All The Taylor Swift Songs Joe Alwyn Co-Wrote, And How Much Money He's Still Making Off Of Them
Highlights
- Joe Alwyn co-wrote 6 songs with Taylor Swift under the pseudonym William Bowery, earning a five-figure sum annually even after their split.
- The couple collaborated accidentally during lockdown, inspiring songs like "Exile" and "Betty" that reflect their personal experiences.
- Joe Alwyn made $2.3 million from Spotify streams and receives royalties from Taylor Swift's live performances, making him very wealthy.
While Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn's relationship may not have lasted, the royalties from their songs will go on for many years.
Alwyn co-wrote six songs during his long-term relationship with Swift under the pseudonym William Bowery. Despite their 2023 split, the English actor is still making up to a "five-figure sum every year" for his contribution to three of Taylor's albums.
The pair were inspired to work together when quarantined during the global pandemic. “It was really the most accidental thing to happen in lockdown. … It wasn’t like, ‘It’s three o’clock, it’s time to write a song!’” Joe Alwyn explained to GQ, “It was just messing around on a piano and singing badly and being overheard and then thinking, ‘You know, what if we tried to get to the end of it together?’”
In the following, we take a look at which Taylor Swift songs Joe Alwyn wrote and how much money he makes from Taylor Swift's songs. We also reveal why Joe Alwyn used a fake name to co-write with Taylor Swift.
Every Taylor Swift Song That Joe Alwyn Co-Wrote As "William Bowery"
Fans were quick to decode that the mysterious William Bowery, who was credited on Taylor Swift's Folklore album, was her then-boyfriend, Joe Alwyn.
“I came in and I was like, ‘Hey, this could be really weird, and we could hate this, [but] because we’re in quarantine and there’s nothing else going on, could we just try to see what it’s like if we write this song together?'” Swift revealed during her 2020 Disney+ film, Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions.
"Exile" from Folklore (2022)
Taylor Swift revealed in her Disney+ documentary that Joe Alwyn wrote the “entire piano part” for “Exile." It was the first song the pair was credited on together. The singer revealed that “Joe plays piano beautifully, and he’s always just playing and making things up and kind of creating things,” Swift explained.
When the couple was practicing the song at home, the Conversations With Friends actor performed the part ultimately recorded by Bon Iver's Justin Vernon. “He was just singing it the way that the whole first verse is,” the singer recalled. “I was entrenched and asked if we could keep writing that one.”
RelatedLooking Back, Fans Are Not Impressed With Joe Alwyn's Treatment Of Taylor Swift In Interviews
Is saying nothing as bad as saying negative things about a partner? Fans think so when it came to Joe Alwyn and Taylor Swift."Betty" from Folklore (2020)
The second Folklore collab between Swift and Alwyn is the Bob Dylan-inspired "Betty." The country-tinged song inspired the couple to start collaborating musically together.
Swift overheard her partner singing the chorus fully formed, which inspired them to start collaborating while quarantining during the pandemic.“There’s nothing else going on. Could we just try to see what it's like if we write this song together?” Swift recalled asking Alwyn.
"Champagne Problems" from Evermore (2020)
William Bowery is credited on Everymore's "Champagne Problems," although the tale of a proposal gone wrong felt a long way away from the couple's relationship.
Swift explained that the couple in the song were not her and Alwyn, but “longtime college sweethearts” who sadly had different plans for the same night, “one to end it and one who a bought a ring.”
"Coney Island" from Evermore (2020)
William Bowery teamed up with Aaron and Bryce Dessner from indie rock band The National for the heartfelt “Coney Island.” The lyrics talk about feeling hollow and losing yourself in a relationship that has gone.
RelatedFans Are Connecting These Song Titles In Taylor Swift's New Album To Joe Alwyn
Fans are convinced Joe Alwyn will be heavily mentioned in Taylor Swift's new album, and have even identified which songs could be about him."Evermore" from Evermore (2020)
Taylor Swift explained to Zane Lowe that she based her vocals on Alwyn's piano melody before Justin Vernon added the bridge.
The singer described “Evermore” as a beautiful “clutter of all your anxieties” and “they’re all speaking at once.” However, she believed “Evermore” also featured a “beacon of hope” as “you realize the pain won’t be there forever” and wanted to end her album on the idea that “it could get better.”
"Sweet Nothing" from Midnight (2022)
The last collaboration between Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn, writing under the name William Bowery, was the tender ballad “Sweet Nothing” for her Midnight album. In the song, their last before their Spring 2023 split, Swift reminisces over the highs and lows of being in the public eye and finding peace with her partner.
How Joe Alwyn Makes Money Off Taylor Swift Songs
Joe Alwyn has reportedly made about $2.3 million from Spotify streams alone. He earns money from streams and from Taylor Swift's live performances.
“Fair or not, it’s made him a very rich guy.”
A source told Life & Style, “Joe is making so much on royalties and returns from [Taylor’s] Eras Tour that he doesn’t ever need to worry about money again.”
Billboard calculated that Taylor Swift earned over $100 million from last year’s Spotify streams, and Alwyn will take a slice of that with his contribution to her discography.
RelatedJoe Alwyn May Be A Completely Different Man After Breaking Up With Taylor Swift, Here's The Truth About His Mysterious Life Now
The ever-reserved Joe Alwyn seems to be adapting quite well to life post-Taylor Swift, despite the breakup causing a huge change in his life.Why Joe Alwyn Wrote Taylor Swift Songs Under Fake Name
Joe Alwyn chose to be credited under a different name on Taylor Swift's album to keep the focus on the music.
“We chose to do it so the people first and foremost would listen to the music before dissecting the fact that we did it together."
He explains that he chose the name William Bowery because it sounded "very fancy." The actor told Kelly Clarkson during an appearance on her chat show, "It sounds like a kind of Agatha Christie character that should be wearing a monocle with a big mustache."
Joe Alwyn said the pseudonym “was a combination of William … my great-grandfather — who I actually never met — was a composer. He wrote a lot of classical music and wrote a lot of film scores.” And the last name was inspired by geography. “Bowery is the area in New York that I spent a lot of time in when I first moved over there.”
Taylor Swift explains that she and her then-boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, started collaborating when they were stuck at home together during the global coronavirus pandemic.
“He’s always just playing instruments, and he doesn’t do it in a strategic ‘I’m writing a song right now’ thing,” Swift explained in a December 2020 interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. "He’s always done that."
"But do I think we would have taken the step of, ‘Hey, let’s see if there’s a song in here. Let’s write a song together’ if we hadn’t been in lockdown? I don’t think that would have happened, but I’m so glad that it did.”
Joe Alwyn's work on Folklore helped Taylor Swift win Album of the Year at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. While accepting her award, Swift gave a rare shout-out to her then-boyfriend. “Joe is the first person that I play every single song that I write, and I had the best time writing songs with you in quarantine,” she said on stage.
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