The Grammys once again where overshadowed by the announcement of a brand new Taylor Swift album: The tortured poets department
The tortured poets department will be Taylor Swift‘s 11th Album. The Grammy Awards ceremony got overshadowed by the announcement. Most, if not all of her fans expected the Reputation (Taylor’s Version) launch date to be revealed. People from Taylor’s close circle such as Blake Lively or Travis Kelce changed their social media profile pictures for black and white versions of it. Everything pointed at a RepTV announcement, but Taylor surprised everyone when she jumped on stage and confirmed her brand new album was coming out April 19th.
Swift and her close friends clearly baited her fans with this. Reputation TV got trending on Twitter (X) hours before the Grammys even started. Superbowl 2024 player and Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce was one of the first ones to make this move. The final move that shocked her fans was when Taylor herself changed her profile picture to black and white right before the ceremony. Is uncommon for her to be so direct with so a twist was expected by some of her followers.
The titles and their meanings are being analyzed by Swifties since they were revealed
Side A:
- “Fortnight” feat. Post Malone: The title already sparkled memes between her fans about a possible collaboration with the video game Fortnite, perhaps we could see her join other artists such as Eminem, Ariana Grande or The Weeknd as a playable character in the game. Also, the Post Malone collaboration was very unexpected for many fans.
- “The Tortured Poets Department” : The title-track and probably a reference to Dead poets society and maybe a reference to ex-boyfriend Joe Alwynn who was rumored to have a group chat with fellow actors: Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal by the name of “Tortured men club”
- “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys” : Perhaps this could also be a Joe Alwynn related song. The title, however, remains one of the most cryptic ones.
- “Down Bad” : Urban Dictonary entry states the meaning as “Being down bad is act of sacrificing your morals and reputation to try and interact with someone romantically.”
Side B:
- “So Long, London” : Clearly a sad ending to “London Boy“. Probably a surprise song for the last London show of The Eras Tour.
- “But Daddy I Love Him” : The Disney’s Little Mermaid quote could reference Harry Styles as he has been seen wearing a T-shirt with that very same quote on various occasions.
- “Fresh Out the Slammer” : Slammer is an expression meaning prison, could be a metaphor for a toxic relationship.
- “Florida!!!” feat. Florence + the Machine : Highly anticipated Florence and the machine collaboration is one of the biggest news for the fans. The title is, again, extremely cryptic.
Side C:
- “Guilty as Sin?” : Title with a question mark. Might be an “am I guilty or are you” situation
- “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” Another song with a question mark and probably the most cryptic title of them all. Perhaps it could be a Who’s afraid of Virgina Woolf? reference
- “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)“: Some fans think this song could be about Matty Healy and their short relationship. he is perceived as a problematic individual by swifties.
- “loml”: Millenial way of saying love of my life but in a cute, few words almost like a text message way. Could be the first song about Travis we get
Side D and Bonus Track:
- “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” : Another one with a lot of theories behind. Could be a “Long live” style song about how Swift does everything for her fans. Performing at the Eras Tour right after her breakup.
- “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” : Is he related to the maddest woman this town has ever seen?. Thats everything fans could think about
- “The Alchemy“: Fans can see a lonely witch remix happening, similar to Cardigan.
- “Clara Bow” : Speculation abounds on how Taylor Swift will incorporate Early XX century actress Clara Bow’s story in her song. Given Bow’s Hollywood struggles, some expect an “The Lucky One” echo, where Swift sings of a yearning for normalcy. Others predict parallels to their own careers, reminiscent of “The Last Great American Dynasty,” where Swift explored Rebekah Harkness’ life in the mansion she now owns.
- “The Manuscript” (Bonus Track): Fans can only think of Dear Reader or The lakes and expect this song to be, yet another, songwriting masterpiece by the Pennsylvanian singer.
After all, everything is just fan theories. We will know surely what every song is about when the album drops on April 19th. Swifties are known to work fast and could drop their theories the very same day of the launch.
Guillermo Lorenzo Manzano
