The long-awaited moment has arrived—The Tortured Poets Department has officially launched.
On Friday, April 19, Taylor Swift unveiled her 11th studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department.” Across its 16 tracks, Swift demonstrates her lyrical prowess, drawing inspiration from her romantic experiences. The album collaborates with artists such as Post Malone and Florence Welch from Florence and the Machine.
Next, following the album release, Taylor Swift took to Instagram to share her thoughts on “The Tortured Poets Department.” She described it as an anthology of fresh creations that capture the essence of events, opinions, and sentiments from a brief yet intense time—one characterised by sensationalism and sorrow. Taylor Swift emphasised that this chapter of her life has concluded, and the door is firmly shut and secured. She expressed a sense of closure, stating that there are no vendettas to pursue or grievances to settle once wounds have been healed.
In addition, continuing her reflection, Swift added, “And upon further reflection, many of them were self-inflicted. This writer firmly believes that our tears become holy in the form of ink on a page. Once we have spoken our saddest story, we can be free of it. And then all that’s left behind is the tortured poetry. THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT IS OUT NOW.”
Unveiling the Track list: ‘The Tortured Poets Department’
- ‘Fortnight’ ft. Post Malone
- ‘The Tortured Poets Department’
- ‘My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys’
- ‘Down Bad’
- ‘So Long, London’
- ‘But Daddy I Love Him’
- ‘Fresh Out the Slammer’
- ‘Florida!!!’ ft. Florence and the Machine
- ‘Guilty as Sin?’
- ‘Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?’
- ‘I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)’
- ‘Loml’
- ‘I Can Do It With a Broken Heart’
- ‘The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived’
- ‘The Alchemy’
- ‘Clara Bow’
- EXCLUSIVE BONUS TRACK: ‘The Manuscript’ (Vinyl only)
- EXCLUSIVE BONUS TRACK: ‘The Bolter’ (Vinyl only)
- EXCLUSIVE BONUS TRACK: ‘The Albatross’ (Vinyl only)
- EXCLUSIVE BONUS TRACK: ‘The Black Dog’ (Vinyl only)
Apart from that, after the release of “The Tortured Poets Department,” Swift, aged 34, is gearing up to unveil the music video for her collaboration with Malone, titled “Fortnight.” This track, which Swift had earlier disclosed as the album’s lead single, is set for release on Thursday, April 18th.
Furthermore, sharing her admiration for Post Malone, Taylor Swift wrote, “I’ve been such a huge fan of Post because of the writer he is, his musical experimentation, and those melodies he creates that just stick in your head forever. I witnessed that magic come to life firsthand when we worked together on Fortnight.” She accompanied her words with a picture of the two of them, announcing via Instagram that the music video would be released at 8 p.m. ET on Friday.
Not only that, Swift initiated her latest musical chapter earlier this year by unveiling “The Tortured Poets Department” at the 2024 Grammys. During her acceptance speech for the Best Pop Vocal Album award for “Midnights” in February, she shared, “[The way I can celebrate] is by telling you a secret that I’ve been keeping from you for the past two years, which is that my brand new album comes out April 19th.”
Taylor Swift’s Double Delight: The Tortured Poets Department Unveiled with a Bonus Edition – The Anthology
In the lead-up to the release of “The Tortured Poets Department,” Taylor Swift strategically placed Easter eggs for weeks, hinting at a special surprise. The recurring appearance of 2 am on clocks in her teasers eventually revealed the hidden message: a double edition of the album titled “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology.”
Indeed, alongside tracks such as ‘Loml,’ ‘Fortnight,’ and ‘So Long, London,’ Taylor treated us to an additional 15 songs. This expanded ‘The Anthology’ track list now boasts 31 songs, amounting to two hours and two minutes of musical journey.
Thus, At 2 a.m. on Friday, April 19th, just as her album dropped, here’s what she had to say about it: “It’s a 2 a.m. surprise: The Tortured Poets Department is a secret DOUBLE album. I’ve written so much tortured poetry in the past 2 years and wanted to share it all with you, so here’s the second instalment of TTPD: The Anthology. 15 extra songs. And now the story isn’t mine anymore… it’s all yours.”
Here are the extra songs Taylor included in ‘The Tortured Poets Department The Anthology’:
- ‘The Black Dog’
- ‘imgonnagetyouback’
- ‘The Albatross’
- ‘Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus’
- ‘How Did It End?’
- ‘So High School’
- ‘I Hate It Here’
- ‘thanK you aiMee’
- ‘I Look in People’s Windows’
- ‘The Prophecy’
- ‘Cassandra’
- ‘Peter”
- ‘The Bolter’
- ‘Robin’
- ‘The Manuscript’
‘The Anthology’ serves as a published collection of poems or other written works, further extending Taylor Swift’s overarching theme throughout the entire album of being a ‘tortured poet’.
Not only that, Swift particularly emphasises “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus” among the various tracks, a gently swelling acoustic guitar-based song. It appears to allude to her past involvement with Matty Healy, as she expresses regret over her inability to help someone who “needed drugs” and remained elusive.
A standout track from the album is the lively “So High School,” where Taylor Swift’s vocals and guitar strumming exude the carefree charm reminiscent of ’90s-era Sheryl Crow. With lyrics like “You know how to ball, I know Aristotle” and “I feel so high school every time I look at you,” one might speculate if her focal point is her current paramour, Travis Kelce. However, beyond the lyrical hints, the song serves as a refreshing shift for Taylor Swift, pulling her out of the depths and into the light.
“The Tortured Poets Department” is now available on all streaming platforms, inviting listeners worldwide to immerse themselves in Taylor Swift’s latest musical odyssey.
