Global sensation Taylor Swift released her newest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” on Friday, April 19. The icon announced the release of her album at the GRAMMY awards after winning Grammy No. 13, her lucky number, for her previous album, “Midnights.” The release of “The Tortured Poets Department” marks her first breakup album since “Red” after her split from Joe Alwyn in 2023. Yet, it’s not a Taylor Swift album release without a little surprise. Swifties were shocked to see a deluxe version of the album, “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology,” released at 2 a.m. with 15 bonus songs adding up to 31 total songs, the most she’s ever released at once.
When Swift released the titles of the songs in early April, “Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)” caught the attention of fans, likely from the two different music genres between the A-list celebrities. “Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)” was the only song on the album released with a music video within the same day. Of course, Post Malone made a feature in the video along with Cameos from Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles.
Swifties easily figured out that “So Long, London” was written about North London native, Alwyn. The two split in 2023 even after Taylor Swift wrote “Lover,” an album dedicated to him, along with a track titled “London Boy.” It’s a sad and angsty tune about Swift letting go of Alwyn and of course, London, after six years together. She notes that she continued to save the relationship after it was beginning to fall apart. Even with the sad meaning, Swift continues to show off her iconic lyrical masterpieces with lines such as “My spine split form carrying us up the hill” and “My white-knuckle dying grip holding tight to your quiet resentment.”
Already a major hit on social media, “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” is an upbeat and catchy song, but it has a depressing meaning behind it. It talks about Swift’s journey through heartbreak while continuing to display a happy and energetic person who the public thinks she is. This track gives Swifties possibly the biggest inside scoop on Swift’s personal life after her split from Alwyn.
A rare message of Taylor Swift wanting a previous partner after splitting, “imgonnagetyouback” is highly believed to be about Alwyn, yet again. The song has a similar theme to “Back To December,” in which Swift refers to going back in time to fix her mistakes with ex Taylor Lautner. Yet in this instance, the pop star isn’t apologizing; she’s determined for him to come back. Throughout the song, hints such as “Whether I’m gonna be your wife or gonna smash up your bike, I haven’t decided yet. But I’m gonna get you back,” shows Swift isn’t sure if she wants Alwyn back again or if she wants to move on.
Possibly the biggest name-drop of Taylor Swift’s career, “thanK you aIMee” is strongly believed to be about Kim Kardashian, mainly because of the capitalized K, I and M. The two have always had negative feelings toward each other, especially since her ex-husband, Kanye West, stole the microphone from 19-year-old Taylor as she accepted her first-ever VMA. The track continues to emphasize Kim Kardashian’s hate toward her, as well as Taylor Swift emphasizing she’s had enough of letting Kim Kardashian’s words affect her, “I wrote a thousand songs that you find uncool. I built a legacy that you can’t undo.”
The only love song on the album is “So High School,” thought to be written about Kansas City Chiefs tight end and boyfriend, Travis Kelce. The track resembles the same energy as her major hit, “Love Story,” from her album “Fearless.” Swifties can already tell this song is going to be a big hit within the Billboard Hot 100. The lyrics hint to be about Kelce with “I feel like laughing in the middle of practice” and more obviously, “You know how to ball, I know Aristotle.” Throughout the song, Swift effortlessly sings about how Kelce makes her feel young again, like they’re the star high school football player and the cheer captain; a pure romance that could never be taken away.
“The Manuscript” is the final track on the highly-favored album. It’s a song about a woman who looks back at her previous relationships and notices the high age differences between her and her partner. Many Swifties believe this is about ex John Mayer, in which the two started dating when she was 19 and he was 32. The song features only Taylor Swift’s vocals and beautiful piano playing, a rare occurrence for the pop sensation.
“The Tortured Poets Department” was a major hit with Swifties and non-Swifties. The album continues to emphasize that Taylor Swift has a natural talent when it comes to both singing and songwriting, always leaving fans wanting more and more. Overall, “The Tortured Poets Department” deserves a 9.3 out of 10 stars.
