If you have been living under a rock the past week (or you just don't care), you might not know that Taylor Swift released a new album on Friday. Actually, not just a new album, it was a surprise double album that seemed to throw everyone for a loop (including me).
Spotify was gracious enough to allow us to "pre-download" the album to our library, so being the big Taylor Swift fan that I am, I obliged. What I didn't realize was that the album Spotify added to my library was just the first part of the double album. It was sixteen songs, so although I had heard there was a double album surprise, I thought that was it.
It wasn't until yesterday that I was reading about one of the new songs and I realized I had never heard it. I jumped onto Spotify and realized there was another 16 (or so) songs I hadn't heard yet.
It should come as no surprise to you that this #threetunetuesday sponsored by @ablaze is dedicated solely to Taylor Swift and her new album "The Tortured Poets Department".
I've told this story before, but I actually hated Taylor Swift when she first came out. The problem was, I wasn't really listening to the lyrics. Once I started doing that, I realized just how talented she is as a songwriter.
Is she the best singer out there? Definitely not, are metal heads going to fall in love with TS? That's also probably not going to happen. I can accept the fact if someone doesn't like Taylor Swift because it just isn't their style of music, but if you question her songwriting skills, that's where I am going to draw a line.
I will challenge you to a duel good sir.
Since I am only going to cover three songs here for you today, I encourage you to check out this site if you want to learn all the meanings behind all the songs on TTPD.
I'll be the first to admit, I have basically been listening to this album on repeat since it dropped on Friday, with the exception of my regular Monday Morning Jazz fix. Despite that fact, I still don't feel like I have truly listened to it. There is a difference between having something on as background music and really listening to it.
I've said this before, but I am a firm believer that albums should be listened to with headphones, in the dark, so you can fully absorb every line and note that the artist or band is trying to convey to you. Believe it or not, it's harder to do that as an adult than it was as a teenager, but I still plan on making it happen at some point.
I think only then will I really appreciate everything The Tortured Poets Department has to offer.
So let's get to it:
Taylor is a big fan of leaving Easter Eggs in her songs. Personally, I don't have the time to go searching for all of them, I'll leave that to the teenage girls, but some of them are just a little too obvious to ignore. Take "thanK you aIMee" for example. You might notice that the K, I, and M are capitalized, but nothing else in the title. Quite clearly a jab at Kim Kardashian and all the grief she has given Taylor Swift over the years. Go ahead and Google it if you want the whole sordid story.
It's interesting to me that successful people can't just be happy for other successful people. Taylor isn't alone in receiving her share of shade from critics and people. I'm not holding her up as some martyr, but she does seem to handle it quite well. I think we know that words cut and I can only imagine how many nights she has spent going over and over those words in her head. The difference is she uses her songs as an outlet and I personally think it's brilliant.
Oddly enough, "Down Bad" doesn't seem to be in the list of songs I shared above and their meanings, but it's one of my favorites from the new album, so I am sharing it here. There has been a lot of talk since this album came out from people who are hesitant to let their kids listen to it due to the amount of cursing in it.
While I get that people who grew up listening to Taylor Swift want to share that music with their kids and it's probably hard with all the language. I think it should also be acknowledge that Taylor is an adult and to expect her music to stay the way it was when she was a teenager is not realistic. I have heard there is a "clean" version of the album, but I likely won't listen to it.
Down Bad definitely has an angsty feel and I am sure there are going to be young folks across the world blasting it after a tough breakup or failed crush. Taylor does seem to excel at that sort of thing.
Finally, I am going to leave you with the song "Fresh Out The Slammer". This song is supposedly about Taylor's relationship with Matty Healy the lead singer of The 1975 after she broke up with Joe Alwyn. This was one of the first songs that stood out to me from the album. I'm not sure why, it just did.
This is a separate subject, but perhaps you have noticed that the words "Taylor's Version" have been tied to a lot of things Taylor related lately. That ties back to the fact that her early songs were acquired by a guy named Scooter Braun when he bought her record label. Taylor tried to buy the songs back, but he either refused to sell them or was asking a purposely inflated price for them.
Thankfully, Kelly Clarkson came along (yes, that Kelly Clarkson) and suggested to Taylor that she re-record all the songs and release them on new albums with extra unreleased songs and call it Taylor's Version. It's an important distinction because each time those older songs are used or streamed Taylor gets a smaller fraction if any at all royalties from them.
So there you go, I hope you take the time to dive into The Tortured Poets Department and maybe find some new favorite songs of your own.
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