By Ella Kozlowski
Elm Staff Writer
After its announcement at the 2024 Grammy Awards, Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” released on April 19 to mixed fan responses.
The album is one of her longest yet, with the run time being around two hours. While the original album consisted of 16 tracks, Swift followed up the release with 15 extra songs at 2 a.m., turning it into an anthology and drawing even more attention to the project.
With all the hype, marketing, and anticipation for the album, it came as a surprise to see that Swift’s fans possessed split opinions.
Reviews range from CBS News’ interview with USA Today’s Taylor Swift Reporter Bryan West, who said, “She’s proven her poetic prowess in this new album,” to Lindsay Zoladz from The New York Times, who said, “As the album goes on, Swift’s lyricism starts to feel unrestrained, imprecise, and unnecessarily verbose. Breathless lines overflow and lead their melodies down circuitous paths.”
These two media sources have varying opinions, just like the fans expressing them on X, as the album can truly be argued in two ways. One can state that its poetic nature is why it can be hard to understand, as it is filled with rich metaphors. The other side claims the album is self-centered and poorly written under the guise of poetry.
Fans who favor the album’s literary merit point to the lyrics, which include clues and messages about past or current relationships.
In “The Alchemy,” Swift sings, “So when I touch down / call the amateurs / and cut ‘em from the team / ditch the clowns / get the crown.”
These sports references, including the phrase “touch down,” led many fans to believe this song may be about Swift’s current boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Fans put on their detective hats for more than just this song; every track can be a reference to either a past lover or celebrity feud.
Some critics view these disses as childish, especially because some of the fights occurred almost eight years ago.
The most obvious mention was to Kim Kardashian in “thanK you aIMee,” where the letters K-I-M are the only ones capitalized.
In the first part of the song, Swift says, “When I picture my hometown, there’s a bronze spray-tanned statue of you and a plaque underneath it / That threatens to push me down the stairs at our school.” The capitalized letters, along with the mention of spray tanning, led many to believe Swift is mentioning a dispute that happened between her and Kardashian in 2016.
After considering both sides of the coin, it is undeniable that many of the album’s songs strongly represent tracks Swift previously attempted. A few possess a unique sound, but many feature familiar themes of messy breakups, a bad reputation, or self-discovery.
While there is nothing wrong with these themes, her past albums have covered the extent of them, and it would be interesting to see her explore other avenues of creativity.
In the end, it is up to the listener to decide what they think of the album, as people are leaning in every direction.
Even if some of the songs do not adhere to a listener’s tastes, with 31 songs in total, there should be a few that pull on one’s heartstrings.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Photo Caption: On tracks like “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart” and “Clara Bow,” Swift comments on the pressures of fame.