EGN NEWS DESK
When Taylor Swift launched “The Tortured Poets Department,” on Friday at midnight, her fan base rapidly set to work decoding the album, in search of layers of that means and perception into Ms. Swift’s life. Of course, that features the pop singer’s romantic historical past.
Like a lot of her previous works, the songs on this album — which options over a dozen further tracks as a part of an prolonged album known as “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” — are laden with names and references, a lot of which look like to actual folks from Ms. Swift’s universe and the literary canon. At least two poets, Dylan Thomas and Patti Smith, are talked about.
Here’s a take a look at a few of these characters.
Matty Healy
Plenty of strains from “Tortured Poets” have followers guessing that sure songs — together with “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” “The Black Dog” and “Down Bad” — could also be about Matty Healy, the frontman for the 1975 who was noticed out and about with Taylor on a number of events final spring. One clue Swifties are latching on to: On the “The Black Dog,” Ms. Swift refers back to the band the Starting Line. Mr. Healy lined one of many band’s songs whereas he was touring final spring. And then there may be the much-discussed reference to an individual Ms. Swift describes as a “tattooed golden retriever” on the album’s title observe. Mr. Healy appears to suit the invoice, based on her followers.
Ms. Swift’s followers have been floating the notion that the numerous sports activities references within the observe “The Alchemy” allude to the soccer participant Travis Kelce, the singer’s present boyfriend. “So after I / Touch down, name the amateurs and reduce ’em from the workforce / Ditch the clowns, get the crown, child, I’m the one to beat,” she sings within the refrain. “Where’s the trophy? / He simply comes working over to me,” she provides within the bridge. But there may be some debate, with some followers noting that her use of the time period “blokes” would appear to suggest the tune is just not about an American. (A winking line about “heroin however this time with an E” has some guessing the tune is about Mr. Healy, who has beforehand spoken about his drug use.)
Joe Alwyn
Ms. Swift and the actor Joe Alwyn broke up final yr after a prolonged relationship. In the lead-up to the discharge of “Tortured Poets,” many followers believed this new album would course of the tip of that relationship. (Mr. Alwyn stated in a 2022 interview that he was in a bunch textual content chat with the actors Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott known as “The Tortured Man Club.” Some followers consider Ms. Swift was nodding to this identify along with her newest album title.) There is a few hypothesis that Track 5, “So Long, London,” is about Mr. Alwyn, who’s British.
A longtime collaborator of Ms. Swift’s, Jack Antonoff, who’s credited as a producer on lots of the new album’s songs, seems to get a lyrical shout out on the album’s title observe.
Lucy Dacus
The musician Lucy Dacus additionally seems on that very same observe. (In addition to her work as a solo artist, Ms. Dacus is a member of the supergroup boygenius, who shocked followers with a efficiency throughout a cease on Ms. Swift’s Eras tour final yr.) “Sometimes, I’m wondering should you’re gonna screw this up with me / But you informed Lucy you’d kill your self if I ever depart / And I had stated that to Jack about you, so I felt seen,” Ms. Swift sings.
Kim Kardashian
Ms. Swift typically leaves clues for followers by capitalizing seemingly random letters in phrases which, when strung collectively, spell a distinct phrase. In the case of this album, the tune “thanK you aIMee,” appears to disclose the identify Kim. (Ms. Swift and Kim Kardashian have a protracted and unfriendly historical past.)
Cassandra
In Greek mythology, Cassandra is given the reward of prophecy by Apollo, however is cursed such that nobody will ever consider her. On a tune with the identical identify because the goddess, Ms. Swift sings, “So they killed Cassandra first / ’Cause she feared the worst / And tried to inform the city / So they crammed my cell with snakes, I remorse to say / Do you consider me now?” Snake emojis have additionally performed a key position within the feud between Ms. Swift and Ms. Kardashian.
Charlie Puth
The singer-songwriter Charlie Puth will get a reputation drop on the title observe: “You smoked then ate seven bars of chocolate / We declared Charlie Puth ought to be a much bigger artist.” Mr. Puth, by a consultant, declined to remark.
Peter Pan
The tune “Peter” seems to consult with the storybook character Peter Pan. “You stated you had been gonna develop up / Then stated you had been gonna come discover me,” Ms. Swift sings. She has made comparable allusions prior to now, together with a line about “Peter shedding Wendy” on her tune “cardigan” in 2020.
Patti Smith
The American singer, songwriter, poet and creator Patti Smith will get a reputation examine on the title observe in a line about New York’s iconic Chelsea Hotel, the place she as soon as lived. Ms. Smith has been hailed because the “punk poet laureate.”
Dylan Thomas
The Welsh poet, identified for works like “Do not go light into that good evening,” can be talked about together with Ms. Smith. “You’re not Dylan Thomas / I’m not Patti Smith / This ain’t the Chelsea Hotel / We’re trendy idiots,” Ms. Swift sings. Thomas, who was additionally a resident on the Chelsea, is known for his work as a neo-Romantic poet. (Ms. Swift has an older tune, from her album “1989,” titled “New Romantics.”)
Clara Bow
Clara Bow, an actress from the silent movie period often called the primary “it woman,” has a whole tune devoted to her on “Tortured Poets.” In 1927, Bow starred in a movie titled “It” and have become a nationwide intercourse image earlier than leaving the trade. Fans have identified that Ms. Swift’s thinly drawn eyebrows in a video teasing a brand new music video to accompany the tune “Fortnight” bear a putting similarity to Ms. Bow’s.
Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks is called on the tune “Clara Bow.” Ms. Nicks has stated that Ms. Swift’s tune “You’re on Your Own Kid” reminds her of Christine McVie, her Fleetwood Mac bandmate who died in 2022. “You appear like Stevie Nicks / In ’75, the hair and lips,” Ms. Swift sings within the tune. (Ms. Nicks additionally wrote an authentic poem that accompanies a particular vinyl version of “Tortured Poets.”)
