On Sunday, February 4, the 2024 Grammys were held, where we enjoyed several live performances and the awards ceremony for our favorite artists. At the end of the night, the Album of the Year award was presented to Taylor Swift for Midnights, and it was in her acceptance speech that the singer announced the release of her next album titled The Tortured Poets Department, which will be released on April 19. You can read the complete list at the end.
Later, Taylor revealed the tracklist of her new album on Instagram and the theories from her fans were immediate. To begin with, it is said that the album is dedicated that everything is linked to Taylor’s ex, Joe Alwyn, and that even the name of the album is a clear reference to the British actor. The tracklist begins with ‘Fortnights’, which in the United Kingdom is an expression used to delimit a time of two weeks. Coincidentally, two weeks into the tour, Taylor changed ‘Invisible String’ for ‘The One’ and rumors indicate that Taylor and Joe were taking a break. The gossip doesn’t end there.
The name of a song, which is also the name of the album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department’, refers to a group that Joe Alwym had with his friends, which was called The Tortured Man Club, coincidence? I DON’T THINK SO!
You remember the ‘Cruel Summer’ song well, don’t you? Well, in that song she talks about a relationship that began in the summer since many fans claim that the song refers to her then-boyfriend Joe, and now it seems that we can confirm it because one of the songs on the new album is titled ‘My boy only break his favorite toys’ and let’s remember that one of the first verses of ‘Cruel Summer’ goes like this: “Bad, Bad Boy, Shiny toy with a price, You know that a bought it, killing me slow, out the window, I ‘I’m always waiting for you to be waiting below.”
‘So Long, London’ reminds us of the song from her album Lover, ‘London Boy’, where she learns to love and now says goodbye… Swifties should probably prepare a lot of tissues since this song sounds like sure suffering.
‘But Daddy I Love Him’ I think the phrase gives a lot to think about even without the hidden meaning that we can find in Taylor’s relationships, but here is the explanation: we all remember that Taylor Swift had a relationship with the famous Harry Styles, Well, many Swifties believe that that song is a reference to the singer who always seems to be at the crime scene.
There was an occasion when Tay’s ex, wore a t-shirt with the same phrase, which also belongs to a dialogue from Disney’s The Little Mermaid. This album will bring a lot of controversy since the album will supposedly be dedicated to Joe Alwyn… what does Harry have to be doing always involved in references?! I think we’ll have to wait to see who that song is dedicated to. Let’s also remember that one year, Taylor dressed up as Ariel for Halloween, even clearer than water!
We continue with ‘Fresh Out the Slammer’, every Swiftie knows that Tay felt trapped for a long time. The lyric “HE CAN BE MY JAILER” is canceled (poetic parallelism)
It is not yet confirmed that ‘Florida!!!’ is going, but fans have already theorized that it may be about The Eras Tour, as it was at that time that the details of his breakup with Joe Alwyn came to light. Additionally, some mention that this theory is confirmed because Taylor usually writes with those exclamation points when she is on tour.
Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn’s Relationship
Although most only know Joe for being Taylor’s boyfriend, he has also earned her place in the industry through his performances in several films. The actor has also co-written songs with Taylor Swift for her album Folklore and Evermore. The couple lasted six years until they ended their paths and separated on good terms.
Let’s continue with the songs:
‘Guilty as sin’ could be about infidelity but this is not confirmed. ‘Who’s afraid of little old me’ is supposed to be a reference to the book “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”, the plot of this text, play, and film refers to the complexities of marriage and verbal abuse suffered by the protagonist couple.
The song ‘Clara Bow’ supposedly refers to a 1920s actress who had to retire from acting right after marrying Rex Bell. And several more songs that could refer not only to Joe, Harry, and more of her former loves but also to The Eras Tour and the difficult moments that Taylor had to go through even with a broken heart. We want to hear all the songs now.
Tracklist of The Tortured Poets Department
- Fortnight (Featuring Post Malone)
- The Tortured Poets Department
- My Boys Only Breaks His Favorite Toys
- Down Bad
- So Long, London
- But Daddy I Love Him
- Fresh Out the Slammer
- Florida!!! (Featuring Florence + The Machine)
- Guilty as Sin?
- Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?
- I Can Fix Him (Not Really I Can)
- LOML
- I Can Do It With A Broken Heart
- The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
- The Alchemy
- Clara Bow
- Bonus track: The Manuscript
