Everything we know so far: The Tortured Poets Department - Taylor Swift:🤍🩶🤎🖤

In a detailed discussion, the host delves into the intricacies surrounding Taylor Swift's announcement of her 11th studio album, "Tortured Poets Department," correlating its release date, April 19th, with significant personal and historical events. Theories suggest the date's alignment with her breakup with Joe Alwyn, National Cat Lady Day, and the American Revolution as intentional or coincidental symbolism. The host analyzes the album's announcement, made after Swift's 13th Grammy win, and the subsequent work on the album during her "Era" tour, touching upon her public split and rumored relationships. The host further dissects the album's artwork, lyrical themes hinting at love, art, and self-protection, and the tracklist, which includes collaborations and potential Easter eggs. Lastly, the host speculates on the marketing strategies behind multiple album variants and the potential for a mashup album, inviting fans to contribute their own theories.

• Taylor announced her 11th studio album at the 66th Grammy Awards.
• The announcement was delayed due to Taylor's travels and sickness.
• The album is titled "Tortured Poets Department."

Taylor shocked us all when she announced her 11th studio album at the 66th Grammy Awards and that was well over 3 weeks ago and I really wanted to come on here and talk to you guys about it.

This quote explains that Taylor's album announcement was a surprise and that the speaker has been eager to discuss it but was delayed due to personal reasons.

• The release date for the album is April 19th.
• April is the month when Taylor's breakup with Joe Alwyn became public.
• April 19th is significant for several reasons:
  • Known as the day of "The Great Unfollowing" of Joe Alwyn.
  • Coincides with National Poetry Day.
  • It is also National Cat Lady Day.
  • The Battle of Lexington and Concord occurred on this date, which could metaphorically represent Taylor's independence from Joe Alwyn.

April is actually the month that her breakup with Jo alwin went public more specifically though April 19th is the day of the great unfollowing of Joe aln.

This quote highlights the significance of April, particularly April 19th, in the context of Taylor's personal life and the album's themes.

April 19th is also National cat lady day so at this point I'm just wondering if she's planning these holidays 3 years in advance.

The speaker humorously speculates on whether Taylor intentionally aligns her album release with specific holidays.

• Emma Watson shared a photo of Joe Alwyn on April 18th, leading to fan speculation.
• The photo was part of Emma's March photo dump and featured Joe casually riding a scooter.
• Swifties developed cheating theories based on this image.

Emma L LED I don't know how to say her name shared this photo of Joe to her Instagram which just had swifties going insane it was part of her March photo dump.

The quote describes the reaction of Taylor Swift's fans to a photo of Joe Alwyn posted by Emma Watson, which fueled rumors and speculation.

• Taylor chose to announce her album after winning her 13th Grammy.
• She had a backup plan to announce the album in Tokyo if she hadn't won.
• The album has been in the works since before "Midnights" was released in October 2022.
• Taylor worked on the album throughout the "Era Tour."

but it was actually after winning her 13th. Grammy so I guess this felt like the right moment to do it.

This quote indicates that Taylor felt the timing was right to announce her new album after a significant career achievement.

• Taylor has been working on "Tortured Poets" since before "Midnights" was turned in.
• The album's development overlapped with her "Era Tour" and her public breakup with Joe Alwyn.
• Jack Antonoff may have hinted at the breakup as early as December 2021.
• There were rumors of Taylor dating Matt Healy, and a possible collaboration that was not released.

but she's been working on this since she turned midnights in now midnights came out October 2022 which means she has been working on this at least a few months before that.

The quote reveals that Taylor has been developing the "Tortured Poets" project for an extended period, overlapping with other professional commitments and personal events.

• The album is informally referred to as "Tortured Poets" for brevity.
• Taylor's social media post about the album included the phrase "All's fair in love and poetry."

but she's been working on tortured poets which by the way is what we're calling this now because ain't nobody going to be saying tortured poets Department every time.

This quote explains the shorthand name fans and the speaker are using for the album to avoid the longer official title.

she wrote alls fair in love and poetry which is a play on the id

The quote points out Taylor's wordplay in her social media post, which ties into the album's themes of love and poetry.

• Taylor uses the phrase "all fair in love and air" to indicate a lack of rules in love and art.
• She emphasizes her freedom to express her truth through her music.
• The artwork for Taylor's new era is described as sexy, personal, and vulnerable, with a dominant white color theme.

"iom all fair in love and air which is used to describe a situation where people don't follow the usual rules so essentially everything is fair play. so what I think she's telling us here is that when it comes to love and her art so her songwriting her music she is free to speak her mind her truth and that is what she's going to give us the artwork is really breathtaking."

The quote explains Taylor's approach to her art and love, suggesting she values honesty and authenticity in her creative expression. The artwork reflects her personal and vulnerable side.

• Taylor's "tarnished coat of arms" symbolizes her personal struggles or public reputation issues.
• The phrase "Muses acquired like bruises" suggests that her music is inspired by painful experiences.
• "Talismans and charms" are metaphors for the protective measures she takes in her personal life or career.
• The album may explore themes of self-protection and vulnerability.

"and so I enter into evidence my tarnished coat of arms my Muses acquired like bruises my talismans and charms"

This quote highlights the symbolic elements that Taylor might explore in her album, such as her challenges, inspirations, and defenses, presenting a complex picture of her artistic process.

• Taylor's lyrics "the tick tick tick of Love bombs my veins of Pitch Black Ink" convey a sense of impending emotional release.
• The "Pitch Black Ink" metaphor suggests a deep, possibly dark, creative outpouring.
• The lyrics may belong to the title track and hint at the intense emotional content of the album.

"the tick tick tick of Love bombs my veins of Pitch Black Ink"

The quote uses vivid metaphors to describe the intensity of Taylor's emotions and creativity, implying a connection between her feelings and her songwriting.

• The album's long title marks a departure from Taylor's usual concise titles.
• The title may reflect Taylor's personal growth or changes in her artistic era.
• Joe Alwyn's mention of "the tortured man's club" group chat could be related to the album's themes or title.

"but I think chances are that they are except for that last bit where she says signed by the tortured post apartment"

The quote speculates on the significance of the album title and its possible connection to Taylor's personal life, particularly a reference to Joe Alwyn's group chat name.

• Taylor unexpectedly released the tracklist without any games or Easter eggs.
• The tracklist contains sixty tracks, but the speaker chooses not to discuss each one in detail.

"now let's take a closer look at the track list which she dropped just like that I think people were expecting she would play some kind of game with us or give us some clues or that there would be some Easter egg hunt but honestly Taylor just really knows how to keep us on our toes now there's sixing tracks."

The quote comments on Taylor's surprise tracklist reveal strategy, noting her ability to keep fans engaged and guessing about her music.

• The opening track of the album is titled "Fortnite" and features artist Post Malone.
• Taylor expresses enthusiasm for Post Malone and the collaboration.
• A leak on TikTok, supposedly AI-generated, has been circulating and is thought to be related to this track.
• The sound of the leaked audio aligns with Taylor's expectations for the album's vibe.

"Talk about the highlights starting with the opening track which is called Fortnite. And it's featuring Post Malone so starting off really strong."

The quote indicates that the opening track is a notable highlight and sets high expectations for the album with the inclusion of a well-known artist, Post Malone.

• "Tortured Poets Department" is a title track of the album.
• Taylor questions whether the phrase "Tortured Poets Department" will appear in the lyrics.
• Lyrics shared by the artist on Instagram may correspond to this song.

"Next we have the Tortured Poets Department which is a title track."

This quote introduces the title track of the album, suggesting thematic significance and prompting curiosity about its lyrical content.

• The song "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys" evokes a Fall Out Boy vibe.
• Taylor is surprised that the track does not feature Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump.

"Next up we have My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys to me this sounds like a Fall Out Boy song."

Taylor's comparison of the song's style to Fall Out Boy sets an expectation for the song's genre and energy.

• The track "So Long London" caught the attention of fans.
• There is a progression from a previous song titled "London Boy" to "So Long London," indicating a thematic or narrative shift.

"Let's go down to So Long London which I think a lot of fans stopped on their tracks when they saw it."

Taylor highlights fan reaction to the track title, suggesting that it has a significant meaning or connection to previous work.

• The song "But Daddy I Love Him" may reference The Little Mermaid's line "Daddy I love him."
• The Little Mermaid was released in 1989, serving as an Easter egg and parallel to the artist's relationship with Joe Alwyn, who prefers to stay out of the spotlight.
• The track may explore themes of acceptance and the challenges of dating someone famous.

"Then we have a song called. But Daddy I Love Him so this could be giving like The Little Mermaid daddy I love him."

Taylor discusses the potential influence of The Little Mermaid on the song and its thematic connection to personal relationships and fame.

• "Florida" features the band Florence and the Machine and is marked by three exclamation points, suggesting a chaotic tone.
• Fans speculate about the song's connection to a Tampa, Florida show and the artist's public breakup with Joe Alwyn.
• The acronym "LMOL" could stand for "Love Of My Life" or have a darker interpretation.

"Track 8 is Florida featuring Florence in the Machine the three exclamation marks just give chaos."

The quote points to the potential intensity or disorderly nature of the song "Florida," heightened by the collaboration with Florence and the Machine.

• "Clara B" is a track that confused many fans.
• Clara Bow was an American actress who rose to fame during the silent film era.
• The song may draw parallels between Clara Bow's life and the artist's own experiences.

"We have Clara B which I think confused a lot of people. So I did some Googling because I honestly didn't know. But she's an American actress who rose to stardom during the silent film era."

Taylor shares her research on Clara Bow, hinting at possible thematic connections between the actress's life and the song's narrative.

• Fans were surprised by the release of multiple album versions.
• Taylor notes that releasing different versions is a common practice seen in previous albums.
• The strategy is part of marketing and charting tactics and also serves as a revenue generator.
• The first version announced is titled "The Manuscript," which may explore themes of the artist reclaiming her music.

"Let's talk about the variations now some people were shocked left and right that they ordered the version she announced. And then she put out other versions."

Taylor comments on the fan reaction to the multiple album versions, acknowledging the marketing strategy behind such releases.

"The first version that she announced is the Manuscript. So that is the bonus track to me that sounds like that song will potentially be exploring the theme of her taking back her own music."

The quote suggests that "The Manuscript" version of the album could include a bonus track with themes related to the artist's control over her music.

• The Bolter might derive from the word "bolt," implying someone who runs away.
• A book titled "The Bolter" is about a woman known for multiple marriages and divorces.
• Taylor Swift has a history of writing songs inspired by books.
• "Bolter" could also refer to a type of gun.
• There is a bar in London named "The Bolter."

"olter which featured a slightly more sepia tone now what is the Bolter there are many theories first of all it could come just from the word bolt so somebody who bolts who runs who runs away then there's also a book called The Bolter which was about a lady who was known for marrying and divorcing men and we've heard of Taylor Swift writing songs based on books before for example tolerate Bolter is also a type of gun and finally Google led me to find that there is a bar in London called the Bolter"

This quote outlines the various interpretations of "The Bolter," suggesting it could be a reference to a person who leaves, a book with a specific character, a type of gun, or a bar, all of which could be linked to Taylor Swift's work or thematic elements.

• There is a theory that Taylor Swift will release five versions of an album, each corresponding to a stage of grief.
• The color scheme of the album covers is theorized to transition from light to dark, representing the stages of grief.
• A reversal of the color scheme is suggested, with white representing acceptance and black representing denial.
• Taylor Swift performed a mashup and used a black heart emoji, leading to speculation about an album announcement.
• Some fans speculate that the black heart emoji indicates an upcoming announcement related to the "reputation" album.

"there's this Theory floating around that we are going to have five versions of the album and they're going to be going through the stages of grief. and it's going to go from light to dark so we're going to end up in Black for me the reverse would make more sense so the white being the acceptance and the black being the denial"

This quote explains the theory that Taylor Swift's album variants may represent the stages of grief, with a progression from light to dark album covers. The speaker also offers a personal interpretation, suggesting a reverse order would be more logical.

• Taylor Swift announced the fourth and final version of the "Poet's Department," which has a black border.
• The announcement supports the theory that the black heart emoji was a hint about the final album variant rather than the "reputation" album.
• There is speculation about Taylor Swift possibly releasing a mashup album.
• Fans are encouraged to share their theories and any missed details about Taylor Swift's recent activities.

"oh my God. okay first of all I just got back from a bottomless branch which is why I look like this and my makeup is just like super rough but Taylor announced the fourth and final version of the poet's Department which is in fact black which means that my theory that I recorded earlier today was right the reason that she posted that black heart was not related to reputation but about the final version or variant of The Poets Department"

This quote reveals the speaker's correct prediction about the final version of the "Poet's Department" and clarifies the meaning behind Taylor Swift's use of the black heart emoji, dispelling the association with the "reputation" album.

• The speaker has created detailed content about Taylor Swift, including a 13-page script for a video.
• Fans are invited to subscribe for more content and to share their theories about Taylor Swift's projects.
• The speaker expresses appreciation for the audience's engagement and looks forward to future interactions.

"I made like a 13 page script for this video which is already kind of on the dot for a Taylor Swift video but it is possible I miss some stuff make sure you subscribe if you want to see more videos like this and as always thank you so much for hanging out with me."

This quote emphasizes the depth of research and dedication to creating content about Taylor Swift, acknowledging the possibility of missing details and inviting further fan engagement and subscription for more content.