Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” was released 4/18 at 9pm. My strategy was to listened to it once through and let it wash over me so I could get a general impression of the vibe. When the surprise, additional 15 songs were dropped at 11pm, I was too tired to listen then. On Friday, I listened to all 31 songs again without processing anything. The reaction videos on TikTok were gold and I did a lipsync to “I can do it with a broken heart” for my own channel. After several days of listening carefully to the lyrics, I sat with a notes app open while reading the lyrics so I could call out my favorite moments in the songs plus some notes. If a line starts with a “-” it’s a lyric
Down bad
-now I’m down bad crying at the gym. Everything comes out teenage petulance. Fuck it if I can’t have him.
So long London
The whole thing is phrased beautifully
It can mean goodbye or a duration of time
-How much sad did you think that I had, Did you think I had in me?
-I’m pissed off you let me give you all that youth for free
But daddy I love him
She’s hilarious
-I’m having his baby. No, I’m not but you should see your faces
Who’s afraid of little old me
I like the banshee imagery with
-…and I levitate down your street
-you don’t get to tell me about sad
I can do it with a broken heart
All of it
-try and come for my job
The smallest man who ever lived
The beginning sigh!!!!
-I just want to know if rusting my sparkling summer was the goal
-I’ll forget you but I’ll never forgive
Alchemy
-he jokes that it’s heroin but this time with an “e”
Clara Bow
Love the whole thing.
The progression of Clara Bow to Stevie Nicks to Taylor Swift
-you have the edge she never did
Imgonnagetyouback
This has 2 meanings. Revenge vs woo him.
-whether I’m gonna be your wife or gonna smash up your bike I haven’t decided yet.
I hate it here
-tell me something awful, like you are a poet trapped inside the body of a finance guy.
Thank you Aimee
The whole thing.
-I can’t forget how you made me feel/made me heal.
-everyone knows my mother is a saintly woman but she used to say she wished that you were dead.
Peter
-the woman who sits by the window has turned out the light.
The manuscript
-the professor said to write what you know. Looking back might be the only way to move forward.
Other thoughts
I do find myself singing Guilty as Sin too.
You must be logged in to post a comment.