John Mayer Drops Cryptic Request to Fans Before Taylor Swift's 'Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)' Drops

John Mayer is now experiencing everything after Taylor Swift re-released her 2010 album, Speak Now.

Shortly before the release of Speak Now (Taylor's Version) on Friday, July 7, the 45-year-old musician appeared to convey a significant message to fans through Instagram. Mayer posted a series of pictures from his recent Dead & Company concerts in Colorado, with the last photo causing Swift's fans to comment in haste.

Mayer captioned the carousel on Thursday, July 6, with the words "The afterglow is still shining bright." Included in the carousel is a photo taken from the crowd, showing purple lights in the sky with the words "Please Be Kind."

Swift's fans quickly noticed the timing of the upload. One social media user commented, "Speak not stream speak now (Taylor's version)" while another playfully suggested, "Would've could've should've turned off your comments."

One fan humorously commented that it was an unfavorable time to share anything related to the color purple, which is synonymous with Swift's Speak Now era. Another person pointed out the irony of the situation, referencing Swift's past involvement with Mayer. Their brief romance occurred during their collaboration on his song "Half of My Heart" released in 2009. However, the relationship faced criticism due to the significant age gap, with Swift being 19 at the time and Mayer being 32.

John Mayer and Taylor Swift Jason Szenes/EPA/Shutterstock

After Swift released the original version of "Dear John" following their breakup, it was easy for fans to infer that Mayer was the person she was referring to. In the song, she sings about being too young to be treated poorly.

In a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone, Mayer criticized Swift's breakup anthem, admitting that it made him feel awful. He argued that he didn't deserve to be the subject of her songwriting and deemed her actions as unpleasant. He further stated, "I am now capable of taking responsibility for my actions, and I can confidently say that I never did anything to deserve that. It was an incredibly hurtful thing for her to do."

Despite criticizing Swift's writing technique as "cheap," Mayer himself created a mysterious song on his 2013 album, Paradise Valley, seemingly in response to "Dear John." In "Paper Doll," Mayer sings, "You're like twenty-two girls in one / And none of them know what they're running from," which appears to reference Swift's song "22" from 2012. (Mayer also includes a mention of a red scarf, which fans speculate refers to Swift's ballad "All Too Well" from her album Red.)

Earlier this year, Mayer performed "Paper Doll" during a concert in Sacramento, California. On stage in April, he questioned whether people disliked the song because it came across as slightly angry. He expressed his distaste for a song being defined as "pissed off" and acknowledged that "Paper Doll" had a somewhat confrontational tone.

One month later, Swift made the official announcement that Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) was in the pipeline, as she continued her mission to rerecord her earlier music in her ongoing fight for ownership of her masters. In June, at a tour stop in Minnesota, she surprised her fans by performing “Dear John” for the first time since 2012 and preceded the song with an impassioned call to action.

During the acoustic segment of her performance, Taylor Swift expressed her gratitude for being able to witness the incredible moments that unfold on stage every night. She observed how her fans connect and form friendships with one another, highlighting the positive bonds they create. Additionally, Taylor shared her desire for the same kindness and tenderness to translate into their online interactions, particularly as her new album, "Speak Now," is about to be released.

Swift went on to explain why she was rereleasing her music, stating that it is essential for artists to have ownership over their own work. Before performing the surprise song, she reminded the audience that the purpose of updating her old tracks was not to stir up controversy.

"I'm 33 years old now, and I only really care about the songs I wrote when I was 19," she expressed. "I didn't release this album to make you feel obligated to defend me on the internet against someone who I supposedly wrote a song about ages ago."

Following the release of her album, Midnights, and its song "Would've, Could've, Should've," which is speculated to be about her tumultuous relationship with Mayer, Swift made a declaration. Mayer is not the sole famous ex who served as an inspiration for Swift's music, as Joe Jonas and Taylor Lautner, among others, influenced her 2010 record, Speak Now. Lautner, the subject of Swift's song "Back to December," had previously hinted that Mayer should be prepared for the rerelease.

“I think it’s a great album. Yeah, I feel safe,” he quipped in a May interview, adding, “Praying for John.”