Just as Swifties wrapped up their second listen of Taylor Swift‘s The Tortured Poets Department in the early hours of April 19, the pop star surprised fans with another album. That’s right, TTPD is a double album — The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology.
With 31 new Swift-penned tracks, the album has given the internet a lot to decipher, and people are rightfully overwhelmed! As one fan shared on X / Twitter, “taylor swift i love u i have no idea what u just said but im sorry that happened or im so happy for you.” Another astutely wrote, “Being a Swiftie is like if it was Christmas and The Purge every day.”
Others couldn’t believe how late they were staying up to listen to the album with Ringer podcast host — and noted Swiftie — Nathan Hubbard writing, “look I am on song 28 at 2:51 eastern time, this is turning into a hostage situation.” Another wisely said, “3am version this 2am version that lets do a 6:30-7pm est version next time.”
Despite the sheer volume of songs and fans suffering from lack of sleep by a surprise double album, there were immediately some stand-out lyrics.
Perhaps her most ridiculous lyric of the album is on the titular track where she sings, “You smoked, then ate seven bars of chocolate / We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist.” Many were baffled by her reference to the “Attention” singer. On X user posted the popular reaction video of The Crown star Elizabeth Debicki looking confused at winning a SAG Award with the caption, “charlie puth right now:” Another joked, “a concept album about how stanning charlie puth will drive you to madness.”
Others were drawn to the mess and drama of “I’m havin’ his baby / No, I’m not, but you should see your faces” from “But Daddy I Love Him.” One fan posted the lyrics with a photo of Swift and a burning house and another uploaded an image of Terri Schuester from Glee who infamously faked her pregnancy.
Then there are the detectives trying to determine which songs are about which exes. Many speculate that most of the tracks on the album reference Swift’s brief romance with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy, pointing to the lyric “But you told Lucy you’d kill yourself if I ever leave / And I had said that to Jack about you, so I felt seen” as evidence. (Healy performed with Lucy Dacus at The Eras Tour, and they share Jack Antonoff as a producer.) This came as a shock to those who expected a break-up album about Swift’s longtime partner actor Joe Alwyn.
The second album, The Anthology, features 12 songs produced by Aaron Dessner, whom Swift collaborated with on Folklore and Evermore — and on heavy hitters like “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve,” something worth celebrating.
One fan went so far as to say, “aaron dessner if you ever need a kidney you have my number.” Others wrote, “aaron dessner thank you for your services” and “aaron dessner you are the glue holding this nation together.”
Safe to say this is all Swifties will be talking about for the foreseeable future.
