My Rambled Thought’s on “The Tortured Poets Department”.
The date was February 4th, 2024. Taylor Swift showed up to the 66th Annual Grammy Awards wearing a white dress and black gloves, she looked edgy and elegant. Prior to this night, her website had crashed and there was a heavy use of black and white imagery on her website and social media. To many Swiftie’s, all signs were pointing to the announcement of Reputation (Taylor’s Version).
There was so much hype for this re-recording, as it’s one of the fandoms most beloved albums, and we were all ready for Swift to announce it at the Grammy’s. Oh…what clowns we all were. While accepting the award for Best Pop Album, Swift thanked the fans by revealing that a new album was indeed coming, only it wasn't Reputation (Taylor’s Version). It was something completely new, called The Tortured Poets Department, to be released April 19th. The internet lost their minds, and so did I.
From there, the usual release schedule started to happen. The cover art, the track list, special additions each with exclusive art or a bonus track, and the countless fan theories all began to appear. Many assumed this album would be the ultimate break up album about her 6 year relationship with actor Joe Alwyn. Fans were also predicting the album to sound similar to the critically acclaimed folklore, and many were drawing comparison’s to singer and Swift collaborator Lana Del Rey based on the song title’s.
Did the album meet everyone’s expectations when it was released at midnight? Well…that depends who you ask. TTPD has left fans and critics heavily divided. Some claim it’s one of Swift’s best, while others find it muddled and underwhelming. Things got even crazier when 2:00 am rolled around, and Swift dropped the news that TTPD was actually a double album, this version being subtitled The Anthology. There were theories that this would possibly be a double album, but no one expected it to be released so soon.
I usually treat a new Taylor Swift release as a special occasion, spending most of the day listening to the album. This year was different however, as I was moving out of my apartment of 3 years into a house the day the album dropped. Despite this, I still made time to listen to the album and go purchase the CD and Vinyl from my local record store. But even if I was able to listen to the entire album in a day, it usually takes me a few days to gather my thoughts. As of writing this, I’m still not entirely sure how to feel.
In regards to the standard edition, I really like this album. The album has heavy uses of synth-pop and folk sounds, and I really like the combination. Many of the songs remind me of 80’s Fleetwood Mac and Kate Bush in their instrumentals. The lead single, “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone, is good. I’ve been waiting to see these two collaborate and their voices blend really well together. The video is very good as well, with unique visuals and seemingly callbacks to other videos and performances.
And I know you’re probably wondering, what songs on the album are my favorites? It’s still hard for me to fully decide on a clear favorite, but here are the ones I have been playing on repeat or catch myself humming (in no particular order).
- “The Tortured Poets Department”
- “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys
- “So Long, London
- “But Daddy I Love Him”
- “Florida!!!” (feat. Florence + The Machine)
- “Guilty as Sin?”
- “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”
- “loml”
- “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart”
- “Clara Bow”
I usually gravitate towards the songs that have unique beats, catchy lyrics, or make me sit and cry. These songs all fit those categories. “Florida!!!” was one of my most anticipated songs on the album and it did not disappoint. Collaborating with Florence + The Machine seems like a daunting task because lead singer Florence Welch is a vocal beast. This song sounds more similar to the bands sound than Swift’s, but my goodness does it suit Swift so well! The drums in this song get me going!
“My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys” is the one that gets stuck the most, while “But Daddy I Love Him” and “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” are extremely fun to belt out loud. “So Long, London”, “loml”, and “Clara Bow” are the three that make me weep. But the big standout is “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart”, which chronicles Swift’s struggles while on tour. I will be extremely disappointed if this doesn’t become a single at some point.
I hate to admit it, but I love being right. While I initially assumed TTPD to be all about Alwyn, overtime I started to wonder if there would also be songs about Matty Healy. For context, Swift entered a brief relationship with the lead singer of The 1975 after her breakup from Alwyn. I won’t go into too many details, but Healy is a very controversial person and fans did not like this relationship. There was actually a fan petition to encourage Swift to end the relationship. I must admit that I am a fan of The 1975’s music, but I do agree that Healy doesn’t always do or say the best things.
Seeing as how I knew so much about Healy and Alwyn is a more private person, I guessed that many of these songs would be about Healy. And I was correct. The songs seemingly about Alwyn are very sad and healing, while many of the songs about Healy call out his bull**** and drag him through the mud. While we’ll never truly know what happened behind closed doors, it is always fun to listen to the songs and try to put the puzzle pieces together.
Back to the album, while I love the standard edition, I currently find The Anthology to be a little weak. Aside from “The Black Dog”, “The Albatross”, and “The Manuscript”, none of the songs stand out to me. Fans often complain that all of the songs produced by Jack Antonoff sound the same, but I’d argue that Aaron Dessner is guilty of this as well. Dessner produced more on The Anthology and I feel that many of the songs he worked on sound the same. If you asked me to sing part of the songs “Peter” or “Robin”, I wouldn’t be able to do it. While Dessner was a breath of fresh air on folklore and evermore, I now think maybe him and Swift need to switch it up a bit.
The only other song that stands out on The Anthology to me is “thanK you aIMee”. Does that mean I like it? Not really, because this is about some drama that I just want to die. Incase you didn’t guess based on the titles capitalization of the letters K-I-M, this song is about Kim Kardashian. And while I like to hate on The Kardashian’s as much as the next person, this drama hasn’t been that relevant for a few years. I’m tired, it needs to end. While I’m hopeful that the bonus songs will grow on me, for now most of them don’t please my ears.
Similarly, I’m a little tired of Swift dropping extra songs exclusive to streaming a few hours after initial release. She did this with her Midnights album too, but many of those extra songs were better in my opinion. If she want’s to release a big album, then just release a big album from the get go. Adding to this, I’m tired of all of the various editions of the albums being “exclusive to her website”, then being available in stores like Target and Walmart on the same day. This especially made me upset when the “exclusive” bonus songs ended up being on The Anthology. I understand that this is done to help boost sales, but it’s getting a little old. If fans want to purchase all four versions in both formats, then that’s okay. I’ll just stick to purchasing one CD and one vinyl of my choosing at my local record store.
So, is TTPD my new favorite Taylor Swift album? No, but I do see it growing on me. This album isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. I think die hard fans will love this one, while more casual fans might find it a bore. If you have read my ranking of Swift’s albums, I would currently rank both the standard and deluxe editions of the album somewhere in the middle. There is, however, a lot to love. The concept art, the lyrics, and the collaborations are very strong, and I do have a soft spot for songs that really lean into poetry.
Swift has called this her “lifeline album”, and one that she “really needed” to make, and as someone who also create’s things as a form of therapy, I respect that. At this point in her career, Swift is making music that she truly want’s to make. She has always done this, but I find that she’s just making things she want’s to make and not letting critics sway her taste. As a longtime fan, I’m proud to see her artistry expand and grow. Now, let’s keep hyping up TTPD and not pressure her for Reputation (Taylor’s Version), okay Swiftie’s?
Have you listened to The Tortured Poets Department? What’s your favorite song? Let me know in the comments! And yes, a new album ranking will be written once the re-record’s are done.
