With the re-release of Taylor Swift's 2010 album Speak Now (dubbed Taylor's Version) comes six brand new "From The Vault" tracks. These are songs Swift wrote when originally preparing the album, but they didn't quite make the cut at the time. Among these is a tune called "When Emma Falls In Love," which tells the story of a young woman navigating the highs and lows of her love life.
Due to the title, some fans believe the song is about — or at least inspired by — actress Emma Stone, whom Swift has been friends with since around 2008. Some fans have even gone as far as to theorize that the tune could be about Stone's relationships with actor Andrew Garfield. The two first met on the set of the 2012 film, The Amazing Spider-Man, and they dated shortly after, until 2015.
One fan took to social media convinced that the song is about Stone and Garfield, citing the verse about Emma meeting "a boy with eyes like a man."
I'M 100% SURE THIS IS ABOUT EMMA STONE AND ANDREW GARFIELD AND I'M ABOUT TO COLLAPSE pic.twitter.com/U5PfWmIFbp
— asteria ✨ (@flewlikeamoth) July 7, 2023
Other fans had the same thought:
the bridge of when emma falls in love. i simply. can’t. andrew garfield i love you.
— tay ?? (@_tranquilitay) July 7, 2023
However, as others have pointed it out, the timing for this theory is questionable. Stone and Garfield likely met in mid-to-late 2010 when Stone auditioned for the movie. They confirmed their relationship in June of 2011. Swift released Speak Now in October 2010, so this timeframe would leave little time for her to write a song about the burgeoning couple. However, it is plausible that it was love at first sight for the two actors at the audition and Swift caught some quick inspiration. Garfield has often shared that he was struck by Stone upon first meeting her.
"She came in, and she was like a shot of espresso," Garfield said of their first meeting, according to Elle. "She's like being bathed in sunlight. She's incredibly energetic and enthusiastic, and she had this sense of play and fun, which was incredibly exciting."
Even if Swift didn't write the song about Stone and Garfield, some believe the tune could be about Stone's previous relationship in Kieran Culkin. It's also possible that the song is inspired by Stone on her own or Swift simply wanted to incorporate that name into a song.
Other evidence that the song is about Stone includes the line, "When Emma falls in love, she calls up her mom." Stone has often talked about her strong relationship with her mom. Some also pointed out the line, "Well, she's so New York when she's in L.A.??," as Stone reportedly owned homes in both cities.
No matter who the song is about, Swift expressed a desire to live "Emma's" life in the final line: "Yeah, between me and you, sometimes I wish I was her."
