From So Long, London, Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?, and more, Taylor Swift let us have it in The Tortured Poets Department.
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It only felt like it was just yesterday when Taylor Swift announced that she was dropping a new album this year during her acceptance speech at the 2024 GRAMMYs. Now, the moment finally came with the release of her latest LP, The Tortured Poets Department. And in 1 hour and 5 minutes through 16 songs (2 hours through 31 songs if you count the double album), Taylor took no prisoners in her sonic exploration of grief and pain.
More than just another breakup album, it serves as Taylor’s reflection on the dissolution of a promising relationship through the lens of unworldly levels of fame. If a breakup is hard enough, having it while the whole world is watching you makes for an intense landmine, something Taylor touches upon in the album.
If evermore and Midnights had a baby, it would probably sound like this album. The superstar takes mid-tempo synth-pop beats and gut-wrenching lyrics to deliver a body of work that needs to get several things off its chest. From the gag ending of Clara Bow to loml’s heart-crushing revelations, no emotion is off-limits here. And in the album are a few tracks that are more pointed than the tip of a freshly sharpened pencil, which makes for even better listening. Here are some of our fave songs on The Tortured Poets Department that we might just make our new personality trait.
DOWN BAD
Taylor Swift just gets us. While some can easily move on from a breakup, others can’t and instead wallow in what could have been. That’s the case in this curse-laden track on not moving on from your ex. Sometimes, it’s ok to cry at the gym and still be down bad for the one that got away. It’s natural. Even Taylor Swift goes through it.
SO LONG, LONDON
We just know Taylor was pissed off when she wrote this highlight from the album. The opening might sound like what you hear when the gates of heaven open, but the rest of the song is a woman’s journey of nearly losing herself. So Long, London boldly expresses the downfall of a relationship as Taylor uses London, once a happy place for her, as the setting for saying goodbye to a boy who was taking all the colors from her. Consider this our new anthem whenever we realize it’s time to leave.
BUT DADDY I LOVE HIM
This one is for all the grown-up Speak Now girlies. In moments where it feels like everyone is telling you what to do, it’s just better to follow what your heart says. At the end of the day, it’s your life and you get to make the decisions, regardless of whether it leads to good or bad consequences. From joking about having his baby to confidently stating that it’s her alone that can ruin her name, Taylor gives us a track on refusing to let all the vipers get to you.
WHO’S AFRAID OF LITTLE OLD ME?
Taylor might have drunk her mother tea before she made this song. She lyrically destroys anyone who has tried to underestimate or bring her downfall in one of the most emotionally raw tracks she’s ever done. Taylor talked her shit, and we’re here for it. But more than that, this standout from The Tortured Poets Department is a rallying cry for anyone who has been belittled and deemed unimportant. Yes, you should be afraid of little old me.
I CAN DO IT WITH A BROKEN HEART
You know that meme of the bright pink house beside the all-black house by the beach? That’s exactly this bop. The song is almost fun in a demented kind of way with how Taylor touches upon doing her job as a global superstar while nursing a broken heart. The upbeat production juxtaposed with the somber lyrics make for a relatable listening experience about the struggle of living your life while your mental health is spiraling. At the end of the day, it’s just better to laugh, dance, and be delusional so you don’t have a breakdown.
THE SMALLEST MAN WHO EVER LIVED
The amount of shade Taylor throws on this track is enough to cover the UK. But more than just a scorching putdown of someone who wronged her (especially in the latter half), the song is dedicated to all those people who clearly oversold themselves and were exposed for being the frauds that they are.
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