Taylor Swift released her 11th studio album The Tortured Poets Department on April 19th of 2024. She surprised listeners by releasing a double album The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology instead of the expected one. The whole album overall contains 31 songs. Here is a song breakdown for the album that hit 1 billion spotify streams in a week.
Track 1: Fortnight (featuring Post Malone): This song is a solid 8/10. An AI version of this song was released on TikTok before the initial real song release. Many preferred the AI over the real thing, myself included. This song was good but I wished it expressed further emotion while sung.
Track 2: The Tortured Poets Department: This album named song deserves a 9/10. With an indie/pop vibe it’s a very nice song to listen to. I would give it a 10/10 but some of the lyrics were just weird and out of place, such as when she says, “We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist.” I mean okay Charlie Puth is getting recognition, but it had no place really in the song.
Track 3: My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys: This song is okay, so I wouldn’t give it higher than a 6/10. It’s a good song for the radio, but it is just not giving what a good song should be. It lacks personality. It’s just simply a good beat with thrown together lyrics.
Track 4: Down Bad: I would give this fan favorite song an 8/10. It has a very nice beat and is great to just vibe to. It lacks lyric structure but is an amazing song for those who prefer something to just throw on and scream to.
Track 5: So Long, London: Fans eagerly awaited this song as it is clearly about Swift’s English ex Joe alwyn. This song is a solid 7/10. If not for the bridge the song would be rated lower. It is a very good song, I just think that if she added more emotion and vulnerability the song would be perfect.
Track 6: But Daddy I Love Him: This song is a 6/10. It’s just kind of weird. I can vibe to it but the lyrics are just not good. The only reason I like this song is because it’s funny when she sings, “I’m having his baby, no I’m not but you should see your faces.” I love the bridge, but other than that, it’s not going in a favorited playlist.
Track 7: Fresh Out The Slammer: This song is an overall 5/10. This song being about her career and how it affects her, I wish she went deeper into detail. The beat is not that good and the lyrics don’t match it. It has a lot of potential, she should’ve kept it in the vault and kept working on it.
Track 8: Florida!!! (featuring Florence and the Machine): This is the first track to receive a 10/10. I love this song not because of the lyrics as I usually do, but because it’s just fun to listen to. It’s a great song to dance to. Every time she says “Florida” I have to resist the urge to dance because the beat is so good.
Track 9: Guilty as Sin?: This song is a deserved 7/10. The beat is okay, the lyrics are alright. It’s just a pretty average song. There’s nothing bad to say, but I can’t overly praise it. It’s a slow pop song and that’s all it has going for it. Many people are getting a tattoo for this song because of the lyrics, “What if he’s written “mine” on my upper thigh.” Would I get this tattoo? Yes, but that’s beside the point. The song is good, but there’s always room for improvement.
Track 10: Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?: This song deserves a 10/10 period. It’s giving Hunger Games vibes and fans love it. The lyrics are great, the beat is amazing. It’s just a great song. Pretending to be Lucy Gray Baird while listening to this song is a must.
Track 11: I Can Fix Him(No Really I Can): This song is a 5/10. I was super disappointed with this song because the title is my motto, but I couldn’t find myself liking it. I was hoping it’d be more upbeat so I can be happy and delusional, but it was more sad, delusional.
Track 12: loml: This is my second favorite song on this album it almost beats my favorite song of all time “tolerate it” on the evermore album. It is no doubt a 10/10. This slow paced song is rumored to be about her ex Joe Alwyn again. When first announced fans assumed the acronym stood for “love of my life,” but later was revealed to be that as well as “loss of my life.” The bridge is absolutely amazing and the whole song is just beautiful.
Track 13: I Can Do It with a Broken Heart: This fan favorite song deserves a 8/10. This song is great because it has a pop, upbeat nature, with the most gut wrenching lyrics. She sings things like, “I’m so depressed,” and “I’m miserable and no one even knows,” in the most happy sounding tone it’s hilarious. It is a very fun song to just dance to.
Track 14: The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived: This song is my absolute favorite on the album with a deserved 10/10 rating. The bridge of this song is outstanding. The lyrics all come together in a satisfying way. It has become a TikTok trend to send this song to your ex and say “Taylor wrote a song about you.” This slow paced song is very relatable and well written.
Track 15: The Alchemy: This song is a solid 7/10. This is the first song rumored to be about Swift’s current boyfriend, NFL star, Travis Kelce. The song is very cute, but it’s not a song to play over and over. With a slow pop style, we see Swift’s feelings about Kelce for the first time. I think the use of the word “touchdown” is overused, but other that that, the song is an okay listen.
Track 16: Clara Bow: This heavily researched song, is a 9/10. This slow pop song explains the “it girl” of times such as Clara Bow, Stevie Nicks, and then Taylor Swift herself. This song would receive a 10, but the chorus isn’t that appealing. The bridge is great as always as well as the lyrics.
Track 17: The Black Dog: The first bonus track of the album is a deserved 10/10. This song is beautiful in every way. The lyrics are great. I love the emphasis she makes during the lyrics, “screaming.” Many fans like to make the connection to Harry Potter because the character Sirius Black’s metamorphmagus is a black dog, which is fun.
Track 18: imgonnagetyouback: This unexpected song from Swift is a 10/10. Many like to compare it to singer Olivia Rodrigo’s song “get him back!” The two songs don’t sound the same, but both have a double meaning to their lyrics. This upbeat, fun song is great to dance and vibe to..
Track 19: The Albatross: This “the last great american dynasty” vibe song is a 9/10. At some points in the song interest is lost because of how slow and soft it is, but overall the song has great lyrics and is a good song.
Track 20: Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus: This song takes third place of favorite songs, and gets a 10/10. The beat is great and the lyrics are astonishing. When she sang, “you needed me but you needed drugs more.” I physically recoiled as I was not ready to be called out like that. The song is absolutely beautiful and many can relate to it.
Track 21: How Did It End?: This song is a simple 5/10. It is just okay. It’s not a very well constructed song. With its slower pace, the lyrics don’t make up for it and it is rather boring.
Track 22: So High School: This fan favorite Travis Kelce inspired song is a perfect 10/10. It is very cute and upbeat and we are able to connect with Swifts feelings.
Track 23: I Hate It Here: This song is a good 7/10. This indie style song is very well written. It has become popular on Tiktok for the lyrics, “I hate it here so I will go to secret gardens in my mind.” It connects with BookTok and is overall a good song.
Track 24: thanK you aIMee: This diss at reality star Kim Kardashian, is an 8/10. The letters that are capitalized spell out “Kim.” Through this upbeat song we finally get to hear Taylor’s true feelings about everything Kim has done to her. It is very well written and had a great beat.
Track 25: I Look in People’s Windows: This song is a solid 6/10. There’s not much going for it except the chorus. It is an okay song, but not one to listen to constantly.
Track 26: The Prophecy: This song takes the next 10/10. This gut wrenching feeling song is beautifully written and the music is great. The lyrics are great and many fans associate this song with Harry Potter as well.
Track 27: Cassandra: A simple 5/10 this song gets. It’s just a simple song with an okay chorus.
Track 28: Peter: This song deserves a 9/10. I would give it a ten but some lyrics, especially at the beginning, need more work. The bridge is absolutely beautiful and the song is very much giving Peter Pan as well as Penelope Featherington vibes.
Track 29: The Bolter: This song is a 7/10. Its slower pace is nice, but the lyrics aren’t that good. It’s a once in a while listen.
Track 30: Robin: Receiving the lowest score on the album, this song received a 4/10. Despite being 4 minutes long, it has nothing going for it. The lyrics aren’t that good, and with Taylor being the queen of bridges, this one did not hit.
Track 31: The Manuscript: Finishing out the album, Taylor gives us a 10/10 track. The music, lyrics, bridge, and everything is beautiful. It’s an amazing closer for this amazing album.
The overall album is an 8/10. It explores multiple areas of beats, lyrics, and more. It is definitely worth listening to. The first album is more for pop fans, and the second is for those who look for lyrics and slower songs. Out of all 31 songs, there is definitely something there for anyone!
