Taylor Swift's 'Tortured Poets Department' lyrics hint at her past love with Joe Alwyn

Just hours following Taylor Swift's surprise announcement at the Grammy awards function of her forthcoming album scheduled for April, the Grammy-winning artist unveiled the track list for the album, titled "The Tortured Poets Department." On Instagram, Swift shared the back cover album art featuring the song titles, one of which notably references her recent ex-boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. The track titled "So Long, London" possibly alludes to Alwyn's origins in London, echoing Swift's previous tribute to him in her song "London Boy" from her album "Lover."

During her acceptance speech for the Grammy award for best pop vocal album on Sunday night, Swift revealed her long-kept secret about the album's release date. She announced, "My brand-new album comes out April 19. It's called 'The Tortured Poets Department.'" Swift promptly shared the album cover on Instagram, featuring a black-and-white image of herself reclining, accompanied by the caption "All's fair in love and poetry."

She made the announcement while accepting the Grammy for best pop vocal album on Sunday night for 'Midnights'. With it, she broke the record for the most wins in that category (her other albums of the year: "Fearless", "1989" and "Folklore").


Following the announcement, there was an immediate surge of excitement among fans, with the Instagram post garnering nearly 7 million likes within an hour and reaching 13 million likes in less than a day. Swift also shared handwritten lyrics from the album, hinting at the introspective and poetic themes to be explored.

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A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)

The album announcement stirred speculation earlier in the evening when Swift's website appeared to experience technical difficulties. Some speculated that she might be releasing a re-recorded version of her album "Reputation," but the subsequent unveiling of "The Tortured Poets Department" clarified the anticipation.

The album, featuring 16 tracks with possible bonus tracks in select editions, will include collaborations with Post Malone and Florence + the Machine. The track listing, shared by Swift on social media, includes intriguing titles like "Down Bad," "I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)," "loml," and "Clara Bow." This album marks Swift's 11th studio release, excluding her re-recordings, following her last original album "Midnights" in October 2022.

The full track of Taylor Swift's new album The Tortured Poets Department:

Side A
“Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)”
“The Tortured Poets Department”
“My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”
“Down Bad”

Side B
“So Long, London”
“But Daddy I Love Him”
“Fresh Out the Slammer”
“Florida!!! (Florence + the Machine)”

Side C
“Guilty as Sin?”
“Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”
“I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)”
“loml”

Side D
“I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”
“The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”
“The Alchemy”
“Clara Bow”
“Bonus Track: The Manuscript”

(With AP inputs)