Hackney vs. Hampstead: Decoding Taylor’s True “London Boy” Meaning

As an American who lives in London, I do enjoy the sentiment of Taylor Swift’s London Boy.

This is the most purely upbeat song on Lover, and emphasizes Taylor’s love of London just as much as her “London Boy.” 

The lyrics of this song are pretty obvious if you’re a Londoner, but for the uninitiated, here’s my ultimate guide to every location in the song and what she really means. 

Let’s dissect the London Boy meaning, line by line. 

London Boy by Taylor Swift

• Title: London Boy
• Written by: Sounwave, Cautious Clay, Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift,
• Track: 11, Lover
• Pen: Glitter Gel Pen 
• Lyrics from Genius

London Boy Song Meaning: Narrative Synopsis

• Setting: London. 
• Characters: Narrator (Taylor), subject (her “London Boy”), London. 
• Mood: Upbeat, happy. 
• Conflict: Doesn’t need a fancy life, just wants a real life. 
• Inciting Incident: Moved to London. 
• Quest: Declare her love for him and her love for London. 
• Symbols & Metaphors: Americana (“Springsteen”, “blue jeans”, etc), “London boy,” “hometown” (America, and other American locations), London locations (Hampstead Heath, Brixton, etc.), “fancy”, “where the heart is”, “American smile”, posh vs. everyday (Louis V & Stella McCartney vs. the pub & Hackney). 
• Theme: I love London. 
• Imagery: “I saw the dimples first and then I heard the accent,” “He likes my American smile, like a child when our eyes meet,” “Show me a gray sky, a rainy cab ride,” “Like a Tennessee Stella McCartney on the Heath.” 
• Lesson: Home is wherever your heart is. 

What is London Boy  About? 

London Boy is about Taylor’s love of London and English men. The lyrics take us on a tour of iconic locations from the West End to Hampstead Heath, as Taylor enjoys the London vibe and her English romance.  

Taylor said that this was her metaphorical ‘goodbye’ to the US, saying: 

“With this song, I just kind of wrote about, basically, what it was like to basically be like, ‘Bye guys! I’m gonna go here for a long time.’”

–iHeartRadio Album Release Party

She also clarified that you can’t do all this in one day. London is massive, as anyone who has visited knows. 

“This is supposed to be over the course of 3 years. Like, somebody told me, ‘they think that you’re talking about one day,’ and I was like, ‘oh no, you’d never make it. You wouldn’t make it. You’d make it in 3 years.”

–BBC Live Lounge

I can testify that this is completely accurate. I’ve lived in London for years and still haven’t made it to every location she mentions. 

PS: I also write a London guide at London in Real Life.com, if you’re looking for any tourist tips. I have a complete guide to Taylor Swift’s London right here. 

Who is London Boy About? 

Given the timing of the release of the song, it was likely inspired by her romance with her then-boyfriend Joe Alwyn. 

But Taylor has also dated a few “London Boys,” including Matty Healy, Tom Hiddleston and Harry Styles, and has spent a lot of time in London over the years, so it could have been inspired by English men in general. 

London Boy Meaning: Line by Line

Verse 1 & Pre-Chorus Synopsis: I love America, but my heart is in London. 

Verse one opens with a nod to her American roots. She says, “I love my hometown as much as Motown, I love SoCal.” Her “hometown” is either where she grew up in Pennsylvania, or her adopted hometown of Nashville. 

Motown is symbolic of Detroit, but here she likely means Motown music, a hugely influential genre that started in America.

“I love SoCal” refers to Southern California, the region where Los Angeles (another home of Taylor’s, and home of the recording industry) is. 

“And you know I love Springsteen, faded blue jeans, Tennessee whiskey,” she continues. 

She’s listing iconic Americana that represents her roots: Bruce Springsteen (“Born in the USA”), “faded blue jeans” (an American icon), and “Tennessee whiskey” (a popular liquor from her home state). 

But all those American symbols have faded into the background, because “somethin’ happened, I heard him laughin’ / I saw the dimples first and then I heard the accent.” 

She has laid eyes on her “London boy”, and her life has changed forever. 

The pre-chorus foreshadows what will come next: “They say, ‘Home is where the heart is’ / But that’s not where mine lives.”

Her “home” may be in America, but her heart lives in London now. 

1st Chorus: “I Enjoy Walkin’ Camden Market in the Afternoon”

Chorus Synopsis: I love hanging out in London and my London boyfriend. 

“You know I love a London boy,” she tells the reader.

This not only alludes to her current boyfriend (Joe Alwyn, who the song was likely inspired by), but all the other “London boys” she has loved: Matty Healy, Tom Hiddleston, and Harry Styles. She does certainly have a track record of loving London men! 

Next, the tour of London begins, each chorus taking us on a journey through The Big Smoke. 

“I enjoy walkin’ Camden Market in the afternoon,” she says, naming a popular tourist destination in North London. It has a punk, rock-n-roll vibe, and was the neighborhood of the late Amy Winehouse. 

“He likes my American smile,” she says, which represents her all-American, girl next door persona. But it also pokes a bit of fun at the English, who have a less-than-optimal track record with dental care (trust me, I live here). 

She’s “like a child when our eyes meet,” meaning she’s in the throws of puppy love. She melts when he looks at her. 

“Darling, I fancy you” means she likes him. The English use the term “I fancy” to mean “I like” or “I enjoy.” “Fancy a cuppa,” for instance, means “would you like a cup of tea?” 

“Took me back to Highgate, met all of his best mates” means that he took her back to where he grew up in the posh North London neighborhood of Highgate (Joe Alwyn actually did grow up near here). His “best mates” refers to his childhood friends. 

“So I guess all the rumors are true” addresses the rumors that flew around at the time that Taylor had actually moved to London to be with Joe. 

This actually happened after her 1989 era and before reputation, but at the point of the Lover release, she was still living here most of the time. 

“You know I love a London boy,” she cheekily nods to her audience, alluding to her prior romances. But then she says directly to her boyfriend: “Boy, I fancy you.” 

This is addressing her reputation for dating Englishmen, while also telling us that now she’s dating a very specific Englishman. 

Verse 2: “You Can Find Me in The Pub, We Are Watching Rugby”

Verse 2 & Pre-Chorus Synopsis: I love English people and traditions, and even the dreary weather. 

Verse two narrates more changes in her life. “And now I love high tea, stories from Uni’ and the West End,” she tells us. 

“High tea” likely means “afternoon tea,” which is a common posh English tradition (and tourist favorite) of afternoon tea, sweets, and scones. “High tea” is a bit different, but many don’t know the difference and use the two terms interchangeably. 

“Stories from Uni” means stories from college. In the UK, university (what we’d call college in the US) is usually shortened to “uni.” 

“The West End” is the western portion of Central London, containing areas like Covent Garden, Soho, Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square. It’s the home of London’s theater scene, akin to Broadway in NYC. 

“You can find me in the pub,” she says, where “we are watchin’ rugby with his school friends.” Upon first listen many Swifties were confused, and thought “pubwe” was a word, but it’s not. 

Going to the pub is a near daily tradition for many Londoners, and more so for the age group she’d be hanging out with. If there’s a sporting event on telly, you can bet the young men are watching it at the pub, drinking several pints.  

“Show me a gray sky, a rainy cab ride,” she says, asking for the monotony that has become her new normal. “Babes, don’t threaten me with a good time,” she says ironically. A gray sky and a cab ride for many would be dreary, but in this new life that she loves, it’s something she loves. 

She echoes the common proverb “home is where the heart is”, but then: “but, God, I love the English.” Her home is no longer with Americans, it’s with the Brits. 

2nd Chorus: “I Enjoy Nights in Brixton”

Chorus Synopsis:  I love hanging out in London and my London boyfriend. 

The chorus takes us to another London location on Taylor’s whirlwind tour. “I enjoy nights in Brixton,” she says. 

Brixton is a historic area in South London, where racial tensions inspired much of London’s most iconic music history (The Clash, Electric Avenue, etc.). 

There is a large concert venue there – O2 Academy Brixton – where Taylor’s cohorts Jack Antonoff (with Bleachers) and Matty Healy (The 1975) have played regularly. But otherwise, would Taylor go to Brixton? No. 

“Shoreditch in the afternoon,” her next stop on her London tour, is a more likely place for her to hang out: it’s a historic and artsy area.

Today, it’s home to original Banksys, and in 1888, it was home to Jack the Ripper. It’s a really cool area to check out if you’re coming to London. 

Bridge: “So Please Show Me Hackney”

Bridge Synopsis: I don’t need a fancy life. I just want to be with you. 

The bridge changes her message a bit, focusing more on what she wants her life to be. 

“So please show me Hackney,” she says. It “doesn’t have to be Louis V up on Bond Street.”

Hackney was – historically – a rough area. Today, it’s pretty much gentrified, but still not an area Taylor would hang out unless she was going to a pub or a show. 

The Rolling Stones’ latest album is titled Hackney Diamonds, which is when a car window is smashed and glitters on the street. Broken glass is “diamonds” in Hackney, which tells you exactly what kind of area it used to be.

“Louis V up on Bond Street” refers to the Louis Vuitton store on the posh shopping destination of Bond Street (in the greater Oxford Circus shopping area). 

What’s she saying by comparing these dramatically different locales? That she doesn’t want the posh life. She can be anywhere, and it doesn’t have to be fancy. She just wants to be with him, no matter where they go. 

“Stick with me, I’m your queen,” she says, which immediately calls back to King of My Heart, which was also likely inspired by Joe Alwyn. He’s the “king,” and she’s the “queen” in their London world, comparing themselves to the actual kings and queens of the British monarchy. 

What kind of ruler would Taylor be? “Like a Tennessee Stella McCartney on the Heath,” of course.

Stella McCartney being Taylor’s friend and favorite fashion designer, she puts herself in posh clothing walking “the Heath.” 

“The Heath” is Hampstead Heath, in North London between Camden and Highgate. This is a posh residential area surrounding the massive Heath, where you should not wear Stella McCartney boots to walk in the muddy woodlands (unless they’re posh wellies). 

She’s saying she’s a posh-but-down-to-earth queen of his heart. She can have the posh life or the normal life, and it doesn’t matter. She just wants to be next to him. 

Final Chorus: “I Enjoy Walkin’ Soho, Drinkin’ in the Afternoon”

Chorus Synopsis: I love hanging out in London and my London boyfriend. 

The final location on Taylor’s London tour is “walkin’ Soho, drinkin’ in the afternoon.” Soho is in the West End, and it’s the historic home of London’s LGBTQIA+ community. 

But there are also several high-end restaurants and private members-only clubs in this area, which Taylor has been known to frequent. 

“Drinkin’ in the afternoon” means both to drink alcohol, but also to soak in the ambiance of a London afternoon – to “drink it in.”

Outro: “I Fancy You”

Outro Synopsis: I don’t need a posh life, I just want you. 

The outro reiterates that she doesn’t need the fancy stuff, she just wants to be with him. 

The irony in all this? Joe is from a posh family. Joe himself was born into wealth, as was Taylor, and they’ve both acquired their own fortunes along the way. 

So what’s with all the social status comparisons? I think she’s saying that she wants the comparatively “normal” life that Joe had (has?) at the time they got together. 

We know she likely moved to London to get away from the media frenzy of America that was tearing her apart inside. Celebrities often move to London because – ironically – they’re pretty much left alone here. 

I can’t count how many major celebrities I’ve seen in the city, just enjoying a coffee with a friend, riding the tube, or having dinner. Londoners are nothing if not aloof, and we allow celebs to just be any other person in this massive city. 

I think what she’s getting at is this more quiet life, out of the public eye: that’s what she means when she says she can hang out in “Hackney” and not “Louis Vuitton.”

In the end, “I fancy you” means she likes him, but is also a play on the term “fancy”. She fancies him, but she doesn’t need them to be fancy together – she wants the simple life.

London Boy Lyrics Meaning: Final Thoughts

The overall message in London Boy is that Taylor loves London just as much as she loved her English boyfriend(s).

Did she love the solitude it afforded her? Did she just love how, culturally and socially, London is very different from America? 

I think yes, to all of the above. This was the big reset button to her life, and London is where she was allowed to regroup, recharge, and get ready for her next steps. 

London Boy is her loveletter not only to the London boys who have been in her life, but to London itself. 

More Songs From Lover

• Lover Prologue: What It Says vs. What It Means
• I Forgot That You Existed
• Cruel Summer
• Lover
• The Man
• The Archer
• I Think He Knows
• Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince
• Paper Rings
• Cornelia Street
• Death by a Thousand Cuts
• Soon You’ll Get Better
• False God
• You Need to Calm Down
• Afterglow
• It’s Nice to Have a Friend
• Daylight