“All the pieces of me shattered as the crowd was chanting, ‘More!’”; Swift says, and she really did give them “more”. Millions of Swifties eagerly welcomed the arrival of Taylor Swift’s 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD), a question arises: “Should Swift have the right to call herself the “chairman of TTPD,” or is she simply an out-of-touch pop star capitalizing on common misconceptions romanticizing poets?
While many people place hate on TTPD, its popularity proves it deserves the recognition of any other Taylor Swift album. In TTPD, Swift departs from her usual sound to collaborate with many artists with unique styles. One highlight is her track with Florence and the Machine, “Florida!!!”, which sounds vastly different from her typical music. Swift also collaborated with Post Malone for her single, “Fortnight,” which debuted at #1 on the billboard for a remarkable two weeks. All fourteen songs from the original album also charted in the top fourteen spots of the Billboard Top 100 upon release, with 2.61 million sales within the first week. As of May 13, 2024, Swift still rules Billboard 200 for the third week in a row, with every song on TTPD charting on the Billboard Top 100 since its release date.
TTPD is nothing like any of Swift’s previous albums, touching on feelings of intimacy, love, and “teenage petulance” as Swift states in “Down Bad,“ one of the catchiest songs in her fans’ opinions. This song, rumored to be about ex-boyfriend Matty Healy, deals with the teen angst of being exposed to someone or something that you wanted badly but then ultimately being left in your initial state. Although many of the songs in TTPD appear surface-level and verge on immaturity, many of the songs showcase how Swift’s innate songwriting mastery still manages to shine through.
In “Cassandra,” a song in which Swift compares herself to the Trojan princess and prophetess, Swift masterfully weaves together two seemingly different stories. When Cassandra warned the Trojans of their imminent destruction, she was disregarded. In the same way, Swift feels like her opinions and warnings too have fallen upon de af ears. Swift alludes to how often the whistleblower, who speaks out first, is punished: “So, they killed Cassandra first ’cause she feared the worst and tried to tell the town.” Swift also details the aftermath, singing, “So, they set my life in flames, I regret to say, do you believe me now?”
Another one of her most popular songs is “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” This authentic and somewhat snarky song explores her opinions of the very public life she has been living throughout the past fifteen years. Swift exclaims to the general public: “I wanna snarl and show you just how disturbed this has made me/ You wouldn’t last an hour in the asylum where they made me.” She gives insight on the difficult side of fame and gives her audience a glimpse into the ruthless industry she works in.
Through and through, Swift creates vulnerable and raw lyrics and soft-spoken melodies, while also discussing devastating but realistic topics. The Tortured Poets Department is yet another beautiful addition to her Eras.
