Somebody better say a little prayer for Jake Gyllenhaal, because he just got called out by legendary singer Dionne Warwick. At the center of the public chastising is Taylor Swift’s infamous scarf, introduced to the fanbase through the song “All Too Well” from Swift’s 2012 album Red. The controversy over the accessory has come back into the spotlight, thanks to the recent re-recording release of Red (Taylor’s Version), and Warwick says enough is enough already.
In “All Too Well,” Taylor Swift laments a past relationship, widely theorized to be her short-lived romance with Jake Gyllenhaal, and says even after the relationship ended, he held on to her scarf as a memento. The lyrics say, “And I left my scarf there at your sister's house/And you've still got it in your drawer even now.” Dionne Warwick took issue with that sentiment, speaking out on Twitter, telling Gyllenhaal to give her damn scarf back already.
It does not belong to you. Box it up and I will pay the cost of postage, Jake.November 15, 2021
I wonder if anyone in the world feels more regret over anything scarf-related than Jake Gyllenhaal must feel if the lore surrounding “All Too Well” is true. This all could have been avoided with a simple, “Hey, Taylor, don’t forget your scarf!” For nine years now, both Jake and his sister Maggie Gyllenhaal have fielded questions about the scarf, and I’ll tell you one thing: I bet he got rid of that thing far closer to the time of the original release because of such scrutinizing.
My favorite part about this whole situation, though, is Dionne Warwick’s implication that Jake Gyllenhaal would need help paying the postage. I guess the scarf could have been, like, really heavy for some reason.
The resurrection of the scarf debacle comes as Taylor Swift continues to re-record her music for new Spotify-conquering releases, after her master recordings were sold by Scooter Braun. With the release of Red (Taylor’s Version), which includes 30 tracks of new and re-recorded music, Swift also debuted at 10-minute short film, starring Dylan O’Brien and Sadie Sink, that she wrote and directed to accompany an extended version of “All Too Well.” It sadly did not include O'Brien's best Gyllenhaal impression.
Last year, Taylor Swift began the undertaking of re-releasing her original music, and she dropped Fearless (Taylor’s Version), a new version of her 2008 album, in February 2021. Taylor’s version featured 26 tracks, including six never-before-released songs. The singer is expected to continue down the path of re-recording her music, with “Taylor’s Versions” of Taylor Swift (2006), Speak Now (2010) and 1989 (2014) to be released in the future. We can only expect for those future iterations to send more fans down memory lane regarding Swift's past encounters.
Dionne Warwick, for her part, is not one to shy away from the spotlight, as she is known for tweeting her opinions about whatever is going on in pop culture. The Masked Singer alum had thoughts about Tom Hanks’ son Chet proclaiming a “white boy summer,” and last year somehow found herself in a feud with former talk show host Wendy Williams.
In the 1960s Dionne Warwick came to fame with hits including “I Say a Little Prayer” and “Walk On By” and has won five Grammys. More recently, as well as her appearance as The Mouse on Season 3 of The Masked Singer, Warwick also appeared on Celebrity Apprentice in 2011. And if you need that postage money to return a former lover's neckwear, she's got you.
And while we all wait on the Grammy winner to continue re-releasing her music, we probably shouldn't hold our breath regarding any news on the fate on the scarf. With no updates in the nine years since we first heard "All Too Well," this one may just continue to be one of music's great mysteries.
