Taylor Swift experienced an enormous leap in her fame and professional recognition in 2023, thanks to her expansive Eras tour, which took her to sold-out stadium concerts all over the world. This concert journey facilitated a revisitation of her entire musical career, shifting from her initial banjo-flavoured songs to more modern, melancholic folk music. Throughout it all, Swift wore a radiant smile.
Unbeknownst to her audience, Swift was quietly crumbling behind the scenes. Her album, “The Tortured Poets”, along with an extended version featuring an additional 15 songs, maps her emotional downfall as she dealt with the end of her six-year relationship with Joe Alwyn and the entrance of a painful new inspiration. But the album is more than just a chronicle of emotional devastation – it’s a statement that a quick passionate affair can be far more damaging than the slow decline of a long-term romance. Throughout the album, Swift’s candour is striking; every hint of insanity and negative thought is laid bare. “The Tortured Poets” is a portrayal of mania through the medium of music.
Swift’s 2017 release, “Reputation”, gave off an aura of rage and caustic resistance, particularly evident in the heavier, bass-laden tracks such as “My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys”. However, beneath the surface, “Reputation” was a sentimental tale of love. This time around, her anger is real and palpable. In “Daddy I Love Him”, she takes a defiant stand against the so-called ‘moral guardians’ who criticised her publicly problematic relationship. In “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”, Swift takes aim at the muse she’s more bitter towards than ever before.
Notably, it’s in the heart of desolation where Swift truly shines. “loml (love of my life)” sees Swift devastated and discarded by the man she always thought she’d end up with. Meanwhile, “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” becomes an anthem for anyone who’s kept up appearances at a social event, only to shed tears on the journey home.
Recognised for her failed romantic relationships, Swift’s life story is one of continuous heartbreak, from teenage disappointment to the devastating loss of a significant other as an adult. Now aged 34, her history still repeats itself, her ongoing attachment to unsuitable partners serving as a glaring reminder that experience, no matter how bitterly painful, fails to impart wisdom; an alarming revelation. The biggest mystery, perhaps, is her resilience. Why does she persist after so much pain? In her 2020 track, Mirrorball, she confesses her confusion. Despite overwhelming sadness and frustration, she clings to a persistent hope. This characteristic resilience positions her in the esteemed company of the Tortured Poets, promoting a creed that encourages individuals to brave the world of love, despite their previous wounds.
1: Fortnight feat Post Malone
Swift thrusts the theme at her listeners without hesitation, admitting how her love is wreaking havoc on her life. Even in her opening piece, she confesses being on the verge of losing control. Her frustration reaches boiling point, wishing harm on others, yet she still manages to create an irresistibly catchy tune.
2: The Tortured Poets Department
Swift demonstrates her sense of humour more than critics recognise, albeit not always landing well. She overshadows the title track with excessive lyrics, coming across overly pretentious and providing no room for the song to resonate. It leaves her audience drained. However, Swift is fully aware of her approach. Her lyrics counter the consideration that she is trying to be iconic artist Patti Smith and her muse is aspiring to mimic Dylan Thomas. Although, in the corners of her mind, she believes she is surpassing them. Maybe she is.
3: My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys
This track is an explosion of elements – vibrant drums, dominant bass, abundant synths. It’s an overload but, despite that, it retains a captivating charm. Love blinds Swift, leading her to believe her beloved intentionally hurts her emotions because of the depth of his affection. This level of self-deception seems achievable only to the seriously smitten.
4: Down Bad
In her album “1989” (2014), Swift dramatises a precarious leap from a building as a bid for her significant other’s notice. Similarly, in “Folklore” (2020), she alludes nonchalantly to speeding off a precipice. However, this record relies a tad too much on the unabashed use of raw metaphors. Swift declares, “if he isn’t mine, I might as well perish – it won’t have any effect.” Certainly, we’ve all been that low but keeping such intense emotion to oneself is the demand of propriety. Except, of course, when you’re the greatest confessional composer of the 21st century.
Moving on to the fifth song “So Long, London.” Here, the song escalates into a compelling rhythm with a palpating and upbeat synth. While she might not be a phenomenally strong singer, Swift possesses a uniquely appealing voice with a dulcet quality, particularly effective when used in a deeper tone. The romantic bond has ended, she’s packing up to begin anew. The quick tempo mirrors a harsh reality – even the lingering, foreseen end of a deep relationship can trigger acute anxiety.
The sixth song “But Daddy I Love Him” displays Swift’s persistent internal struggle to find a balance between her longing for an ordinary romantic relationship and her celebrity status, a recurring theme in her more recent work. In “Peace” (2020), she expresses concern over her overwhelming lifestyle possibly making her beloved unhappy. “Is it sufficient if I can’t bring you tranquillity?” she muses. It’s a familiar worry for Swift, but this time she isn’t melancholy, she’s rebellious: “I’d prefer to set my life ablaze than endure another moment of this constant complaining.”
In it’s Bruce Springsteen-like style and the “grating tires of true love”, this track might just be perfect for a stadium performance.
The seventh song in line is “Fresh Out The Slammer.” Swift has a knack to pursue a metaphor to its breaking point, a trait that is prominently evident here. However, the pre-chorus tune manages to fulfil a desire you weren’t aware you had.
The eighth song, “Florida!!!” (Feat: Florence and the Machine) unfortunately falls flat. Due to the stark contrast between Florence Welch’s potent voice and Swift’s softer resonation, the two seem to be in an undermining contest. However, for lovers of percussion, there’s a silver lining!
Rounding off the list is the ninth song, “Guilty as Sin?”.
In her song But Daddy I Love Him, Swift depicts her indifference to public judgement and their moralistic gaze, opting instead to love her muse unblinkingly, in spite of the impending backlash she perceives: “They’re bound to crucify me either way.”
Next, in Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?, Swift presents herself in a light that lacks convincing power. She paints a picture of a threatening persona against a western backdrop that feels forced. Despite her lyrics claiming a tough upbringing, her actual background being raised on a Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania doesn’t compliment the narrative. After all, whimsicality is truly a part of her identity.
I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) pays homage to Swift’s country music roots, a part of her that is visible even in her synth pop tunes. The repeated chant of “I can fix him,” finds its resolution at the very last moment with a confession of doubt, a switch of expression so typical of Nashville music.
In loml, Swift’s sorrow is palpable. After being deceived and lied to, her pain resonates in the lyrics. The promise of eternal love broken a million times leaves her submerged in a deep heartbreak. In this track, she embodies despair, and this raw display of melancholy is uncompromising and honest.
In I Can Do It With a Broken Heart, the impact of her musical partnership with Jack Antonoff is clear. The track overflows with vivacity, even amidst her desolation. Despite the wounds inflicted by her companion, she rises, triumphant in her self-assuredness, knowing her significant societal standing.
Lastly, The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived moves away from this narrative, presenting a new facet of Swift’s varied music portfolio.
She does not know when to stand down. The current situation is a culmination of her wanting to have the final say, documenting every misdeed by her partner. Ultimately, she will erase him from her memory but will stop short of offering forgiveness.
Chapter 15: The Transformation
Along comes a glimmer of hope. Despite whoever brought her to a state of despair, it’s insignificant now. She’s acquainted someone fresh. Could this be the ‘closure of repeated closures’? For our mental peace and hers, let’s look forward to it.
Chapter 16: Clara Bow
“At this moment, you resemble Taylor Swift,” she teases as she concludes the album. Swift is petrified of being succeeded by a fresh-faced understudy. This fear is propelling her into heightened frenzy, far more than any ill-behaved lover ever could.