“I love you, it’s ruining my life.” These thought-provoking words are printed on the front of Taylor Swift’s yet-to-be-released 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department. This album will include a tracklist of 16 new songs, plus several bonus tracks. Aside from the release date and cover art, not much is known about what Swift’s newest masterpiece might contain. In this article, we’ll sort out the gossip, speculation, and facts about what The Tortured Poets Department may bring. 

It is an understatement to say that 2023 was the year of Taylor Swift. She had a wildly successful album and a record-breaking concert, rerecorded 2 of her albums, and released a movie that made 261.6 million dollars at the box office. Taylor Swift is at the peak of her career, and it doesn’t seem like she’s coming down anytime soon. 

Her success was especially evident on February 4th, the night of the 66th Grammy Awards. Swift had been nominated in several categories, and it was sure to be an exciting night for Swifties everywhere. Not only was there the possibility of her winning her 13th award (spoiler alert – she did!) and breaking the record for most album of the year wins, but many fans also theorized that she would celebrate by releasing a rerecord of her album Reputation.

Rep TV: Are You Ready For It?

Leading up to the Grammys, it seemed as if Taylor Swift was dropping many hints for the release of Reputation (Taylor’s Version), also known as Rep TV. Taylor Swift is known for her use of puzzles and easter eggs throughout her music videos, social media posts, and wardrobe. Many Swifties noticed that Swift’s clothing trends leading up to the Grammy Awards included key themes from her Reputation era, including a green dress and snake accessories, and a change of her and her close friend’s Instagram profile pictures to a suiting black and white that also suited the era’s style. On the day of the Grammy Awards, her website, TaylorSwift.com, turned black with an “Error 321” message displayed. Once confirmed as intentional, the crash created even more excitement among Reputation stans.

However, another message on the error page hinted that something was amiss. The string of letters “hneriergrd” was also present. Unscrambling the seemingly out-of-place letters gives us the phrase “red herring” which refers to a piece of information that is meant to be misleading or distracting. As it turns out, a red herring was exactly what all these clues were.

Fans waited anxiously as Swift walked on stage to accept her 14th Grammy award for Album of the Year. “I want to say thank you to the fans,” she said in her acceptance speech, “by telling you a secret that I’ve been keeping from you for the past two years, which is that my brand-new album comes out April 19.”

Many were in shock. They had been expecting a rerecord, but certainly not an entirely new album! Following the announcement, Taylor Swift posted the album cover to her Instagram page. Since then, our collection of TTPD material has grown and now contains alternate album covers, special edition announcements, insight from Swift herself, small snippets of poetic lines, and even song titles separated into four sides.

With all of this information, fans have become detectives trying to uncover the mystery of what The Tortured Poets Department may bring. Many theories have arisen about the album, and Swifties are scrambling to figure out the meanings behind the cryptic information we’ve been given so far. Most of the ideas floating around are based on assumptions and loose speculations. By doing a careful analysis of our own, the contents of this perplexing album can be deduced -. Swifties, grab your friendship bracelets and get ready to speculate as we dive into the mystery of The Tortured Poets Department.

Welcome to the Eras Tour!

To begin, let’s look at where the concept of TTPD began. Each of Swift’s albums refers to a specific era of her life and reflects the triumphs and hardships she has experienced. While some people believe that Swift only writes dramatic tales about her break-ups and failed romances, her eras paint a larger picture of trials, recovery, and reinvention. Though many of her songs are about her love life, Swift has grown physically, musically, and emotionally through her eras of music. Taylor Swift started as an American sweetheart country singer, was then the most hated pop star in the music industry, and has now bloomed into a musical powerhouse adored by fans worldwide.

With the arrival of this new album, it seems as if Swift is once again entering a new era. However, the question remains as to what may have triggered this change. Lately, Swift’s career has been very successful. She’s released many new albums, has gone around the world on her Eras Tour, and has won a multitude of different awards. With her achievements continuing to climb through the roof, it doesn’t make logical sense for an album titled The Tortured Poets Department to tell the story of this victory-filled period of her life. While we can’t assume that Swift is free of struggles in her private life, the melancholy track name doesn’t align with what we’ve seen her go through publicly. This leaves us with one more place to search for the source of TTPD: Swift’s relationship experiences.

You Know I Love a London Boy!

Everyone knows about the current relationship between Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. Their romance is plastered on every magazine, and you can’t scroll through social media without angry “Brads and Chads” ranting about how Taylor Swift is ruining the NFL. But before all the glitz and glamor of Travis Kelce, there was Joe Alwyn.  

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn started dating in 2016 during Swift’s Reputation era. Not much is known about the timeline of Swift and Alwyn’s relationship as Alwyn greatly valued their privacy. However, fans speculate that they have been broken up since 2021 when Swift was writing her Midnights album.

You Might Just Have Dealt the Final Blow

On November 29, 2023, Swift released a song on streaming platforms called “You’re Losing Me”. The song depicts the death of a couple’s love for each other and an unwillingness to fight for their relationship. The song includes lyrics such as: 

“How can you say that you love someone you can’t tell is dyin’?”

“ My heart won’t start anymore for you ’cause you’re losin’ me.”

 “How long could we be a sad song til we were too far gone to bring back to life?” 

 “I wouldn’t marry me either, pathological people pleaser”

These lyrics clearly show that the singer has gone through a heartbreaking loss. Their relationship hasn’t just ended, it has died entirely. Any plans that that singer had for the future are gone, leaving only the hopeless realization that it’s all over. 

While the circumstances of Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn’s relationship and break up remain a mystery, the story of You’re Losing Me might mirror what they went through. From what we’ve seen of their relationship, it seemed as if Alwyn and Swift were perfectly happy. In their six years together, they went on vacations, spent holidays, attended events, and even wrote songs as a couple. During this period, Swift released several albums, even revealing that some of the songs, such as Gorgeous, were about Alwyn.

Because of Swift and Alwyn’s desire for privacy, there is little solid information about their relationship. However, rumors have been circulating for years that the couple had discussed their future together, possibly even becoming engaged. These speculations haven’t been proven, but Swift’s representatives have shot down any claims that the couple was ever secretly married. 

Regardless of whether any of the gossip about Alwyn and Swift is true, it certainly seemed as if the two were perfectly happy. After all, it was Alwyn who stuck with Swift through her vulnerable Reputation era, and they were living together during the hectic times of the COVID-19 quarantine. Even so, the relationship seemed to come to an abrupt end near the start of the Eras Tour, and the breakup was confirmed in April 2023.

“You’re Losing Me” was released for the first time in May 2022, an entire year before the official breakup announcement. Even so, it is still possible that the song is about Joe Alwyn. Perhaps Taylor Swift knew that their time together was coming to an end and that despite their six years together, the relationship would not, could not continue. The line “And I wouldn’t marry me either / A pathological people pleaser / Who only wanted you to see her” from “You’re Losing Me” may be referencing rumors and Swift’s own hopes for engagement with Alwyn.

After dissecting all of this information, we are left with even more mysteries. What caused the end of Joe Alwyn and Taylor Swift’s relationship? Did the couple ever have serious plans for the future like fans speculated? As Swift is notorious for mentioning her exes in her music, is there a reason for the secrecy surrounding this relationship? How has this loss affected her, and how has she struggled or grown because of it? These are all major questions, and The Tortured Poets Department may just give us answers.

There’s Nothing I do Better Than Revenge

Looking at all of the information we’ve been given so far about the TTPD and its contents, we can piece together a few theories about references that may have been made to Joe Alwyn.

First of all, the album title itself may be a stab at Alwyn. He was a member of a group chat named The Tortured Man Department. This seems to be a very direct link to The Tortured Poets Department and hints that other parts of the album may reference him as well.

For example, there is a song titled So Long London on side B of the TTPD-released tracklist. Taylor Swift also has a song from her Lover album called London Boy. While she has dated several British actors, this song is likely talking about Joe Alwyn, who grew up in North London. Based on the title, the new song will likely mirror this light, romantic Lover track. However, instead of admitting she’s falling in love, Taylor Swift may be saying goodbye to her old relationship. Perhaps So Long London will tell the story of Swift and Alwyn’s falling out, with Swift expressing her struggle with the end of such a deep, long-lasting relationship and the loss of a good friend. 

“So Long London” is not the only song whose title hints at Swift and Alwyn’s relationship. On side B, there is also a song called “Florida!!,” featuring Florence + The Machine, and on side D, there’s “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.” These titles may hint towards Swift’s performances during the Eras Tour. The breakup was officially confirmed on April 8th of last year. Only a few days later, she was in Tampa, Florida, for a performance. With the wound of the breakup still fresh, fans have speculated that this concert was difficult for Swift. Regardless of what she was going through internally, she persevered, showing that she truly could do it with a broken heart.

One of the bonus tracks of TTPD, called “The Albatross,” shares its name with a group of large seabirds called Albatrosses. These spectacular creatures are masters of flight, and are so well adapted to their oceanic environment that they spend the first six years of their lives without ever touching the ground. It just so happens that this six-year time frame brings us right back to Joe Alwyn and Taylor Swift. The couple dated for six years, creating an obvious connection to albatrosses. In the same way, these birds soar freely for six years, and Swift and Alwyn seemed to have had a perfectly happy relationship. However, after that time passed, their relationship “landed” just like these birds. 

Aside from the literal meaning of albatross, the word is also sometimes used more metaphorically. According to Merriam-Webster, an albatross is “something that causes persistent deep concern or anxiety.” By continuing our pattern of references to Alwyn, perhaps this is Swift’s way of pointing to how much he, or their relationship, caused her to struggle. An alternate definition for albatross is “something that greatly hinders accomplishment”. Maybe Taylor Swift saw her relationship with Alwyn as something that was holding her back. She had hopes for their future but knew that their relationship ultimately had to end if she wanted to keep growing and pushing forward. After all, an albatross has to land before it can find a mate or raise its young, both necessary things to continue the cycle of life. By letting her relationship with Alwyn “land,” Swift has allowed not for an unhappy ending, but opened the door for a new chapter of her life to begin.

Got a Long List of Ex-Lovers!

Moving away from the focus on Alwyn, a few other TTPD tracks are pointing toward Swift’s past relationships. “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)” and “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys” both seem to point toward someone struggling with the reality of her relationship. She feels the need to “fix” her lover, revealing that she is aware of issues in their relationship, but also does not want to let him go. Despite what she is going through, she is desperate to find some way to heal the rifts between them. This idea also leads back to the mysterious “I love you, it’s ruining my life” line that has been repeatedly posted as a part of promotions for TTPD. The singer is faced with a decision. She can either stick with her current relationship despite the pain she is facing, or she can walk away, losing someone she loves in the process. Swift has had to make this same choice many times and has been a part of many less-than-perfect relationships. In these situations, she had to choose between doing what was best for her own life, recognizing when it was time to end a relationship and follow a new path, or succumbing to the outside and internal pressure to just make it work.  The Tortured Poets Department may reflect on these different choices, displaying the heartbreak and happiness that result from her decisions.

So far, our analysis has uncovered a pattern in TTPD. While Taylor Swift is notorious for her songs about relationships and breakups, the focus of The Tortured Poets Department does not seem to be purely based on her past relationship experiences. Instead, several of the track titles and easter eggs we’ve discussed so far point toward an emphasis on what is going on inside Swift’s head. Many of the theories we’ve covered point toward the singer’s internal struggles, causing her to reflect on her situation, relationships, and herself. 

Hello, Ms. “Perfectly Fine”

Looking at Taylor Swift and other celebrities on the outside, some people like to assume that they live perfect lives. Sure, they deal with the drama that comes with fame, but it seems as if most pop stars and actors live a life full of glitz and glamor. With Swift’s success in recent years, it is easy to jump to the conclusion that she is doing perfectly fine. However, TTPD directly challenges this idea. Instead of carrying a tone of joy and celebration, the album is much more melancholy. It does not show a happy, carefree pop star, but instead, a woman who is willing to be vulnerable, opening up about her internal struggles. While we’ve already thoroughly covered the idea of how romantic relationships have caused some of these issues, we’ve ignored one large factor that made Taylor Swift who she is today: her fame.

As one of the largest stars in the music industry, Swift is constantly in the limelight. The media loves to display news about her relationships everywhere, causing trouble as magazines and gossip sites stir up rumors and uncover “scandalous” events. The public also loves to talk about Swift, with haters jumping at the chance to scrutinize her every word and action. Even other celebrities have had issues with Swift in the past, such as the humiliating situation between her and Kanye West.  

The “It Girl”

Overall, it is clear that Taylor Swift has faced many hard situations because of her stardom. She’s had her image smeared countless times and is subject to fierce pushback from many sources. Her struggle with fame is referenced in a side D song from TTPD titled “Clara Bow.”

Clara Bow was a real person before her name became a song title on this album. Known as the very first “It Girl”, Clara Bow was a famous actress from the 1920s. She was the embodiment of 1920s allure and Hollywood charm and is widely recognized for her hallmark curly bob and bright red lipstick shaped like a heart. She got her nickname from the 1927 movie It, a silent movie adaptation of a novel written by Elinor Glyn. The movie was a massive success, turning Clara into a sex symbol but also plummeting her private life into chaos. The same year Clara starred in Wings, the first movie ever to win “Best Picture” at the Oscars, Clara retired from the film industry in 1933 after she struggled with relationships and battles with mental illnesses. Historians believe Clara Bow struggled with depression and bipolar disorders. Her upbringing was rough, growing up poor with an abusive father and a neglectful mother. The press constantly harassed her because of her messy private life, and the media would spread rumors about her behavior and intimate relations. All of the stress of her career and the trauma of her childhood were likely the reasons for Clara’s struggle with mental health.

Because I’m a Mirrorball  

Like Clara Bow, Taylor Swift achieved fame at a young age with her debut album released when she was only sixteen years old. Also, like Clara, she has struggled with keeping her private life private. The topic of Swift’s relationships has always been a favorite of tabloids. Pictures of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are on the cover of every newspaper, magazine, and gossip site, and there is no escape from the rumors and accusations surrounding the star.

 The connections to Taylor Swift and Clara Bow are all too evident. Both women struggled to stay out of the spotlight from gossip media, both had trouble with men, and both fell victim to rumors tarnishing their reputations. Swift seems to relate to Clara Bow on a deeper level; she understands the struggles with fame that Clara had to endure. From this connection, Swift’s song will tell the story of Clara’s life and how it mirrors her own. The song will talk about Clara’s rise to fame at an early age, her battle with mental health, and how it affected her career. It will tell the ballad of Clara Bow’s tragic story, one that is all too familiar in Hollywood, while also reflecting Swift’s own struggles with fame.

So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it.

Despite all of the challenges with her career Taylor Swift has come across leading to the release of TTPD and through all of the heartbreak, angst, drama, and awards, one thing has stood with her: her love of songwriting. In her Grammy speech for Song of the Year, Swift states, ¨I would love to tell you that this is the best moment of my life, but I feel this happy when I finish a song, or when I crack (the) code to a bridge I love, or when I’m shortlisting a music video, or when I’m rehearsing with my dancers or my band, or getting ready to go to Tokyo to play a show. For me, the award is the work. All I wanna do is keep being able to do this. I love it so much, it makes me so happy.”

Taylor Swift loves what she does, and she wants to share it with the world. Songwriting, especially for TTPD in particular, not only gives Swift joy but allows her to share her experiences. By being so vulnerable and reflecting on her personal feelings, struggles, and doubts, Swift is not only letting herself overcome her past but is also providing hope for others going through similar struggles. For everyone who can relate to Swift’s broken past relationships, anyone who is a connoisseur of sad songs, or you’re just as insane for Taylor Swift as we are, The Tortured Poets Department will certainly take over your playlists!