The story behind Taylor Swift’s song “Ronan” is incredibly moving, and it makes it one of her most heartbreaking songs ever. It’s a charity single about a four-year-old boy who died from cancer and it was written for his mother, Maya Thompson.
The song is about a boy named Ronan who passed away from neuroblastoma, a type of childhood cancer. The lyrics are based on a blog that Taylor Swift read about Ronan’s journey and the progression of his illness.
This song was first released in September 2012 as a charity single for Stand Up to Cancer, and all proceeds go towards cancer research. It was written by Taylor Swift with co-writing credit going to Ronan’s mother, Maya Thompson.
When this song first hit the scene, Taylor Swift was under contract with Big Machine Records and it was a standalone single at the time. It would later make an appearance on her 2021 album Red (Taylor’s Version) as the 21st track on the record.
In the meantime, Ronan’s mother, Maya Thompson, had started a blog called Rockstar Ronan to document her son’s battle with cancer. It’s through her blog that Thompson met Swift, who was able to write this song based on the blog posts that she had read.
The song has been released in a new version and is now included on Taylor Swift’s latest album, Red (Taylor’s Version). Fans are going to love this re-recording and the meaning of this song will make your eyes well up with tears.