Taylor Swift's latest album, "The Tortured Poets Department," has taken the music world by storm, featuring candid lyrics that call out several celebrities. Released in two parts on April 19, this surprise double album has given devoted fans (also known as Swifties) plenty to discuss and analyze. With its bold themes and personal reflections, Swift's work continues to showcase her evolution as an artist and storyteller.
The album not only highlights her musical talents but also her ability to weave intricate narratives that resonate with listeners. As fans dive into the lyrics, they find layers of meaning and connections to the ongoing drama in Swift's life, particularly her relationships with other public figures. The album serves as a platform for Swift to express her feelings and experiences, making it a must-listen for anyone who has followed her journey.
In this article, we explore the standout moments from "The Tortured Poets Department," focusing on the celebrity references and the contexts behind them. From long-standing feuds to recent romances, Swift's lyrical choices shed light on her personal struggles and triumphs, all while maintaining her signature storytelling style. Let’s delve deeper into the key figures mentioned in the album and their implications for Swift's narrative.
Table of Contents
Kim Kardashian
Swift and Kardashian have a long-standing feud, which started with Swift and Ye back in the day and goes back to Kimye’s infamous doctored phone call, which appeared to prove Taylor had given consent for a nude wax figure of her to appear in Kanye’s “Famous” music video. TLDR: The call was edited, but Swift was ripped to shreds online anyway, an experience that inspired her now legendary “Reputation” album.
Swift isn’t quite letting Kardashian off the hook, and “TTPD’s” “thanK you aIMee” pointedly had the letters of Kardashian’s first name capitalized in the title.
“And so I changed your name and any real defining clues / And one day, your kid comes home singin’ / A song that only us two is gonna know is about you,” Taylor wrote, apparently referencing daughter North West’s TikToks that have featured her songs in the past.
Matty Healy
The 1975 frontman was the surprise “TTPD” guest star. He and the “Bejeweled” singer appeared to have had a short fling following her split from Joe Alwyn, but the lyrics in “TTPD” have led to speculation that the two were involved for far longer.
The title track is particularly damning: “You left your typewriter at my apartment,” Swift sings, referencing Healy’s apparent penchant for the old-school device. (“Who uses typewriters anyway?” she later asks.)
Swift goes on to call him a “tattooed golden retriever” before describing his smoking habits.
Joe Alwyn
Just as fans predicted, Taylor’s ex-boyfriend of six years was spared little sympathy. Even the album title is supposedly a reference to the name of a group chat between the actor, Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott, called the “Tortured Man Club.”
“So Long, London” is Taylor’s most obvious hit at Alwyn, considering he inspired the track “London Boy” on her 2019 album “Lover.”
“I didn’t opt in to be your odd man out,” she sings about the end of their relationship. “I founded the club she’s heard great things about / I left all I knew, you left me at the house by the Heath.”
Travis Kelce
Of course, Swift couldn’t leave current beau Kelce behind. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end is the apparent subject of “The Alchemy” and “So High School,” both of which are riddled with football metaphors.
“The greatest in the league / Where’s the trophy? / He just comes running over to me,” she sings in “The Alchemy,” referencing the couple’s viral kiss after Kelce‘s team won the Super Bowl in February.
“You know how to ball, I know Aristotle,” she added in “So High School.” “You knew what you wanted and, boy, you got her,” she concludes in the song, alluding to how Kelce pursued her after seeing her perform on the Eras tour.
Charlie Puth
Finally, in a seemingly random shout-out on the title track, Swift sings, “You smoked, then ate seven bars of chocolate / We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist.”
Fans rushed into a frenzy online, flooding the “We Don’t Talk Anymore” singer’s social media with notifications about his name drop.
“literally honored lol,” he replied in the comments of a now-deleted Instagram post of the song.
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