When Susan Lang heard “Ruin the Friendship”, one of the tracks from Taylor Swift’s latest album, it struck a chord with her. She instantly recognized it as a tribute to her late son, Jeffrey Lang.
Back in high school in Hendersonville, Tennessee, Susan shared that Jeffrey and Taylor were thick as thieves. Tragically, Jeffrey passed away in 2010 at just 21 years old.
In an interview with the Tennessean, Susan reminisced, “They had such a close friendship. They hung out all the time at her place and never failed to make each other laugh.”
In “Ruin the Friendship”, Swift reflects on the heartbreak of losing a connection with a high school companion who is no longer around. Even though Taylor hasn’t confirmed who inspired the song, Susan finds pointed references to her son that couldn’t be overlooked, like wishing she hadn’t gone to the prom with anyone but Jeffrey.
“Goodbye / And we’ll never know why,” Taylor’s lyrics say, capturing the deep sense of longing. “But I whispered at the grave, ‘Should’ve kissed you anyway.’”
During her chat with The Tennessean, Susan expressed her wish to reach out to Taylor. “I want to thank her for honoring Jeffrey’s memory,” she stated, emphasizing how special it is that after all these years, he hasn’t been forgotten. “She’s keeping his spirit alive.”
In a poignant moment after Jeffrey’s funeral in 2010, Swift accepted the Country Songwriter of the Year award, emotionally reflecting, “Yesterday, I sang at the funeral of one of my best friends. He was just 21, and I used to share my songs with him first, so I want to give a shout out to Jeff Lang.”
Word on the street is that Swift’s song “Forever Winter” might also be about Jeffrey.
Now, after over 20 years in the spotlight, Taylor is still breaking records. Her most recent album, “The Life of a Showgirl”, debuted at an impressive No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, moving 4.002 million units in its opening week.
Reflecting on her journey, she noted, “I was over the moon when my first album sold 40,000 copies back in 2006. I was just 16 and could hardly believe that many people would care about my music.” In an Instagram post on October 13, she added, “I’ll treasure this feeling forever.”
This piece originally appeared on TODAY.com.
