Taylor Swift’s reference to this London pub has caused huge demand for merch

Surprise, surprise

Taylor Swift reacts to winning the Global icon Award during The BRIT Awards 2021 at The O2 Arena on May 11, 2021 in London, England.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Taylor Swift fans didn't take long to descend in droves on London pub The Black Dog after their fave referenced the venue on her new album.

In the song named after the pub, Taylor sings: "And your location, you forgot to turn it off / And so I watch as you walk / Into some bar called The Black Dog / And pierce new holes in my heart."

The song is likely to reference either her long-term ex Joe Alwyn, or her former flame Matty Healy, both of whom are English.

Staff at the pub, which is located in Vauxhall, have been having a blast following the song's release, even sharing a hilarious TikTok speculating whether Taylor meant Joe or Matty.

A post shared by The Black Dog Vauxhall

A photo posted by theblackdogvauxhall on

However, as you might imagine, it's all been a bit messy since the album, The Tortured Poets Department, came out. Not only are fans heading to The Black Dog by the dozen for a pint or two, but they also really want merch.

Marketing consultant Amy Cowley, who works with the pub, spoke to Sky News about this development.

"We're really happy to ride this wave. It has been surreal," she said.

"We have received thousands of requests from Taylor Swift's fans regarding merchandise, so we are setting up a dedicated email address for people to contact us on. People just want things to show they have been to the pub, or to have something associated with The Black Dog."

At time of writing, the email address has been set up, and you can contact merch@theblackdogvauxhall.co.uk if you so wish.

"But the weekend was very busy," Amy continued. "We had to turn people away because so many wanted to come in. We needed extra security to deal with it all."

But while the onslaught of Swifties was a lot, The Black Dog remains undeterred and ready to welcome the fans with open arms.

"Taylor Swift has nine nights at Wembley in the summer, so we're preparing for that already," Amy added.

"It would be something if she would come down to the pub and have a drink with us. We would love to do something fun with her."

Iris Goldsztajn
Iris Goldsztajn is a celebrity and royal news writer for Marie Claire. As a London-based freelance journalist, she writes about wellness, relationships, pop culture, beauty and more for the likes of InStyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red. Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, Iris is especially interested in debunking diet culture and destigmatising mental health struggles. Previously, she was the associate editor for Her Campus, where she oversaw the style and beauty news sections, as well as producing gift guides, personal essays and celebrity interviews. There, she worked remotely from Los Angeles, after returning from a three-month stint as an editorial intern for Cosmopolitan.com in New York. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, she interned at goop and C California Style and served as Her Campus' national style and LGBTQ+ editor. Iris was born and raised in France by a French father and an English mother. Her Spotify Wrapped is riddled with country music and One Direction, and she can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.