Held Captive by The Tortured Poets Department
Open your listening ears, because there’s a new Taylor Swift album!
To the surprise of this listener, Taylor Swift’s 11th studio album THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT — and the subsequent surprise extended edition released two hours later, THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY — is not only a breakdown of her long-term relationship with ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, but a reflection of her spring-time rebound with The 1975 frontman, Matty Healy. This was a revelation to many listeners who were banking on an all Joe album since Swift revealed at the Grammys that the album has been in the works for two years.
What is most interesting, however, is how THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY is an exploration of the five stages of grief, a total devolution into insanity and manic depression, and a new perspective on her relationship with her fans and the media. The overindulgence of synthetic beats and the rapid fire pacing of the lyrics can be grating to the ears, but this is an album that requires a few listens for the themes and ideas to sink in.
Don’t believe me? Let me walk you through my thoughts on all 31 tracks on THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY. And if you think I’m going to speculate about which guy each song is about, you thought wrong.
Fortnight (feat. Post Malone) — The beginning of Jack Antonoff’s (Swift’s longtime collaborator) sheer abuse of the synthesizer throughout this album. This song is an address to Swift’s former lover (presumably Alwyn), blaming them for the breakdown of a relationship that seemingly came out of nowhere. Post Malone is very scarce before the outro, at which point he takes over, providing a good contrast to Swift’s point of view. There is very little musical progression, the melodies don’t really change throughout. It sonically gets bigger at the end with no build up.
The Tortured Poets Department — It sounds sparkly — reminiscent of the Midnights era. Presumably about Healy, especially since she refers to them as Dylan Thomas and Patti Smith. This was a relationship in which they were absolutely obsessed with each other, but it was ultimately toxic and unhealthy. Still, they meant a lot to each other. Very little build up in the bridge before immediately dropping in an unsatisfying way. Her delivery is very breathy, and it’s like that for a lot of the album. It’s a confrontational song, but pleading rather than angry. Whether this is intentional or not, the backing track drowns out her vocals and this is a common trend on the album. If intentional, it’s really meaningful. But if it’s not, it’s not good.
My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys — More synthetic beats that take up a majority of the backing track. There’s some drum sounds behind the synths, but they never go anywhere. The melodies are all over the place and becoming jarring. But the lyrics are heartbreaking, as Swift sings about the power dynamics in a deteriorating relationship in which one partner uses, breaks, and then eventually discards the other partner, who lets them because they love them. It’s a painful subject and the backing track doesn’t juxtapose it well.
Down Bad — There is a constant tapping in the backing track that’s driving me insane. There are some synthetic, alien-esque sounds in the backing track that is unsettling to me, and it distracts from the rest of the song. An excellent lyrical callback to “New Romantics” — “please leave me stranded / it’s so romantic,” and “how dare you think it’s romantic / leaving me safe and stranded” — that shows a lot of growth as well as devastation.
So Long, London — The vocal intro isn’t my favorite, it’s kind of scary. The backing track sounds reminiscent of “Call It What You Want,” but it’s fast-paced compared to the previous songs. There is an urgency in the backing track that isn’t matched in her delivery, but it might represent the anxiety she felt about this relationship. She’s not only sealing this relationship, but this era of her life. This song is incredibly restrained; it wants to come out and get bigger but it’s holding itself back. It keeps teasing a big atmospheric backing track, but it never came.
But Daddy I Love Him — A direct address to her fanbase — especially the fans that viciously attacked her relationship with Healy — to stay out of her business, to stop pretending that their maliciousness is for her own good. This is the longest song on the album, and it goes big! Especially at the chorus, which is a welcome change of pace from the restraint and quiet at the beginning. Her lyrics are funny and pointed. So far, she’s been ending the songs with lyrics from the first verse. It’s getting a little tiring.
Fresh Out The Slammer — The backing track to this resembles a dark country aesthetic, which is a welcome change. The song is about getting out of a relationship in which she felt trapped, and running to the person who’s been waiting in the wings. The lyrics are sharp and pithy, and mixed with the heavy twang of the guitars and percussion, it has a good rhythm. The melody of the bridge, however, completely halts the song in its tracks. It sounds awkward and clunky, and the song just ends there. It’s very unsatisfying.
Florida!!! (feat. Florence + The Machine) — The song is clearly about escaping to Florida and leaving your past behind, but that’s all I’m really able to comprehend. Sonically, this follows in the same vein as “Fresh Out the Slammer.” In this, too, the strumming pattern is quick and lends itself well to the lyrics. Thankfully, the chorus — which is quite short — goes big and loud, creating a nice separation between it and the verses. I love Florence Welch, but this is the least a featured artist has matched Swift’s vocal style. Their voices are so different that when Welch sings her verse, it pulls me out of the magic.
Guilty as Sin? — I am obsessed with this chorus; it’s catchy, especially since she lengthens the melody rather than delivering the lyrics in the short, clipped style she’s been doing. The strings and the percussion in the backing track lends the song a retro feel reminiscent of Fearless. The lyrics, however, are incredibly mature. Essentially, she’s admitting that she was emotionally cheating — or at the very least, dreaming of someone else — whilst in her long-term relationship. However, though she knows no one (the media and her fanbase) would ever approve, she still wants that person. This song has an excellent build up to the last chorus before coming back down in a satisfying way.
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? — A direct address to the music industry, the media, and the entire world for making her into who she is, yet criticizing her for it — “I am what I am ’cause you trained me” — but they want more. It’s a confrontational song. Sonically, this song is also incredibly dark but cinematic. The backing track vanishes and comes back for a punch during the bridge. Her primary vocals and her backing vocals are incredibly strong. An excellent song to shout and feel some catharsis.
I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) — With headphones on, the song opens with a reverberating guitar stroke in the right ear. Sonically, the backing track is simple and dark. It’s smokey, subtle and smooth, and resembles whiskey. Swift is presenting the love interest as a mysterious, lone gunslinger that onlookers wouldn’t approve of, but she insists that she can rehabilitate him. There’s a very strange synth build up for the last chorus that feels out of place, but the addition “Woah, maybe I can’t” in that chorus is both a little funny and devastating.
loml — An acoustic piano song! Thank you! This is a refreshing change of pace! The tempo and melody is slower, resembling a waltz, and there is evident grief in this backing track that matches Swift’s delivery of the lyrics. It also resembles a eulogy, especially since she laments not only the end of the relationship, but the loss of the other person whom she thought she would have forever. Swift subverts the acronym “loml” from the typical “love of my life” meaning to “loss of my life.”
I Can Do It With a Broken Heart — A return to the synthetic beats and pop sound of Midnights. Major tonal shift from the previous song. A fun, addictive beat behind devastating lyrics, which narrates her internal thoughts throughout the entirety of her summer tour, The Eras Tour. Swift was emotionally struggling, yet performed as if nothing was wrong because it’s what the public demanded of her. However, the lyrics are a pendulum between smart and fun, and millennial cringe (and that’s okay!). The ending completely devolves into dissonant synth beats and spoken word, which is most likely intentional but really jarring.
The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived — Another extreme tonal shift. There is a constant beeping synth beat that is driving me insane because, for the most part, this is an acoustic song. The tempo and melody up until the bridge hardly changed, remaining slow and methodical, but it’s worth it because it explodes and culminates in the bridge. It is a satisfying bridge with biting, snarling lyrics and delivery. Swift is addressing her ex, targeting his manhood and integrity as the reason he abandoned her despite making her believe that she was everything — “It wasn’t sexy once it wasn’t forbidden.” The backing vocals in the bridge resembles a chorus and creates a devastating, wide atmosphere.
The Alchemy — The tempo and the melody of the chorus is addictive and smooth. There is a wobbly synth beat in the backing track that kind of matches, but I wish that it wasn’t there! Despite that, there’s something triumphant and celebratory about this song, as if she’s escaped the darkness of the earlier songs and she’s found the light.
Clara Bow — This song wrestles with the relationship between the public and the “It” girl of the moment — first Clara Bow, then Stevie Nicks, then Swift herself — and how each successive generation is both compared to and replaces the previous. She brings back the short, clipped line delivery in the verses; it gives the song a stuttering aspect, a constant stop and go. The melody at certain parts of the chorus are long and drawn out, and I like that because it lets the songs and the ideas breathe. However, this is a good end to the first part of the double album.
The Black Dog — The start of THE ANTHOLOGY. A slow, somber, and methodical song in both melody and tempo up until the last word of the chorus, “screaming,” in which her delivery and the backing track suddenly explodes with electric guitars and drums, giving the song an intense rock energy. It’s on the edge of being angry and depressing. In the song, Swift is thinking back on the relationship, unable to move forward from the love that was there and still lives within her. She hopes that all of the places they went to and feelings they experienced together are forever tainted for the other person, and that they’ll think of her like she thinks of them. She’s saying, “I lived in this love by myself and I’m in the aftermath by myself too, I want it to end.”
imgonnagetyouback — The synthetic, wobbly beat in the backing track is so distracting, I hate it. Lyrically, it’s similar to Olivia Rodrigo’s “get him back!” but sonically, it’s completely different. This is careful and methodical. The melody and her delivery switches between smooth and subtle, and sharp and biting. This matches the message because she doesn’t know if she wants to get revenge on an ex, or restart their relationship. The build up is fairly satisfying, especially into the bridge. The tempo gets faster, the melody gets sharper, and the whole thing becomes a little maniacal. It then immediately drops into the chorus, isolating her vocals. The backing track returns in starts and fits.
The Albatross — I have the least to say about this song because it’s the song that least interests me, sonically and lyrically. There are some thematic parallels to “peace” because she’s essentially warning the other person of the media storm that will hit when they’re around her. She is burdened by constant attention that she doesn’t want for the other. Also, an albatross is a bird that spends its first six years without touching land, so this could be a direct reference to her long term relationship.
Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus — Thematically similar to “the 1.” Swift is reminiscing on a decade-long situationship in which she and the other person have orbited each other, watching the other change and love other people from afar. They watched each other destroy themselves, but there was love there. I don’t like how the synthesizer is used in this song; it’s this persistent trill that buzzes in the right ear and it doesn’t mesh with the somberness of the piano and violin. The melody is quick and a little desperate, but she still lets the lyrics breathe. It suggests that this song and “Maroon” are about the same person.
How Did It End? — Has choral backing vocals similar to “my tears ricochet,” as well as a long piano intro. An incredibly clever reenactment of the media scrutiny and interrogation that occurred in the aftermath of Swift’s breakups, criticizing the rumor mill that surrounded her and invaded her life. This has the potential to sound cinematic; it releases a little in the bridge, but it still remains controlled in how much emotion is released.
So High School — Sonically, with the guitars and the drums, it sounds like a song you would hear in an early 2000s teen movie. The lyrics are thematically juvenile, and you could imagine this appearing on Taylor Swift or Fearless. It’s fun and bright. The backing track drowns out her vocals a little, especially since her delivery is a little breathy — which is another trend throughout this album.
I Hate It Here — I hate this song. I do not like the lyrics, the melody, or the backing track. It is folksy and dreamy, but there’s something about it that feels unfinished and a little jarring to me. Thematically, it’s quite strong — Swift’s outer life has become so chaotic and damaging that she retreats inside of herself for some semblance of sanity, but in doing so she’s trapped herself inside her head, constantly overthinking.
thanK you aIMee — I also hate this song. It’s a direct address at Kim Kardashian, who aided Kanye West in defaming Swift in 2016. The backing track sounds akin to YouTube ad-free music. The melody is fun and light. I don’t think it’s as smart as Swift thinks it is. It feels juvenile, like she’s pointing fingers and sticking out her tongue.
I Look in People’s Windows — At this point, everything starts blending together into one ongoing song. The delivery and melody is similar to “It’s Nice to Have a Friend,” especially with the short, clipped style of the delivery. The heavy handed strum of the cello every fourth beat stresses me out for some reason; it’s very in your face.
The Prophecy — Opens with a whispered countdown that will not be listed as lyrics on Genius or Spotify. Continuing the trend of moving away from synths as the primary sound for the backing track. The lyrics and theme of the song are desperate and devastating, as Swift feels that she is destined to be alone despite being a hopeless romantic at heart. The song incrementally builds into something big and atmospheric. I think this is a song that would benefit from a longer runtime; some of these lyrics need space to breathe, but she keeps going and pushing forward. I don’t like that she said, “greige.”
Cassandra — Sonically, this sounds the most like folklore and evermore. There is a constant beating in the very back of the backing track, buried underneath everything else, but it’s steady like a heartbeat and that’s interesting. Swift is comparing herself to the prophetess Cassandra of Troy; she saw things and spoke about things no one else saw but realized later on, and she was ridiculed for it. She is calling out all the people that crucified her years ago between 1989 and Reputation. It’s a song that takes a minute to grow on you. It’s slow and steady, but it grows.
Peter — This is another waltz. This is another song that takes a long time to build up and go somewhere, but it’s holding your hand the entire time. The chorus is purposefully repetitive, because Swift is both begging and reminding “Peter” — the love interest, who is stylized as Peter Pan — to grow up and come back to her like he promised. Thematically, I think it’s similar to “The Black Dog’’ and “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus.”
The Bolter — An addictive chorus that is backed by a steady guitar and a faint bass clarinet. The sound is edging towards country and folk. It’s thematically similar to “Getaway Car” with more emphasis on the fact that the narrator is saving herself rather than depending on someone else to get her out. This is a little triumphant, but it’s also poking fun at her own history and tendency to run away with someone else.
Robin — Swift is not only reclaiming her childhood imaginations and dreams, but she is also spotlighting it and begging it to stay. This feels like the light at the end of the tunnel. The tempo and melody are very slow and tired like a lullaby. It is as if she is speaking to herself; it’s similar to “Never Grow Up” in that sense.
The Manuscript — Opens with the lone piano, plucking the keys slowly to an almost haunted effect. It feels like a snowglobe; she’s reflecting on her life thus far and all of her relationships that have ended. Her catalog is the manuscript. It’s a slow build, but it’s appropriate. It’s like she’s rising out of the darkness. The backing tracks match the emotions reflected in the lyrics. They get bigger but never overwhelming, they lift the lyrics. The piano plus the orchestra and the choral backing vocals make this very atmospheric. IIt’s the end of an era as she is publishing the manuscript.
Swift’s THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: THE ANTHOLOGY is a tough album to listen to. It demands constant consideration, your full attention, and several listening sessions to truly understand what Swift is trying to say. The end result, ultimately, is worth it as Swift has a lot to say about moving on and growing up.
Photos Courtesy of Rolling Stone and Pitchfork
