When Taylor Swift launched “The Tortured Poets Division,” on Friday at midnight, her fan base rapidly started working decoding the album, searching for layers of which means and perception into Ms. Swift’s life. After all, 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 referred to as “The Tortured Poets Division: 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. A minimum of two poets, Dylan Thomas and Patti Smith, are talked about.
Right here’s a have a look at a few of these characters.
Matty Healy
Loads of strains from “Tortured Poets” have followers guessing that sure songs — together with “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” “The Black Canine” and “Down Dangerous” — 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 Canine,” Ms. Swift refers back to the band the Beginning Line. Mr. Healy coated one of many band’s songs whereas he was touring final spring. After which there’s 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, in line with her followers.
Ms. Swift’s followers have been floating the notion that the various sports activities references within the observe “The Alchemy” allude to the soccer participant Travis Kelce, the singer’s present boyfriend. “So after I / Contact 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. “The place’s the trophy? / He simply comes working over to me,” she provides within the bridge. However there’s some debate, with some followers noting that her use of the time period “blokes” would appear to indicate the track just isn’t about an American. (A winking line about “heroin however this time with an E” has some guessing the track 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. Within the lead-up to the discharge of “Tortured Poets,” many followers believed this new album would course of the top 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 referred to as “The Tortured Man Membership.” Some followers consider Ms. Swift was nodding to this identify along with her newest album title.) There’s some hypothesis that Monitor 5, “So Lengthy, London,” is about Mr. Alwyn, who’s British.
A longtime collaborator of Ms. Swift’s, Jack Antonoff, who’s credited as a producer on most 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. (Along with her work as a solo artist, Ms. Dacus is a member of the supergroup boygenius, who stunned followers with a efficiency throughout a cease on Ms. Swift’s Eras tour final yr.) “Typically, I ponder should you’re gonna screw this up with me / However you informed Lucy you’d kill your self if I ever go away / 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 special phrase. Within the case of this album, the track “thanK you aIMee,” appears to disclose the identify Kim. (Ms. Swift and Kim Kardashian have a lengthy and unfriendly historical past.)
Cassandra
In Greek mythology, Cassandra is given the present of prophecy by Apollo, however is cursed such that nobody will ever consider her. On a track with the identical identify because the goddess, Ms. Swift sings, “In order that they killed Cassandra first / ’Trigger she feared the worst / And tried to inform the city / In order that they stuffed 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 must be an even bigger artist.” Mr. Puth, via a consultant, declined to remark.
Peter Pan
The track “Peter” seems to seek advice from 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 related allusions prior to now, together with a line about “Peter shedding Wendy” on her track “cardigan” in 2020.
Patti Smith
The American singer, songwriter, poet and writer Patti Smith will get a reputation test on the title observe in a line about New York’s iconic Chelsea Lodge, the place she as soon as lived. Ms. Smith has been hailed because the “punk poet laureate.”
Dylan Thomas
The Welsh poet, recognized for works like “Don’t go mild into that good night time,” can be talked about together with Ms. Smith. ‘You’re not Dylan Thomas / I’m not Patti Smith / This ain’t the Chelsea Lodge / We’re fashionable idiots,” Ms. Swift sings. Thomas, who was additionally a resident on the Chelsea, is legendary for his work as a neo-Romantic poet. (Ms. Swift has an older track, 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 track 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. Followers have identified that Ms. Swift’s thinly drawn eyebrows in a video teasing a brand new music video to accompany the track “Fortnight” bear a hanging similarity to Ms. Bow’s.
Stevie Nicks
Stevie Nicks is known as on the track “Clara Bow.” Ms. Nicks has stated that Ms. Swift’s track “You’re on Your Personal Child” 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 track. (Ms. Nicks additionally wrote an unique poem that accompanies particular vinyl version of “Tortured Poets.”)
