May 16, 2024
By Marez Melad
Staff Writer
There is good reason why pop singer-songwriter Taylor Swift named her most recent album “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology.” In the double album consisting of 31 songs, Swift exposes her agony, heavy-heartedness and vulnerability.
The 14-time Grammy Award winner released her latest album on April 19, surprising fans with 15 extra songs just two hours after dropping the first 16 songs.
Swift starts her album with “Fortnight,” a dynamic track featuring rapper and singer Post Malone, in which Swift sings about a two-week fling she had with someone she cannot get over.
In the song, she sings, “All my mornings are Mondays stuck in an endless February / I took the miracle move-on drug, the effects were temporary / And I love you, it’s ruining my life.” These lyrics illustrate how exhausted and weary she feels because she is unable to let him go.
These emotions are reflected in the song’s music video in which Swift resembles the iconic actress Clara Bow, who is known for her role in the 1927 film, “It.”
In the music video, Swift depicts the shock therapy treatments Bow received for her schizophrenia.
The music video connects perfectly to the 16th track on Swift’s album, which is titled “Clara Bow.” In this dreamy but melancholic song, Swift explains that Hollywood lifts celebrities into the spotlight only to replace them soon after.
The lyrics “You look like Clara Bow / In this light, remarkable / All your life, did you know / You’d be picked like a rose?” point to Bow’s rare talent and short-lived success in entertainment.
Swift shows her versatility in the fifth track titled “So Long, London.” Even though it is a fast-paced and energetic song, it is filled with grief and regret.
This romantic and upbeat track invites listeners to recall the fun of high school love.
Referring to her British ex-boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, whom she broke up with in April 2023 after dating for six years, she sings, “I stopped CPR, after all, it’s no use / The spirit was gone, we would never come to.”
In the lyrics, Swift explains that she tried desperately to resuscitate their dying relationship. The song parallels Swift’s “You’re Losing Me (From The Vault)” from her 2023 album, “Midnights,” because both tracks feature the literal pulsing of a heartbeat.
Although most of the songs on the album are about her former lovers, Swift pays tribute to her current boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, in the song “So High School.” This romantic and upbeat track invites listeners to recall the fun of high school love. Even though Swift did not know Kelce in high school, it is obvious their love has made her feel like a teenager again.
Swift ends her album with “The Manuscript,” which has a calm, restful and glassy melody. In this song, Swift reflects on her past relationships and provides closure by declaring that her old loves will no longer be part of her story.
“The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” is worth a listen because it is honest and sentimental. Swift holds nothing back as she reveals her truest self and navigates her rawest emotions. Despite her heartbreak, she still finds joy in life, which motivates her listeners to do the same.
