九游体育

Skip to main content
You have permission to edit this article.
Edit

Taylor Swift鈥檚 surprise double album 鈥楾he Tortured Poets Department鈥� is daggers wrapped in a lullaby

  • 0
Taylor Swift鈥檚 surprise double album 鈥楾he Tortured Poets Department鈥� is daggers wrapped in a lullaby

Taylor Swift at the 2024 Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

(CNN) 鈥� Take your seat because Taylor Swift鈥檚 鈥溾€� meeting has officially been called into session and, , it鈥檚 a 31-song mega double album.

The Grammy-winner first released her highly anticipated 11th studio album on Friday, with the album appearing on Apple Music some time prior to its scheduled midnight release time. At 2 a.m EDT, Swift then surprise-released an additional 15-song album titled 鈥淭TPD: The Anthology.鈥�

The initial 16-track 鈥淭ortured Poets Department鈥� album serves overall as a relaxed and mellow listen on the surface, but if you鈥檙e paying attention to the lyrics 鈥� as most very thorough Swifties do 鈥� you鈥檒l discover a chaotic and complicated stream of consciousness where Swift works through waves of heartbreak, longing, anger and self-reflection.

An example among many comes on聽the album鈥檚 12th track 鈥渓oml鈥� 鈥撀爓hich is internet-speak for 鈥渓ove of my life鈥� 鈥� in which聽Swift sings, 鈥淚 wish I could un-recall how we almost had it all.鈥� After singing the words 鈥渓ove of my life,鈥� at the very end of the song, she concludes, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e the loss of my life.鈥�

To mark the occasion of the album drop, Swift聽 that the album is 鈥渁n anthology of new works that reflect events, opinions and sentiments from a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time - one that was both sensational and sorrowful in equal measure鈥� on her verified Instagram page Friday.

鈥淭his period of the author鈥檚 life is now over, the chapter closed and boarded up. There is nothing to avenge, no scores to settle once wounds have healed. And upon further reflection, a good number of them turned out to be self-inflicted,鈥� she wrote. 鈥淭his writer is of the firm belief that our tears become holy in the form of ink on a page. Once we have spoken our saddest story, we can be free of it. And then all that鈥檚 left behind is the tortured poetry.鈥�

The songs on which Swift chose to feature collaborators are some of the album鈥檚 highlights. The album鈥檚 eighth track 鈥淔lorida!!!鈥� with Florence + the Machine is a gorgeous match of two unique voices blending together, with Florence Welch鈥檚 signature plaintive singing style complementing Swift鈥檚 vocal range on the melodic track.

鈥淔ortnight,鈥� the album鈥檚 lead single featuring Post Malone, is a dynamic first track, perhaps the album鈥檚 catchiest. 鈥淚 love you it鈥檚 ruining my life,鈥� Swift sings reflectively, with Post Malone鈥檚 soft vocals echoing hers.

The music video for 鈥淔ortnight鈥� will be released at 8 p.m. EDT Friday, according to Swift, who on her Instagram page on Thursday that she鈥檚 been 鈥渟uch a huge fan鈥� of Post Malone 鈥渂ecause of the writer he is, his musical experimentation and those melodies he creates that just stick in your head forever.鈥�

Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, two of Swift鈥檚 frequent songwriting and producing collaborators, are credited as co-writers on a number of songs throughout the album, with Swift being credited as the sole writer on two 鈥� 鈥淢y Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys鈥� and 鈥淲ho鈥檚 Afraid of Little Old Me?鈥�

The 鈥淎nthology鈥� album released later on Friday includes the previously announced exclusive vinyl variant bonus tracks 鈥淭he Black Dog,鈥� 鈥淭he Albatross,鈥� 鈥淭he Bolter鈥� and 鈥淭he Manuscript鈥� along with numerous other new songs.

鈥淭he Tortured Poets Department鈥� comes amid Swift鈥檚 record-breaking 听补苍诲 聽earlier this year, and is on track to more than exceed sales and streaming expectations.

鈥淭his is probably the most anticipated album ever that I鈥檝e seen in my career,鈥� Tom Poleman, the chief programming officer & president for , told CNN in a recent interview. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just a music event, it鈥檚 a pop culture event that I think that everybody in America will be talking about and celebrating together.鈥�

According to Spotify, the album on Thursday became the 聽in the music streaming platform鈥檚 history.

At Spotify鈥檚 library pop-up activation event at the Grove in Los Angeles on Thursday, one self-avowed Swiftie told CNN, 鈥淚 have a feeling that she鈥檚 gonna give us everything on this album and I鈥檓 really looking forward to it. I will say, I feel like she鈥檚 kind of held back a couple of years, so I鈥檓 ready for this album for her to tell her whole truth.鈥�

In February, Swift 聽the album at the Grammys, while accepting the award for best pop vocal album for 2022鈥檚 鈥淢idnights.鈥�

鈥淚t was really a lifeline for me,鈥� Swift said of 鈥淭ortured Poets鈥� during a February concert in Melbourne, according to video聽posted to social media.

鈥淛ust the things I was going through, the things I was writing about,鈥� she said, 鈥渋t kind of reminded me why songwriting is something that actually gets me through my life.鈥�

CNN鈥檚 Elizabeth Wagmeister contributed to this story.

This story has been updated with additional information.

The-CNN-Wire

鈩� & 漏 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.