Mom of Taylor Swift's late friend Jeff Lang reacts to her emotional tribute song

Nashville, Tennessee - The mom of Taylor Swift's late friend Jeff Lang has weighed in on the pop star's new song Ruin the Friendship, which appears to pay tribute to her late son.

Taylor Swift's new song Ruin the Friendship has gotten a sweet response from the mom of her late friend, who is believed to have inspired the track.
Taylor Swift's new song Ruin the Friendship has gotten a sweet response from the mom of her late friend, who is believed to have inspired the track.  © Noam Galai / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

In a recent interview with The Tennessean, Susan Lang revealed that she believes the track is about her late son, as fans have been speculating.

Jeff and Taylor briefly attended Hendersonville High School together, and in Ruin the Friendship, the 35-year-old singer expresses her regret about never admitting her feelings to a high school crush.

The Life of a Showgirl song then takes an emotional turn when Taylor sings about learning that her crush had passed away – an apparent parallel with Jeff's death in 2010.

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As Susan told The Tennessean, Ruin the Friendship immediately reminded her of her son, bringing back "happy memories and a flood of emotions."

"That, after all this time, [Taylor] hasn't forgotten about him," she said. "She's keeping his name alive."

Susan admitted she wasn't sure if her son also had romantic feelings for Taylor, but she made it clear that the two had a special friendship during their time at school.

"They were really good friends. That's rare these days. They hung out at her house a lot. They were always joking around with each other," she said.

What is Taylor Swift's Ruin the Friendship about?

Ruin the Friendship is from Taylor Swift's latest album, The Life of a Showgirl.
Ruin the Friendship is from Taylor Swift's latest album, The Life of a Showgirl.  © Screenshot/Instagram/@taylorswift

In Ruin the Friendship, Taylor gives a nod to their Tennessee upbringing as she recalls her crush driving down Gallatin Road.

Throughout the chorus, she says she "should've kissed you anyway," saying it "would've been the best mistake."

The song also details how Taylor found out about his death, name-dropping her longtime pal Abigail Anderson as she sings, "When I left school, I lost track of you / Abigail called me with the bad news / Goodbye, and we'll never know why."

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Shortly after Jeff passed away, Taylor was awarded Country Songwriter of the Year at the 2010 BMI Country Awards, which she dedicated to him.

"Yesterday I sang at the funeral of one of my best friends. He was 21, and I used to play my songs for him first," she said. "So I would like to thank Jeff Lang."

Cover photo: Noam Galai / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

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