Last Friday, April 19th, Taylor Swift dropped her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department. Now that the 31 songs have settled in and Swifties have listened to, studied, and analyzed each of their lyrics meticulously. Now, it’s time to put names and surnames, beyond the obvious.
However, the rest of the tracklist delves into the star’s love life. Her discography is filled with anecdotes, details, and tragicomedies that have occupied her heart from adolescence to the present day. Because of this, we ask: Who does Taylor Swift dedicate each of the poems to in her album The Tortured Poets Department?
Songs Dedicated to Matty Healy (The 1975)
Possible references to Matty Healy can be found from the first song —»Fortnight,» which includes a music video. The singer uses elements and adjectives ranging from ‘typewriters,’ ‘seven chocolate bars’ (similar to The 1975 song), or ‘Tattooed Golden Retriever’ in «The Tortured Poets Department,» to drug use in «Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus;» and even fan opinions in «But Daddy I Love Him (stay away from her)» due to the singer’s bad reputation, something we can also hear in «I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can).»
Similarly, the artistic side of the Englishman appears in «The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,» with lines like “You kicked out the stage lights, but you’re still performing.” «Jehovah’s Witness suit» is the outfit he chooses for his concerts, while the verse “You hung me on your wall / Stabbed me with your push pins / In public, showed me off.” Could refer to when the lead singer of the Manchester band invited Taylor Swift on their latest tour, ‘Still… at their very best,’ which interestingly featured a stage set resembling the interior of a house.
In «Guilty as Sin?», Taylor reveals her carnal desires while referencing the song «Downtown Lights» by Blue Nile, Healy’s favorite band; «imgonnagetyouback» is written like several songs by the band, such as «fallingforyou» or «lostmyhead»; and in “My boy only breaks his favorite toys,” she describes a brief chaotic and turbulent romance, similar to «Down Bad,» where she declares that she’ll die if she goes through another breakup: “Fuck it if I can’t have him / I might just die, it would make no difference.”
Songs About Joe Alwyn
Joe Alwyn was Swift’s longest relationship, but also the most private. Not much leaked to the media during their six years together, but now, Taylor’s songs shed some light. One standout is «I Can Do it With a Broken Heart,» which features a voiceover and what sounds like a clapperboard heard through the in-ear monitors. These monitors help artists hear the concert music clearly amidst external noise, like fans’ cheers and venue acoustics.
This song takes us back to the start of The Eras Tour when fans and the press wondered why Joe hadn’t attended any tour dates yet. The news of their breakup emerged just a month after the first concert in Glendale. This explains the emotional moments during songs like «Champagne Problems» and others on the setlist.
«Fresh Out the Slammer» uses the analogy of finishing a prison term to express the feeling of finally enjoying freedom after years of hard work, confinement, and living in obscurity—just as Alwyn desired. In «loml,» the singer reflects on a past relationship where the other person repeatedly claimed they were «the love of their life,» but ultimately didn’t try hard enough and showed selfishness.
«How did it end» and «I hate it here» seek answers to the end of the relationship, portraying Joe Alwyn as a ‘poet trapped in the guise of a finance guy’ or ‘the consolation prize’ when what she truly desired was to be with Matty Healy.
Two locations are mentioned here: «The Black Dog», a central London bar that the actor frequented, as well as «Florida!!!», a city (Tampa) that served as a refuge and an escape from reality for the artist when news of the breakup with Joe emerged (‘Florida, you’re like a drug, Florida, can I consume you?’).
Songs About Travis Kelce
Although to a lesser extent, Taylor Swift’s current romance is also in the spotlight. Therefore, it’s likely that «The Alchemy» is dedicated to Travis Kelce — given his support for the Kansas City Chiefs during their past victory in Super Bowl LVIII, as she attended more than one game cheering from the stands. “When I touchdown […] These blokes warm the benches / We’ve been on a winning streak / He jokes that it’s heroin, but this time with an ‘E’ […] Shirts off and your friends lift you up over their heads / Beer stickin’ to the floor, cheers chanted ‘cause they said / ‘There was no chance trying to be the greatest in the league / Where’s the trophy?’ He just comes runnin’ over to me”.
Erick W. Rasco/Getty Images)
«So High School» continues with that wordplay related to sports and takes us to a teenage love, typical of American movies, where she is the musical star and he is the most popular athlete in high school: the perfect couple for the annual dance.
Truth, dare, spin bottles / You know how to ball, I know Aristotle / Brand-new, full throttle / Touch me while your bros play Grand Theft Auto / It’s true, swear, scouts honor / You knew what you wanted and, boy, you got her / Brand-new, full throttle / You already know, babe”.
Finally, in «The Prophecy,» our protagonist pleads with her new lover to change their fate of loneliness and break their streak of bad luck in love, especially after once envisioning a future with her last ex (aka Joe Alwyn). And the final chorus of «But Daddy I Love Him» shifts its focus in favor of Kelce. “Now I’m dancin’ in my dress in the sun and / Even my daddy just loves him/ I’m his lady / And, oh, my God, you should see your faces / Time, doesn’t it give some perspective? / And, no, you can’t come to the wedding / I know it’s crazy, but he’s the one I want”.
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