Twitter and Reddit are full of posts with fans of Taylor Swift saying things like, “Mother is Mothering” and Instagram Swifties posting their listening parties for the singer and songwriter’s latest release – The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology. After initially announcing an album with 16 tracks, Taylor Swift shocked fans with a double album consisting of 31 tracks in total.
With a playtime of 2 hours and 2 minutes, the 31 songs on the album, all have a story to tell. If you are one of those casual listeners of Taylor Swift or you are someone who does not have the time to listen to the entire album, we’ve got you covered. Here are 10 best songs from Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology that you can listen to.
“Fortnight” (feat. Post Malone)
The lead single on the album as well as the single that will have a music video, “Fortnight” features Post Malone and is the first track on The Tortured Poets Department. According to Swifties on Reddit, the song refers to Taylor’s rebound relationship with Matty Healy after her break-up with Joe Alwyn.
The song talks about a time when Taylor was collaborating on songs with Matty and they had a shortlived affair. The lyric, “I love you, it’s ruining my life,” highlights how badly Taylor feels realising the fact that she fell in love with Matty over such a short time.
“The Tortured Poets Department”
Another song about her relationship with Matty Healy, the title track of The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology talks about the realisation that Taylor had about being in love with Matty. The line, “Who else decodes you? And who’s gonna hold you Like me?” are questions she asks herself about her romantic relationship with band – The 1975’s lead vocalist.
“Down Bad”
Another song on the album directed towards her romance with Matty Healy, the track talks about the feeling of helplessness Taylor felt after her breakup with the singer. The lyrics, “Now I’m down bad, crying at the gym. Everything comes out teenage petulance. F**k it if I can’t have him, I might just die, it would make no difference,” highlight how Taylor’s relationship with Matty was similar to teenage petulance and the end of such a relationship left her feeling helpless.
“Florida!!!” (feat. Florence + The Machine)
The song “Florida!!!” is one of the two collaborative tracks on the album. The track features the rock band – Florence + The Machine. Featuring vocals from Taylor Swift and Florence Welch, this track talks about feelings of insanity and confusion. The song sees Taylor talk about how unhinged she became after the end of her relationship with Joe Alwyn.
The song also ends with a sense of freedom where Taylor refers to Hurricane Taylor from 2017, hoping that the catastrophic event would wash her past away. The lyric, “So I did my best to lay to rest. All of the bodies that have ever been on my body,” points to the fact that Taylor is trying to lay to rest all her past relationships.
“Guilty as Sin?”
The song “Guilty as Sin” is the 9th track on the album and appears to be a song about Taylor feeling drawn to Matty Healy while being in a relationship with Joe Alwyn. The lyric, “Crashing into him tonight, he’s a paradox. I’m seeing visions. Am I bad, or mad, or wise?” makes listeners see how Taylor feels about her relationship with Joe which was on its last legs when she started having “sinful” feelings for Matty.
“Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”
This track, “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” is one of the best-written songs on this overall beautiful album. The song talks about Taylor’s breakup with Joe and her controversial scandal with Olivia Rodrigo. Reddit and Twitter Swifties talk about this song being about Taylor letting her reputation be tainted to save Joe’s reputation during their relationship as well as after the end of it.
The song opens with the lyrics, “You don’t get to tell me about sad. If you wanted me dead, you should’ve just said” which hints at Taylor’s relationship with the media and the public eye.
Moreover, the lyrics, “Who’s afraid of little old me? You should be” and “The scandal was contained. The bullet had just grazed. At all costs, keep your good name,” both hint at her feud with Olivia Rodrigo over writing credits after which Taylor was called names while Olvia came out of the controversy scot-free.
“I Can Do It With A Broken Heart”
The track “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” talks about Taylor opening her best-selling tour – The Eras Tour while dealing with her break up with Matty Healy. She talks about feeling depressed but having to put on a happy face for the fans who keep cheering for her. The lyrics, “I’m so depressed, I act like it’s my birthday, every day. I’m so obsessed with him, but he avoids me, like the plague,” talk about Taylor feeling the urge to go back to the happy phase of her relationship with Matty.
“imgonnagetyouback”
The track “imgonnagetyouback” is the 18th track on the album and talks about Taylor’s breakup with Joe Alwyn. The song talks about Taylor reminiscing about her relationship with Joe and her feeling of wanting to go back to familiarity, a place she had been in for six years.
The song sees Taylor talking about getting you (Joe) back but fans believe she mostly means getting back at Joe for how he made her feel. The lyrics, “Whether I’m gonna be your wife, or gonna smash up your bike, I haven’t decided yet. But I’m gonna get you back,” hint at Taylor being in a state of dilemma about her breakup with Joe.
“thanK you aIMee”
The infamous leaked phone call recording released by Kim Kardashian during Taylor’s feud with Kanye West was one of the most notorious controversies of 2016. Following the controversy, Taylor released Reputation her most lethal album to this day. The album later went on to make Taylor Swift the biggest artist she is today.
The song “thanK you aIMee” is what fans call, a jab at Taylor’s childhood bully as well as Kim Kardashian, who tried to bully her in her adult years. The title of the song is smartly stylised with the letter KIM in capitals as well as the lyrics, “I wrote a thousand songs that you find uncool. I built a legacy which you can’t undo,” which all hint at the Taylor-Kim-Kanye drama.
“The Prophecy”
Allegedly one of the two tracks on the album, The Tortured Poets Department which refers to Travis Kelce, American footballer and Taylor’s current boyfriend, “The Prophecy” talks about Taylor being hopeful to see a successful end to her relationship – possibly marriage.
The song sees Taylor lament about how the media is mostly right about the fact that Taylor has never had a long-lasting relationship. The lyrics, “Don’t want money. Just someone who wants my company,” show how Taylor is tired of narratives about herself and how she only dates famous or rich men.
Bonus: “So Long, London”
The song “So Long, London” is entirely about Taylor’s romance with Joe and how she struggled with the fact that Joe never wanted to publicly acknowledge their relationship. The song talks about Joe’s depressive episodes and how Taylor struggled to keep their relationship, to the point of hurting herself as the lyrics go, “Pulled him in tighter each time he was drifting away. My spine split from carrying us up the hill.“
So there we have it, our picks for the Top 10 songs (plus 1 bonus track) from Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology album.
What do you think of our picks? Which one of your favourite songs have we missed from this list? Let us know in the comments below.