Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poet's Department - album discussion thread

[OldHabitsDieScreaming]

Hello Swifties! Thought I would start a thread to chat about TS11 or TTPD or whatever we're calling it 😁Don't know about you but the excitement is building for this old-enough-to-know-better Swiftie and I'll be taking the long way into work tomorrow so I can listen to it in Peace...(see what I did there?)

So this thread is for anyone who loves TS and wants to talk/think/muse/swoon over the newest output from the hardest-working woman in music!

Personally I'm intrigued and delighted that Aaron Dessner seems to have co-writing credits on several tracks - I'm a committed Folklore/Evermore fan and more in a similar vein will be very welcome!

(Oh, and while hopefully this doesn't need saying, please don't bother posting to say how shit/overrated/talentless you think TS is. This is a fan / appreciation thread about a specific piece of work and it would be lovely to keep it that way.)

Re the prophecy

Do you know the story about her mum going to a psychic when she was 12 and getting told the whole world would know her name, but because she’s worst case scenario Andrea she assumed it meant Taylor was going to be kidnapped or something terrible like that

I can only find tumblr posts, but she’s definitely told that story in interviews

anyway, the prophecy made me remember that

@KitKatChunki yep, agree. We can all see ourselves in these songs.

Years ago, I was briefly (disastrously) married to a bad-boy musician. Drugs and drink featured heavily with him, and 'I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)' is SO real to me. And funnily enough, it was a rebound from a long-term relationship with a nice chap with whom things had just slowly faded away... Hey ho. It was a long time ago but it's funny how there's nothing new under the sun where re!ationships are concerned!

That came out a bit random 😂

i mean in terms of remembering that and then re listening to it made it even sadder

not just because there was a psychic

@Kindleonfire Yes! She's great at the self doubt and confusing messages women get. Like the "everybody is a sexy baby and I'm a monster on the hill" line from Anti-Hero - I often feel that way when watching women talk to men. I've never been a great flirt but the sexy baby thing was, I realised how I unknowingly saw them acting.

Haha I've gone the other way and moved from my Folklevermore obsession to metal 😆

@taylorswift1989 - I genuinely think the whole album is full of trolling. The fans were expecting a breakup album and then got hit with what they've interpreted as an obsessed with Matty Healy album. Now they're realising that Taylor is an unreliable narrator and had a whole load of stuff going on in her private life that they didn't know about. So they're now furiously retconning Healy into being the muse of years-worth of previous songs while reassuring themselves that it's ok, she's happy with Travvy now (or is she?)

Don't get me wrong - I think TTPD is an incredible piece of art. But what is interesting to me, rather than the men of it all, is the multilayered storytelling, the themes throughout the album and the references to other music, films and literature that I feel I need to understand to get more out of TTPD.

I think there's a bigger plan here we're not fully aware of yet and we are only at the midpoint of the Taylor Swift Eras Story. The rest of the year is shaping up to be interesting...

Oh no, that makes it even sadder! "Don't want money, just someone who wants my company" :(

Yes, I agree @SandHurtsMyFeelings about the storytelling and the layers of meaning and connections. It feels very novelistic.

I posted a link earlier to a video talking about the themes of ttpd (as opposed to talking about the men) which I thought was very insightful.

Although I do think that TS has in the past been quite revealing about who songs are about, and giving us the secret messages and so on. She has definitely built her fandom around this idea that she gives access to her inner world. I think that the truth is she has previously given more access to the external events (the men, the relationships) and now she's giving access to her psyche and imagination and dreams.

Taylornation has posted some clips of Taylor rehearsing for the tour on Instagram reels and some bits look new apparently. And there's one clip (which I managed to screenshot) where the railing thing has the TTPD logo on it, and her shoes look like the ones she wears with the black dress in the fortnight video.

I wasn't observant enough to notice any of this, but I read it from more sharp eyed people.

I'll feel cheated if London doesn't get the original Eras set.

Please don't let August and Betty be dropped.

I wonder if that's why she released the film of the tour already, because she knew it was going to change (and with my cynical hat on, she can have two versions of the movie).

I also wonder if, because she still has debut to re-record, maybe she'll add a song or two from that (Tim McGraw?? Teardrops on my Guitar?) because it currently isn't included.

See - I’m hoping it is different, not because there was anything wrong with it before but just because I think switching it up adds the unknown and it’s not been possible to completely avoid seeing lots of it already

and also, seeing her do songs live has changed my opinion on them before, there were some songs on reputation that I liked a lot more after seeing them live.

I actually have managed to avoid almost all the setlist so I won't even notice if Cardiff is different. Quite nice really - no way to be disappointed.

This album's grown on me but there aren't loads of tracks I'm desperate to see live. I think Fortnight is a weak single.

I had another sad thought, I knew this, but it didn’t click

The albatross, albatrosses are lucky, unless you kill them

Yes, the albatross is another one that is growing on me too. It also ties in with the ship going down imagery as they guide sailors.
Initially I wasn't keen on Florida either but that's a grower for me.

Actually it's Florida I keep hearing KT Tunstall!

I'm an idiot. It's Florence and the machine!
Hahaha, ignore me!

Lol

i just thought you meant it sounded like kt tunstall and I’m not familiar enough with her stuff to know

I've always got them mixed up as it is - been listening in the car so hadn't seen it was a collab!

Oh goody.... Guess it'll all be clear when she performs in Paris. My favourite is loml. Low key devastating, beautiful lyrics.

You know I really do think she puts narcotics in her songs because I can’t stop listening to this album! I really love Red and Reputation and this album is really up there for me. I must have listened to guilty as sin 1000000 times, I love the tune of it.

did anyone else notice that at the end of TTPD song the lyrics are “who’s gonna hold you? Gonna know you? Gonna troll you?” Who is she trolling? The muse? Us?

Does she sing that? lol! I assume she means Matty H.

I agree - her songs are soooo catchy, it's ridiculous. I've definitely been finding my favourites on the album.

I love Red and Rep, too!

it’s just interesting that the run up to the release there was that 321 red herring. Was that referring to the double album? What is the red herring? Then when I saw the troll line I was 🤨

I’ve seen theories there might be third album drop on Friday too. Think I’ve spent too much time on TikTok, though I saw an interesting video where someone says the TTPD is inspired by Sylvia Plath, which was really interesting. Another saying the Bolter fits nicely Amy from little women. I’d love to know the real inspiration behind all these songs, seeing as though they’re in my head constantly! The lyrics just seem to be applicable in so many scenarios, so many people can relate and I just find that unusual- really clever songwriting!

only songs I’m not really a big fan of is I hate it here and I can fix him- they’re my only skips, which in 31 songs I don’t think is too bad!

Well, she's singing that to the subject of the song. I don't think she's switching to addressing the audience.

I don't think she really is trolling the audience or wants to do that. She sees it as a game - planting clues and 'easter eggs' for fans to try to figure out. I really doubt that there's a third part of this album still to come. But you never know!

I'd love to hear TS talk about her inspiration and her process. I think - especially on this album - it's such a mix of things. She obviously reads a lot and gets ideas from books and films, as well as situations in her own life. I heard that the Bolter was an old-fashioned term for women who fled their marriages. And I also get the Sylvia Plath/Ted Hughes thing too. TS is such an interesting writer!

I love the Easter eggs! Makes it so much more interactive my

the point about the Bolter meaning is really interesting! I’d love to hear her talk about it all, i listened to the Amazon music commentary and that was good. I just don’t get how she has time for all of this, the tour, rehearsals, recording, socialising, somehow reading books, poems etc, then writing her songs! I feel she must not sleep?!