A song about an all-powerful, once-in-a-lifetime attraction to a new partner, “The Alchemy” finds Swift making a number of apparent references to Kelce’s chosen sport. “So when I touch down, call the amateurs and cut ’em from the team,” she sings. “These blokes warm the benches/ We’ve been on a winning streak/ He jokes that ‘It’s heroin, but this time with an E.’”
“Shirts off and your friends lift you up over their heads,” Swift continues in a bridge full of lyrics reminiscent of the couple’s post-Super Bowl celebrations. “Beer sticking to the floor, cheers chanted ’cause they said/ There was no chance trying to be the greatest in the league/ Where’s the trophy? He just comes running over to me.”
The use of NFL vocabulary was not lost on fans, who quickly took to social media to discuss after Tortured Poets hit streaming services at midnight Friday (April 19). “THE ALCHEMY IS A TRAVIS SONG WE WON,” one fan wrote on X, sharing a video of Swift watching one of Kelce’s games during the 2023-24 season with Ice Spice.
“We’ll all remember where we were when we realized The Alchemy was about Travis Kelce,” tweeted another person.
“The Alchemy” is one of 16 tracks on the main Tortured Poets tracklist, which just about doubled two hours after its initial release when Swift unveiled an extended Anthology version at 2 a.m. Friday. Featuring collaborations with Post Malone and Florence + the Machine — as well as seeming references to the 14-time Grammy winner’s past relationships with Joe Alwyn and the 1975’s Matty Healy, as well as her Kim Kardashian feud — the sprawling set follows her Billboard 200-topping 2022 record Midnights.
See what fans are saying about Swift, Kelce and “The Alchemy” below.
