Ellie Goulding and the Response Song

Quick question, when was the last time a display ad changed your mind Now think about the last time a friend told you about something they loved. Different feeling, right? That's how podcast advertising works. A host who's built real trust with their audience talks about your brand in their own words, in their own voice. It doesn't interrupt the experience. It's part of it. With ACast, you can access the world's largest podcast marketplace Choose the right shows, the right audiences, the right format. Then watch the data tell you it worked. You're not buying impressions You're buying influence Learn more by visiting acast d. com slash advertise What's up everyone? Welcome to another episode of Nostalgia And now as always, it's your host, Kelly Williams and I did want to let you guys know Over on Patreon this week, Blair is going to be hopping on. and we're going to be talking about Clayton from the Bachelor and the love trapped story of it all. If you're unfamiliar, there is a woman who said Clayton got her pregnant She had only given him a blow job and he actually took her to court over it and she had done this to a bunch of other guys. So Blaair's actually been following this case pretty closely for the last like two years, if not longer. And she's gonna hop on and kind of lead the episode as she teaches me about this crazy story. If you want to sign up, the link is in the show notes and please make sure to sign up using a web browser rather than the Patreon app Because the Patreon app will make you pay extra fees for really no reason and I want to save you money on those fees. So make sure to sign up and the Patreon episodes are only in the five dollarars tier. But if you sign up for the three dollar tier, you get episodes early and ad free. This week's episode, we are going back to kind of like the first episode that I talked about when we rebooted nostalgia in now. and I say we because we are all in this together But we're doing songs about celebrities, songs that celebrities have written about other celebrities. And there's like a good mix of artists that we're gonna talk about. We're gonna talk about Amy Winehouse, we're talking about Ed Sheharon, Mariah Carey, Carly Simon. there may be more to fill time, but right now, those are the four that we're talking about And we're starting with Amy Winehouse because I actually did not know that this song was about the rapper Naz. Now I'm going to be honest, when it comes to Amy Winehouse, I definitely started appreciating her a little bit later in my life. Unfortunately, it was probably like after she passed away. But when she came onto the music scene, I just wasn't there yet. I wasn't there to listen to Amy Winehouse I was really, really big on listening to like Paramore and Natasha Beddtingfield. So yeah, I definitely missed the Amy Winehouse Wave, but this is a song I remember and you guys probably do too. Also another link in the show notes is to a Sotify link of all the music that we have talked about So if you want to hear it, if you want to hear any songs that we've mentioned in the past I always say we. It's just me But you guys know what I'm saying, okay Anyway, me and mister Jones, again, this is about Amy Winehouse and Naz. And I think one of the reasons people still connect with Amy Winehouse almost twenty years later is because she never seemed interested in pretending to be cooler than she actually was. If she was heartbroken, she wrote about it. If she was angry, she wrote about it. And if one of her favorite rappers skipped her birthday party She wrote about that too. So when Back to Black was released in October of two thousand six, listeners immediately started asking one question, who's mister Jones? And the answer is, mister Jones is the rapper, Naz. Now, if you're picturing some kind of secret romance that nobody knew about, that's actually not what happened at all. Amy was simply one of Naz's biggest fans She loved hip hop, especially New York hip hop and considered Naz one of the greatest lyricists ever. And friends would later talk about how often she listened to Il Maddic and quoted his music. And I agree with Amy Weinhouse there. I think Nas is absolutely incredible. I know the song Ether isn't like a nice song at all, but it is a good song to have on your playlist if you're working out. Amy and Nas were actually both born on september fourteenth in the song references that shared birthday Like it's some kind of cosmic connection In the song Fs inccredibly Amy, she takes the tiniest detail and turns it into this huge emotional event The producer is Salam Remy, who worked closely with Amy and later explained that the song was inspired by her friendship with Naz and her disappointment that he didn't attend her birthday celebration And instead of shrugging it off, she turned it into one of the most memorable songs on the album Amy herself didn't spend much time explaining her songs, but she once told Interview Magazine that she wrote from her own life because in her words, quote, I don't think I'm such a great interpreter of other people's stories. And that's exactly what makes this song so fascinating. It's not about romance, but it is about expectation It's about building someone up in your mind and feeling let down when reality doesn't match the vision that you've created for them. And then there's Naz. So for years, he didn't fully realize just how much Amy admired him. And after her death in twenty eleven, he spoke with enormous like affections about her spoke like very, very lovingly about Amy, and he called her a beautiful soul Just four words, but I think they tell you like everything about the respect that he had for her. And he also said that he had always admired her. Again, a simple sentence, but one that feels meaningful knowing that Amy had admired him for years and years. And in another interview, Naz reflected on Amy's songwriting and said that she reminded him of legendary jazz musicians who lived complicated lives and poured everything into their art I will say that's definitely one thing about Amy Winehouse. I think you could not like her music, you could not like her voice, you could not like her style. there are things that if you don't like, like you just don't like it But I do think that her raw emotion and the way that she was such a raw person living in the celebrity eye is actually really crazy to look back on. And yeah, she was definitely someone who just poured everything that she had into the music that she gave us and she lived a short life, and she gave us so many incredible music moments. But back to Naz. Looking back, he seemed genuinely touched that someone he respected had written a song inspired by him. and years later, he actually paid tribute in his own music On his twenty twenty one song Rare, Naz raps about wishing he could have performed Me and Mr. Jones with Amy And again, it's a brief moment, but it's incredibly moving because it acknowledges something that never got the chance to happen. And the song itself has always stood out on Back to Black because it feels lighter than some of Amy's other work Yes, she's annoyed, yes, she's disappointed, but there's also humor like throughout the song. and it almost sounds like she's teasing someone she desperately wants to impress. And a lot of her music, this is just like a lot of her music, right, it balances like vulnerability and wit, which became Amy's like signature lyricism, songwriting, all of that And critics actually really love the song And while it wasn't released as a major international single, it became a fan favorite in one of the standout deep cuts on the album that would go on to like define a complete era. I even know this song got really popular on TikTok a few years ago. So this song still has life in it. And Back to Black eventually won five Grammy Awards in one night tying the record for the M Grammyyss won by a female artist at the time and introducing millions of listeners to Amy's brutal, honest songwriting And what makes me and Mr. Jones so memorable isn't that it's about a celebrity, it's that it's about disappointment in its smallest form We've all had someone we admire, liked, whatever, cancel plans, they forget your birthday, or fail to show up when we expect them. and most of us complain to a friend Amy Winehouse, on the other hand, said, you know what write a song about this. It's going to sell millions and people are going to try and guess who Mr. Jones is. But again, Amy wrote this song that people are still dissecting nearly twenty years later. and maybe that's the best way to understand her legacy as a musician She could take the tiniest personal moment and make it feel very like universal. And that's why in my opinion, me and mister Jones isn't just another celebrity inspired song. It's a snapshot of an artist wearing her heart on her sleeve and turning a missed birthday into pop culture history. And yeah, I just I love that story and I think it gives so much insight into who Amy was as an artist. And I would say if you only knew like surface level Amy, kind of how I've known Amy Winehouse for the last twenty years or whatever, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that she wrote an album about Naz. Like that just I would not think that that's what it was. And by writing an album, I mean writing a song But me and Mr. Jones, if you haven't listened to the song Revisit it, it's really good. I still don't like pick up the NS nuance though. I rel listened to it before I started recording and I was like, yeah, I still wouldn't have guessed this. So I hope that's a fun fact for you The second song we're gonna to cover is a song that all of you know, but I still love this feud. The Mariah Caron E and M feud is probably one of my favorite celebrity feuds of all time, because why is E and M always fighting with women Yes, he has fought with Ja Rule and MGK, but it seems like his most famous feuds are with women, whether it be Mariah Carey or his ex wife or his mom or Christina Aguilera who better switch these chairs. But yeah, Mminem loves to fight with a woman. And if there's one thing Mariah Carerey has perfected over the course of her career It's the art of saying absolutely everything while somehow saying nothing at all So in my opinion, nobody delivers shade quite like Mariah. And in two thousand nine, she turned one of the most talked about celebrity rumors of the decade into a number seven billboard hit that people are still quoting more than fifteen years later The question at the center of the story is actually pretty simple Did Mariah Carerey and Eminem actually date The funny thing is, that depends on who you ask and you'll get two completely different answers. So let's rewind. That's my rewind sound The first rumors started circulating in two thousand one in two thousand two after the two artists reportedly met while discussing the possibility of working together Em and M would later tell Rolling Stone that they had dated for several months, and Mariah has actually never agreed to that version of events. During a two thousand two appearance on Larry King live, Larry King asked her directly about Mm and M, and Mariah smiled and replied, I hung out with him, I talked to him on the phone. I think I was probably with him a total of four times Then she added the line that would become legendary. I don't consider that dating somebody And that could have ended the story, but it didn't. So obviously Em andem is really upset that Mariah won't publicly claim him as her ex boyfriend or ex fling, ex whatever. She said we met four times. That's it. Nothing ever happened. And again, for the next several years, Einem continued referencing Mariah in interviews and in his music. Sometimes it was a quick lyric, sometimes it was a more direct hit And by two thousand nine, Mariah was happily married to Nick Cannon and promoting a new album Memoirs of an imperfect Angel And instead of giving another interview denying the rumors, she decided to respond the only way a pop icon could, she released her own diss. She said, E and M, you can keep diss and me. I'm gonna release my own dis. and she released the song obsessed The song opens with one simple question, whyy are you so obsessed with me? And immediately fans knew exactly who they thought that she was talking about Mariah, however, refused to confirm it Speaking to reporters, she would simply smile and say, It's about anybody who's obsessed Mariah Carey, we do not have that level of diva anymore. I don't know if we could do a VH one divas because all the divas are gone, but the way that Mariah Carey, like Leans into being a diva is one of my favorite celebrity things of all time. Little side note, we're gonna take a little sidetrack. come along with me. But I remember for her fortieth birthday, she had everybody dress as their favorite version of Mariah. so my going awayay party in Nashville, I asked my friends to dress as their favorite version of me And that's all because of Mariah Carerey. Like, uh, Mariah Carerey just There's something about her that I absolutely love. And maybe I think doing Beyond the Blinds has made me really appreciate her more because we did a Patreon episode about her and Tommy Matola, and Mariah had to really fucking work Mariah like She didn't have it very easy and she was able to like completely shift her entire look and sound in everything. And I actually think Mariah Carerey is one of the mostost underrated songwriters of all time. okay? But back to obsessed Again, she said this song is about anybody who's obsessed and again, one of those perfect Mariah answers. She gave the people just enough to keep the conversation going while never actually saying Eminem's name. Then came the music video If you've never watched it, please do yourself a favor, pause this podcast, go watch the music video, but Mariah plays multiple characters, including wearing a hoodie she's dressed as a man wearing a hoodie with a scuffy beard, a baseball cap, an oversized sweatshirt, and exaggerated facial hair, and the resemblance to Mm and M was impossible to ignore The internet immediately exploded. Entertertainment shows played the videos for days. Celebrity blogs analyzed every single frame. Fans paused. There were screenshots being taken to compare outfits in Mariah She kept smiling, insisting the song wasn't about anyone specific, and it was almost like performance art And what's so crazy is the M and M that she played in two thousand nine is the M and M that you see current day in twenty twenty six. Not only is she a great songwriter, she can predict the future too. But the public obviously loved this and obsessed reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot one hundred and became one of the biggest singles from the album Critics would praise the playful production in Mariah's sense of humor, while listeners embraced it as the perfect anthem for dealing with someone who simply won't let something go Of course there was one person who wasn't laughing Just a few months later, M and M released the song The Warning, which as much as I love Mariah and I don't love Em and M always going after women, the Wning is a really, really good dis. I know it, probably like line for line. I think I know every word of the warning because I was just like, I can't believe I'm watching a rap battle between Mariah Carey and Em andem But again, with the warning, unlike Mariah's approach, there was nothing subtle about it He addresses her directly, insists that their relationship had happened and claimed that he had voicemails to prove it. And he actually plays some of the voicemails alleged voicemails. I don't know if it's ever been like completely confirmed it's Mariah, but if you listen to it, you're like, oh, that's Miah Carey. He plays it at the very end of the song. And this song immediately became headline newews And suddenly everyone had to pick a side. Also, Nick Cannon gets like very into this feud and released a dis at M andem after the warning came out. So I don't know if you need to listen to a Nick cananon rap song, but I'm just letting you guys know that's also a part of this timeline. And again, going back to everybody picking aside, I keep saying and again over and over and I'm catching myself. So if you guys hear it and you're like, Oh my god, you keep saying and again, just know that I know I'm saying it. Anyway. people were like, was Mariah cleverly shutting down those rumors or was Eminem finally telling the truth And Nick Cannon, he enters the conversation almost immediately, defends his wife N calls Em andem's behavior obsessed and accused him of using Mariah's name for attention. And then years later, Nick would joke about the feud multiple times, proving that he never seemed interested in letting it die either. I mean, yeah, Nick Cannon was so fucking excited when him and Mariah Carey got together. Like he was so thrilled that he was about to be relevant. And I think even in twenty twenty six, he would still talk about this feud I am sure, let me Google the last time Nick Cannon talked about M andem. So I just did a quick Google search of Nick Cannon talking about M andM. and the first one is from december twenty second of twenty twenty five, where he says he doesn't respect M andM. So he is still continuing this now, I'm assuming one sided feud with M and M. But what's interesting is Mariah just kind of let it die down. She mostly stopped talking about it Instead, she let the song just develop a life of its own. and that's exactly what happened. you know, Today, obsessed exists almost independently from the feud that inspired it. It's become a meme, a TikTok sound, a reaction gifF. A phrase people use when someone leaves ten comments on an Instagram post or keeps texting an ex who clearly isn't interested. And the song has completely outgrown the celebrity gossip that launched it. unless you're a millennial I think millennials when they hear this song, they still think of her dressing in drag as M and M, one of my favorite things. But I do think the funniest part of this story is that one person is still trying to convince the world that something happened, while the other person wrote an incredibly catchy pop song, put on a fake beard, danced around in a hoodie, and then spent the next decade pretending she barely remembered the situation And maybe the best summary comes from Mariah herself She was asked about it years later about old celebrity feuds, and she laughed and delivered one of the most Mariah Carey quotes imaginable. I don't remember. I love when she says, I don't know her or I don't remember. Oh my god, Mariah Carey cracks me up But whether she truly forgot or simply chose to move on, almost doesn't matter because every time someone jokingly asks, why are you so obsessed with me? The answer is the same. You know, they're quoting Mariah Carey or Mean Girls kind of does that too, right? Why are you so obsessed with me? So it's either Mariah Carey or meane Girls and I think Mariah Carey wins in the M and M Mariah fight. Yes, he released a dis track with voicemails from her, alleged voicemails from her People still love the song obsessed. and I don't think people remember the warning as well as I remember the warning. So Yeah, shout out to Mariah Carey for winning the fight against Einem. All right, are you ready to talk about a song that has a legacy of over fifty years? Well we're about to And the song's called You're So Vain by Carly Simon. And we're here to guess who Carly Simon was singing about. So like I mentioned, some celebrity gossip lasts a week, some last a month And then there's Y're So Vanain, a song that has fueled arguments for more than fifty years. That's right, five zero. If you ask ten people who Carly Simon wrote the song about, you'll probably get ten different answers. It could be about Mick Jagger, Warren Baty. Chris Christoperson, Kat Stevens, David Bowie, James Taylor. And at one point, it felt like every famous man from the nineteen seventies had been accused of inspiring the song. and that's exactly how Carly Simon wanted it So the story begins in nineteen seventy two Carlly Simon was already becoming one of the most respected singer songwriters of her generation. She had won a Grammy for Best New Artist the year before and was known for writing deeply personal music, and then she released You're so Vain. In the first line of the song is really iconic in my opinion, Son of a Gun, you'll probably think this song is about you And immmediately, listeners want to know who the song is about The speculation started almost overnight, and one of the biggest reasons was that actor Warren Baty seemed to fit the description perfectly. At the time, Baty had a reputation for being incredibly charismatic, incredibly successful, and incredibly confident When people asked years later about the rumors, Batie gave what might be one of like the funnier responses, he said, Let's be honest, the song is probably about me. And it's such a perfect answer because it's exactly the kind of thing someone described in you're so vain would say. Even Carly couldn't help but laugh. So in a nineteen eighty three interview with the Washington Post, she finally addressed the Warren Baty rumors And she said, he thinks the whole thing is about him Then she revealed something important. The second verse is Warren, not the entire song, just the second verse. And that one sentence completely changed the mystery. For years, people had assumed the song was about one man, but now Carly was suggesting it was actually a composite of several different people she had known, which somehow made everyone more curious Another rumor centered around Mick Jagger Part of the speculation came from the fact that Mick actually sings backup vocals on the recording, but here's the funny part. Most people had absolutely no idea that he was even on the song at all Producer Richard Perry has said Mick happened to be in the studio and ended up contributing harmony vocals almost spontaneously And once people learned that, theories exploded even more Was Carly secretly writing about Mick? while Mick literally staying on the track Carly laughed off that idea as well and insisted he wasn't the inspiration. So now we're gonna to talk about Chris Christopfferson Carly and Chris had been friends and fans pointed to certain lyrics that seem to fit his personality and lifestyle. Others suggested that it could be Kat Stevens, David Cassidy, or again, even several men combined into one fictional character. and Carly seemed to really enjoy watching everyone guess. In interview after interview, she would offer tiny clues without giving away the answer And in two thousand three, she actually told CNN, quote I've confirmed at least one verse is about Warren Baty. Notice the wording, at least one verse, not the entire song. And then years later, she participated in a charity auction where the winner would receive the identity of another subject featured in the song The winning bid topped fifty thousand dollars. Imagine paying that much money just to solve one piece of pop culture mystery. Honestly, there are some songs of Taylor Swiftss that I might pay a lot to know who it's about. It wouldn't be about who I think it's about. She'd tell me it's about someone else, but I'd be like, but could it be about this other person? Anyway. The winner was the NBC executive, Dick Urbisol After hearing Carly's secret, he agreed not to reveal it publicly, so the mystery continued But finally, in twenty fifteen, Carly decided to share another clue while promoting her memoir And she revealed that one verse referred to the former Electro Records executive, David Geffin And fans immediately went back to the lyrics trying to figure out which lines matched Geffin and which lines matched Baby And at this point the song had become something bigger than a hit single. And if you're like, wait, isn't David Geffin gay? Yes, he is a gay man. I think that it wasn't a romantic lyric or a romantic song when she was writing about David Geffin. She was more like, you're fucking asshole because that's what pretty much everybody says about David Geffin Step into the next era of casino play at Borgatta Online, with new features and an improved player experience. 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When was the last time a display ad changed your mind Now think about the last time a friend told you about something they loved. Different feeling, right? That's how podcast advertising works A host who's built real trust with their audience talks about your brand in their own words in their own voice. It doesn't interrupt the experience. It's part of it. With ACast, you can access the world's largest podcast marketplace. Choose the right shows, the right audiences, the right format. then watch the data tell you it worked. You're not buying impressions ying influence Learn more by visiting acast d. com slash advertise But again, at this point, the song had become something much bigger than a hit single. It had become like an interactive puzzle that listeners had been trying to solve for decades. And maybe that's why it still works, because underneath all the celebrity speculation is a feeling almost everyone recognizes, Meeting someone who walks into every room convinced they're the most interesting person there Someone who believes every conversation revolves around them Someone who hears a song called You're so vain and immediately assumes they're the inspiration. The irony is almost too perfect. The song did reach number one on the Billboard Hot one hundred and became Carly Simon's signature hit. And more than fifty years later, it's still referenced in television shows, movies, commercials, everyday conversations. People who've never listened to the full song still know the phrase You probably think this song is about you. My favorite use in pop culture history when it comes to this song is ten thingsings I Hate about you. And when I say ten thingsings I hate about you, I mean how to lose a guy in ten days. when Kate Hudson is singing it. One of my favorite favorite movie moments, maybe not of all time, but it's up there. But honestly, maybe that's one of Carly's like greatest achievements is she didn't just write a song about a few famous men, she wrote a song about ego itself. As for the mystery, part of me hopes that Carly never tells us every single name Because the moment we know the answer, the guessing stops. and half the fun of your so vain has always been watching incredibly famous men quietly wonder, wait, is she is she talking about me? Is this song actually about me And as I was doing research on Carly Simon, I think it's so clear that Taylor Swift's songwriting is like an attempt to match Carly Simons with the little Easter eggs, I guess you could say. And one thing that Taylor recently said that made me laugh is when she was like, notot all my fans assign songs to people who they're not even about And it's like, I get the mystery, but I like what Carly Simon does better where she's like, actually that verse is about Warren Batady, but the other verses aren't. And it's like, let's have fun like that Tell me the first verse of deear John is about John Mayer and the other verses are about who's the lead singer from from boys like girls because ND laawyer does think dear John is about Martin Johnson rather than, u John Mayer. Anyway, Carly Simon, you're so vanain, one of my favorite pop songs. It's just so fun And I feel like it's a lot of people's karaoke songs. I don't sing when I do karaoke I rap poorly. I will do like getting jiggy with it, Iice ice baby, baby got backack, the fun songs, like the sing along songs But when someone can really sing you're so vain, I'm like, you're so fucking cool. And we're gonna end on one of my favorite back and forths when it comes to pop music and that is, I should say allegedly, but I don't know if I need to say allegedly, but anyway, it's donon't by Ed Shean and then we're gonna follow it up with On My Mind by Ellie Golden. and donon't is allegedly about Ed Sheon's relationship with Ellie Golden, and then Ellie allegedly cheating on him with Nil Horn. Yeah, okay So there are celebrity breakups, there are celebrity love triangles, and then there are songs that launch a decade long internet investigation. And in twenty fourteen, Ed Shearon released Don't, a song that immediately had fans playing detective. Who cheated? Who was the mystery woman? and why did everyone suddenly start talking about Ellie Golden and Nil Horn? So let's go back. Back to the beginning and that's why I don't sing at karaoke. It's not good. I'm not a good singer and that's something I'm always going to be mad about I don't think at thirty four, thirty five, I could go to singing lessons and become a pop star, unfortunately. Anyway, in twenty fourteen, Ed Shearan was everywhere. His debut album had turned him into one of the biggest singer songwriters in the world, and anticipation for his second album X was like enormous. People were so excited for Ed Shearan in twenty fourteen, as was I I've seen Ed Sharon like three or four times at this point. But before the album was even released, Ed started teasing a song that he described as one of the most personal things he had ever written about Now remember, he wrote about a song about somebody being addicted to crack on his first album, but donon't was more personal than that. spoke to Billboard and explained, quot, The story in donon't is one hundred percent true I could have gotten nastier. There was more shit that I didn't put in it. And that's quite an introduction, right When the album arrived, listeners immediately focused on the lyrics and Ed sings about meeting someone on Tour developing a relationship and then discovering she had become involved with another man while he was literally staying in the same hotel He never says a name, but fans almost immediately started putting together a timeline. and the biggest clue came from Ed himself. In an interview with the Breakfast Club, he actually admitted, I was seeing someone for a little while and they ended up physically getting involved with one of my friends in the same hotel while I was downstairs. Again, no names, just enough information to send the internet into a frenzy. And almost immediately one theory took over The woman was Ellie Golden. The friend was One Directions's Nil Horn. And you want to know why? I'm gonna tell you why. Because in late twenty thirteen, Ellie and Nil had been photographed together several times, including at the V Festival in England, and fans also remembered that Ellie and Ed had performed together, appeared friendly, and were rumored to be dating around the same time, and then suddenly every gossip site was connecting the dots Also, they should put like leaders of Stan wars in the FBI, ' fans of things will find out answers so fucking quickly, it's crazy. But Ellie actually did respond. She spoke to Ell UK and said, I did go on a few dates with Nil, but I was never in a relationship with Ed. She said, yeah, I fucked Nil, never dated Ed, okay And it's such an interesting quote because she isn't denying spending time with either of them. She's denying the premise that there was ever a relationship to cheat on And then years later, she addressed the rumor again on Instagram after a fan mentioned the song Her response was simple, false, but also loveved the song. And that might be one of the most mature celebrity responses ever Meanwhile, Ed spent years refusing to officially identify anyone When asked by Rolling Stone whether people had correctly guessed the subject, he smiled and said, I mean, people know It's not exactly a confirmation, but it's definitely not a denial And then came my favorite twist in the entire story Taylor Swift accidentally became part of the investigation. At the time, Taylor was close friends with Ed and close friends with Ellie And fans started rewatching old awards clips and party photos looking for clues. You know, did Taylor know, D she introduce everyone? Was there awkward tension? Let's put it this way. People were analyzing Instagram likes before analyzing Instagram likes was even a thing. And Nil mostly stayed out of it. When asked about the rumor, he laughed them off and never really engaged with the story whichich in hindsight may have been the smartest decision anyone involved made, but what makes don't so interesting isn't whether fans solved the mystery It's what the song represented Before donon't, Ed Shearon had built his reputation writing like Acoustic love songs, right? songs about falling in love, songs about missing someone, feeling vulnerable about love. Then suddenly he releases this sharp, angry, almost confrontational pop song. That's actually produced by Benny Blanco and Rick Rubin. But it shocked his listeners, but the gamble did pay off. Don't reach the top ten in multiple countries and became one of Ed's signature songs And critics praised it for showing a different side of his songwriting, proving he could write heartbreak without making himself the victim. And looking back more than a decade later, the mystery almost feels secondary, the song has become bigger than the rumors. and most people dancing to don't, I don't know why I'm having trouble saying the word don't Most people dancing to donon't today probably couldn't tell you who inspired it There' still they still know the chorus, still every few years someone asks Ed about it, every few years someone tags Ellie on social media, and every few years the internet decides to spend time to reopen the case But this is my verdict, okay? This is the official nostalgia and now verdict Is the song based on a real experience? accccording to Ed, Yes Is Ellie the confirmed subject? No. Has Ed officially named her? No Did Ellie repeatedly deny ever dating Ed? Yes And somehow, despite all these answers, this remains one of the most famous alleged celebrity love triangles of the twenty ten s. And maybe that's why don't still fascinates people, not because we know exactly what happened. We probably never will know the exact details. But if there's one thing pop culture fans love as much as a hit song, it's a mystery that refuses to go away And now we're gonna end with on My Mind And this song has allegedly been a response, a direct response to donon't So we've spent this episode talking about songs inspired by celebrities. and one of the last stories that we're ending on asks almost the exact same question we've been asking all along. Is it actually about the person everyone thinks On september fifteenth, a little more than a year after Ed Shearon released Don't, Ellie returned with the lead single from her third album Delirium. And the songs called On of My Mind While every other channel is fighting for your customers' attention, podcasts are where they've already given it No one accidentally listens to a podcast for forty five minutes. They choose to be here. They trust the voice in their ears, and when that voice talks about your brand, it doesn't sound like advertising. It sounds like a recommendation from a friend. ACast gives you that trust at scale. Digital precision, host read authenticity, and performance data that proves it worked Don't fight for attention. buuy it with Acast. Learn more by visiting Acast dot com slash advertise It was darker than a lot of her previous music, a little more moody. and lyrically it told the story of a relationship that had completely fallen apart Almost immediately, listeners started paying attention to one particular lyric You want my heart, but I already told you I'm not yours. And within hours, again, entertainment websites were running headlines asking the same question. Is Ellie Golden finally responding to donon't The timing certainly didn't help the speculation. And for more than a year, Ellie had been answering questions about Ed Shearon in the rumors that she cheated on him with Nah Horin. and now she's releasing a song about someone who seemed controlling, jealous, and unable to let go And fans immediately connected the dots, but Ellie had a different idea Speaking with MTV News, she laughed off the rumors and said, It's hilarious. It's like every single song is about someone So she also explained that the track wasn't written about Ed at all Instead, she described it as being inspired by a relationship with someone who was possessive and difficult Then she added something that I think is really interesting. She said, I've had a few relationships. It's such a simple statement, but it's also like Ellie saying, Bieve it or not, my entire life doesn't revolve around fucking Ed Shearin But when she appeared on the tonight showow with Jimmy Fallon, the subject came up again and Jimmy asks the question everyone wanted answered Is it about Ed And she smiled and said, no, not maybe, not sort of, just no Of course, the internet wasn't satisfied, and fans started comparing lyrics to Don't and onn My Mind. They analyzed interviews, they built timelines, they searched for hidden clues. and it became another celebrity investigation where everyone seemed convinced that they knew more than the actual people involved And then Ed Sheeron did something that made the story even better When he asked about on My Mind, he didn't seem upset about it. In fact, he praised the song and he told Entertainment Weekly I really like Ellie. I think she's a really talented artist