The Tortured Poets Department is not a commendable breakup album. For contemporary individuals, it is something that is more refined and cunning.

 

In the midst of her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift performs a song titled “But Daddy I Love Him,” which brings a much-needed sense of energy and progress. “Being precocious during childhood can sometimes hinder the process of maturing.” Furthermore, it is the scenario in which a 34-year-old billionaire, widely recognized as the most renowned individual globally, exhibits a certain level of audacity by rebelling against her parents to some extent. Despite its little irony and allusion to the Little Mermaid.

The song “I just learned these people only raise you to cage you” by Swift, who describes herself as a “dutiful daughter,” is exceptionally impressive, surpassing the numerous profanities and subtle references to sexual topics that are scattered throughout the album. Swift has consistently shown a strong desire to safeguard her parents, who also serve as members of her management team. Swift employs one of her most effective pranks in an attempt to alleviate the seriousness of this collection of songs. She pretends to be pregnant by the disapproved bad boy, solely to observe the expressions on their faces.

In the second half of the song, she directs her sarcastic criticism on certain segments of her own fan base, resulting in another surprising shift. She has consistently nurtured the perception of herself as a beloved older sister or close confidante. Without a doubt, several of them also briefly gasped at the significant accusation. Swift finds solace in criticizing the “judgmental individuals” who claim to have her best interests at heart but torment her online due to her personal choices.

The persistent inability of the former child star to cultivate self-esteem without seeking for adversaries to blame for treating her unjustly is indicative of a lack of maturity and a detriment to her overall well-being.

Seven years ago, when Swift published Reputation, she encountered severe criticism from her opponents Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, with whom she continues to engage in a dispute in the latter part of this “anthology”. Her valid grievances against business associates four years ago acted as the driving force for the ongoing and highly effective “Taylor’s Version” campaign, which entails re-recording her previous albums to establish her ownership of the music. Nevertheless, in 2024, during the peak of the immensely successful “Eras” tour, Swift is encountering significantly less negative public response compared to other prominent figures in the past, such as Elvis, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. Both you and I have a favorable opinion of Swift, and those who have a negative opinion of her generally acknowledge that there is no reason to engage in arguments over it.

Six tracks into her new album The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift sings, “But Daddy I Love Him,” a song that finally finds some momentum. “Growing up precocious sometimes means not growing up at all.” It’s also the one where the world’s most famous person, a 34-year-old billionaire, finally has the audacity to rebel against her parents a little. Even if it’s a little ironic and alludes to Little Mermaid.

The track “I just learned these people only raise you to cage you” by Swift, who identifies herself as a “dutiful daughter,” is exceptionally remarkable, surpassing the numerous profanities and subtle allusions to sexual topics that are scattered throughout the album. Swift has consistently displayed a strong commitment to safeguarding her parents, who also serve as members of her management team. Swift employs one of her most effective pranks in an attempt to alleviate the seriousness of this collection of songs. She pretends to be pregnant by the disapproved bad boy, solely to observe the expressions on their faces.

In the second half of the song, she directs her sarcastic criticism at certain segments of her own fan base, resulting in another surprising twist. She has consistently nurtured the perception of herself as a beloved older sister or close confidante. Without a doubt, several of them also briefly gasped at the significant accusation.

Nevertheless, Swift finds solace in her critique of the “discriminating individuals” who feign concern for her well-being while subjecting her to online harassment due to her personal choices.

The persistent inability of the former child star to cultivate self-esteem without seeking out adversaries to blame for treating her unjustly is indicative of a lack of maturity and emotional well-being. Seven years ago, when Swift published Reputation, she encountered severe criticism from her opponents Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. Surprisingly, she continues to engage in a conflict with them in the latter part of this “anthology”.

The valid grievances she had towards her business partners four years ago acted as the driving force for the current and highly triumphant “Taylor’s Version” campaign, which entails re-recording her previous albums to establish her ownership of the songs. Nevertheless, in 2024, during the peak of the most financially successful “Eras” tour ever, Swift is seeing significantly less negative public criticism compared to nearly any other celebrity in her position throughout history, including Elvis, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. Both you and I have a favorable opinion of Swift, and those who have a negative view of her usually acknowledge that it is futile to debate about it.

In 1966, John Lennon’s statement that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus caused individuals to burn Beatles recordings in public. Does Taylor Swift perform in the song “Guilty as Sin?” In “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” the lyrics “What if I roll the stone away?/

They’re gonna crucify me anyway” and “I would have died for your sins” suggest that the artist is questioning the consequences of her actions and comparing herself to a Christlike figure. Given this context, it is unlikely that she would receive the same negative response for portraying herself in this manner. When analyzing the 31 linguistically intricate songs on The Tortured Poets Department, including the 15 that unexpectedly appeared after the album’s initial release, what is Swift not comparing herself to?

Swift has immense joy and is unable to comprehend that those who genuinely love her, such as her family and fans, may not love her in the way she desires when she actively seeks criticism but receives very little. She vocalizes, “Allow me to divulge a fact regarding my esteemed reputation, it is solely within my power to tarnish,” articulating her exasperation towards her favorable standing.

The leaked part of the album, Poets, evokes a similar vibe as the rest of the album. Contrary to expectations, it does not largely focus on the presumed subject matter of Taylor Swift’s breakup with British actor Joe Alwyn after a six-year engagement. Swift’s song “LOML” explores the themes of love and mortality. Instead, the article appears to only concentrate on a short-lived romantic involvement with another popular musician—the aforementioned despised rebel and “inked golden retriever,” widely believed to be Matty Healy from the United Kingdom. Form a collective known as the 1975.

Swift declares in the introductory verses of the album liner notes, “A sly smile appears on the face of this poet.” I specialize in writing about the most unfavorable individuals, which appears to be the appropriate rationale. While Swift’s emotions of desire and pain were undoubtedly genuine during that time, focusing on the tumultuous relationship rather than the enduring one enables her to return to her usual repertoire and employ the same variety of vocal styles she utilized in the songs she performed throughout the majority of the album’s two-year creation process, often in large venues.

Devoid of an antagonist to ridicule, how could she elicit the suppressed emotional distress of a deteriorating marital relationship with the distinctive melodramatic sentiment characteristic of Taylor Swift? For how long was she able to endure contemplating that more burdensome and challenging loss, to the extent that she could express it fully via song?

She has exhibited her competence. She executed the performance on the somber song “You’re Losing Me,” which she released in November. Swift includes this on the album’s “So Long, London” track, which she is known for reserving for really captivating songs.

The song explores the concept that when one loses a place, whether it is a physical location or a sense of familiarity and routine, it often coincides with losing a person. The initial bonus track, also referred to as a “anthology,” titled “The Black Dog,” serves as a continuation of the aforementioned notion. The story begins with the contemporary notion of being able to monitor the whereabouts of a past romantic partner using your mobile device, as they inadvertently neglected to disable this feature.

Swift watches her ex-boyfriend entering the Black Dog, a bar named after Winston Churchill’s term for depression, and she starts obsessing over what he might be doing there—perhaps meeting other women, maybe hearing one of their favorite songs, maybe not missing her. Why do these thoughts persist? She attributes the cause for this to the fact that old habits die screaming.

And then there’s “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,” which is probably the most pop-friendly anthem on the album and, strangely, the song that makes the protagonist’s feelings the easiest to relate to despite its setting being so unique to the life of Taylor Swift. Although it may not be essential for most individuals experiencing distressing life situations to publicly address large crowds and pretend to be ecstatic every day, we nevertheless have to suppress our feelings, fulfill our professional obligations, and wear a facade. It employs the technique of matching bright music to depressing lyrics, which gives the contrast greater poignancy—all the more so since the song is actually about that contradiction.

Swift also knows that her fans have seen her perform the song in person, in the “Eras” tour film, and in the innumerable hours of tour footage that are available online, which gives the song its unique power.

Taken as a whole, these tracks imply a different album that never was, a breakup record more akin to the genre’s legends, a sort of mature, spiritual follow-up to Red. Rather, she must take long detours to reach her destination, with a mountain of contradictory metaphors obstructing her way out. Beyond the Folklore stage, the Tortured Poets Department doesn’t demonstrate much lyrical development. Musically, it mostly continues in the vein of her previous albums, particularly Midnights, where co-writers and producers Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner create the environments in which Swift’s tales can be told. However, only a few of these tracks truly take off and enthrall listeners.

Verse that is vague could give way to vibrant choruses that are interrupted by run-on sentences (like “about what fingers rings go on”), or vice versa. The random fucks frequently appear to be a substitute for very intense, tangible expressions of lust and enmity. It’s not so much a satisfying stand-alone piece as it is a stream-of-consciousness assembly of elements, similar to earlier Swift albums. I am a fervent advocate of Antonoff, and he delivers exceptional work here.

Take, for example, the seductive lines of “I Can Fix Him” and the giddy, trashy grand guignol of “Florida!!!”Florence and the Machine together. However, it’s impossible to avoid losing Max Martin and the distinctive structure and melodies of a song like “Blank Space.”