Nobody embodies romance quite like Taylor Swift, and her music is a comprehensive source of lyrics that perfectly describe all kinds of relationships. From pining for someone new to breaking up, from happiness to heartbreak, Swift’s music details the highs and lows of falling in love.
Grey’s Anatomy has some of the most iconic relationships ever depicted on television with Meredith and Derek being at the forefront of it all. In a show where viewers inevitably fall for these romantic relationships and end up rooting for them, here are the lyrics from the beloved pop star that correspond with some of the more popular relationships on the show.
Bailey & Ben – “Look What You Made Me Do”
“Don’t like your tilted stage / the role you made me play / of the fool.”
Though fans may argue that Ben and Miranda are one of the healthiest relationships on the show, it doesn’t mean they never had their ups and downs. After Ben’s careless actions in the hospital, Bailey was put in an awkward position where she had to separate her work and home life, by remaining his boss at work so she could properly discipline him for his actions.
The song has a reference in it of “the role you made me play, of the fool” which could be attributed to Bailey having to take a hard stance at work, which she visibly struggled with.
Callie & Arizona – “Last Kiss”
“All that I know is / I don’t know how to be something you miss / I never thought we’d have a last kiss.”
Being one of the longest and best LGBTQ+ relationships on television, Callie and Arizona as a couple were beloved by many fans. The snarky confident Callie and bubbly Arizona were a match made in heaven – until they weren’t.
“Last Kiss” is a song about a person who never thought their relationship would end. After Arizona decided she was “all-in” after Callie was pregnant with Mark’s baby, it was expected these two would last until the very end. But the bitterness and resentment lead to cheating, which led to more resentment. Looking at it from Arizona’s perspective, seeing Callie move on in an unexpected romance with Penny must’ve been hard, echoing the line in “Last Kiss” where Swift sings “I don’t know how to be something you miss.”
Lexie & Mark – “The Last Time”
“This is the last time I’m asking you why / You break my heart in the blink of an eye.”
One of the reasons these two couldn’t work things out was that they wanted different things because they were in very different places in their lives. Mark was much older than Lexie, which likely contributed to their problems. Not being able to choose her or put her first in his life was the last nail in the coffin for their relationship.
Just like in “The Last Time,” Lexie came back to Mark, only for him to choose his child over her again, breaking her heart in a blink of an eye, and putting her in an impossible situation. Lexie finally puts an end to their relationship, realizing she can’t keep giving him more chances, though she eventually does admit she still loves him, they both die only days later in one of the saddest episodes of Grey’s Anatomy.
Owen & Christina – “I Knew You Were Trouble”
“I knew you were touble when you walked in / So shame on me now.”
After being the one to pull an icicle out of her body, it was clear Christina and Owen’s relationship was going to be anything but boring. Having a tumultuous relationship with highs and lows, it was clear from the beginning that they had as many problems as they did chemistry.
Despite being some Grey’s Anatomy fans’ number one couple, their relationship went downhill because of many reasons, but the biggest one was that they wanted different things. Owen wanted a family desperately, and after finding out Christina had an abortion, he cheats on her with someone else. Owen ends up being “the reason she’s drowning” and it should have been clear to her from the beginning that when a relationship starts like that, nothing good can come of it.
Link & Amelia – “Champagne Problems”
“You had a speech, you’re speechless / Love slipped beyond your reaches.”
When fans look at Link and Amelia’s relationship and how it ended, it’s hard not to think about the lyrics of “Champagne Problems.” With Amelia left speechless by Link’s proposal in season 17, it becomes painfully obvious what her answer was, a nice callback to the line in the song “You had a speech, you’re speechless.”
RELATED: 10 People Link Should Be With (Other Than Amelia) On Grey’s Anatomy
Amelia was shown struggling with commitment before, despite marrying Owen. She shared those fears and doubts with Link, which makes his proposal even more out of the blue. Like with many other relationships on this show, this one ended because they wanted different things, but when listening to “Champagne Problems” one can’t help to think it might have been written about them.
Winston & Maggie – “Delicate”
“Is it cool that I said all that? / Is it too soon to do this yet? / ‘Cause I know that it’s delicate.”
Maggie has had her share of failed relationships in the past, but the one with Winston started off delicately, tentatively, and ended up being the best relationship in Grey’s Anatomy season 17. But soon after, Winston surprised Maggie with a question she didn’t quite expect. He liked her so much, he was willing to go all-in, even suggesting he’d move to Seattle to be with her.
Maggie’s stunned expression is a lovely pair to the line from the song “Delicate” about a relationship that’s just starting out, where Swift questions if it’s too soon to move forward with the relationship. Characters on Grey’s Anatomy really should learn there should be no time lost when it comes to love.
Meredith & DeLuca – “Begin Again”
“I’ve been spending the last eight months / Thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end.”
Though not encompassing the lyrics to a tee, there are definitely some parallels that can be drawn between Meredith and Andrew’s relationship and the song “Begin Again.” Meredith has lost the one love of her life as well as the first man she cared about after Derek. DeLuca was her new beginning, it was that spark that confirmed to her that her heart was still beating.
After Meredith spent a lot of time thinking “all love ever does is break and burn, and end,” she realized that there is always a possibility of a new beginning, and so the fans could watch it begin again for her.
Jackson & April – “Happiness”
“There’ll be happiness after me / But there was happiness because of me / Both of these things, I believe.”
Jackson and April have had one of the most tragic and heartbreaking storylines on the show. After the unconventional start of their relationship, where he interrupted her wedding to another man and then they eloped in one of April’s best Grey’s Anatomy episodes, all seemed to be going fine for them, until the horrible loss of their child.
After that, Jackson and April seemed to hurt each other more than anything else, and it was hard for them to remember the happiness that was once there. It wasn’t because they were wrong for each other, or even bad people. It was just the horrible thing that happened to them that meant they couldn’t move on with each other.
Jo & Alex – “Mr. Perfectly Fine”
“Hello Mr. ‘Perfectly fine’ / How’s your heart after breaking mine?”
Jolex, as fans affectionately call them, was one of the most beloved couples on the show. Watching Alex Karev grow into the man he was in the end and find the love of his life after everything he’s been through with Ava and Izzie, watching Jo find her safe space to land after being on the run for so long was very satisfying to fans.
When Alex left Jo with a letter, it was a terrible end to their relationship. Mr. Perfectly Fine talks about one person in the relationship who breaks up with the other in a cruel way. Just like in the song, Alex and Jo thought they found the person they would spend the rest of their lives with. Looking at it from Jo’s perspective, Alex definitely was “Mr. ‘Never had to see me cry’ / Mr. ‘Insincere apology so he doesn’t look like the bad guy.'”
Meredith & Derek – “Treacherous”
“This slope is treacherous / This path is reckless / I like it.”
The beginning of Meredith and Derek’s relationship could best be described as rocky. They had an interesting start, after hooking up unknowing that he was her boss, they found solid ground until his wife Addison Montgomery Shepherd came into the picture.
“Treacherous” is all about a relationship that shouldn’t be, but the two are unable to resist being together. This is a great callback to their relationship after Addison came into the picture because he cheated on her with Meredith. Even the line “I hear the sound of my own voice asking you to stay” has a striking resemblance to the scene where Meredith begs Derek to choose her over his wife.
