On April 19th, one of the most anticipated and pre-saved albums of all time was released. Naturally, I’m talking about Taylor Swift’s newest album The Tortured Poets Department. The standard edition of the album, with a run time of over an hour, opens with the hauntingly beautiful “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone. “Fortnight” was also announced as a lead single for the album, as well as getting its own music video. The album continues on with upbeat songs like the title track and “Down Bad.”
Many of these songs were a shock to fans, as many had speculated that this album would be a dive into Taylor Swift’s split from her long-term boyfriend Joe Alwyn. However, she seems to focus more on her two-week relationship with the 1975’s lead singer Matty Healy. Songs like “But Daddy I Love Him,” “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can),” and “Fresh Out The Slammer” show how Taylor was always very unsure of the relationship, but she was in love nonetheless. Many of these songs about Healy confused fans, since many people did not support their relationship. Some songs even made fans feel “uneasy” as they were finally no longer seeing Swift as perfect –and I think that is where the beauty of this album really shines through. On songs like “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” and “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” it seems as if Taylor is finally being brutally honest with fans.
The reason why I think this album is one of her best is because it is so personal, and allows for everyone around the world to finally see her as a real person. It is a deeply self-reflective album that deals with her flaws and deepest thoughts. Many fans have said that this album is not made just for the charts, but is more like a look into her diary. Many have also associated the honesty of the album with the length of the record. At 2 AM on April 19th, Swift confirmed many fans’ theories of a double album and dropped a collection of fifteen more tracks titled The Anthology.
Many critics and listeners thought that the album was far too long, but others speculated that this was for a reason. The album’s intimate lyrics and themes of depression and dealing with fame let people experience what her life is constantly like. The album is almost exhausting because it gives us a glimpse into her life under constant judgment and speculation.
I think that this record, objectively, is one of her best albums, lyrically and sonically.
