Within the last five years, Taylor Swift has released nine albums, four of which have been re-recorded to reclaim the rights to her songs. The latest of her albums, a brand new addition, is “The Tortured Poets Department,” released Friday, April 19.
Swift announced the album after winning Best Pop Vocal Album at the Grammy Awards on Feb. 4, shocking her fanbase. It was speculated that she would announce reputation (Taylor’s Version) that night, so the title drop of the new album came as a surprise.
Swift also hinted at a possible double album, which was released at 2 am the same day. The second half of The Tortured Poets Department, tracks 17-31, is called “The Anthology.”
The album tells the story of heartbreak and coping with grief. It blends two very different kinds of sound, with producer Jack Antonoff dominating the first half with his synth-pop and Aaron Dessner producing the mellow songs in “The Anthology.”
“Fortnight” is the first track on the album and the leading single. It was one of the most anticipated songs because of Taylor’s collaboration with rapper Post Malone. The song sets the scene well for the themes of melancholy and heartbreak throughout the album.
The “Fortnight” music video, released at 8 pm the following day, features Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles, both actors in the 1989 film “Dead Poets Society.” Shot by “Killers of the Flower Moon” cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, the music video is completely black and white. The beginning and end both include a vintage frame similar to that of an old silent film.
Track 2, also the title track, is the first of many songs mentioning marriage. Swift describes a torturous relationship that she could not imagine would ever come to an end. The lyrics “At dinner, you take my ring off my middle finger and put it on the one people put wedding rings on” are the first of many in the album mentioning the wedding Swift wanted but never got. Other songs directly mentioning marriage include “So Long, London,” “loml” and “imgonnagetyouback.”
Track 5 on each Taylor Swift album is known for being the saddest, most personal song on the tracklist. The fifth track on “The Tortured Poets Department,” called “So Long, London” is a possible reference to Swift’s former 6-year relationship with actor Joe Alwyn.
Another song rumored to be about Alwyn is “London Boy” on Swift’s seventh album “Lover.” While “London Boy” is a love song about her experiences with Joe in his hometown, “So Long, London” is a goodbye to their memories, hence the lyrics “had a good run, you’ll find someone.”
Another artist featured on the album is Florence + The Machine on the highly-anticipated track 8, “Florida!!!” Taylor and Florence’s voices contrast each other in a way that is different than any other artist Taylor has collaborated with.
In April 2023, news publications announced the breakup between Swift and Alwyn. Although Taylor was suffering from her heartbreak, she was in the middle of the first U.S. leg of the Eras Tour.
In “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart,” Swift describes what it felt like having to keep a smile plastered on her face while she felt her world crumble. “I was grinnin’ like I’m winnin’ I was hittin’ my marks, ‘cause I can do it with a broken heart.” The song also includes backing sounds of what Swift hears in her earpiece during shows, an ingenious and unique touch to the song.
Swift also includes a song about her infamous experiences with Kim Kardashian. In “thanK you aIMee,” the capitalized letters in the song title spell out “KIM.” The song compares Kardashian to a school bully, with Swift saying that being dragged and slandered on the internet only made her stronger, saying “while you were throwin’ punches, I was buildin’ somethin.’”
The final song on the album is the “The Manuscript,” a reflection on a past age-gap relationship. In this song, Swift looks back on an experience she had, locks it up and throws away the key. She gets all the closure she needs and puts the story to rest, the perfect way to end an album about sorrow and grief.
After the album was released, Swift made a post on Instagram with a caption stating that these songs were just songs and there were no feelings left behind the lyrics and nothing left to avenge. She wrote the album to close the story and leave the experiences behind her. “Once we have spoken our saddest story, we can be free of it,” Swift said.
