floresnellie30 April 30, 2024

The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift Album Review

Calling all Swifties! This post is for you. If you’ve been listening to Taylor Swift’s latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, on repeat for the last week and have certain lyrics stuck in your head then you and I have been in the same boat since April 19, 2024, when Tay Tay released her 11th studio album. Out of all of the albums Taylor has released, this one is the first one she said felt like a “lifeline” that she had to make in order to help her process her feelings about past (and present) relationships. And you can definitely hear the catharsis in her lyrics as well as the tempo and melodies of each song.

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Now, I know Taylor actually released two albums in one with TTPD (it’s called The Anthology and you should totally listen to it if you haven’t already), but for the sake of not letting this post be too long, I’m only going to review the first 16 songs. But I’ll let you know my favorite lyrics from the remaining 15. So, without further ado, let’s jump into this album.

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Fortnight (featuring Post Malone)

My Favorite Lyric: I love you, it’s ruining my life

The album opens with a steady downtempo pop-synth ballad where Taylor writes from the perspective of a woman in an unhappy marriage who lives next door to an ex-lover who is also married. There’s a hypnotic melancholy-ness to the song that Taylor dives deeper into in the second half of the song. All in all, it’s a strong opener and really sets the tone Taylor’s trying to set for this album.

The Tortured Poets Department

My Favorite Lyric: And who’s gonna hold you like me? And who’s gonna know you like me?

Some fans think the second song is about Matty Healy – lead singer of the band 1975 – while others believe it’s about Joe Alwyn. Regardless of who you think this song is about, it’s a good song all the same. The heavy synth drums give it a 1980s feel and the image Taylor paints is one from a dark academia writer’s dreams.

My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys

My Favorite Lyric: My boy only breaks his favorite toys, I’m queen of sandcastles he destroys

The third song is one of the five songs Taylor writes solo and I can honestly say it has one of the catchiest choruses on the album. Written from the point of view of a childhood toy that was once the favorite but is now broken and no longer wanted. Taylor herself said the whole song is a metaphor of how a relationship can start off shiny and new and over time lose its shine, causing lovers to part ways.

Down Bad

My Favorite Lyric: Now I’m down bad crying at the gym, everything comes out teenage petulance

Ok, so I’ve caught myself singing this song to myself more times than I care to admit, but I can’t help it – it’s just so darn catchy. In this song Taylor compares a past relationship with being so good it was “cosmic love” and yet, now that’s over, it’s like she’s returned to earth and nothing will ever be the same again. To be honest, it’s a little bit over dramatic, but who doesn’t love a good dramatic break-up song now and then?

So Long, London

My Favorite Lyric: I stopped trying to make him laugh, stopped trying to drill the safe, Thinkin’, how much sad did you think I had, did you think I had in me? Oh, the tragedy

Track 5 is about a failed romance where the narrator – aka Tay Tay – is trying to process her feelings in the aftermath. Because it echoes a much sadder version of another popular Taylor song – London Boy – many fans speculate that this song is about Joe Alwyn. The opening kind of reminds me of a church choir singing in Westminster Abbey and when Taylor gets to the chorus you can hear just how sad she is to let go of the relationship and the city she called home.

But Daddy I Love Him

My Favorite Lyric: I’m having his baby, No, I’m not, but you should see your faces

Out of all of the songs on the album, this one reminded me the most of Taylor’s second album, Fearless. Its steady folk rock tempo and forbidden romance totally gives Love Story vibes, so if you’re more of a fan of Taylor’s earlier work, this might be your new favorite song.

Fresh Out the Slammer

My Favorite Lyric: All those nights you kept me going, swirled you into all of my poems, now we’re at the starting line, I did my time

This next song opens with an undeniably western flair and then paints the picture of a woman getting out of prison and jumping into a relationship with a guy that her friends warned her against. The song is basically a metaphor for how you can leave one relationship that feels like a prison and jump into another relationship that isn’t actually better.

Florida!!! (featuring Florence and the Machine)

My Favorite Lyric: So you work your life away just to pay for a timeshare down in Destin

This song is actually a bit more uptempo than its counterparts and I think Florence Welch’s sultry vocals gives it some extra punch. Taylor wrote this song from the perspective of someone committing a crime and then running off to Florida to start a new life under a fake identity. I have a feeling this song would be fun to workout to and to listen to if you’re in Florida this summer.

Guilty as Sin?

My Favorite Lyric: One slip and falling back into the hedge maze, Oh what a way to die

Track 9 is written from the point of view of being so attracted to someone that you lose touch with what’s going on in your mind and what’s going on in real life. I’ve heard that this song has caused a lot of controversy because of some of its lyrics but to me it’s just a song about lusting after someone but not acting on those feelings.

Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?

My Favorite Lyric: You wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum where they raised me

This next song is another one written just by Taylor and it’s also another one that gets stuck in my head. It’s about how society has a tendency to raise artists up just to tear them down. In the chorus Taylor illustrates how fame can be like a circus and how people have underestimated her in the past . . . but they shouldn’t.

I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)

My Favorite Lyric: And I could see it from a mile away, a perfect case for my certain skill set

If you like songs about bad boys, this is the song for you. Taylor sings about being with a guy that everyone around her says isn’t good for her, but still believing that she can change him. It’s the same old cliche with a sultry sweet twist. To be honest, this song is not my favorite, but it has its place.

loml

My Favorite Lyric: You talked me under the table, talking rings and talking cradles, I wish I could un-recall, how we almost had it all

Out of all of the songs on this album this one is probably the saddest one. It’s written from the perspective of losing someone you believed was the love of your life and trying to figure out how to move forward without them. Throughout the verses Taylor ponders the broken dreams and promises of a past relationship and ultimately realizes that the love of her life has become the loss of her life.

I Can Do It With a Broken Heart

My Favorite Lyric: I cry a lot but I am so productive, it’s an art. You know you’re good when you can even do it with a broken heart

Ok, so this is my favorite song on the album. It’s an anthem of a song about having the ability to push forward even when you’re an emotional wreck. Many fans believe that this song is actually about Taylor embarking on her Eras tour last year while nursing a broken heart, and while that may be true, I think I relate to this song so much because it reminds me that I’m not alone. There are times in life where you have to put on a brave or happy face and do what you have to do – even when you don’t feel like it. Ultimately, you have to rise above your emotions.

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

My Favorite Lyric: You kicked out the stage lights, but you’re still performing

The next break-up song on this album describes a man that Taylor says was small-minded and belittling. We’ve all met people like this – ones who treat you a certain way when a crowd’s around. Taylor just gives a song about it. Some fans think this song is about Matty while others think it’s about Joe. I think you should just listen to it and leave it up to your own interpretation.

The Alchemy

My Favorite Lyric: Shirts off, and your friends lift you over their heads, beer sticking to the floor, cheers chanted, cause they said there was no chance, trying to be the greatest in the league, Where’s the trophy? He just comes running over to me

Of all the songs on TTPD, this one is for Travis Kelce. Unlike the break-up songs, this song is more hopeful and lighthearted as Taylor reflects on the happiness she’s experiencing in her latest relationship. I mean, who is she to fight the alchemy, right?

Clara Bow

My Favorite Lyric: This town is fake but you’re the real thing

The last song references Hollywood’s first official “It” girl – a silent-film actress named Clara Bow. This folksy-pop track gave me major Folklore/Evermore vibes. It comments on how fame can change people’s lives for the better and for the worst. I really like how Taylor mentions Clara Bow, Stevie Nicks, and even herself in this track and thought it was a very fitting finish to the album.