Taylor Swift has again made a dramatic musical entrance with her eleventh studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” The album's announcement came as a surprise Feb. 4 at the Grammys, with fans previously speculating about the re-release of Swift’s “reputation.”
The shock continued after its release April 19, as Swift delivered the promised album and a secret 2 a.m. edition, titled “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology.” It came with 15 additional songs, culminating in a 31-track masterpiece for the new era. This unique release strategy is a testament to Swift's creativity and ability to keep her fans on their toes.
The album’s opening track, “Fortnight,” featuring Post Malone, also serves as a lead single. The track details an affair between neighbors, seemingly continuing with Swift’s themes in “folklore” and “evermore” as her songwriting bridges reality and fiction. The song also talks of drinking problems, using substances and being a functioning alcoholic.
Swift comes out swinging with this track. While Malone unfortunately does not get a verse, their voices blend well in the melancholy track. After its release, “Fortnight” quickly gained fans' attention and is now No.1 on Spotify’s Top 50 Global chart. A music video was also released for the song, which now has over 34 million views. While the song faces public success, it would have been served better with more collaboration on the verses from Post Malone.
Another collaboration on the album is “Florida!!!” featuring Florence + The Machine. In contrast to “Fortnight,” Florence Welch’s powerful vocals appear in a verse as she makes her mark on the track. The drumbeat of the chorus is unique to the album, as the two harmonize and sing of Florida, making it one of the standouts on the album.
With the release of “TTPD,” fans speculated who the album would be about: Swift’s new boyfriend Travis Kelce, ex-situationship Matty Healy or ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn. But as Swift has proved time and time again, her talent goes far beyond who she has dated.
Track 10, “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” encapsulates this with Swift discussing how her fame affected her. The track is bold and edgy, with Swift screaming the chorus, exemplifying the reclaiming of her power amid constant criticism in the media.
Swift pays homage to a similar female star and silent film actress, Clara Bow. In the song “Clara Bow,” Swift mentions her and Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks. It is a slower track and relaxed melody paying homage to the women who came before and after. Its catchy chorus stands out from slower songs on the album like “Cassandra” and “Peter,” which are both skippable.
While Swift’s love life is not the only exciting aspect of her music, it certainly enters this album. To fans' surprise, many songs hint at Swift’s “situationship” with Healy, The 1975’s lead singer.
The titular track, “The Tortured Poet’s Department,” alludes to Healy and masquerades as a catchy pop song filled with producer Jack Antonoff’s classic synth instrumentals.
Swift discusses the aspects of a partner she now loathes, mentioning his appreciation for typewriters ending up at parties. She even shouts out singer Charlie Puth, singing that she and her former partner “declared” he “should be a bigger artist.” Fans quickly determined this song was about Healy because he mentioned in a 2018 GQ video he appreciated typewriters and tweeted about his love for Puth.
The album holds a negative view of Healy as “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)” nods toward a “bad boy” reputation in a partner. With a similar style used by The 1975 in the song’s title, it seems Healy is the bad boy.
Alwyn also makes an appearance in this album with “So Long, London” referencing the loss of Swift’s previously described “London Boy” in her “Lover” album. “loml” also mentions the loss of Swift’s life with the actor, seemingly jabbing at the pair's breakup.
Kelce and Swift’s fairytale romance is referenced in “So High School” as Swift sings about a partner who “knows how to ball” and plays the game. Swift also questions if her partner is going to marry, kiss or kill her — a reference to Kelce’s old interview playing this exact game. The song is sweet, old-school romantic and shows her happiness with Kelce. The second to last song, “The Alchemy,” sings the tune of pure, once-in-a-lifetime love, reminiscent of the pair's connection.
Some other stand-out tracks on the album include “thanK you aIMee.” Many think it is about Kim Kardashian due to the capitalized letters and lyrics about a bully. “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” is about Swift continuing to perform during her Eras Tour despite her breakup with Alwyn. “But Daddy I Love Him” has an addicting tune where the singer breaks the fourth wall by teasing fans that she is pregnant, quickly following up with, “No I’m not, but you should see your faces.”
“The Manuscript” is the last song in the composed collection and is easily forgettable. However, it perfectly wraps up the album, showing how Swift reflects on what she did in the past and moving on to a new chapter. The album’s second half is produced primarily by The National band member Aaron Dessner. The song's creativity is stunning, and the 31 tracks are tied together with a neat bow.
Overall, “The Tortured Poets Department” is a well-done release by Swift. While the songlist is heavy, Swift’s songwriting is introspective and captivating. Few people in the industry can create as Swift can. Even though she is ever-evolving, her music will always excel.
