London — “And then, I see you walk into a bar called The Black Dog and make new holes in my heart.”
Like Taylor Swift’s “The Department of Tortured Poets” The album continues to break records, that ambiguous reference in the song “The Black Dog” has elevated a small London pub of the same name to new heights.
The 34-year-old superstar’s moody lyrics allude to seeing an ex-partner who had forgotten to turn off her phone’s location settings going to the bar.
As soon as the album, which on Thursday had broken Spotify’s streaming record with more than a billion streams, dropped last week, devoted fans of the American singer determined the whereabouts of the modest British watering hole and descended on it.
CBS News/Duarte Días
It didn’t take long for the self-proclaimed Swifties to establish that her British ex-boyfriend, actor Joe Alwyn, lives near Vauxhall, not far from the local pub.
“We’ve had to turn customers away every day since the album’s release. It’s been a fantastic experience for the pub and for our team to be a part of,” Amy Crowley, The Black Dog’s marketing manager, told CBS News. On Wednesday.
The pub has made the most of its newfound fame and added Taylor Swift-themed drinks and food to its menu. The company has even started selling merchandise, Crowley said.
CBS News met some of Swift’s superfans who made the pilgrimage to The Black Dog and were very happy to try an “Aperol Spritz (Taylor’s Version)” cocktail.
Gracie and Ethan, siblings from Texas who were on their first and only day of holiday in the UK, said they simply had to visit the site, given their connection to their cultural hero.
“We went to Crown Jewels, (we have) Les Mis tonight and then The Black Dog, which is the same level of importance,” they said with a laugh.
When we arrived, London-born artist and fellow Swiftie Chris Lloyd was stationed outside the pub, sketching its exterior.
CBS News/Duarte Días
“I feel like it’s cool that he’s woven a little bit of London into his songs and into his story,” she said. “So it’s great because you can see the London Swifties around here feeling a little bit closer to her, a little bit more connected.”
New York-born sisters Jaquelyn and Daniella were even scarred for life for expressing their passion for Swift while on vacation in London.
“We actually got matching Taylor-inspired tattoos here: I love you to the moon and to Saturn, which is from the song ‘Seven,'” Daniella explained. “So my sister got the Moon and I got Saturn, for Taylor.”