The Tortured Poets Department

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The Tortured Poets Department
Black-and-white image of Swift lying on a bed. The album title is displayed on the image. The image is surrounded by a thick white border.
Studio album by
Taylor Swift
ReleasedApril 19, 2024 (2024-04-19)
LabelRepublic
Taylor Swift chronology
1989 (Taylor's Version)
(2023) 		The Tortured Poets Department
(2024)

The Tortured Poets Department is the upcoming eleventh studio album by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, set for release on April 19, 2024, through Republic Records. Swift announced the album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024, after winning Best Pop Vocal Album for her tenth studio album, Midnights (2022).

Swift conceived The Tortured Poets Department shortly after finishing work on Midnights and continued developing it while embarking on the Eras Tour (2023–2024). The album consists of sixteen songs, featuring collaborations with American rapper and singer Post Malone and English indie rock band Florence and the Machine; the physical edition includes a bonus seventeenth track.

Background and release[edit]

Swift released her tenth studio album, Midnights, on October 21, 2022, to widespread commercial and critical success.[1] The following year, she released two re-recorded albums, Speak Now (Taylor's Version) and 1989 (Taylor's Version), as part of her re-recording project.[2]

On February 4 2024, Swift teased the release of a new album by changing her profile picture across all social media platforms to a black and white version of the already existing cover artwork of Midnights. Her fans speculated online that she was preparing to release Reputation (Taylor's Version), a forthcoming re-recording of her sixth studio album, Reputation (2017).[3] Swift's website also appeared as if it had malfunctioned, reporting an unusual non-standard HTTP status code 321, as well as error code "hneriergrd", which fans deciphered to be an anagram spelling "red herring."[4] The source code of the website was found to contain foreign-language words.[5]

Swift won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year for Midnights. In her acceptance speech for the former, she revealed a new studio album she had kept secret the past two years,[6] titled The Tortured Poets Department, would be released on April 19, 2024.[7][8] At the opening show for The Eras Tour in Tokyo several days later, Swift revealed if she had not won at the Grammys, her back-up plan was to announce the album then.[9] The album cover artwork was posted to her social media accounts, along with a photograph of a handwritten note, which incorporated English translations of the words from the source code:[5][10]

And so I enter into evidence / My tarnished coat of arms / My muses, acquired like bruises / My talismans and charms / The tick, tick, tick of love bombs / My veins of pitch black ink / All's fair in love and poetry...

Sincerely, The Chairman of the Tortured Poets Department.[11]

The album, which also contains the bonus track "The Manuscript" in its physical format, became available for pre-order at the same time,[12] alongside a collector's edition deluxe CD which was sold out in her US merch store in under 2 hours.[13][14] The next day Swift revealed the track list on her social media accounts, including collaborations with American rapper Post Malone on the first song "Fortnight" and English indie rock band Florence and the Machine on "Florida!!!"[15]

Conception[edit]

Swift began creating The Tortured Poets Department immediately after submitting Midnights to her record label, Republic Records, and continued secretively working on the album through the U.S. leg of the Eras Tour (2023–2024), her sixth concert tour.[16]

Cover artwork[edit]

The album cover artwork photographed by Beth Garrabrant is a black-and-white glamour photo shot of Swift lying on a bed wearing black lingerie: a see-through top and high waist shorts.[17][18][19] According to Swift's stylist Joseph Cassell, she was wearing garments from The Row and Yves Saint Laurent.[18][20] The image on the back cover of the album contains the words, "I love you, it's ruining my life."[21]

Memes and art recreations[edit]

Following its announcement, the album inspired a string of memes on social media. Numerous brands—such as the companies Duolingo, Sour Patch Kids, Sol de Janeiro, Walmart, Josh Cellars, Aerie, and Drumstick, organizations National Park Service, Orlando International Airport and Empire State Building, sports teams Texas Rangers, Ohio State Buckeyes, and McLaren, and cinema franchises Minions, Teletubbies, and DC Comics—embraced the album's aesthetic and parodied the cover artwork or the title.[22][23][24]

Track listing[edit]

The standard edition of the album includes 16 tracks with features from Post Malone and Florence and the Machine. The physical editions include the bonus track "The Manuscript".[15][25][26]

The Tortured Poets Department – track listing[15]
No.TitleLength
1."Fortnight" (featuring Post Malone) 
2."The Tortured Poets Department" 
3."My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" 
4."Down Bad" 
5."So Long, London" 
6."But Daddy I Love Him" 
7."Fresh Out the Slammer" 
8."Florida!!!" (featuring Florence and the Machine) 
9."Guilty as Sin?" 
10."Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" 
11."I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)" 
12."Loml" 
13."I Can Do It with a Broken Heart" 
14."The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived" 
15."The Alchemy" 
16."Clara Bow" 
The Tortured Poets Department – physical edition[15]
No.TitleLength
17."The Manuscript" 

Release history[edit]

The Tortured Poets Department release history
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
Various April 19, 2024
Republic [27]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Bugel, Safi (October 28, 2022). "Taylor Swift: Midnights becomes biggest album of 2022 after one week". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  2. ^ Wickman, Kase (February 4, 2024). "Taylor Swift Arrives at the Grammys 2024". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  3. ^ Smyth, Tom (February 4, 2023). "The Ties Were Black, the Lies Were White...and Now So Is Taylor Swift's Profile Picture". Variety. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  4. ^ West, Bryan (February 4, 2024). "'Error 321' Taylor Swift website crashes, sending fans on frantic hunt for 'red herring'". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  5. ^ a b West, Bryan (February 4, 2024). "Taylor Swift announces brand-new album at Grammys: 'Tortured Poets Department'". The Tennessean. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  6. ^ West, Bryan (February 4, 2024). "Taylor Swift announces brand-new album at Grammys: 'Tortured Poets Department'". USA Today. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  7. ^ Kuo, Christopher (February 4, 2024). "Taylor Swift announces new album during Grammy win". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  8. ^ Singh, Surej (February 5, 2024). "Taylor Swift announces new album, 'The Tortured Poets Department'". NME. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  9. ^ Kaplan, Ilana (February 7, 2024). "Taylor Swift Reveals She Wasn't Planning to Announce New 'The Tortured Poets Department' Album at Grammys". People. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  10. ^ Mendez, Moises (February 6, 2024). "What to Know About Taylor Swift's New Album". Time. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  11. ^ Shanfeld, Ethan (February 4, 2024). "Taylor Swift Announces New Album 'The Tortured Poets Department' During Grammys Acceptance Speech". Variety. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  12. ^ Lynch, Joe (February 5, 2024). "Taylor Swift Shocks Fans By Revealing Brand New Album 'The Tortured Poets Department' at Grammys". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  13. ^ Lustig, Hanna (February 6, 2024). "Taylor Swift Released the Track List for 'The Tortured Poets Department'—And It's So Telling". Glamour. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  14. ^ Gibson, Kelsie (February 6, 2024). "Everything to Know About Taylor Swift's New Album, The Tortured Poets Department". People. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c d Garcia, Thania (February 5, 2024). "Taylor Swift Shares Tracklist for 'The Tortured Poets Department,' Featuring Post Malone and Florence + Machine". Variety. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  16. ^ Blistein, Jon (February 7, 2024). "Taylor Swift Reveals 'Tortured Poets Department' Back Up Plan In Case She Didn't Win a Grammy". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  17. ^ Sen, Mallika (February 4, 2024). "Taylor Swift announces new album: The Tortured Poets Department". Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  18. ^ a b Morin, Alyssa (February 5, 2024). "How Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen Played a Role in Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets Department Cover". E! Online. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  19. ^ Vasquez, Ingrid. "Taylor Swift Shares the Sexy Cover of New Album 'The Tortured Poets Department': 'All's Fair in Love and Poetry'". People. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  20. ^ Dailey, Hannah (February 6, 2024). "Everything We Know About Taylor Swift's New Album 'The Tortured Poets Department' So Far". Billboard. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  21. ^ Dresdale, Andrea (February 6, 2024). "Taylor Swift reveals 'The Tortured Poets Department' track list, collaborators". ABC News. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  22. ^ Ahlgrim, Callie. "All the best reactions to Taylor Swift's surprise album announcement at the Grammys". Business Insider. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  23. ^ Leishman, Rachel (February 5, 2024). "Did Taylor Swift Know Her New Album Name Would Inspire This Many Memes?". The Mary Sue. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  24. ^ Follett, Gillian (February 7, 2023). "See How Brands Recreated Taylor Swift's New Album Cover". Ad Age. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  25. ^ Soteriou, Stephanie (February 6, 2024). "Here's A Definitive Breakdown Of What Taylor Fans Think Every Song On Her Upcoming Album Will Be About". Buzzfeednews.com. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  26. ^ Bailey, Alyssa (February 6, 2024). "Taylor Swift Drops the 17-Song Track List For 'The Tortured Poets Department'". Elle.com. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  27. ^ The Tortured Poets Department release formats:
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