Stephen Barker Liles, Man Behind Taylor Swift's Love Song

Wed, 03 December 2008 02:45:09 ET

Stephen Barker Liles, Man Behind Taylor Swift's Love Song
The mysterious guy mentioned in Taylor Swift's song "Hey Stephen" from her new album "Fearless" has been revealed. The 18-year-old singer has given Stephen Barker Liles, 24, a call and told him that he is the one featured in the song.

Responding to the track, Liles hints that it is a beautiful experience. He says, "It's totally flattering to have somebody write a song like that for you." Meanwhile, Swift explains to People about the song, revealing "I wrote this song last year about a guy named Stephen who I thought was cute. Sometimes all it takes to write a song about someone is thinking that they're cute."

Swift herself hasn't given comment about the subject of the song. However, the words "Love and Theft", which have been spelled out in code in the song's lyric sheet, allegedly point to Liles's band, Love & Theft. The indication that the subject is actually Liles grows stronger since Swift mentions Love & Theft as her "favorite band" in a video posted on the group's MySpace page.

Although the song sounds romantic, a source close to Taylor Swift denies the rumor that she and Stephen Barker Liles have already been an item. "It was a brief crush-nothing more," the source puts in words. "They didn't date." Furthermore, Liles also rejects the idea of having a romance with the teen star. He tells People, "We've become great friends since Love and Theft started opening shows for her." He continues stating, "I think everyone would agree she's a total sweetheart and anyone would be lucky to go out with her."