Songfacts®:

• In 1979, The Police sang of a lonely desert island castaway sending a SOS to the world in a bottle. Here, Taylor Swift finds herself isolated in America, far away from her English love interest. The only way she can reach out to him is to send him a message in a bottle. Maybe he'll get it one day and he'll hear of her feelings for him.
• Taylor Swift had a much documented romance with English star Harry Styles during the winter of 2012-13. The singer penned this wistful pop song in the same era as her 2012 album Red, so the One Direction singer may be the intended recipient of Swift's message.
• Swift wrote this propulsive dance track with Shellback and Max Martin. It was the first song she penned with the Swedish hitmaking duo as she looked to expand her music beyond her traditional country-pop style. Swift would form a successful writing partnership with the pair; their other collaborations on Red were "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," "I Knew You Were Trouble" and "22."
• The song never made it onto Red, but Swift later re-recorded it for her 2021 Red (Taylor's Version) album. The new version is part of the superstar's effort to re-do her first six albums following Scooter Braun's controversial purchase of her masters.