Taylor Swift fans have gone through an anticipating wait since the singer announced her 11th album at the 2024 Grammys. Taylor Swifts new album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’, has been her newest addition to her discography. On the day of release, she revealed that this album would be a double album, with an additional 15 songs to the original 16. The album consists of songs surrounding heartbreak, love and mental health struggles that come with a life in fame. Many fans have already cracked the secret meanings behind the songs and some of the people they may have been wrote about. A lot of fans have been keenly waiting for this album as it the first one released after her breakup with her boyfriend of 6 years (Joe Alwyn) and the start of her relationship with famous American footballer Travis Kelce. Whilst some of the songs are clear about who they are written about, many are still ambiguous.

In 2019 Taylor Swift released her 7th album Lover, which included a track called ‘London Boy’ which was clearly about Joe Alwyn (her partner at the time) and their relationship under a good light. However, on her most recent album she has a track called ‘So long, London’ many fans quickly caught on that this song was about Alwyn and would be a complete contrast to the ‘Lover’ track. The song exposes how the relationship between the two was slowly deteriorating and how they both stopped trying. The singer uses medical language such as “I stopped using CPR, after all it is no use” to declare the relationship as dead. It is the 5th track on the album which the singer herself has stated to often be the most emotionally vulnerable pieces. The track is a sorrowful goodbye to her relationship. The lyrics could possibly echo the lyrics of her song “You’re losing me” found as the 5th track on her ‘Midnights’ Album as they both follow the same themes of a relationship ending slowly.

Swift explores the ideas of being in the public eye and the effects it has on individuals. In her song ‘Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me’ which can be seen as an indirect message to her critics and how she has become hardened in the public eye. She includes lyrics such as “I was tame, I was gentle/til the circus life made me mean”, showing how she feels that the life of fame she has experienced has changed her as a person for the worst.  With the wait of the rerelease of Swifts album ‘Reputation’, this track fits in nicely as it is almost a homage to the individuals who continually critique the singer on everything she does, similar to the messages of ‘Reputation’.

Despite using a bright and upbeat rhythm, the song ‘I can do it with a broken heart’ has a much sadder meaning which is clear as soon as you listen to the lyrics. The track ultimately alludes to how the singer was performing during the ‘Eras Tour’ whilst struggling with her mental health and recent heartbreak. In the background of the sad lyrics, you can hear countdown directions which the singer receives whilst on stage, perhaps connoting to how despite feeling depressed she still performs and allows the show to continue. However, her lyrics “I cry a lot, but I am so productive, it’s an art” could be her commenting on her ability to turn sadness into inspiration for her hit tracks and finding the strength to continue and succeed.

Overall, Taylor Swifts ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ might be her most personal album to date. She openly sings about her personal struggles whilst also expressing her emotions on her past relationships and her current one with Travis Kelce in certain songs such as ‘So Highschool’ and ‘The Alchemy’. The songs on the album can range from Jack Antonoff’s synth pop style to slow paced/tempo songs. Many of the lyrics are poetic and depict a clear/descriptive story like many of Swifts past albums. Altogether, the wait for the album was definitely worth it and I’m sure many other fans agree!