There I was, just casually watching the Grammys with my friend, when Taylor Swift won Best Pop Vocal Album for Midnights. Now speaking as a Swiftie, I can’t say that this came as a big surprise to me, but what did was when she stated this was her 13th Grammy. Anyone who knows Ms. Swift knows that this is notoriously her lucky number, so I immediately thought she was going to announce the re-release of Reputation.Â
Before this, I thought she was going to announce the re-recording during her first Tokyo show based on fan theories and clues she has dropped. But no, Taylor loves to cause a shock and give her fans little heart attacks, so she announced that her brand new album The Tortured Poets Department is dropping on April 19th. If it’s anything like the movie Dead Poets Society, I will have to spend an indefinite amount of time crying and processing. In this article I’ll give the full scoop on what to expect, which tracks I think are going to hit the hardest, and why Joe Alwyn needs to find a bunker to hide in.Â
First things first, the gorgeous album cover gives exactly what the title suggests: a brooding poet, desire, and sorrow. The album is set to drop on April 19th with 15 songs and a bonus track. There are two collaborations, with Florence and the Machine featured on “Florida!!!” and Post Malone featured on the first track of the album, “Fortnight”. A day after dropping the release date, Taylor posted the whole tracklist – unusual for her as she usually drops them months after announcing an album, so it was likely leaked. Some claim that an anonymous Tiktok leaked the tracklist on January 26th, which would have been ten days before the official release. While I have heard these rumors I saw nothing of this before the release and there is no official proof just speculation since releasing the tracklist a day after announcing the album is unusual.Â
The hype is already building for Taylor’s infamous track five, which is subjectively her most personal and emotional song on each album, which is called “So Long. London.. This is a clear reference to Joe Alwyn, a British actor who has many different songs devoted to him, from songs in Reputation to the Midnights. The ending of a six-year relationship is devastating under any circumstances, so fans are nervous but eager to have more details about this split from Taylor’s intricate lyrics.
Personally, I am very interested to see how “But Daddy I Love Him” plays out, as most fans are suggesting it is an allusion to the Little Mermaid and how she gave up her voice for Prince Eric., But, my fingers are crossed for it to be alluding to Harry Styles, as he wore a shirt sporting this phrase in 2020. As a major Harry Styles and Taylor Swift fan, I would love for it to be about their past relationship and now friendship, but the re-release of 1989 just came out with vault tracks discussing this, so it is unlikely it will be about Mr. Styles, as much as I want it to be.Â
While some thought this album drop was sudden and unexpected, fans fail to remember that Taylor Swift is always thinking ahead. The last track on TS11 is called “Clara Bow,” who was a star during the silent film era in the 1920s and was sexualized and judged for her dating history just like Taylor Swift. After learning this information, looking at Taylor’s Grammy outfit in the photo above, you can see the blatant resemblance to Clara Bow’s style. I personally was wondering why she did not do an outfit change after winning her first award like other artists, but now seeing the track name, it becomes clear that this was a clue she was waving in our faces, knowing we wouldn’t pick up on it until after the tracklist dropped.
That’s about all I got, but I’ll end with a warning to Mr. Alwyn that the facts are about to come out and he should be prepared. Taylor’s fan base is made up of millions of teen girls who listen to her pop, usually upbeat music, and will also not hesitate to be ruthless and drag Alwyn through the mud if Taylor so much as indicates he made one wrong move (which I don’t fully condone, but come on, it’s Joe Alwyn). Taylor loves to keep us on the edge of our seats, and I won’t be able to peacefully sleep at night until I hear this album on April 19th.Â
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