“OKAY IT’S HAPPENING! EVERYBODY STAY CALM, STAY CALM, STAY F*****G CALM!” -Michael Scott
At the 2024 Grammys, Taylor Swift announced her 11th original album, The Tortured Poets Department, which will be released on April 19th. Taylor Swift shocked and surprised millions of fans, and as one of those fans, I can’t wait to hear it! Here is the information we have so far, my predictions as to what the songs will sound like, and the possible context behind the album.
- The Title: The Tortured Poets Department
One thing that has stood out to many Swifties is the title. Unlike any of her other album names, this signifies a shift, perhaps in genre, but definitely in eras. It has that same charming pretentiousness we saw in the lyrics of Folklore and Evermore, so many fans are hoping for a similar style. It has also been noted that this title may pay homage, or throw shade, to a group chat Joe Alwyn was in on Whatsapp. Alwyn along with fellow British stars Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott called the chat, “The Tortured Man Club”, something he revealed way back in 2022.
- Possible Genre?
There have been a multitude of rumors online about The Tortured Poets Department and what kind of music it will be. Many fans think it will be synth-pop, continuing the same vein that she left off with TS10, Midnights. However, from the sultry cover and the time she has been spending with Lana Del Rey recently, some suggest it will be softer, more Lana and Adele-esque.
- The Cover: Oh My God!
This is one of my favorite of her album covers, I must say. The sexy black and white, although almost champagne-toned, snap of her laying down on a bed with a black tank top falling off one shoulder and shorts as she embraces herself is groundbreaking. This is truly unlike anything we have ever seen from Swift before. The thick white border around the image, as well as the fact we can only see the lower half of her face, seems to echo the original 1989 Polaroid cover. While I am currently unsure of what that means, with Taylor, it must mean something.
- Two Whole Years
Shortly before announcing the title, Swift said in her Grammy acceptance speech that she had been working on this album for two whole years. Recently, the internet completely lost its mind when Jack Antonoff posted a picture on Instagram stories of Taylor Swift eating raisins at her kitchen counter to celebrate the release of ‘You’re Losing Me’ and captioned it: “A very special track from the Midnights sessions that’s finally streaming! Written and recorded at home on 12/5/21 right after Taylor ate these raisins”. This puts The Tortured Poets Department on a similar timeline and suggests that perhaps these tracks will give more insight into the end of her six-year relationship with Joe Alwyn. The album’s back cover also nods to the ‘You’re Losing Me’ single cover.
- Tracklist
Now this…is insanity. A day after the album was announced, Taylor posted the back cover of the album and with it, the entire tracklist for The Tortured Poets Department. She has separated the tracks into Side A, Side B, Side C, and Side D respectively, with 16 tracks and one bonus track titled ‘The Manuscript’. Let’s go through these together, shall we?
SIDE A
- Track 1: Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)
- Track 2: The Tortured Poets Department
- Track 3: My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys
- Track 4: Down Bad
SIDE B
- Track 5: So Long, London
- Track 6: But Daddy I Love Him
- Track 7: Fresh Out The Slammer
- Track 8: Florida!!! (feat. Florence and The Machine)
SIDE C
- Track 9: Guilty As Sin?
- Track 10: Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?
- Track 11: I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)
- Track 12: loml
SIDE D:
- Track 13: I Can Do It With A Broken Heart
- Track 14: The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
- Track 15: The Alchemy
- Track 16: Clara Bow
Bonus Track: The Manuscript.
- Possible Links and Predictions
The track names seem to provide Easter eggs to Swift’s real life. I assume that “Fortnight”- mainly due to the feature- will be more upbeat, and probably will end up being a single or one of the chart hits. Although I am unsure if it will be the “Anti-Hero”, a radio favorite but not necessarily a fan favorite, I am ecstatic as a massive Post Malone fan. It is an understatement to say this collaboration was unexpected! Similarly, I am hoping that “Down Bad” is a part two of Lover’s “False God”, where it brings a sultry vibe while also feeling majestic. “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys,” must be about Joe Alwyn, and I am sure that will leave jaws on the floor. Track 5 is always emotional and ends up being a true fan favorite, and so I can imagine “So Long, London” will be heartbreaking and perhaps about leaving the home you have created with someone after all these years. I predict that “Florida!!!” will be about wanting to leave New York/ Los Angeles and maybe escaping to somewhere where it’s summer all year round. As someone from London who now lives in Florida, I must say, I already feel a personal connection to this album. “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me” is an obvious reference to Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, which is revered for its themes of appearances versus reality, so I can guess this song will be introspective. Track 12 having the same name as Harry Style’s “Love of My Life” from his 2022 album Harry’s House is interesting but doesn’t suggest much else to me about the song’s contents. However, it is possible that “loml” may stand for something else such as the Loss of My Life or the Loss of My Legacy. Track 6, “But Daddy I Love Him” may also be in reference to a t-shirt that Styles wore, however, the quote itself stems from 1989’s The Little Mermaid, where Ariel had to give up her voice to be with the man she loved, which seems to echo the privacy of her relationship with Joe Alwyn. “Clara Bow” was an actress who starred in the silent movies of the 1920s, so I think this song might similarly be about how Swift feels as though she is silenced but always on show.
I am absolutely ecstatic about this album, the track titles are gorgeous and I just hope that by April 19th I am mentally stable enough to be wrecked by something I can only assume will be beautifully devastating. And don’t worry, when it comes out, I will have you covered with song reviews, music video analyses, and a million other things. What can I say? Swifties have to stick together!