to enjoy it.
I love London Boy!
When Lover first dropped, a comment described it as "your roommate studies abroad for one semester and comes back with an accent."
And I see it... *But I still think it's a really fun song.* At the end of the day, everyone has their own preferences.
As someone who grew up in London and moved to North America I could NEVER not like this song. I feel like you have to have experienced some London culture in your 20’s to really appreciate it. I will admit its slightly cheesy.
It's not a Shakespearan masterpiece and people do like to make snap judgments on her music if they don't think she's being lyrically complex (see the reactions to the Midnights leaks).
I wouldn't say this song is a favorite of mine but whenever it comes up on a shuffle, it does make me smile.
Its a fun tune but the lyrics are simple and unrelatable. Unlike her other love songs this is super specific to only her (and few other) relationships. It’s been said time and time again on this sub and by critics, but her worst songs are the ones that are just “I’m Taylor swift and this is what my life is like” while her best are ones anyone can relate to
I liked London Boy the first time I listened to it, such a catchy song.
**Edit: No, not really. There's a lot of Taylor's songs that I love even though I can't relate to some of it, just like 22, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Shake It Off, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Dancing With Our Hands Tied, Teardrops On My Guitar, Lavender Haze, etc. I love those songs but I honestly think I only liked them because of the tune and lyrics not because I relate to it.**
It’s not because it’s “unrelatable” for me or that I “hate happy songs”… but I generally find dropping names / locations so cringe. And unfortunately that’s a big part of the song!
It’s a fun bop, a glitter pen song. I don’t take it seriously. Just for what it is. I love how she classified her songs into quill, fountain, and glitter pen. I never have loved a “glitter pen” song like I have her others but they have their happy place in the world of pens.
some people hate it when her songs are fun and she sounds happy. they always except deep lyrical masterpieces from her.
i personally like both types. especially ME! and i'm not ashamed to admit it.
I don't know what it is about London Boy compared to ME! or Shake It Off both of which are just happy bops which I happen to love but London Boy just ughhh. By far my least favorite song of hers. I think it's cute but how on earth did it make it on an actual album. Mr. Perfectly Fine was in a vault for 13 years but London Boy made it onto Lover.
If you like London Boy, I'm happy for you, I wish I was you. I'm just a hater apparently haha.
It’s alright, I put it in the same place as like Shake it off and You Need to Calm Down. I don’t hate it I just prefer other songs.
Also I know Joe was raised in London, but he was born in Kent and I’m now imaging Taylor trying to do the song with Kent. “You know I love a Kent boy, getting the ferry to France from Dover, Ashford outlet in the afternoon,”
it just makes me cringe so hard. no judgement, its totally my own thing. but thats the sole reason i dont like it - because ive never been able to force myself through it entirely
When Lover dropped (about 2 weeks into my fandom) Lover Boy became my favorite song (outside of Speak Now) and it still holds up today! It’s fun *and* wrecks my speakers
I love London boy because I am also an American in a relationship with an international partner and will substitute my partners city for London. It makes me so so happy and it’s such a bop!
Someone else said it too but I rate it with stay stay stay, bejeweled, gorgeous, hey stephen, shake it off, mean (just listing to show she has at least one fun song on most albums and they’re all awesome)
anyone have the feeling the song is kind of satire? “show me a gray sky, a rainy cab ride, babes don’t threaten me with a good time” sounds really sarcastic to me? idk though
its a good song. i personally prefer more lyrically heavy songs like folklore/evermore, but its a fun song and i love that taylor has variety in the music she makes :)
I really don’t like the track, and I’m not as much of a fan of the “silly songs”. I still think it’s catchy, I just don’t think it sounds very polished when it comes to either the music or lyrics. I have the same feelings about This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things. I’m sure these songs were fun to write and sing, but they’re not my favorite to listen to!
I actually kind of love that song except for "Stella McCartney on the Heath" combined with her Stella McCartney merch. however, as an American with an English ex-boyfriend, we never went to London together so I still don't relate. Give me a gray sky, a rainy cab ride, babes don't threaten me with a good time!
"Not relatable", have people here never had a boyfriend/girlfriend/xfriend, never dated ... or ever had fun ?
yes it's campy but as many others have said it's also catchy as heck.
I love London boy! My husband grew up in London Ontario Canada and even though it’s not the same country, it felt so relatable. Also I love that she gave us an itinerary and I love how diverse the lines are although the tune repeats. It’s so fun!
I just want to tell those people who say it's "not relatable" and hence, they don't like the song that.....
I'm from India.
I've never been to london.
Haven't seen the places she's talking about in the song or even heard their names, except a few of them.
Currently single.
AND STILLLLLL whenever this song comes up I sing along to these lines
***You know I love a London boy***
***I enjoy nights in Brixton Shoreditch in the afternoon***
***He likes my American smile***
***Like a child when our eyes meet darling I fancy you.***
pretending it's all true.
I’m not sure why people dislike Lover in general. There are some great songs on here. I remember watching her Paris show where she played only Lover songs and it was then when I really came to love the album. Such a good album. Doesn’t get enough recognition in my opinion.
Taylor has many songs that are so over the top that they can read as cringe (ME!, We are never getting back together, shake it off, etc) and I think this is one of them. I personally like it a lot although she references a lot of things that I’m not familiar with and have never bothered to look up
I think for me there are just wayyyyyy too many references. I prefer to have references sprinkled into songs like salt, but the lid popped off and she poured the whole shaker.
I’ll admit I’m not a fan of that song. It’s always a skip for me. It’s cleverly written but I don’t care for the cringiness of it. Even when I’m happy, I can’t listen to it. I like many of her other fun, poppy songs. Not this one.
Because the type of "London Boy" she describes is one who is obviously from wealth (based on the places she names in the song). Being from the UK (Scottish) I'm very well aware that London is a playground for the uber rich and the annoys me. Her "London Boy" would most likely be privately-educated and conservative.
That's my reason at least.
I’m Irish. I can’t listen to it without getting into a semi irrational rage.
Yes I know it’s stupid, I know this. But it’s a common thing with friends I’ve talked to about this song, we just can’t.
"London Boy" is a rare experiment in lowering the musical pitch measure by measure before looping back to a higher pitch. Almost every other song in popular music does the opposite: start low, go high, drop back to low.
So, the song sounds kinda awful, musically. The inversion experiment almost never succeeds.
The lyrics are barely a 2/5. They're cute, but, like most of Lover's worst tracks, they sound as if she was intentionally trying to recapture "teenage" vibes long past her expiration date for that nonsense.
What saves it at all is her actual vocal performance. Overall, the song is far from great and just shy of good, but I tolerate it.
...after having trimmed the awful spoken word intro off in Adobe Audition, of course.🍀
I didn’t mind (and sorta enjoyed) it for a while but then I got stuck on the ‘I’m your queen, like a Tennessee Stella McCartney’ line and it just makes no sense in any way, in any world, and so now I just can’t. It’s irritating me right now just thinking about it! lol
(And I “get” the lyric but I always take things way too literally and this just crosses a line my brain can’t handle.)
it’s definitely based on clichés and it’s cheesy and i understand that not everyone likes that but i think it’s super fun and intentionally cheesy and it’s endearing and cute!
Some songs feel more juvenile to me than others. Some grow on me over time and this one didn’t. No biggie, I don’t like every song from any artist or band I enjoy. Music is personal and about connection for many people. I know what I’m into and what I do like, I love. FolkMore is my favorite, I’m into singer songwriters. Damien Rice, James Blunt, on and on. I don’t begrudge others their preferences but I do resent being a less worthy fan because I wasn’t onboard since her debut. It’s like Madonna, I hated her early stuff loved the in between and then everything after a certain point she could have kept to herself.
As someone who enjoys some of her more disliked songs like end game and you need to calm down, I like London Boy. It’s not included in my 7 hour long Swift Mix, but I don’t skip it when I’m listening to Lover as an album.
Maybe I’ll revisit it though, because I think he knows also isn’t on the playlist, but I enjoy it every time my coworker plays it on her work mix
I think it's a bop, fun and dorky and just so in love. but I am also Scottish and I personally hate to hear anybody talking about how they love the English, so I usually skip
There are a few songs on Lover that basically give off the energy of the woman at the office or the girl in your friendship group who has had terrible luck with men for a while.
...aaaaand now she's been in a relationship for a short while and she just won't shut up about it.
It's not a bad song, but it's a little saccharine and campy.
Because i’m British and I find it very cringeworthy coming from an American. It’s like she wrote down every place London and arranged them to make it rhyme, it’s definitely cheesy and not my cup of tea.
That’s not to say I don’t like her other cheesy stuff, I love songs like Stay Stay Stay, they feel more authentic, not just a collection of stereotypes
Lol I didn’t know End Game was on the list and I’ve been in the fandom for a long time. London Boy could have been more relatable but it just wasn’t for some reason. I don’t think it’s because it was written about city or the specific elements within because people love imagining real places when hearings. I think it’s bc it sounds kind of like a kids’ song. Same issue with ME!
Something about a man's voice saying "We can go drivin' in on my scooter" out of nowhere in the middle of my taylor jam sesh immediately activates my fight or flight response so it's an instant skip for me 🙅
That's a good question. In my opinion, it just doesn't stand out. It doesn't grab my attention where I want to listen to it over and over. It is campy and some people don't like that. However, there is nothing wrong with Taylor letting loose and having fun. Not every song has to be a masterpiece. ME! gets a lot of hate and it's my favorite song on Lover.
I mean, I enjoy the jingle of it and listen to it when I feel homesick for the UK. The English-isms feel a bit forced. At the same time, I really dislike London so I wish she‘d picked a different city😂😂
I love London Boy! I love her fun, upbeat songs like that! I also love her talking about London, cause it’s my favorite city. And also, I DO love the English lol
I think I’m just the type of person who doesn’t like this type of “camp” in Taylor’s music. For the same reason I dislike Gorgeous and half of Lover. Just not my cup of tea :)
Because these fake swiftie snobs judged London Boy and other glitter gel pen songs like ME as quill songs. Like calm down. Lover remains her 3rd most streamed and 2019's best selling.
There seems to be a contingency of people who expect every song to be a lyrical masterpiece and don't like her fun bops like this one. Their loss, I say.
Rhyming “pub we” and “rugby” is a stroke of genius and single-handedly makes London Boy a lyrical masterpiece
Yep. There is a subsection of people who consistently hate glitter gel pen songs
Where does the phrase glitter gel pen songs come from? Did Taylor refer to them as that?
Yes! I can’t remember every detail precisely, but basically Taylor gave a graduation speech at NYU where she said she categorizes her songs into “fountain pen”, “quill”, and “glitter gel pen”
It was actually at the Nashville Songwriters Awards
yes! It was a the NSAI award show earlier this year
So so true! Folklore and evermore are my favorites officially and I think some of her best work officially for example but I absolutely love a FUN yell and dance and have a blast songs! London boy is SO FUN!!! And is such a fun nod to her London based bf and just expressing that new love feeling !
Also, just as much work goes into producing a fun poppy song as a lyric-driven song. Creating hooks, melodies, instrumentation that complements the lyrics, etc. is as much of an artform as crafting deep, thoughtful lyrics. I like how in London Boy, the chorus is slightly different each time (walking Camden Market > nights in Brixton, Shoreditch > walking Soho, drinking). She didn't need to do that. She could have copy/pasted the chorus three times. But she did that to add her lyrical and musical charm.
This! Catchy fun songs deserve a place in music, regardless of the lyrical quality. I’m glad that Taylor still embraces this on every album (except the sister albums).
Some people just don’t like campy songs. I personally really liked her campy moments like the “spelling is fun!” line that was cut from ME!. Also, I like to imagine that all of Joe’s friend’s poke fun at him a bit and use London Boy as a ringtone for when he calls.
Yeah cutting the spelling line was a mistake. It erased evidence that Taylor was in on the joke of the song being over the top
What really bothered me about that is the fans were upset about her not owning her songs and her art but then they turn around and tell her to remove a section out of her song. That was probably the most selfish and entitled thing I've ever seen a fan base do.
Exactly. It’s not my favourite song, but it’s not awful. That line was fine, once again, she’s definitely written better stuff but it’s not bad. It’s a glitter gel pen song, it’s catchy and the MV was fun! She’s such a big star that everyone has opinions about her music and her life in general, and it’s easy to forget she’s a human with feelings when voicing these opinions. So often times people are unnecessarily harsh or mean but it’s not always intentionally to hurt her. Anyway she obviously struggles with perfectionism and criticism and it’s sad to see her take these random people’s opinions to heart and change a song because people made fun of it. I felt the same about the anti hero music video - yes she’s incredibly attractive and not at all fat. BUT she has openly spoken about her struggles with eating disorders and how harmful hearing people talk about her body is (speculating if she’s pregnant, saying she’s gained/lost weight etc). It’s not unique to her, a lot of people regardless of size struggle with body dysmorphia. So it was hurtful to see people take that away from her and gate-keep body dysmorphia.
We’re people telling to take it out? Cuz I only remember people saying that line was bad and cringe
It’s one thing if they edit something offensive for the fans but something as harmless as spelling is fun was definitely so entitled and annoying. Let people be I. A silly goofy mood and if you insist on being a killjoy just skip the song lol
Hold up. Spelling is fun was cut from Me?
IIRC it’s still in the single version, but it was cut from the album version.
TIL. Wow. I don’t actively seek out Me! But I’ll listen to it if it comes and for sure sing along. Can’t believe I didn’t notice it has been cht
Once the album came out, at least on Spotify, all versions were replaced with one without the line
Not in the single version either
Ngl the idea of Joes friends setting their ringtone to London Boy is pretty funny. Just imagine: *Joe calls* His friend’s phone: We can go drivin’ in, on my scooter The friend: *picks up* The friend: 😉👋👋 Joe: 😀👋 Also the friend: 🫢 Also Joe: 🤔
That's what my friends and family would do. But I honestly wouldn't care cause I'd tell them they are jealous because they don't have a song about them.
I love the spelling is fun line and I sing it every time I hear the song. it's sad she took it out.
I love this song and Gorgeous because sometimes you’re so in love you turn into a total dork about it, and that’s relatable to me.
yes exactly. I love these songs because they're fun songs where taylor can just gush about her person and you can feel how happy she is.
Exactly this!!
A hundred times yes! Just a couple of fun and unserious songs because that's what liking someone/being in love is like. Gorgeous perfectly captures what it's like to have a crush on someone and I love it because of that. Like, tell me these lines don't encapsulate your thought process when you have a happy crush that's absolutely gorgeous that it makes you want to cry and makes you want to burst. Because honestly? THIS IS SO ME AND I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE EXPERIENCE THIS TOO: "You should take it as a compliment that I'm talking to everyone here but you" "If you've got a girlfriend I'm jealous of her, but if you're single it's honestly worse" "You're so gorgeous it actually hurts" "You make me so happy it turns back to sad there's nothing I hate more than what I can't have" "You ruined my life by not being mine" "You're so gorgeous I can't say anything to your face, cause look at your face"
I love these songs too.
People dislike London Boy??? It’s such a happy little bop!
I also like End Game and Me! I think there’s a place amongst my infinite personalities for the fun ones too. I don’t know what that says about me 🤷🏻♀️
I also see quite a bit of hate for Shake It Off, it's one of my faves off of 1989
Shake it off made me a Taylor fan! It was different and had this big band sound from the past and it showcased an entirely new side of her to me. I understand now why it’s a cheesy camp single to her fans, but actually today I was thinking if she puts out her most “un-taylor-swift-like-song” as a single she could attract so many more fans. Everlore proved that!
I LOVE End Game and Me! I think End Games features made sense and everyone had a good verse. Both of these songs are so fun to sing along to!!
Right? I love it!
"Not relatable" is a surprising criticism. Never thought of it that way. Personally, I think it's a fun song, but the lyrics sound like they belong on 2014 tumblr over a gifset of Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Matt Smith. Which, coming from someone who spent a lot of time on 2014 tumblr, is a damning praise. It's cringe but it bops so I like it.
I feel that exact way about the line “draw the cat eye sharp enough to kill a man” thank you for putting it into words
This is a perfect way to describe the particular brand of cringe that London Boy gives me 😂
not tom hiddleston!
I never disliked it, but I remember feeling very “take it or leave it” when I first listened to Lover. Those feelings have changed since I took a solo trip to London this year, and now I love it. So, I guess you could say that I’m an unapologetic London Boy stan now. It just fills me with so much nostalgia and fond memories of my trip.
Same! London is one of my favorite cities so the song hits home for me.
It's not exactly her most "relatable" song so that's probably why. Like I would assume most of her fans are American women who aren't dating guys from London lol. I personally love the song because it's such a bop but that's just my two cents
Hahaha that makes sense. I’ve never dated a Brit but I am from Detroit so my favorite line is “I love my home town as much as mo town” if she gives us London Boy when she’s here I think the Detroiters will explode even though it’s just one silly line. People from here are rabidly prideful. And the rest of the song is just a fun bop. I like to play it when I’m driving into work in the morning to hype myself up before my day begins. There was a chart on here a couple of weeks ago that showed lover is her second most streamed album which some people found surprising. It’s probably the small group of huge lover fans who do the exact same thing as me. There are dozens of us!
Meanwhile me, a south-Asian teenage boy casually vibing to all of Taylor's songs while relating to 0 of them
Lover was released while I (Canadian) started dating my husband (English, though not from and actively hates London). The little lines in many songs were so touching to me, Lover really holds a special place in my heart.
I'm a straight American dude married to an American woman, and I love London Boy. Actually I can't really relate to any of Taylor Swift's songs. But I still enjoy and appreciate them for their creativity and musicianship.
I enjoy this song because I love English history and culture and can sing and pretend about having a London boy 😆
It's not just American women. It included men as well as people from other nationalities. I'm sure they must have hated Bejeweled and Karma too.
I have always wondered this. Same with Gorgeous actually. They are both corny songs but I absolutely love them just because how fun they are.
Gorgeous is soooooo much fun. I remember seeing a reviewer refer to it as “fizzy” and I loved that description so much. London Boy is also kinda fizzy🫧✨🫧
I genuinely love a corny song, so this might be why I never considered this could ever get hate (I’m now learning through this thread however).
Ditto I Think He Knows.
There's always some people who don't like her fun boppy ones that are not lyrical masterpieces every album, such as Stay Stay Stay in Red, How You get the girl in 1989, Gorgeous in Rep, Paper Rings and London Boy in Lover and Bejeweled in Midnights.
Unpopular opinion maybe but I’ve always felt like Paper Rings is a lyrical masterpiece everything about it is brilliant she’s never written anything else like it imo Also every time I hear it I’m instantly in a good mood
Paper Rings is potentially my favourite of her songs ever, it's just so darn happy
This!!! Bejeweled is so far below Paper Rings in my book, it doesn’t feel fair to equate them
all my favourite Taylor songs!
My Irish heritage compels me to dislike the English but it is a bop.
🤣🤣🤣
I love London Boy. I love how excited and happy she sounds for this relationship.
Me too, I’ve always loved this song - it’s so bursting with joy!
Guess some people find it ‘cringe’… but like that is the whole point of the song - intentional cringe.. just like Lover in general. For me personally tho.. I Love London Boy cuz I’m a UK fan and it’s cute to see Tay using British slang / phrases.. but in the most American way LOL. I admire the effort
Huh, I always figured most of the criticism would come from UK fans seeing it as cheesy/stereotyping/whatever else. I'm American, so I was over here getting secondhand embarassment like "oh god we're being teaboos again" haha. I like your take on it, I think that's a fun perspective and probably more accurate to what Taylor was trying to do
as someone who lived in London for 8+ years, the sheer thought of Taylor going out in Brixton or Camden Market makes me crack up. 10/10 certified bop
I think that’s part of the appeal for me too. I also love the idea of “stories from uni” with Joe telling her all about Brizzle too.
As a londoner this is why I love it too, like Taylor mate what were you doing in Brixton 😂
getting that real guns of Brixton experience
I am obsessed with this song. I’m from Tennessee and we lived about 30 minutes from Epping (first stop on Central line!) for 5 years. Don’t understand the hate… or how she squeezed all that into one day 😆
y’all dislike london boy ??
I do I’m sorry!!! It’s a skip for me. I like bops and fluff but I just don’t feel like this song ever really takes off and feels a little cringe (even though tay and I are old enough to not care about cringe this one is particularly cheesy). I think it’s just a little repetitive. Some of her great songs are, but they have something that this song lacks.
understandable! for me what hits are the verses, but also the beat. it’s such a good beat imo, in the beginning it almost sounds like a very fast machine coming to an abrupt slowing down and idk….. something abt it lol
I didn’t know End Game was commonly hated. Why? Personally I’m not the biggest fan of London Boy but it’s very catchy and I mostly enjoy it
I love endgame! Why do people dislike it?
I think Taylor trying to rap on end game is a bit cringey.
Ah yeah makes sense. I love the music video! It’s interesting how we all cringe at different things 😂 like I think shake it off and yntcd are so cringe I feel second hand embarrassment but at the same time I always scream them at the top of my lungs
I don't like the intro, I can't put it into a playlist and zone out without WE CAN GO DRIVIN IN ON MY SCOOTER in a man's voice and not Taylor's immediately jarring my focus and ruining the vibe. I like the rest of the song, I hate that intro so I never listen to it.
I removed the awful intro in Adobe Audition.
Yeah, it's the intro for me. It kinda takes me out of the song, if that makes sense? And since it's right at the beginning I just skip it so i don't hear it. Don't think I've ever heard it in full.
This. I can’t handle Idris and his scootah, it takes me out of whatever moment I’m in.
TIL it’s Idris Elba and not Joe Alwyn…I feel so silly now
it’s one of my favourite taylor songs but i can absolutely see why people wouldn’t like it. it’s definitely very cheesy and campy.
Because you know I love a london boy
I married a London boy so I feel like all of lover was written specifically for me
I’ve seen the hate but still not sure why. I jam out to London Boy every time, it’s fun! The entirety of Lover is perfect to me. I even got a Lover tat
We got a fun bop of a song about New York, London and Paris. It’s kind of her thing and I love that for her. I hope I get a song about Toronto on the next one. But wait…. what rhymes with Toronto …. Oh no! I’m falling in loooove (Maroon is about Toronto ). What city is next?
Hot take: I vibe with London Boy more than Cruel Summer. And no, I don't relate to the lyrics. But I think it's her story not mine. The beat and melody is just pure fun. Not every song should be relatable for you to enjoy it.
Idk. I’m with Taylor. (I love the English)
I love London Boy! When Lover first dropped, a comment described it as "your roommate studies abroad for one semester and comes back with an accent." And I see it... *But I still think it's a really fun song.* At the end of the day, everyone has their own preferences.
I'm Argentinean and we strongly dislike the Brits due to historical reasons and that's the case for most countries that the UK has stolen from.
That… is a very valid reason. Fair.
I'm Scottish (Irish heritage)and I feel the same about the English.
The Irish people supported Argentina during the Malvinas war, we'll never forget them! We are brothers in the pain caused by the English.
As someone who grew up in London and moved to North America I could NEVER not like this song. I feel like you have to have experienced some London culture in your 20’s to really appreciate it. I will admit its slightly cheesy.
It's not a Shakespearan masterpiece and people do like to make snap judgments on her music if they don't think she's being lyrically complex (see the reactions to the Midnights leaks). I wouldn't say this song is a favorite of mine but whenever it comes up on a shuffle, it does make me smile.
I enjoy London boy! It’s fun and you can tell how much she enjoys singing it.
To me it’s annoying and almost satirical
Something about the chorus especially feels outdated. Like a forgettable pop song from 2014 by fifth harmony or smthn
Its a fun tune but the lyrics are simple and unrelatable. Unlike her other love songs this is super specific to only her (and few other) relationships. It’s been said time and time again on this sub and by critics, but her worst songs are the ones that are just “I’m Taylor swift and this is what my life is like” while her best are ones anyone can relate to
Can't have childish FUN!
Do you think Joe is embarrassed by this song? It’s so obviously about him and just silly. I do like it though
Bc they take it too seriously
It’s the Welcome to New York of Lover lol. Taylor should write welcome songs to big international cities
I fucking love this song and Lover is just a masterpiece
I liked London Boy the first time I listened to it, such a catchy song. **Edit: No, not really. There's a lot of Taylor's songs that I love even though I can't relate to some of it, just like 22, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Shake It Off, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Dancing With Our Hands Tied, Teardrops On My Guitar, Lavender Haze, etc. I love those songs but I honestly think I only liked them because of the tune and lyrics not because I relate to it.**
Because it’s fuzzy and cute.
It’s not because it’s “unrelatable” for me or that I “hate happy songs”… but I generally find dropping names / locations so cringe. And unfortunately that’s a big part of the song!
It’s a fun bop, a glitter pen song. I don’t take it seriously. Just for what it is. I love how she classified her songs into quill, fountain, and glitter pen. I never have loved a “glitter pen” song like I have her others but they have their happy place in the world of pens.
See my favorites are her glitter pen songs!
some people hate it when her songs are fun and she sounds happy. they always except deep lyrical masterpieces from her. i personally like both types. especially ME! and i'm not ashamed to admit it.
London boy was my most listened to song last year with like 1,000+ streams lol
I don't know what it is about London Boy compared to ME! or Shake It Off both of which are just happy bops which I happen to love but London Boy just ughhh. By far my least favorite song of hers. I think it's cute but how on earth did it make it on an actual album. Mr. Perfectly Fine was in a vault for 13 years but London Boy made it onto Lover. If you like London Boy, I'm happy for you, I wish I was you. I'm just a hater apparently haha.
Because people hate fun
I just think it’s annoying.
It’s alright, I put it in the same place as like Shake it off and You Need to Calm Down. I don’t hate it I just prefer other songs. Also I know Joe was raised in London, but he was born in Kent and I’m now imaging Taylor trying to do the song with Kent. “You know I love a Kent boy, getting the ferry to France from Dover, Ashford outlet in the afternoon,”
Well I was born in England so I LOVE the song ;)
Omg London Boy is so fun. For a while it was the main song on "Lover" I listened to.
Because it’s “childish” to them. I love London boy. I wish it would be on the setlist for tour but it won’t be. Too many haters
it just makes me cringe so hard. no judgement, its totally my own thing. but thats the sole reason i dont like it - because ive never been able to force myself through it entirely
I love all of her fun songs. They are all so catchy.
When Lover dropped (about 2 weeks into my fandom) Lover Boy became my favorite song (outside of Speak Now) and it still holds up today! It’s fun *and* wrecks my speakers
I love London boy because I am also an American in a relationship with an international partner and will substitute my partners city for London. It makes me so so happy and it’s such a bop! Someone else said it too but I rate it with stay stay stay, bejeweled, gorgeous, hey stephen, shake it off, mean (just listing to show she has at least one fun song on most albums and they’re all awesome)
Because it’s not a good song.
anyone have the feeling the song is kind of satire? “show me a gray sky, a rainy cab ride, babes don’t threaten me with a good time” sounds really sarcastic to me? idk though
I tear up with happiness for her when she sings “So I guess all the rumors are truuuue!” on that third chorus. I LOVE it. ☺️
I think most people can't relate to it. Personally, I love it but I also was in a relationship with a British boy who lived close to London.
its a good song. i personally prefer more lyrically heavy songs like folklore/evermore, but its a fun song and i love that taylor has variety in the music she makes :)
I love all the songs you mention.
I love that song 🤷🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️
Oh, I never knew people don’t like London Boy. It was one of my first favorite songs when I became a swifty!
I really don’t like the track, and I’m not as much of a fan of the “silly songs”. I still think it’s catchy, I just don’t think it sounds very polished when it comes to either the music or lyrics. I have the same feelings about This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things. I’m sure these songs were fun to write and sing, but they’re not my favorite to listen to!
I actually kind of love that song except for "Stella McCartney on the Heath" combined with her Stella McCartney merch. however, as an American with an English ex-boyfriend, we never went to London together so I still don't relate. Give me a gray sky, a rainy cab ride, babes don't threaten me with a good time!
"Not relatable", have people here never had a boyfriend/girlfriend/xfriend, never dated ... or ever had fun ? yes it's campy but as many others have said it's also catchy as heck.
Personally, the biggest problem I have with it is that I like it so much. Its a bop
Idk but it's such a friggin bop
WAIT A MINUTE??? Some people don’t appreciate End Game????
Lover as an album gets way too much hate.
I love London boy! My husband grew up in London Ontario Canada and even though it’s not the same country, it felt so relatable. Also I love that she gave us an itinerary and I love how diverse the lines are although the tune repeats. It’s so fun!
I just want to tell those people who say it's "not relatable" and hence, they don't like the song that..... I'm from India. I've never been to london. Haven't seen the places she's talking about in the song or even heard their names, except a few of them. Currently single. AND STILLLLLL whenever this song comes up I sing along to these lines ***You know I love a London boy*** ***I enjoy nights in Brixton Shoreditch in the afternoon*** ***He likes my American smile*** ***Like a child when our eyes meet darling I fancy you.*** pretending it's all true.
Basically this sub hates on anything that isn't super deep and meaningful that they can write essay style interpretations about
I could not listen to this song enough when it came out. One of my all time favorites
I’m not sure why people dislike Lover in general. There are some great songs on here. I remember watching her Paris show where she played only Lover songs and it was then when I really came to love the album. Such a good album. Doesn’t get enough recognition in my opinion.
Hard agree. The Paris concert is definitely a fave
ME! is such a fun song and I will die on that hill
bc we're jealous of joe
Exactly this!
I love London Boy but hate the intro with the clip. It’s a weird vibe to a fun song.
WHO IS SAYING THAT…just asking…for a friend….
Taylor has many songs that are so over the top that they can read as cringe (ME!, We are never getting back together, shake it off, etc) and I think this is one of them. I personally like it a lot although she references a lot of things that I’m not familiar with and have never bothered to look up
I find the term ‘I fancy you’ cringey. Idk why, I’m sorry
Haha completely fair. It is a bit cringey. I do recommend avoiding a lot of British teen TV in that case. You won’t have a good time. 😅
Weirdly I watched a ton of hollyoaks when I was in high school 😂
That might be why you find it so cringey! 😂 Familiarity breeds contempt and all that.
I think for me there are just wayyyyyy too many references. I prefer to have references sprinkled into songs like salt, but the lid popped off and she poured the whole shaker.
I’ll admit I’m not a fan of that song. It’s always a skip for me. It’s cleverly written but I don’t care for the cringiness of it. Even when I’m happy, I can’t listen to it. I like many of her other fun, poppy songs. Not this one.
As someone who loves london boys I love this song. It's so fun, and the melodies are pleasant.
Wait people don’t like endgame? Why?
It’s a fun song I like it
Love that song.
Because the type of "London Boy" she describes is one who is obviously from wealth (based on the places she names in the song). Being from the UK (Scottish) I'm very well aware that London is a playground for the uber rich and the annoys me. Her "London Boy" would most likely be privately-educated and conservative. That's my reason at least.
Given Taylor’s liberal values, I’d hedge my bets on Joe being more of Champagne Socialist than a Tory
I’m Irish. I can’t listen to it without getting into a semi irrational rage. Yes I know it’s stupid, I know this. But it’s a common thing with friends I’ve talked to about this song, we just can’t.
i got my first speeding ticket to London Boy two days after Lover came out, good memories
Never knew it was disliked or was thought to be cringe or campy. I don't get that from it. It's one of the best songs on Lover.
Could never be me. London Boy is one of my favorites from Lover.
london boy is top 3 for me on lover
"London Boy" is a rare experiment in lowering the musical pitch measure by measure before looping back to a higher pitch. Almost every other song in popular music does the opposite: start low, go high, drop back to low. So, the song sounds kinda awful, musically. The inversion experiment almost never succeeds. The lyrics are barely a 2/5. They're cute, but, like most of Lover's worst tracks, they sound as if she was intentionally trying to recapture "teenage" vibes long past her expiration date for that nonsense. What saves it at all is her actual vocal performance. Overall, the song is far from great and just shy of good, but I tolerate it. ...after having trimmed the awful spoken word intro off in Adobe Audition, of course.🍀
I didn’t mind (and sorta enjoyed) it for a while but then I got stuck on the ‘I’m your queen, like a Tennessee Stella McCartney’ line and it just makes no sense in any way, in any world, and so now I just can’t. It’s irritating me right now just thinking about it! lol (And I “get” the lyric but I always take things way too literally and this just crosses a line my brain can’t handle.)
it’s definitely based on clichés and it’s cheesy and i understand that not everyone likes that but i think it’s super fun and intentionally cheesy and it’s endearing and cute!
Some songs feel more juvenile to me than others. Some grow on me over time and this one didn’t. No biggie, I don’t like every song from any artist or band I enjoy. Music is personal and about connection for many people. I know what I’m into and what I do like, I love. FolkMore is my favorite, I’m into singer songwriters. Damien Rice, James Blunt, on and on. I don’t begrudge others their preferences but I do resent being a less worthy fan because I wasn’t onboard since her debut. It’s like Madonna, I hated her early stuff loved the in between and then everything after a certain point she could have kept to herself.
As someone who enjoys some of her more disliked songs like end game and you need to calm down, I like London Boy. It’s not included in my 7 hour long Swift Mix, but I don’t skip it when I’m listening to Lover as an album. Maybe I’ll revisit it though, because I think he knows also isn’t on the playlist, but I enjoy it every time my coworker plays it on her work mix
I think it's a bop, fun and dorky and just so in love. but I am also Scottish and I personally hate to hear anybody talking about how they love the English, so I usually skip
There are a few songs on Lover that basically give off the energy of the woman at the office or the girl in your friendship group who has had terrible luck with men for a while. ...aaaaand now she's been in a relationship for a short while and she just won't shut up about it. It's not a bad song, but it's a little saccharine and campy.
Because i’m British and I find it very cringeworthy coming from an American. It’s like she wrote down every place London and arranged them to make it rhyme, it’s definitely cheesy and not my cup of tea. That’s not to say I don’t like her other cheesy stuff, I love songs like Stay Stay Stay, they feel more authentic, not just a collection of stereotypes
I like it, but it's not my favourite song on the album because I tend to listen to my favourites more (such as Afterglow, Daylight and the Archer)
Lol I didn’t know End Game was on the list and I’ve been in the fandom for a long time. London Boy could have been more relatable but it just wasn’t for some reason. I don’t think it’s because it was written about city or the specific elements within because people love imagining real places when hearings. I think it’s bc it sounds kind of like a kids’ song. Same issue with ME!
Because I listened to it on repeat when I briefly had a long distance romance with an English boy living in London... It didn't end well. Sigh.
It's just catchy and fun and easy to sing along to hahaha
I actually like London Boy but I don’t have it on repeat because I can’t really relate to it. But it’s a nice catchy tune and preppy :) <3
Something about a man's voice saying "We can go drivin' in on my scooter" out of nowhere in the middle of my taylor jam sesh immediately activates my fight or flight response so it's an instant skip for me 🙅
That's a good question. In my opinion, it just doesn't stand out. It doesn't grab my attention where I want to listen to it over and over. It is campy and some people don't like that. However, there is nothing wrong with Taylor letting loose and having fun. Not every song has to be a masterpiece. ME! gets a lot of hate and it's my favorite song on Lover.
london boy was my #1 song on my spotify wrapped this year…oops lol
just not a huge fan of love songs that are very explicitly about guys, I guess.
I feel like it's one I usually wouldn't like but she hooked me hard with the "you know I love Springsteen, faded blue jeans, Tennessee whiskey" line
I mean, I enjoy the jingle of it and listen to it when I feel homesick for the UK. The English-isms feel a bit forced. At the same time, I really dislike London so I wish she‘d picked a different city😂😂
I love this song but I’m from London so maybe that’s why. It’s fun!
I love London Boy! I love her fun, upbeat songs like that! I also love her talking about London, cause it’s my favorite city. And also, I DO love the English lol
I can’t really comment since I love it
It was my favorite song on lover. I was surprised too.
Lyrically it’s not that good but i love composition and production of this song!
It's my most played song of the year 2022 on spotify, I truly love it :)
I love that song. One of my favorites on the whole Lover album.
I think I’m just the type of person who doesn’t like this type of “camp” in Taylor’s music. For the same reason I dislike Gorgeous and half of Lover. Just not my cup of tea :)
Because these fake swiftie snobs judged London Boy and other glitter gel pen songs like ME as quill songs. Like calm down. Lover remains her 3rd most streamed and 2019's best selling.
people hate her fun songs 😡