BY
Adrienne Tan

Annika Mei Das

Hype Issue #59

Published on

October 4, 2024

If you were to ask a non-Swiftie, they would probably say that the tracks in Taylor Swift’s new album sound the same musically. While many songs do share the same general sentiment, The Tortured Poets Department, which was released back in April this year, is, in her own words, a compilation of songs about “events, opinions and sentiments from a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time – one that was both sensational and sorrowful in equal measure”.

For us, The Tortured Poets Department is not an album that is suited to the taste of the majority. Instead, it seems like a reflection of sorts – a vocalised journal of her looking back on past events, telling the story, and venting her emotions so she can finally let it go. While many interpret it as a chapter-closing album, it seems the best is yet to come – a prologue to the second wave of her illustrious career.

For us, The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD) is a “if you know, you know” album concept. Photo courtesy of Teen Vogue.

Touring Around the World

Her sixth concert tour, “The Eras Tour’, spanning every era in her career, stretches from Mar 17, 2023 to Dec 8, 2024, and it has been, to say the least, tumultuous for her. 

Despite constantly dividing public opinion over her personal life, most recently with her current boyfriend, NFL Kansas City Chiefs athlete Travis Kelce, Taylor has proven herself as a force to be reckoned with in the music world as The Eras Tour became the first tour to gross over $1 billion in 2023. 

She also re-recorded and released 4 of her previous albums (2 of which were released on tour) to reclaim the rights to her music, which previously belonged to her former record label manager, Scooter Braun. However, with 2 more albums left on the re-record list (her debut album “Taylor Swift” and “Reputation”), it is apparent that she has yet to fully reclaim her name and reputation. 

Amidst the excitement of the tour and re-recordings, she released The Tortured Poets Department, which, if nothing else, contradicts public perception of her. Most might think (and understandably so) that being at the height of success is a recipe for satisfaction, but the album, with vocal harmonies and lo-fi tones akin to previous albums evermore and folklore, says otherwise.  How else would Taylor be able to pen tear-jerking accounts and emotions that made us feel like she understood us – if she had not lived through them herself? 

So, let’s take a walk through the top hits in this 31-track anthology, starting with the crowd favourites.

The Eras Tour is now the first ever tour to gross over $1 billion in 2023. Photo courtesy of  Rolling Stone.

THE FAVOURITES

“I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” narrates Taylor Swift’s internal conflict of performing while going through heartbreak and personal conflict, all while her fans were asking for more shows to keep up with demand. 

The contrast between the anxiety-riddled lyrics and upbeat melody reflects the way Taylor hides her true emotions behind her dazzling performances and lights, explaining how the show always goes on, no matter what.

Next, “Fortnight” surrounds a tale of a two-week-long relationship that has long passed. Taylor narrates how she has yet to move past the man, despite both parties being married to other people. The song also depicts their mutual grief, as featuring artist Post Malone wistfully echoes her in the final bridge:

“Thought of calling ya

But you won’t pick up

‘Nother fortnight lost

In America”

Part of the song also suggests Taylor’s instability as they are constantly around each other now as neighbours, having to hide their past and act normal, perfectly encapsulating the “tortured” feeling of being caught in the middle.

“But Daddy I Love Him” is a song directed at people’s disapproval of her choice of partners. Some fans connected its title to a particular scene in The Little Mermaid, where Ariel protests that she is in love with Prince Eric, despite her being a mermaid and him, a human. In the movie, Ariel insists that despite their differences, her love for Eric is so strong that she is willing to do anything for him – even if it includes giving up the only familiarity she knows. Taylor conveys a similar meaning by saying that her love for her partner is strong enough for her to defy those around her, even if they are her loved ones.

This song hits close to home for those of us who have made one too many bad decisions- do not worry, we can definitely relate.

THE UNDERRATED

“Clara Bow” illustrates the pattern of rising female stars in the entertainment industry. The first star that we are introduced to is Clara Bow  (1905-1965), an American actress deemed as the ‘it-girl’ of her time. Her film It (1927), in which she plays a shopgirl, shot her to international stardom, and she later retired at age 28 after getting married. Though she never returned to showbiz, many film buffs have since discovered her archives, sparking a renaissance in the world of silent films.

The first rising star, Clara Bow. Photo courtesy of Getty Images for The Guardian.

The next star that we hear about is Stevie Nicks, a singer-songwriter known for her work in Fleetwood Mac. She was deemed the “reigning queen of rock-and-roll’, and made her name as one of the 100 greatest singers and songwriters by The Rolling Stone.

The second star we are introduced to, Stevie Nicks. Photo courtesy of Getty Images for Rolling Stone.

The last star mentioned is Taylor herself. As the current “it-girl” in the entertainment industry, she is following the pattern and succeeding the illustrious reputation of the star before her. She closes the song by singing “You’ve got edge she never did, the future’s bright, dazzling”, addressing the next female star that will come after her.   

Next, arguably the most heartbreaking song on the album, ‘loml’ acts as a double-edged sword. Typically referring to “love of my life”, which we first assumed was the song’s meaning, shockingly ends up being the total opposite, the “loss of my life”. The song encapsulates the feeling of losing the best thing you ever had, detailing the transition from contentment to sadness. We leave it to you to choose the acronym you prefer!

Lyrics such as “our field of dreams, engulfed in fire” portray what seems to be ‘a perfect relationship’ being ruined by a metaphorical fire, which could mean the cause of the relationship ending. 

“The Alchemy” is a tribute to her current boyfriend, Travis Kelce. Full of sports references, the song talks about how Travis gave her the love she needed despite being at the height of his career. 

This could be seen in the lyrics “Where’s the trophy, he just comes running over to me”, alluding to when he kissed her first thing after winning the Super Bowl, showing all who were watching that she meant as much as one of the greatest moments in his career. This song also saw a spike in popularity as many Olympic and Paralympic athletes had edits made of them running to their partners after winning.  

THE HONOURABLE MENTIONS

With nostalgic, feel-good instrumentals reminiscent of ‘Kiss Me’ by Sixpence None The Richer, “So High School” is the epitome of a high-school romance, a stark contrast to the rest of the album. It speaks of how Taylor feels like a teenager again when she looks at her partner. As its title suggests, iconic high-school experiences are frequently referenced in this track, such as spin-the-bottle and marry-kiss-kill games. Fans have even speculated that the song could again be about Kelce, as interviews of him selecting Taylor as his ‘kiss’ option resurfaced. 

With its hopeful lyrics and refreshing guitar riffs, “So High School” truly gave us the dreamy, teenager-like feeling of falling in love for the first time, which was a much-needed lightheartedness from the rest of the album. Catch the iconic “Truth, dare, spin bottles/ You know how to ball, I know Aristotle” in this track.

‘So High School’ was a refreshing change from the melancholy of the album. Photo courtesy of CNET.

As opposed to “So High School”, “Guilty As Sin?” enters the scene, riddled with guilt about a man she constantly thinks about. Yet, there is a hint of defiance and self-struggle as she justifies that she has never acted on her desires and physically touched the person. As the song continues, it becomes less of a narration and more of a personal message to the man, especially in the final bridge when she sings: 

“They don’t know how you’ve haunted me so stunningly 

I choose you and me religiously”

While the song’s theme was rather undetermined (and initially downright confusing) for us, what struck home was the catchy synth pop melody, along with lyrics that perfectly verbalised the complexity of mixed feelings. Saddled with soulful vocals, “Guilty As Sin?” steadily found its place among our top picks in The Tortured Poets Department. 

And while we remain on the topic of sob-worthy tracks filled with longing and vulnerability, “The Black Dog” is unmissable, focusing on the loss of a relationship due to betrayal, filled with deep pasts and future dreams. The lyrics allude to a sense of trying to grapple with the situation, with questioning phrases like “Do you hate me? Was it hazing?”

With multiple meanings of the title, both literally (a name of an English bar) and literacy-wise (a death omen), it was clear that Taylor once again proved the soul behind her storytelling and fictional world-building. The ballad-like melody, all piano and near-desperate vocals, admittedly took us a few listens to truly resonate with, but it has, along with the other songs on this list, ultimately made the honourable mentions, as well as our ‘On Repeat’ Spotify playlist.

The new TTPD setlist in The Eras Tour. Photo courtesy of Teen Vogue.

RATING: 9/10  

REPLAY: Fortnight, My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys, So Long, London, But Daddy I Love Him, Fresh Out The Slammer, Guilty As Sin?, Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?, loml, I Can Do It With A Broken Heart, The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived, The Alchemy, Clara Bow, The Black Dog, imgonnagetyouback, How Did It End?, So High School, I Hate It Here, thanK you aIMee, The Prophecy, Peter, The Bolter, The Manuscript  

IT’s OKAY…:  The Tortured Poets Department, Down Bad, I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can), The Albatross

SKIP: Florida!!!, Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus, I Look in People’s Windows, Cassandra, Robin