With each lyric and every chord, Taylor Swift’s new album is a pure masterpiece. With the release of “The Tortured Poets Department,” Swift not only shifts the boundaries of pop music but also engages fans into a deeply personal journey of self-reflection.
Taylor Swift released record breaking album “The Tortured Poets Department” on April 19th, 2024. Spotify announced that TTPD has become the first album to hit one billion streams within a week. Swift created the largest streaming week ever, having over 300 million streams a day. This was also Swift’s 14th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200.
Swift is known for creating certain puzzles for fans to solve, leaving hidden easter eggs on many occasions. Near the release of the album, fans quickly noticed that Swift was continuously using the number “2.” Various times, she used the peace sign emoji on her posts. She also posted several clips with clocks that read 2 o’clock , making fans suspicious of what this “2” could mean. Swift revealed her tracklist on February 5th, originally containing 16 songs, but the mystery of the “2” was revealed at 2 AM on April 19th when Swift released “The Anthology,” dropping 15 extra songs.
The title itself, “The Tortured Poet’s Department,” implies an understanding of the inner workings of a creative mind with intense emotions. Swift is well known for her emotional songwriting. This title honors those of the tortured poets who have historically used their poetry as a way of expressing inner emotions.
One of the main themes of the album is love and its various outcomes. In April of 2023, Swift and 6 year boyfriend Joe Alwyn broke things off. Swift was known for writing many love songs about Alwyn, even creating her album “Lover” in 2019 based on the happiness within her relationship with him. TTPD was Swift’s first break up album since “Red” which was released in 2012. Fans were anticipating an album with true emotions and revealing feelings, and Swift delivered.
Swift has the ability to capture the feeling of new love, the agony of heartbreak, and the memory of past relationships. Swift creates songs that explain feelings everyone has experienced at some point, making her albums extremely relatable.
Lexi Gin ‘25 reports, “My 3 favorite songs from the album are, “thanK you aIMee,” “Guilty As Sin?,” and “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys.” Tracks like these showcase Swift’s lyrical skills as she shows the complexities of love and hate.
Swift also explores the theme of self-discovery throughout the album. In songs like, “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” and “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me,” Swift shows her journey of empowerment. Through her music, Swift encourages listeners to find strength in vulnerability.
Swift’s new album gives a great opportunity to see how much growth she has had in her career. Her songwriting has intensely matured over the years. Swift proves that she has evolved as an artist.
Audrey Edward ‘25 says “I rank “The Tortured Poets Department” very high on my list. Staying up and listening to the new songs with my friends is such a good feeling and this was the perfect album to do that with. This album also has so much to dissect which I love because it separates this album from her mainstream album that everybody understands the lyrics to.”
In “The Tortured Poets Department,” Taylor Swift brought her fans closer to her most personal thoughts, offering a relatable and raw album for fans to enjoy. Through different melodies and intelligent lyricism, she takes fans through the hardships of pain, while also providing hope for resilience and clarity. The album serves as a source of inspiration to those dealing with their own struggles. With this successful album, Swift continues to solidify her spot as one of the most powerful artists of this century.
