“As you might all unfortunately recall I had been struck with a case of a restricted humanity. Which explains my plea here today of temporary insanity.”
Trust Taylor Swift to surprise her fans with two albums when she promised them one. After years of being known as the girl who writes songs about her ex-boyfriends, Taylor Swift has grown into one of the best-selling acts in the present generation.
With so much scrutiny around her process of songwriting, her new comeback has fans and trolls around the world scrambling. And she announced her comeback after receiving the 13th Grammy award in her career.
The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology released on April 18 with 31 tracks in total instead of the 16 tracks fans initially anticipated. While Taylor has yet to release the music video for the lead single – “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone, some of the songs on the album are an ode to her longest relationship with the British actor – Joe Alwyn.
However, it seems like most songs on The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology talk about her short-lived romance with Matty Healey and one song about her current romance with American footballer – Travis Kelce. With 5 albums already written about her romance with Joe Alwyn, The Tortured Poets Department could be construed as a final goodbye to her six-year-long romance with Joe.
The album sees Taylor bare her heart and soul while she talks about her rekindled romance with Matty Healey that ended far too soon. Out of the entire 31-track album, we have 2 collaborations, one being “Fortnight” and the second being “Florida!!!” featuring Florence + The Machine.
Being a genius songwriter and a composer, one thing about all the songs on The Tortured Poets Department is that Taylor has done her magic again. The songs on this album range between pop and indie-folk. The lyrics are smartly written and worded well, with references to people who have been in Taylor’s life as well as other pop culture references.
From Charlie Puth and Patti Smith to Dylan Thomas and Clara Bow as well as Kim Kardashian, the album is full of references that only Swifties will understand and relate to. The Tortured Poets Department also features references to Greek Mythology with Taylor comparing herself to the ravishing Cassandra, the goddess who “entangles men,” or so Taylor is infamously called.
The album was released in two parts with the first 16 songs dropping at midnight while the remaining 15 songs were a surprise, dropping at 2:00 am on the same night. The first 16 songs are a mix of pop and indie while most songs in the second half of the surprise album remind you of Taylor’s last albums like folklore and evermore.
The songs, especially the title track – “The Tortured Poets Department” as well as “So Long, London”, “But Daddy I Love Him” and “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)” are all heartbreak anthems which make listeners think about toxic relationships with needy men. The track, “Down Bad” talks about post-breakup agony where Taylor realises she lost her twin flame with lyrics like, “F**k it, if I can’t have him.“
The 10th track on the album, “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” is one of the best-written songs on this entire album. The song sounds like a diss track to Taylor’s haters as the line goes “If you wanted me dead you should’ve just said. Nothing makes me feel more alive.”
“I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” is a peppy pop track on this otherwise folk-indie album with relatable lyrics like, “I’m so depressed, I act like it’s my birthday every day.” The second half of the album makes some references to Taylor’s new relationship with Travis Kelce her most famous ex-flame – Harry Styles as well as her old feud with Kim Kardashian.
The track, “thanK you aIMee” is written in a way to make the word Kim stand out, making fans believe Taylor is thanking her for kickstarting her rebellious writing which we saw in the 2017 album – Reputation.
The entire album is curated beautifully, giving fans an insight into the time Taylor spent writing her heart out in the form of poetry. It is not a breezy listen but will stay with you due to its rich lyrics and melodic music. The summary of The Tortured Poets Department, which also is written as poetry, gives listeners an in-depth idea about the ups and downs of Taylor’s romantic life that almost pushed her off the deep end.
With so much chatter about the fact that Taylor Swift writes songs about her boyfriends, she ends the summary with “All’s fair in love and poetry,” asking trolls to let her enjoy her songwriting as fans enjoy her music.
Listen to The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology by Taylor Swift on Spotify.
READ MORE: 10 Best Songs From The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology
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Verdict - 8.5/10
8.5/10