Evelynn Mottley: Taylor Swift Relives Awkward Ex Encounter For 'Story Of Us' Video

Singer tells MTV News that the clip put her right back into 'excruciating, awful moment when you run into an ex for the first time.'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Sway Calloway

Taylor Swift
Photo: MTV News

After the premiere of her "The Story of Us," video, Taylor Swift opened up to MTV News about how it felt to watch the clip and relive the emotions behind the Speak Now song, which was inspired by a seriously awkward awards-show encounter with an ex.

"Anytime I'm onstage or watching the music video, the first thing that comes into my mind is the person I wrote the song about," she told MTV News' Sway Calloway during "MTV First: Taylor Swift." "It's like the first thing that you think of is the moment that inspired the song, which is that excruciating, awful moment when you run into an ex for the first time."

Just because Swift's awkward ex encounter was at a Hollywood event doesn't mean her fans can't relate. The singer said life as a celebrity is "just like in high school, except [the awkward moments happen] at an awards show. You go on living a normal life, except on a different scale. [In my songs] I tend to focus on love, feelings, emotions, what it was like feeling that particular relationship."

While the song doesn't directly address that awards-show encounter, it does touch on the themes of knowing when it's time to move on from a relationship.

"Noble Jones, the director, had sent in this treatment. He had it set in a library, and I called him and I asked him if he'd be willing to change it to an Ivy League feel," she explained of her input.

Sway asked if the "Story of Us" heroine was at all connected to her "You Belong With Me" character. "Well, I think the biggest difference between the new video and all the other ones is that I love to make a happy ending happen, and with this video, it doesn't happen," she said.

What did you think of Taylor's new video? Share your reviews in the comments!

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