Taylor Swift Wrote “Willow” in Less Than 10 Minutes, Says Collaborator: “It Was Like an Earthquake”

For the past 25 years, Aaron Dessner collaborated with some of the biggest stars in the music industry. He worked with Ed Sheeran, Gracie Abrams, Lisa Hannigan, Michael Stipe, and the iconic Taylor Swift. He also helped form the National, which he released nine albums with. Making it on Rolling Stone’s list of the greatest guitarists of all time in 2023, the musician has countless stories about working with artists from every genre. Recently, he discussed his time with Swift and how she wrote the song “Willow” in just ten minutes. 

For most, ten minutes isn’t a great deal of time, but for Swift it is about the amount of time it takes her to write yet another hit song. Released on her Evermore album in 2020, Dessner recalled how he wrote the music for the song and sent it to the music star. Believing it would take some time before the words accompanied the music, he was stunned when just 600 seconds later, he was staring at a complete song. 

Talking about the surprise from Swift, Dessner said, “When I sent Taylor the music for our song ‘Willow’. I think she wrote the entire song from start to finish in less than 10 minutes and sent it back to me. It was like an earthquake. Then Taylor said, ‘I guess we are making another album.’”

Remaining Grounded

Besides collaborating with Swift, Dessner noted the determination of the artist and how she continues to stay grounded. “I’ve never seen anyone wait on her. When I have stayed at her house, Taylor herself was cooking everyone breakfast and dinner. She’s legitimately just a very down-to-earth and hard-working person.”

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When wondering what the future might look like for Swift, Dessner believed she would never stop telling stories and finding new ways to reach her fans. “I think she’ll keep inventing new ways and methods of writing and keep expanding this enchanted universe of her own making that we all get to enjoy.”

While taking some time away from her Eras Tour to enjoy the holidays, Swift continues to dominate the industry as she landed on People’s list of Most Intriguing People of the Year.

(Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)