Taylor Swift, who once was known as a country singer released her new 31-song album “The Tortured Poets Department” a few days ago.
First day the album was sold in 1.4 million copies in the USA. The album, colloquially called "Department of Sad Poets," is nothing short of an inspiring testament to his unparalleled ability to transform the complexity of the human condition into a symphony of sound that resonates with indescribable beauty. The artist, who manages to make sensations with her every new album was met by the audience with different opinions and discussions.
The album was written and produced in collaboration with Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner, Florence Welch, and Post Malone, who have worked with Swift for a long time. The songs on the album are based on events from her personal and social life, much like a classic Swift album. In the album, which is dedicated to hope, love, and strength, both the artist and the listeners strive to find the light within their darkest and weakest moments.
The album's first single, "Fortnight," was a successful choice for an introduction. The phrase "But what about your quiet treason?" used in Post Malone's accompanying song raises a question in the listener's mind. We know that Swift is an artist who sends messages with every word she utters. Has the artist experienced a new betrayal in her love life, where she feels trapped in cold February, making every new day feel like a Monday, and speaks of love destroying her life?
Those who closely follow the singer know that she is known for addressing deep emotions in the fifth track of each album.
. In this album, the fifth track comes the song "So Long, London." To analyze the song, we must travel through time. The use of "London" in the title of the song recalls her song "London Boy," where she expressed her love for a boy from London on her 2019 album "Lover." She also sang about how London was not her home. Now, in "The Tortured Poets Department," she says farewell to her beloved place.
The track also parallels with the song "You're Losing Me" in many aspects, as there are similar and complementary lines. Fans are left wondering whether the track was written for Joe Alwyn or Matty Healy. Swift, however, leaves this puzzle unanswered.
The title track of the album, "The Tortured Poets Department," refers to her unsuccessful relationship with Matty Healy. She notes his interest in typewriters in the song:
"Like, Who uses typewriters anyway?"
Afterwards, the words turn into anger, and he expresses his feelings in this way:
And who's gonna hold you like me?
And who's gonna know you, if not me?
I laughed in your face and said,
You're not Dylan Thomas, I'm not Patti Smith.
This ain't the Chelsea Hotel, we're modern idiots.
And who's gonna hold you like me?
Nobody,
no-fucking-body.
Nobody."
The next song on the album is "thanK you aIMee." What initially grabs attention in the song is the significant emphasis on the letters K, I, and M in the title. When these emphasized letters are put together, they spell out the name Kim. The singer, embroiled in controversy with Kim Kardashian, references her reactions in the lyrics of the song.
But how did these attacks start? For this, we need to take a short trip through time. The events took place at the VMA awards in 2009, where Taylor, while preparing her acceptance speech, was attacked by Kanye West. Kanye took the microphone from her, declaring that she didn't deserve the award.
The conflict between them continued over the years. On the 58th Grammy Awards night, Taylor didn't forget to make a reference to Kanye when accepting her victory dance trophy.
"There are many people around you trying to hinder your success. The best way to ignore them is to focus on your work."
In February 2016, Kanye West released the song "Famous," which contained strong references to Taylor. He included the lyrics: "I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. Why? I made that b**ch famous."
While Kanye claimed that Taylor was aware of the lyrics, she denied it shortly afterward through her representative.
Kim Kardashian, an Armenian-American model and businesswoman who was married to Kanye West at the time and gained popularity with the 2002 pornographic tape "Kim Kardashian, Superstar," dealt a heavy blow to Taylor during this controversial time. She leaked a phone call where Taylor seemingly approved Kanye's lyrics, causing Taylor to face intense backlash on social media. She even changed her city and deactivated her social media accounts.
The following year, Taylor responded to the incidents with her sixth studio album, "Reputation," where she addressed the attacks that predominantly occurred in the Instagram comments section with her lyric visuals.
Taylor expresses that she won't forgive the attacks made against her, making her feel disgusting, and curses out loud as she lies wounded every night. But she acknowledges that everything that happens to her turns into success, hence she thanks Kim for every event.
"And one day your child comes home singing a song, And it's a song only the two of us know about because it's about you..."
Another song on the album, "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys," is explained by Taylor:
"It's the story of being someone's favorite toy until they break you and then don't want to play with you anymore," with reference to denying any changes in her demeanor.