In her new Disney Plus special, Taylor Swift revealed that Joe Alwyn contributed to "Betty" and "Exile" on her latest album under the name William Bowery.
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If, like me, you start crying every time you hear the beginning piano notes of "Exile" on Taylor Swift's latest album, Folklore, you can thank her boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. In her new Disney Plus film, Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, Taylor confirmed a fan theory that Joe is the true identity of her mysterious collaborator, William Bowery, and contributed to two of the best songs on the album, "Exile" and "Betty".
Fans began to speculate about William Bowery's identity when, after Folklore was released in July, a few fans noticed that no one could find a William Bowery anywhere and realized that whoever William was, they were writing under a pseudonym. The Swifties sleuthed, as often they do, and discovered that Joe's grandfather's name was William and he and Taylor were once spotted at the Bowery hotel. See the evidence below:
In her new Disney Plus special, Taylor confirmed this theory and told her collaborators that Joe wrote the chorus of "Betty" and the entire piano part for "Exile". Taylor said that she asked him to write "Betty" with her when she heard him singing the chorus in a different room of their house and raved about his piano-playing skills. Who knew Joe was so talented?
There you have it, fellow Swifties! Now go watch Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions on Disney Plus.