The Starting Line have shared a message to Taylor Swift, thanking her for being referenced on the singer’s latest album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’.
Swift released her two-hour double album on Friday and, as ever with the singer, every track has been pored over by fans in search of references.
One of those references found appears on the track ‘The Black Dog’, with Swift namechecking the band directly with the lyric:
“How you don’t miss me / In The Black Dog When / Someone plays The Starting Line / And you jump up / But she’s too young to know this song…”
The refrain is assumed by many to be a reference to The 1975’s Matty Healy, Swift’s ex, and his cover of The Starting Line classic ‘The Best of Me’).
Writing in response to the shoutout, The Starting Line took to their socials to express their gratitude, writing:
“Dear Taylor, We heard the song, thank you for name checking our band. We feel flattered and humbled by the reverberations of love that have come back to us as a result.
“It’s an honor to have TSL memorialized on such a lovely song. You didn’t have to do that, but you did, and we appreciate it wholeheartedly. Respect! Love, The Starting Line.”
The pop-punk stalwarts are set to play their album ‘Say It Like You Mean It’ in full at When We Were Young Festival in Las Vegas this October.
