By Cooper Winkler '26
On April 19th, Taylor Swift released her newest album: The Tortured Poets Department. Taylor announced The Tortured Poets Department at the 2024 Grammys, where she took home two awards; one for Best Pop Vocal Album and one for Best Album for her tenth album, Midnights. The Tortured Poets Department raked in 300 million streams on its first day - making it the most streamed album on Spotify in just twelve hours. While fans had already been privy to The Tortured Poets Department, at two AM on April 19th Taylor dropped The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology. This album added fifteen additional songs to the original The Tortured Poets Department album - making The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology a whopping thirty-one songs long. Taylor also released a music video to the single Fortnight (ft. Post Malone) with stars Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles - referencing the film The Dead Poets Society.
Fortnight (featuring Post Malone)
As the lead single of The Tortured Poets Department, fans had high expectations for
Taylor’s first collaboration with Post Malone. While Fortnight is one of my favorite tracks on The Tortured Poets Department, when I first heard that Taylor and Post Malone were collaborating I struggled to hear how their voices would mix together. I was surprised to find that my favorite part of the song was the outro, which is where Post Malone and Taylor’s voice are most clearly intertwined.
So Long, London
Infamous for her sullen and heart wrenching track fives, fans were extremely excited to hear Taylor’s newest track five; So Long, London. So Long, London is almost undoubtedly about the singer’s breakup with Joe Alwyn, whom she had dated for six years. So Long London contains a plethora of heartbreaking lyrics, perhaps one of the most gut wrenching being, “And you say I abandoned the ship / But I was going down with it.”
But Daddy I Love Him
One of the most popular tracks on the album, But Daddy I Love Him appears to be a message to fans and critics responding to their comments about her relationship with Matty Healy. Taylor pranks her listeners saying, “I’m havin’ his baby” quickly throwing listeners for a loop before she says, “No, I’m not, but you should see your faces.” But Daddy I Love Him is one of the highs of the album, having some of the best lyrics on the album while also having a breathtaking beat.
Florida!!! (Featuring Florence and the Machine)
Florida!!!, this song, in collaboration with Florence and the Machine, was one of the most anticipated songs on the album and does not disappoint. Florida!!! contains one of the best bridges on the album with Taylor and Florence switching off line by line before colliding into a beautiful harmony. Much like But Daddy I Love Him, Florida!!! is also one of the more “epic” songs on the album, loud in contrast to some of the quieter songs later in the album.
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me
A song that demonstrates Taylor’s lyricism beautifully, Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me became an instant hit with fans. Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me is almost a continuation of Taylor’s song Mirrorball, a song which is featured in Folklore, Taylor’s eighth album. Both Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me and Mirrorball contain circus metaphors and both have similar yet slightly different themes. Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me seems to tackle how Taylor has been constantly in the media her entire life and how that has affected her. I believe that Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me contains some of the best lyrics Taylor has ever written.
I Can Do It With A Broken Heart
A seemingly upbeat and cheerful song, I Can Do It With A Broken Heart quickly becomes far more sullen once listeners pay attention to the lyrics. This song contains a tune that listeners may think is almost too jaunty - an assumption that is proven correct when looking at the lyrics. I Can Do It With A Broken Heart likely surrounds Taylor’s performances at the Eras Tour and, fans have speculated, how her breakup with Joe Alwyn factored into this. Taylor details how when she was performing at the Eras Tour she had to power through the pain of her breakup with Joe. Towards the end of the song, Taylor outright states “‘Cause I’m miserable / And nobody even knows.”
Clara Bow
Clara Bow gives shout outs to three women: Clara Bow, Stevie Nicks, and Taylor Swift herself. Each verse surrounds a new woman and demonstrates how they are similar to the last. The first verse details how Stevie Nicks is similar to Clara Bow, the second demonstrates how Taylor Swift is similar to Stevie Nicks, and the final verse surrounds how unnamed artists are similar to Taylor Swift. This song is extremely heartfelt and one of Taylor’s most emotional songs on the album. Here, Taylor pays homage to all of the “it” girls who came before her.
So High School
In an album full of sullen and gut wrenching ballads, So High School is a reprieve. So High School surrounds Taylor’s current relationship with Chief’s tight end Travis Kelce. So High School is upbeat, fun, and hopeful as Taylor discusses her new relationship.
The Prophecy
In complete contrast to So High School, The Prophecy is completely heartbreaking. The Prophecy is a plea from Taylor to change the “prophecy” - that Taylor is destined for no one to want her company. Taylor constantly asks “Who do I have to speak to / to change the prophecy?” demonstrating how desperate Taylor is for company. Taylor’s emotion is clearly heard in her voice as she pleads to anyone who will answer to change the “prophecy”.
The Manuscript
The final track on The Tortured Poets Department, The Manuscript is an amazing finale to one of Taylor’s greatest albums. The Manuscript deals with Taylor “rereading” the manuscript of what she describes as a “torrid affair”. The Manuscript is very similar to Taylor’s Dear Reader, the final song on her album Midnights.
Edited by Kaitlyn Owens '25, Catherine Polatidis '26 and Ms. Brilliant
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