Who's afraid of my little old takes
The Friday Substack
In case you hadn’t heard, Taylor Swift released a new album. There’s a lot to be said about the way her total saturation in the culture has impacted this album release and the reception of these songs. People who just write this off as a bad album are simply not paying attention! I know people want to say “Taylor Swift is so boring”, “her music isn’t good”, “there are better pop stars”, blah blah blah. But if you think Taylor Swift is boring then you must think sociology, anthropology is boring! Because the cultural fascination, criticism, and reception of Swift is something that will be studied in history books. Are their people who produce better music than her? Absolutely. Are their people more worthy of our praise and adoration? Certainly. AND YET. Here is Taylor Swift, one of the most overexposed people on the planet releasing a 31 song album that has millions of people angry, thrilled, fascinated, and annoyed in equal measure. And regardless of how you feel about her music (and there are plenty of perfectly valid reasons to dislike it), you cannot ignore that our reactions to her are interesting!!
I know the lore of Taylor Swift. I’ve been listening since her self-titled album came out in 2006. I am low-key a gaylor truther (and for the record this album changes nothing). I know the theories. Do not cite the deep magic to me witch, etc. At this point, it is impossible for me to separate the lore of Taylor from the music. And I can’t tell if I enjoy it more or less for that reason. This album, The Tortured Poets Department (a title that made me roll my eyes just a bit), perhaps more than any other, had a clear agenda. And in my opinion, the agenda was Swift saying “This is the last chapter of my career where you all pick apart every single thing in my life because I don’t give a fuck about any of you anymore”. I think she’s trying to slam the door on this last decade of her life. She gave us the Eras tour (though for the record, some of us have tickets for August 2024), now she’s giving us this album, and she’s saying enough. I think this is a woman who is in her mid-30s now and has been a mega star for over a decade, and she is trying to land on some singular identity that isn’t formed by other people’s opinions of her.
(And instead of going to therapy she is trying to write her way to peace).
I think this album is messy. It’s desperate. It’s polarizing. I think it’s beating us over the head with something most of us would rather not think about (that damned Matty Healy relationship — which, if you think this isn’t that, you are simply not paying attention). I think it’s doing that thing we all wish we could do when we go through the worst breakup of our lives: tell the world how much our ex sucks. I also think it’s trying so so hard to say “I’m different now”. She released 31 songs — an obvious metaphor for subverting her image (31 being the inverse of 13). Does it work? I’m not sure. Did I enjoy it? Yes. I appreciate the metaphor, but 31 songs is too many. It also reveals her hand — she clearly was aiming for commercial record breaking and a huge payout with the way she rolled out the vinyls.
But I think the thing about this Taylor Swift album that is both pleasing and disappointing as a fan, is that she’s giving us more of the same. I don’t mean that sonically or lyrically. I mean that emotionally. For over a decade her albums have been about all the ways that she is a victim to her various antagonists (exes, Kanye, the media, critics, Kim K, and even her fans). But this is is Taylor’s 11th album, and at a certain point it starts to get tired, but even more than that, it starts to get out of touch. As Sam Sanders so aptly pointed out on his podcast, it takes a certain kind of white, blonde woman to get away with this performance of victimhood for as long as she has. I’m impressed that she’s able to find, what I personally think are, new and interesting ways to maintain this narrative. But there are so many massive issues facing women right now, and while I don’t need Taylor Swift to write about them, I think I need her to show some sign of an evolution, some sign of growth.
I think she is trying to do that with this album, but there is one glaring Matty Healy sized problem. Matty Healy is problematic, to say the least. He has been racist and sexist and downright gross on many occasions. In this album Taylor first says to us, “I don’t care what you all think. I love him.” But then goes on to detail how bad Healy treated her. And that is the crux of it. She doesn’t eviscerate Healy because of his racism or his problematic behavior. She does it because he hurt her. It is that, the inability to center anyone other than herself in her music, her inability to move beyond her own personal grievances, that makes her a fascinating artist. But it also makes her difficult to listen to when the 11th album comes around.
I think there is a lot to love about this album, but what this album does for me more than anything is leave me wondering, what’s next for Taylor?
The Tortured Takes Department
I have about 100 more takes I could write about, but instead of writing a dissertation, I thought I’d do a quick one-sentence(ish) take on each of the 31 songs on this album. No one asked for this, but it’s fun for me okay??
Fortnight - Am I going to have to start listening to Post Malone now? Strong opener that evokes Sylvia Plath and makes it clear what the album is about.
The Tortured Poets Department - Worst song on the album, imo. But I really think she wrote and included this song so that we would all know, without a shadow of a doubt, that she’s writing about Matty Healy.
My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys - Jack Antonoff-ass song. Meh.
Down Bad - This is her song that’s like, I know dating Matty Healy was crazy, I’m sorry but it was actually an alien abduction, I don’t know what to tell you. Also one of the only songs you can kind of shake your ass to.
So Long, London - She won’t be caught saying anything bad about Joe Alwyn and I respect that. Not to go all red-yarn on this, but Call It What You Want is the first chapter of her Joe Alwyn Relationship. So Long London is the last (the musical intros are identical), and this song references a lot of other songs that I think are pretty clearly about Joe. This song is also proof to me that they were engaged. This is one of my favorite songs on the album, melodically and vocally one of the more interesting, lyrically strong, and big payoff if you know her lore.
But Daddy I Love Him - “Fuck you, fans, I do what I want”. An essential song. Sonically and lyrically calls back to first album Taylor Swift, but without the sweetness.
Fresh Out The Slammer - This was the point of the album where I texted my sister and said “omg please we can’t still be talking about Matty Healy.” Gives a little Rep era with the “fresh out the slamma ahhh” which I do love.
Florida!!! - Release the solo Florence cut! This is may be the most puzzling song on the album. I need to know what the hell happened to Taylor in Florida. Also, I’ve been to Florida like a hundred times and let me just say, Taylor and I have had very different experiences with the state.
Guilty as Sin? - This song has the most explicitly sexy lyric Taylor has ever written. Another song that’s like “lest you forget, this album is about the lead singer of the 1975, Matty Healy.”
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? - I said this on instagram, but this is my pick for deconstruction anthem of the album, and that read of it made me enjoy it. “So tell me everything is not about me. But what if it is?” Thesis statement of the last decade of her life, I think.
I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) - I don’t love the lyrics to this song, but I think if the production of this song was different it would hit. Make this a rock ballad! I have a conspiracy theory that she wrote this song with Matty and added the last line after they broke up.
LOML - This song devastates me. It also hits home Taylor’s recurring theme of marriage and babies. It’s clear that she wants that, thought she was going to have that with Joe and then again with Matty. This song is visceral.
I Can Do It With A Broken Heart - Only bop on the album and it’s FUN. Kinda makes me wish I was going through a breakup lol.
The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived - It’s just occurring to me that my favorite songs are the Aaron Dessner songs. This song is an all timer for me. Up there with All Too Well. The bridge is a wild ride and exactly what I love Taylor for. Would love to hear this as a duet with Aaron.
The Alchemy - No thanks. Happy for you though, Tay!
Clara Bow - Yes. This is such an interesting song and I love what she’s exploring here. Hearing her say her own name was really effecting
The Black Dog - The production on “old habits die screaming” is good. I wish the whole song had that more classic rock style to it.
imgonnagetyouback - Another one where I feel Antonoff wrote the track and then Taylor put lyrics on top of it. Also I think there is some deep beef with Olivia Rodrigo that we will find out about in like 50 years. Rodrigo’s version of this is better, I’m sorry.
The Albatross - Okay this is where I put on my teacher voice and lecture all the “Taylor Swift isn’t a smart writer” people on how, yes she actually is. This song is a clear reference to Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Coleridge (I studied Coleridge in college so I was built for this). In the poem, a crew is saved from being shipwrecked by an albatross who leads them out of icy waters. But the mariner shoots it, believing the bird is an omen of doom, but he was wrong and he and the crew are punished for it. Eventually the whole crew dies, leaving the mariner alone, and though he does not die at sea, he is is forced to wander the earth telling his story over and over. Okay, now go read the lyrics.
Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus - So go and tell your friends that I’m obsessive and crazy, that’s fine. I’ll tell mine you’re bisexual. This really is a beautiful song though.
How Did It End? - One of the more interesting sounding songs on the album, imo. A great bridge with one of my favorite lyrics too: “My ghost and me, sitting in a tree d-y-i-n-g.”
So High School - YES! More of this sound!! Very 90s alt-rock, I love. Hate the ball/Aristotle line though, I’m sorry.
I Hate It Here - Unfortunately this song has *the bad lyric*, and I have thoughts on that. It’s obviously not supposed to be taken at face value. “1830s without all the racists” is there to make us uncomfortable and prove her point of the song, which is that reality sucks. Whatever place or time you’re in, you’ll hate it because you’re unhappy. Now that being said, the issue I have with her including this lyric is that Taylor Swift has never said the word racism publicly ever. She has not spoken up about racism or done anything remotely like being in solidarity with Black people. So to include this lyric and expect a good faith interpretation demonstrates how out of touch she is.
ThanK you aIMee - lol
I Look in People’s Windows - I spy a new composer! I’m not sure who Patrik Berger is, but I suspect he’s responsible for the interesting string plucky sound on this song and I’m into it.
The Prophesy - Stab me in the chest why don’t you! This is the kind of song that points to something more interesting and I want her to lean into this!!
Cassandra - Another excellent deconstruction song. I think if she had really gone in on the production of this song it could have been great. As it is, it sounds exactly like Mad Woman.
Peter - Oh we’re talking about Matty Healy again. Fun if you read it as a Chronicles of Narnia song.
The Bolter - meh. I feel like this is destined to be the surprise song at my Era’s tour date and I’ll be annoyed.
Robin - Better when you know Aaron Dessner’s son is named Robin. Unfortunately sounds like a hundred of her other songs, but I do love the “in sweetness” line.
The Manuscript - To end the album on a dig at Jake Gyllenhaal is wild! Not my favorite song, but I really appreciated the topic switch.
Other people’s takes
For the record, I don’t necessarily agree with all of these reviews, but I enjoyed their perspectives.
There Are Plenty of Power Publicists. But Only One Works for Taylor Swift via WSJ
This is not a review of TTPD, it is a deep dive into Swift’s publicist because I am a Paniac.
And speaking of, The Tree Paine Fan’s Guide to 'The Tortured Poets Department' from head Paniac herself,
.And now onto actual reviews.
Taylor Swift's 'Tortured Poets' is written in blood via NPR
“Her callouts can be viewed as petty, reflecting entitlement or even narcissism. But they're also part of her wrestling with the very notion of significance and challenging hierarchies that have proven to be so stubborn they can feel intractable.”
On ‘The Tortured Poets Department,’ Taylor Swift Could Use an Editor via NYT
“Is a clash between the smallest man and the biggest woman in the world a fair fight?”
is that a bad thing to say in a song? from
“Ironically, given that one of the tracks is called “The Alchemy,” alchemy is what Taylor doesn’t do on this album. She’s done turning lead into gold this time. To mix metaphors in a way she would appreciate, she just vomits up the poison of the past two years and leaves the rest of us to deal with it.”
Premature Evaluation: Taylor Swift The Tortured Poets Department via Stereogum
“The Swift lyrics that initially grate often reveal themselves to be the most fun ones after multiple listens. I like that she’s really trying with that stuff. More than that, I like that she’s now directing some of those lyrics at her fans.”
Okay enough Swift talk! Please don’t dox me!
