Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” is here — so let the lyric breakdown begin.
In her highly anticipated 11th studio album, Swift dropped 17 tracks at midnight Friday, and then surprised fans with an extra 15 — making it a secret double album. And she didn’t waste any time getting personal on the first single, “Fortnight.”
“I was supposed to be sent away / But they forgot to come and get me,” she sings. “I was a functioning alcoholic ’til nobody noticed my new aesthetic.”
“All my mornings are Mondays stuck in an endless February/I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary,” she goes on. “And I love you, it’s ruining my life/I love you, it’s ruining my life.”
It’s unknown if Swift was just taking creative liberties with her songwriting with the lyrics.
The 34-year-old musician cut out alcohol before she embarked on her Eras Tour, which she kicked off following her split from ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn.
“I knew this tour was harder than anything I’d ever done before by a long shot,” Swift told Time magazine for her 2023 Person of the Year cover. She previously trained “like a frat guy,” but this time trained six months ahead of the first show.
“Every day I would run on the treadmill, singing the entire set list out loud. Fast for fast songs, and a jog or a fast walk for slow songs,” she said. “Then I had three months of dance training, because I wanted to get it in my bones. I wanted to be so over-rehearsed that I could be silly with the fans, and not lose my train of thought.”
The only time she drank during her tour was at the 2023 Grammys, where she was filmed dancing and singing to Demi Lovato performing. “Doing that show with a hangover, I don’t want to know that world,” she added.
Here’s what to know about Taylor Swift’s new album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’:
- The 14-time Grammy winner released her highly anticipated 11th studio album “The Tortured Poets Department” on Friday.
- Swift sent her fans into a frenzy at 2 a.m. after revealing the record is a double album. Titled “The Anthology,” Swift’s late-night surprise includes 15 bonus tracks, bringing the total song count to a whopping 31.
- Swift initially unveiled her 16-song album at midnight, including collaborations with Post Malone and Florence Welch on two tracks. There are also four bonus tracks, “The Manuscript,” “The Bolter,” “The Albatross,” and “The Black Dog” that are featured on various vinyl versions of the album. The four tracks, as well as 11 new songs, are included in “The Anthology.”
- A poem about heartbreak that serves as a prologue for the album was written by Fleetwood Mac alum Stevie Nicks.
- There are several celeb names peppered throughout the album’s lyrics, the mention of singer Charlie Puth’s name took some Swifties by surprise.
- While some of Swift’s exes aren’t spared on “TTPD,” the singer, 34, does seemingly reference her current beau Travis Kelce on the new album’s track “The Alchemy” in a loving way.
- As for her exes, 1975 frontman Matty Healy is reportedly referenced throughout the 31-song-strong record. In fact, Healy — who, before their summer split, was a rebound romance for the pop superstar following her breakup with British actor Joe Alwyn after six years — appears to be the subject of the vicious takedown “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived.” Other fans, however, may speculate the “sparkling summer” line is about Alwyn. There are also hints that “I Can Fix Him” (No Really I Can)” — gotta love that title — might be about 35-year-old Healy.
- As for Alwyn, Swift dropped hints at the pair’s ill-fated 6-year romance for a good — or for him, not so good — part of the album. Check out the 10 Alwyn-related references we’ve spotted.
- Read The Post’s review of “The Tortured Poets Department” here.
Swift collaborates with Post Malone on “Fortnight.” The music video for the track debuts at 8 p.m. ET on Friday.
“I’ve been such a huge fan of Post because of the writer he is, his musical experimentation and those melodies he creates that just stick in your head forever,” she wrote via Instagram this week. “I got to witness that magic come to life firsthand when we worked together on Fortnight.”