Millions of people stayed up on the night of April 18. Some lay in their beds on their phones, while others were hosting parties and making small talk. One thing is certain, all were waiting for midnight to roll around. They knew what was going to happen once midnight hit. Or at least, they had some idea, but you never know what to expect from Taylor Swift. Then, finally, at the last stroke of midnight, Taylor Swift’s eleventh album was released, “The Tortured Poets Department.” For two hours, while many slept, others were listening to this album, eager to devour every last lyric in each song. Although, there was more in play for these people. Randomly, at 2 a.m., the early morning of April 19, a second album was released with 15 more songs: “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology.” Every Swiftie’s life changed on that day.
Swift released her new album on April 19, “The Tortured Poets Department.” The album included 16 songs, all deep and exciting. A few hours later, she released “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” which had 15 more songs. The addition made the album a set of 31 songs, the biggest album she has written, topping “Red (Taylor’s Version)” by one song.
Taylor Swift wrote an ensemble of beautiful songs, executed expertly and full of raw emotion. The album makes one feel a rush of anguish, anger, joy and giddiness, reflecting Swift’s past few years as she experienced pivotal points in her life and career.
Before this album was released, people had expectations and predictions. People were looking forward to an album that would impact them and give them the usual Taylor Swift wonder. Although, when this album came out, many people were left unhappy. They did not think it lived up to Swift’s hype. It left them surprised and disappointed.
The album fell flat for people for many reasons, although there are some that stick out. The album has a very melancholy tone that people expected, but felt as if it was overpowering. There was little positivity in it and people thought it was a trauma dump of sorrowful emotions. What people do not care to look at, though, is how much Swift needed to write what she felt. Swift writes from a point of raw emotion. She feels so much and writing songs is how she expresses it and how she copes with that emotion. Over the past couple of years, Swift has gone through heartbreaks and rough times and this album reflects the sentiments she has felt and how is moving on from the pain she has endured. It is an album of recognizing her pain and moving on from it. Yes, it is an album with sorrow and unhappiness, but it is also an album of growth and acceptance.
Swift has been known for years for her musical talent, but the one thing that shines the brightest about her is her lyricism. Swift has been writing her own songs ever since she first started creating music in 2004. Since then, her song writing skill has improved and become a powerful talent. Her lyrics impact people deeply which makes her popularity so astounding.
This album is just another example of her amazing ability. Through the songs she has written, she wove nets of words that pull you in and trap you in her story. They attach you to it and encompass the feelings Swift expresses in her music. Swift tells a story in each one of her songs, which is what makes them so impressive. She does not just say words and hope they fit, she plans each one of her songs and often plants little Easter eggs in them. Ever since “The Tortured Poets Department” came out, people have been analyzing all the parallels in the album and the connections to “Reputation,” Swift’s sixth album, along with two of her other albums “Midnights” and “Lover.” One of the parallels is the song “So Long, London,” which many connect to the song on her “Lover” album, “London Boy” as both seem to be about one of Swift’s ex-boyfriends, Joe Alwyn. There are many more parallels with Swift’s lyrics specifically. For instance, in “The Alchemy” Swift uses language that reminds a lot of her Reputation song “Call it What You Want” with how it is a song that is enthusiastic and excited about accepting love and how in the song. In “Call it What You Want” she sings, “All the drama queens taking swings / All the jokers dressing up as kings” while in her new song, she sings, “So when I touch down / Call the amateurs and cut ’em from the team / Ditch the clowns, get the crown.” Another parallel is in her song “So Long, London” and her “Midnights” song “You’re Losing Me.” In “You’re Losing Me” Swift sings, “I can’t find a pulse, my heart won’t start anymore / For you cause you’re losing me” and in “So Long, London” she sings, “I stopped CPR after all, it’s no use.” Overall, Swift wrote 31 magical songs in this album in which each story is specifically hers, yet universally everyone’s while hiding impressive Easter eggs to the events in her life and her past songs.
Finally, one of the only negatives about Swift’s new album is the repetition of it. Even with the album being amazing and being written by Swift, it is not perfect and something that many noticed is how repetitive the album is. While 31 new songs is shockingly wonderful, it also leaves the consequence of some songs sounding similar.
While listening to this album, many people thought how similar the songs sound to each other. So similar it can be hard to distinguish which song is which. Most of them have the aesthetic and the same tone and left the same feeling. While some definitely differed, like “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” and “But Daddy I Love Him” as they both have a more upbeat rhythm while most of the others are slow, deeper songs. Also, while listening to sadder and deeper songs is needed sometimes, it can also be tiring and bring people down. That is one of the main aspects of this album where people run into an issue with it.
Long story short, while many disliked the album or were surprised by it, Swift released her another masterpiece to the world. It is built up of pent up mournfulness but also of acceptance and is an album of overcoming something she thought would last forever and the hurt that was left over from it. The album connects deeply with people’s hearts and helps others deal with their own difficult experiences, just like in normal Swift fashion. It might take time for people to accept this album but, before long, it will become a shining star in Swift’s ever-growing legacy.
