Who is 'Ronan' in Taylor Swift's Red (Taylor's Version)? Track 21 isn't actually a song from the vault 

Taylor Swift dropped Red (Taylor's Version) on November 12, 2021. It contains the re-recordings of all tracks from her fourth studio album, Red (2012). In addition, the album also features some unreleased songs from the 'vault,' including collabs with juggernauts like Ed Sheeran, Phoebe Bridgers, and Chris Stepleton. However, Ronan (track 21) isn't a song from the vault. It was originally released in 2012, and the story behind it is heartwarming.

Ronan was a child suffering from cancer who died in 2011, as confirmed by the Ronan Thompson Foundation blog. Taylor penned the song after reading a blog called ROCKSTAR RONAN, which was written by the deceased child's mom, Maya Thompson. Taylor met her and asked for permission to add Ronan as a single for a cancer charity. Upon release, Taylor also credited her as a co-writer.

The story behind Taylor Swift's Ronan

According to the Ronan Thompson Foundation blog, the child was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma (a deadly form of childhood cancer) when he was just three. Doctors found a lump above Ronan's left orbit of the eye and in his abdomen. In just one year, Ronan underwent several rounds of chemotherapy, including surgery above the left eye and a ten-hour-long surgery to remove the malignant lump from his abdomen.

However, Ronan passed away on May 9, 2011. Maya Thompson refused to give up on her battle to help children like him all across the globe. She established a foundation named after her child to help fund clinical trials and discover innovative ways to fight the deadly disease.

Taylor Swift composed Ronan in 2011 after his mother, Maya Thompson's blog posts about her son's daily life and battle with cancer went viral across the internet.

Taylor decided to make Ronan immortal by writing a song using excerpts from his mom's blog. The song is about Ronan's life from his mother's perspective. In 2012, Ronan was released as a standalone single, which Taylor Swift sang at the 2012 Stand Up To Cancer Telethon

In 2021, Taylor asked Maya Thompson whether she could add Ronan to her new album, Red (Taylor's Version). After Maya said yes, Taylor dropped a lyrical video of the song that included pictures and clips of Ronan taken from his mother.

In her blog post titled ROCKSTAR RONAN published on June 30, 202130, Maya Thompson partially shared the email Taylor sent her asking for her permission to include Ronan in her 2021 album.

"I've recently completed the re-recording of my 4th album, Red. It's really exceeded my expectations in so many ways, and one of those ways is that I thought it would be appropriate to add 'Ronan' to this album," Taylor Swift penned.

Thereafter, the Grammy winner explained why Red (Taylor's Version) was the perfect album to include Ronan.

"Red was an album of heartbreak and healing, of rage and rawness, of tragedy and trauma, and of the loss of an imagined future alongside someone. I wrote 'Ronan' while I was making Red and discovered your story as you so honestly and devastatingly told it," Taylor wrote.

Taylor Swift addressed Maya as the co-writer and wrote:

"As my co-writer and the rightful owner of this story in its entirety, your opinion and approval of this idea really matters to me, and I'll honor your wishes here."

In her July 2021 blog, Ronan's mother also shared that she struggled to articulate how much it meant to her. She was so overwhelmed that there were 'not enough words in the English language' to convey her feelings then.

Finally, Maya mentioned her late son and revealed that Taylor had made him immortal to the world. She wrote:

"Taylor has anchored you to this world so you will never be lost, and now she has ensured you will forever be safe in a new, permanent home. She is once again going to give a voice to the often voiceless, the bereaved parents of the world."

On November 12, 2021, Maya Thompson posted on X about Ronan and her feelings about the release of the song. She expressed her gratitude toward Taylor Swift and called her 'one of the greatest loves' of her life.

Mother of Ronan reveals that she still talks to Taylor Swift

In a TikTok Q&A on March 18, 2024, Maya Thompson revealed that she is still close with the 14-time Grammy winner and shared titbits about their interaction. She revealed that Taylor Swift provides tickets to all her concerts and called the pop star 'the best' and really generous.

"Twelve years later, she's still here. So I love her dearly," Maya added

In the same TikTok live, Maya recalled the touching moment when Taylor reached out to her for Ronan's story and included it in her remastered Red album.

Tears sprang to my eyes. It took me an hour to absorb the words in front of me. I cried while sharing the news," Ronan's mother recalled.

Presently, Ronan has over 43 million streams on Spotify, and the lyrical video has amassed over 3.6 million views on YouTube.

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