The Tortured Poets Department Isn't "Boring"...You're Just Dumb 💋

[@theswiftologist]

Use code SWIFTOLOGIST100 for $100 off Taylor tickets and SWIFTOLOGIST10 for 10% off tickets on SeatGeek (up to $25 off). seatgeek.onelink.me/RrnK/SWIFTOLOGIST10 Sponsored by SeatGeek

[@Maryb-j5k]

Zach, how can we get tickets now 😢 I’ll buy any code or app or anything that helps… I never received the code for Toronto shows and the stadium is 10 mins to my apartment … and she is performing on my birthday on Nov. 23rd!!! The fact that I don’t have tickets is just such a shame 😢

[@tebNsf]

Sacramento for Evolution of a Snake live. It's near the Bay Area but closer to me 🫶 It's easy to travel with a rental car, but I would even drive you if there is enough planning. I'm on Patreon but not Discord yet. If you just go to SF, I'll go there as well! Please don't just do LA. That would be sad. Looking forward to seeing your show 🎉

[@morellinaty]

Best video ever. Wow. Thank you!

[@karylochai257]

Why did you limited the comments if you are so sure about your analysis. TTPD is very boring, unpolishwd and unedited. Is not enough to be vulnerable and honest, the art suffered with this album, Taylor the writter was consumed by Taylor the character, she puts so much effort in living this clues for you guys that her historically strong lyrics were devoured

[@theswiftologist]

@@karylochai257 I have not limited the comments lol. You're here aren't you?

[@disneyjunkie19]

“Chloe or Sam hasn’t cracked 100 million streams on Spotify” Well yes! Madeline uses Apple Music!

[@Svenny21]

Hahaha😂

[@Stphndotexe]

Saaaame! 😭😂

[@notcaresse]

madeleine has taste ! we’re not shocked

[@dianaidis2427]

That is such a remarkable song, it’s sooo beautiful, so underrated

[@richmaxmchalliwchester1984]

It´s on 94 million, predicted to reach 100 million on November 8.

[@coriingram5223]

How Did It End is such a sleeper hit in my opinion. The commentary not only on how Taylor views the public interacting with her relationships but how she struggles to feel the need to perform in her heartbreak. The imagery that’s presented in the song has such a particular emotion laced through the song. 1000/10

[@junainahrahman4156]

The most heartbreaking song she wrote imo (sorry All Too Well)

[@Maryb-j5k]

It’s honestly a masterpiece… Before this my first contender was Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve, but this song is even better 😢 and the bridge …

[@TheLizard199]

It’s also something that so many people can relate to. How many people end relationships that were long or gone through divorce and they just think of everyone who was at their wedding and what they would say or think knowing it ended so soon

[@jackielehman8945]

10,000%

[@robertov.dibisceglia7887]

I fully agree with this! The only thing that annoys me is that it feels so "buried" within the album. But the song is, wow, it's timeless.

[@summerchild_]

The 'her antagonist are not there to defend themselves' critisim is soooo stupid. What is she supposed to do? Work it out in the remix with Kim Kardashian?

[@theswiftologist]

KALDSKLFDNJDSGFKSD yeah lets give the illustrious singer of JAM a go!

[@sarahk2924]

I find it a very flimsy argument as while they are clearly not there while she’s writing/recording, they are all public figures who could easily put out their sides on it.

[@autumhughes553]

I saw this comment on Reddit. Apologies for length but I think it’s the only way of showing the absurdity: “I think you are right, The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived is her cruelest song and one the cruelest songs ever. When Dylan wrote Like A Rolling Stone about Edie Sedgwick's addiction, and she much later ended dying of an overdose, that's a pretty damn mean spirited song. Nobody ever batted an eye. Here we know who it is and he has been put on blast in a way that has never been seen before: world wide social media blast, on deeply personal details that are a betrayal of confidence. People have unalived themselves for much less. The only reason I guess I care, which I didn't when it was the other "predators", is I followed his band and music looking into it, after the Friedland podcast controversey. He is many things, including a great writer, artist. Hes also shown a kind side to him. He was bullied in his youth for his "flamboyant" nature, read sexual ambiguity, not for being an egdelord. Maybe he had enuff. Near the end of his tour he stopped a show, asked the audience to not record and he described his mental health struggle at that time. How is a human being supposed to handle this kind of millions, world wide evisceration? Is he supposed to fire back, revealing deeply personal, embarrassing things about Taylor? At what point does this become cruel, bullying behaviour? None of the reviews even mention this. The 2 antagonists are dehumanized, they have no feelings, no complex artist personality mix of good and bad, just sacrificial lambs to be slaughtered and consumed, with no regard to their own mental health, their lives, their well being.” The “no one has been put on blast like this before” is especially funny when Taylor herself has gone through a similar situation and it was arguably worse for her since she was way more innocent.

[@cakt1991]

@@autumhughes553 people really are delusional in their takes, trying to turn Taylor into a villain for speaking her truth. With all the talk about Justin Timberlake and his behavior toward Britney resurfacing, I saw *so* many comments like, “why is Justin being called out for how he ‘humiliated’ Britney, but no one ever called out Taylor for doing the same to her exes?” Never mind that Taylor hasn’t done what Justin has, nor could she. And people fail to see how, in there are so many parallels between Britney and Taylor, both in their relationships with media and fame, and how that fame impacts their private lives and ability to form genuine, lasting relationships with prospective romantic partners. It’s the lack of nuance and inability to acknowledge a woman’s genuine hurt, unless they “perform” it in a way that serves the narrative, as Edie and Britney supposedly did. Taylor refuses to do that, and she should be respected for her brutal honesty.

[@autumhughes553]

@@cakt1991 They actually left multiple comments and it gets worse: “I felt bad for both Healy and Swift the way this was frenzied on social media, but if I love someone, or in a relationship, there is an understanding you keep the secrets in confidence. Would it be OK for Healy to team up with Styles and Mayer and write a scathing song, revealing deep embarrassing secrets and labeling her a con artist without being required to back it up? I dont think it would be. For what it's worth, Healy isn't a conman. He may be a dreamer, he might be bohemian, he may be be avoidant, but he isn't a conman. I know, parasocial, none of us really know him, but conman? You know it when you see it. Mostly.” Like no?? You actually don’t know him more than Taylor Swift, the one who actually dated him? The audacity is insane.

[@joannakossmann4482]

This is the best, most comprehensive TTPD review out there. Thank you, Swiftologist.

[@theswiftologist]

Glad you liked it!

[@michellej2731]

I have been waiting for this for so long...

[@AugustSlippedAway15]

Tortured Poets is the most beautifully haunting & sad albums - I never get bored of it. It really has a hold on me that only maybe 3 other albums have. It’s raw and real and relatable. When an album can make you feel so many things each time you play it - you know it’s a masterpiece.

[@LD-tn6ff]

What are the other three albums?

[@Li_Tobler]

It really is her magnum opus, the poetry on this album is unmatched for me so far

[@TheJenGordon]

This is the album that turned me into a legit fan. It's beautiful and haunting, and I just listened to the whole thing earlier today 🤷‍♀️

[@crystalkadletc1944]

one of my friends is introducing herself to Taylor, and I told her she needs to listen to ll her previous albums before diving into tortured Poets.

[@theogsg5648]

I love TTPD so much. It is a grief album and people who cannot understand that are lucky they never experienced it. I appreciate Taylor for letting us in on the raw insanity grief in all its manifestations can cause, it doesn’t really matter if you lose someone to a breakup or death. We are all insane here and I love Taylor for being one of us despite all our differences.

[@jackiefiedler2171]

love the way u worded this💞

[@sebastianbenavidesmorales2274]

i been saying it since the album came out, releasing such a complex, long, melancholic and depressing album in the middle of her new career peek before summer and during a world tour was NOT playing it safe, she really took a huge risk, taylor could've easily booked max martin to produce her a pop record filled with radio songs, something easy to listen to for the casuals fans that were buying tickets to the eras tour, but instead she wanted to show us a really vulnerable side filled with dark confessions. almost to remind us that yes even tho i'm a huge star and my life seems perfect, i'm actually very flawed, i have insecurites and my love life is a mess, that's what i love about the album she's not holding back and giving us everything that was on her mind during such a chaotic moment in her life.

[@robertov.dibisceglia7887]

I actually really love this take. I'll admit, TTPD had to grow on me a little bit, and I do believe some of her best songs are on here! What I personally would've wished from it was it to have a bit more distinct production to define the TPPD era. Perhaps the stripped down, simple tones were part to accentuate the vulnerability and realness, but it also made it feel a bit faded and outdated. Especially the first part of the album has songs I skip the most. I feel like Taylor's voice in some of these songs, it felt to me like, it was trying to summon some sounds that were a bit more, classic Taylor? But they never came. Also the songwriting felt more classic Taylor but matured (pre 1989) in some cases. Which makes me so sad that the sound felt like dampened Midnights? Also Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me needed a bigger punch in the sound scape. I went to the Era's tour and the TTPD part was incredible because it did so much more with the music to bring it all to life. Other songs are perfect, like Guilty as Sin or How Did It End and others. But I can't shake the feeling, mostly the first part of the album, feeling incomplete and needing a bit more time. That's how I also feel about Florida!!! I really wanted something more, something I didn't feel in any of her other albums. I could list the songs but with how divided everyone is about this album within the fandom it's really hard to pinpoint what's going on exactly. Perhaps the cohesiveness is missing. Maybe that was the point as you said.. I don't know. It makes me feel like it could've been better with a few edits and rewrites, but she didn't have the time to do so. It's a really unsatisfying feeling to have.

[@tarathoughts13]

@@robertov.dibisceglia7887same. I think because she made it during her hyper productive era and she didn’t have time to properly edit/fine tune it before sending it to the printing press, a lot of the album felt almost incomplete, like first draft sketches, yes they are raw and vulnerable and meaningful at times, but they also feel unfinished to an extent. I think this is especially true on tracks the Florida, who’s afraid of little old me and the title track, they’re good ideas and have good hooks and melodies, but it’s the filling in the lines tagt become the problem.

[@ImpulsivePursuits]

As a semi casual fan, I'll say that TTPD even without its lore makes sense. It's a hearbreak album. I didnt think too much about who it was about but so many scenarios she wrote about (guilty as sin, i look through people's windows and I hate it here) resonate with me even devoid of any context. With taylor, she writes so well that people want to dig deeper. I've seen this happen on various reaction videos of people who dont listen to her. They want to know more. It just grabs their full attention. Another thing is that most pop songs are just fluff. 99% of pop songs are just great melodies but the lyrics make little to no sense. But Taylor's talent lies in the fact that she can do both. Good song writing and great melodies. 16:07

[@gayamarina]

Yeah I'd say TTPD is full Bob Dylan

[@rachelkibler5812]

Now that it’s fall I’ve been back on my TTPD obsession. I keep discovering new things even though I’ve listed to the whole album an obscene number of times

[@theswiftologist]

it KEEPS giving

[@nouhs8410]

Lowkey, I think if Taylor held off to release the Anthology until sad girl Autumn, the people would be eating it up right now

[@meirberg17]

@@nouhs8410agreed

[@Claire-c4s2i]

Almost 6 months and I'm still listening to it non-stop. And so many of my fellow middle-aged women are also obsessed with it!

[@TheAnaceciliadmmm]

Me, 47, listening non stop

[@AshleyShamos]

I think you hit it exactly! Taylor grew up so much on her last few albums, and TTPD was the one that not only connected with an older demographic but brought in people who were not previously fans from that same demographic. I have loved seeing it.

[@tayluvofficial]

Just turned 23 today!🎉❤

[@christiehamm6069]

Me, 57, same damn boat. It’s a masterpiece.

[@katvz857]

Yes, same at 43. It’s on repeat…

[@asum-]

We're finally getting some JUSTICE for Mother's Masterpiece (not that she's needs validation~)

[@claires8935]

@asum- "we're finally getting justice for mother's masterpiece" these are the superior spirits, great appreciatiors of complex art who are calling us unintelligent? Thank you for the compliment.

[@finslaw]

Taylor absolutely needs validation. Why do you think she cares so much about awards and her album staying at #1.

[@prariepryer3119]

JUSTICE 👏

[@lunawolf6288]

Justice ❤

[@antepolic1881]

I wasn't much of a Taylor Swift fan before (Lana Del Rey's video essays got me into your channel). This album sucked me in and made me a fan. And your videos really served as a map for me to navigate through that unknown landscape. Thank you very much for that!

[@theswiftologist]

my pleasure!!

[@everygoodhanldeistaken]

not to be a hater, but honestly this album cemented me leaving the fandom. i was already barely listening to her or much pop music at all in the months before ttpd, but i thought maybe it would bring me back into it. imo very disappointing and not at all my thing :/ i dont think its a terrible album but i agree with what fantano said about it fs.

[@junainahrahman4156]

​@@everygoodhanldeistakengoodbye 👋

[@highperformer5532]

@@everygoodhanldeistaken Fantano simply didn't get it. Anyway, it's ok not to like her music, especially ttpd, the best description of which is "her vomiting from being lovesick".

[@Li_Tobler]

@@everygoodhanldeistaken that's SO funny for me to read because I'm literally the exact opposite. TTPD was the last drop to finally PULL me into the fandom and get interested deeper than the ultra-popular songs

[@bettys_cardigan13]

i said it once i'll say it again ttpd is for the dear reader girlies.

[@theswiftologist]

WELL YESSSSSSS some of us got it then!!!

[@LimeSlimeee]

THAT'S ME I'm a guy though but whatever

[@Aleee89]

@@LimeSlimeee no you are a girlie. Everyone's a girlie when it comes to understanding Taylor Swift. And we should embrace that side of us.

[@Urlocalswiftie1989]

EXACTLYYYYYYYYYYYYY

[@lizzi7128]

I must be an anomaly..Casual listener but I heard this album and haven't been able to stop listening. Utterly obsessed. Anything but boring for me.

[@cniddy7228]

Taylor’s emotional intelligence and vulnerability is a gift! I see a link between MBOBHFT and so high school where she describes herself as a shiny new toy that her love interest mistreats. She sadly reminisces saying “you should’ve seen him when he first saw me” and brings it back later saying “tell me ‘bout the first time you saw me”. She’s shiny and new again, but for how long?

[@darylesese]

Now why would you say this???

[@dq8431]

@@darylesese right? now im sad

[@amarvera]

TTPD is the conclusion to the story that began with Folklore: yearning for a past love, idealizing it, and then getting hit with the harsh reality when you realize none of it worked out in the end. It's been a sad, tragic, but very real ending. Because life is what it is, not what we wish it would be. Just like she said when talking about Fortnight, you have a dream you've always wanted to achieve, and in the end, it doesn’t come true, and you have to live with that for the rest of your life. But... you have to move on. A lot of people can relate to that. Me included. It's been quite an experience to listen to and definitely one of my favorites.

[@sarafreitas6988]

YES! I had so many questions since Folklore and TTPD really closes that chapter for me.

[@DefineObsessed]

3:59 "I don't mean that in a derogatory way (for Reputation)" It's not a Swiftologist video without Lover slander, ATE🎉

[@cardiganweather]

And is it really slander if it's true?

[@colekayve]

I feel this album is one of her best works. And this video is the confidence boost I needed to fight the brain dead masses

[@theswiftologist]

well yes!!

[@masterswordwielder]

I'm gonna be honest, I really would appreciate to not be called brain dead for not liking one Taylor Swift album. I listened to all Taylor albums except Speak Now, self-titled, Evermore and Lover, and TTPD is the one album I dislike that many songs of.

[@colekayve]

@@masterswordwielder it's okay babes. You're entitled to your opinion I was clearly not being serious. Calling someone brain dead, unironically for music taste is insane.

[@colekayve]

@@masterswordwielder Genuinely Sorry I hurt your feelings tho. I hope you know I was not being serious gurlie

[@dansandersss]

@@masterswordwielderyou listen to ALL of Taylor’s albums except HALF of them. That’s kinda insane

[@Fantasyandmusiclover]

As an English teacher who truly views this entire album front to back as a poetry portfolio that requires analyzing and reanalyzing to grasp, this video could not be more welcome 🙏🏻 I have at this point given up on the masses ever appreciating this as it should be appreciated, but at least we have Swiftologist!

[@creamkookie5932]

As a fellow English teacher, I concur!

[@tayluvofficial]

How much you be making? And how? Unemployment is at its peak.

[@Fantasyandmusiclover]

@@tayluvofficial basically nothing girl lol they weren’t lying about the “servant” part of “public servant”

[@itsgabbycameron]

TTPD does something I have never seen a pop artist do, illuminate the back catalogue and send their listeners backward looking for more context to the story. I think this plays into the themes you mentioned of having to look backward in order to move forward. She has been weaving this story over the course of the last four albums. As a musicologist, songwriter, & popular music scholar myself, TTPD is a contemporary literary masterpiece. I also feel that it is sonically her most adventurous record-even more than Red.

[@eronblue3098]

"It was around my 50th spin of 'Guilty As Sin' that I realized TTPD is the greatest album ever made." - Swiftologist, 2024 LITERALLY THE SAME EXPERIENCE

[@MLotus-em7vx]

guilty as sin is out of this world.

[@hamsterbirthdaycake8565]

Sorry to comment on an old comment, but this is my cis, white male partners favorite song on the whole album. He will randomly burst out “WHAT IF HES WRITTEN MINE…” I made him a swiftie.

[@eronblue3098]

@@hamsterbirthdaycake8565 love that!!😭🤍

[@sweetswiftie13]

Midnights ROBBED TTPD of winning AOTY next year 😭😭

[@theswiftologist]

well yes

[@GustavoOliveira-uv7fc]

I doubt ttpd won’t get AOTY

[@finslaw]

Robbed implies TTPD deserves it. No.

[@monsemora2964]

Yeees sadly

[@GustavoOliveira-uv7fc]

@@sweetswiftie13 TTPD will get it guys, ✌️ take it easy

[@Chinni_C888]

I think an underrated moment of TTPD is that she gives names to these random people in "Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus." Unlike the hypothetical "internet starlet" and the caricatures that are "Sarah and Hannah in their Sunday best," these are unrelated and unoffensive people to her. It's like the simple fact that he would "have his hands in their hair" grounded her so hard that she felt at level with them, and made her jealous just enough to start speculating about who they were. Like she's just another crazed fan.

[@saucydragonfly]

This is why I appreciate you and you’re one of the only three Taylor Swift commentators I listen to. You get it… and even if you don’t appreciate something (by Taylor or any other artist) you’re willing to revisit, review and reconsider. As someone who lived through the Rumours era when Fleetwood Mac broke up, I’ve been saying this. It was considered at the time to be completely messy and too intimate. I laugh now when I see articles that claim it was an immediate smash and how it garnered widespread acclaim - because it took months (in a completely different listening and radio play landscape) but the point of making it was to work through the emotions the band members were experiencing. BTW - would love your take on Rumours. History has been rewritten. It won AOTY and opinions were changed! I think history will treat TTPD the same, any negativity we are seeing in 2024 will be erased from the narrative in the coming years. Thanks for another thoughtful essay.

[@deborahhenderson3151]

I’ve always considered Rumours , Hotel California, and Running On Empty to be the trifecta of music. I feel so fortunate to have grown up in that era. I wish we had Taylor Swift then.

[@saucydragonfly]

@@deborahhenderson3151 You’re right about that Deborah. I wanted to touch on it a bit but didn’t want to write a huge essay in the comments!! But let’s talk about the cross pollination between songwriters and producers that happened back then, and now everyone whines about Jack working with Taylor and Lana. History literally repeats itself!

[@sassy6498]

Yessss the Flertwood Mac Rumours are the parallel and influence of TTPD.She was going through a very messy period and was written the songs as it was happening.

[@WoahLookAtThatFreak]

I do think TTPD is boring, but not from a deep lyrical analysis point of view, that's more for the diehard swifties to debate. Those who deeply care about Taylor Swift's personal life and look at it like it's the latest entry in the marvel cinematic universe probably eat this stuff right up. But for more neutral fans of hers, I think musically and conceptually the record is severely repetitive and feels all too familiar. I do believe this album could have been better had it not been produced while Taylor was in the middle of such a historic tour.

[@canlyhansen1588]

The album grew on me. I feel like the production was tuned down in order to showcase the lyricism, cause... the songs are actually poems.

[@lvjinx4384]

I don’t usually leave comments or compliment people, but I have to say this. You’re one of the most talented critics, writers, and creators on this platform. I truly appreciate your smart, witty, and underrated commentary. Also English isn’t my first language, and even though I consume a lot of English content, you’re my favorite creator to catch the most intriguing phrasing and vocabulary from.

[@theswiftologist]

Thank you so much 😀

[@lins_z2]

I still can’t get over the hate that “I hate it here” received. Is one of the songs that I’ve identified the most. All my life I just thought this world is just too cold and harsh for me, and I was just defective and an alien, that would rather just stay in my room making up worlds of my own. I was told in therapy yesterday I’m autistic and “I hate it here” just encompasses that experience so well.

[@philly_14]

I hate it here got hate??😟😟

[@lins_z2]

@@philly_14 yeah, the line “We wished we could live in instead of this I'd say the 1830s but without all the racists and getting married off for the highest bid” Was taken out of context and people thought she was romanticizing that era, which is so far from the meaning of that part.

[@tarathoughts13]

@@lins_z2the backalsss was sooo stupid. Like yes I agree that it is kinda a clunky line and maybe could have used some editing, but do people really expect her to write out a whole essay on chattel slavery in song?

[@emile20]

it gets better and better and every season it ends up on my playlists. This album is the best of the year no question and her honesty and fraught gnawing and desperate energy at time is the rawest portrayal of being in love/ out of it and growing

[@spellhex6213]

I really have been returning to Tortured Poets in the last couple of months, and I wouldn’t be mad if it won album of the year this year at the Grammys.

[@Goat.Cheese]

I don't think it will because Midnights won last year and people thought it didn't deserve it (Including me lol). I think if she wins this year, too, then there will be a lot of angry people.

[@spellhex6213]

@@Goat.Cheese It will definitely anger a lot of people, so I also don’t know if it’s going to win album of the year.

[@finslaw]

I have returned to it too, but still feel it would have been better if she made just one album out of it. As it is, it is not AOTY.

[@Aleee89]

it would (and should) if it wasn't for Midnights... sadly.

[@richmaxmchalliwchester1984]

@@finslaw Taylor did submit only standard version of the album, first 16 songs. None of the songs on The Anthology will have an influences in voting process.

[@Laef_dream]

The way this album was so deranged it plunged the general audience into chaos….it’s truly next level IT girl

[@FraserM27]

DIVA you excavated this so thoroughly.. BELLISIMO. This really gave me some fresh ways to consider the album.. thank you for always brightening the dread of a Sunday afternoon!! ❤️❤️

[@theswiftologist]

You are so welcome!

[@deborahhenderson3151]

TTPD is the best and most honest album that Taylor has done. She said she had to do this record. She has come to see herself and all her flaws. She’s a grown woman and wants to live her own life. It took a while for me to get into the words because I was so taken by the music. Over all, she’s saying I’ve finished the manuscript, here it is. It’s finished. Now I will live my life the way I want to. It is a masterpiece. I’m always glad to see you talk about Joan Didion. I would by magazines just because she had a story or article in them. I didn’t think I could survive the death of my father until I had The Year of Magical Thinking. You and Madeline are the best.

[@theswiftologist]

the year of magical thinking is a true salve xx

[@Im_Julissa]

@@deborahhenderson3151 Taylor liked to present personal“grown,” in most albums like red, reputation, 1989, Lover, etc. Yet she keeps making the same mistakes and same songs about leaving a toxic life and starting fresh. That’s the same pattern she’s been doing for her ENTIRE career TTPD is another chapter of Taylors toxic lifestyle and messy boy drama

[@deborahhenderson3151]

@@Im_Julissa You never stop growing, often continuing to make the same mistakes. I am hoping 35 will free Taylor to do what and when she wants. On this record she’s freeing herself from the burden of trying so hard to do what everyone wants her to and start listening to what she wants.

[@Im_Julissa]

@@deborahhenderson3151 my point is that Taylor has the same keeps running through the same chapters. Meaning that all her albums are about breaking free from toxic patterns. Taylor has also repeatedly said for years that she stopped trying to please others yet… she continues to do the same STILL

[@AshleyShamos]

That was a masterpiece of a video 👏. Nearly everything you said was spot on. TTPD is absolutely Taylor’s best album and nothing else like it was written this year or maybe ever. The way this one hits, the emotion in the lyrics, the way she is so unapologetic; it’s hard to try to explain to anyone the journey that TTPD is, but you may have come very close. Love love love!

[@enzmondo]

“Reputation and Lover were overproduced. And I don’t mean that in a derogatory way for Reputation” IJBOL

[@WolfGirlie3]

I interpret the “what if I roll the stone away” as yet another Christian reference on the record. When Jesus rose from the dead he rolled the stone away that was enclosing his tomb, entering the world again as New. To me Taylor is saying she might as well rebirth herself in a way, re enter the public as who she truly wants to be with her lover, because whether it’s old her or new her they will both be “crucified”

[@DozyRoseyPosey]

Yes, I was coming here to comment on this. If I remember right, Jesus had appeared to a couple of women, risen and alive back from the dead, but the tomb was still closed, so to the rest of the world his body was still cold locked in the tomb. What happened was his disciples came and rolled the stone away to show the tomb was empty, Jesus' body was not there, confirming he had risen. So I think the metaphor of rolling the stone is Taylor thinking 'I know this love is alive again, what if I make it public, they're all going to roast me whatever I do, so why not date the smallest man that ever lived'.

[@springsteen4ever]

@@DozyRoseyPoseyone hundred percent

[@WolfGirlie3]

@@DozyRoseyPosey you’re right! That makes way more sense. I totally forgot it was the apostles that rolled the stone. Thank you for your insight

[@coolwizardname]

for me an unsung hero on ttpd is peter. once again using leftover imagery from folklore (peter losing wendy), and the cosmic written-in-the-stars of it all (underneath the same moon, in different galaxies). imo peter is a beautiful emotional well of longing and wondering and agonizingly self-aware heartbreak that deserves more flowers.

[@ytuser392]

I so LOVE TTPD!! As soon as I listened to fortnight I actually related to it quite a bit! Imo it depicts very well the rambling state one can get into when experiencing unrequited love! All these thoughts haunting your mind at any given time of the day that don't make sense to anyone but you continue to see them due to your suffering for not being able to be with this person, and then you want to call them and you imagine them wanting to call you too, all very confused like a tornado of feelings, wanting to forgive but also being terribly down, then jealousy comes up, then the feeling this will never end and you'll continue seeing this person forever just never with you...That's the way I interpreted the song, as this crazy chaotic combination of feelings and thoughts.

[@iwascleopatra99]

i was just watching this masterpiece of a video when my mom comes in (we love watching your videos together) and she says “oh it’s the brilliant man with the flawless skin! what’s he have to say today??” the swiftologist is truly a favorite in our household 😂💓 and amazing video as per usual. ttpd deflects the wrong people and draws in the ones who are wiling to look deeper. i think that’s its charm.

[@avavaughn5086]

i love your mom and this take

[@iwascleopatra99]

@@avavaughn5086 awwhh thanks haha 💓

[@theswiftologist]

a family affair PERIODT!! xx

[@stephaniezhou96]

That’s awesome lol ❤

[@greerclemons1224]

Ok.. I am probably what true Swifties would call a casual listener… I only really discovered her when Midnights came out because I kind of stumbled upon it, and then went back and listened to her older stuff and ended up really liking most of it… I don’t know the lore, I don’t know who she dated, etc… but I LOVE TTPD! Even without knowing all that stuff or what it’s about, I think it’s my favorite album because it’s beautiful.

[@toribellmar7623]

i find it both amusing and annoying that those ‘casual’ listeners who had infiltrated when folklore and evermore dropped and were running around saying ‘ah yes NOW I listen to Taylor Swift BUT ONLY THOSE TWO ALBUMS ARE GOOD I DONT DO HER OTHER STUFF I AM SO NOT LIKE THAT’ are now being all bitter and ‘missing her good music era’ when it is her good music era. TTPD is as complex as folklore/evermore and IF she had presented it as an album about imaginary scenarios in her head again, I KNOW it would’ve gotten a completely different reaction instead of ‘loOk sHe’S siNGinG aBouT exes AgaIN hoW obsessED and bOring’. those fake deep music carnivores are a plague! get a job! stay away from her!

[@rays_choice]

This 💯. If she had said I made up these songs about scenarios people would have eaten them up

[@cc1526]

Also, stop buying all our concert tickets 😭 (I know, vipers, it’s Ticketmaster’s fault - but there’s something to say about the price/demand dynamic here for resale)

[@tapiocapearl0304]

I listened to Folklore recently and… is it blasphemy to say TTPD is more interesting? Like there is complexity, drama, stakes. Folklore/Evermore sound pretty but they’re holding too much back and thus arent emotionally honest.

[@toan3207]

This is one of the most thoughtful and expansive video essays I’ve ever encountered, in regards to Tortured Poets. So thankful for your view on the matter, you are a true professional!

[@theswiftologist]

my pleasure!! xx

[@dunnowhat2say566]

CoSoSoM has my whole heart, i am so grateful for taylor for releasing it and not thinking who in the hell could even relate to this song because of how specific it is

[@buahahaevillaugh1113]

Hot take here: TTPD not being edited and it feeling like a rant, presenting her more unpolished and raw, was 100% intentional. Because she was in a very dark place emotionally, struggling with her self image, but also because she realized the levels of fame she's reached were interfering with her life and she hasn't had a normal life, like ever. I think she wanted the album to be controversial while honest, so the audience would either get the message or scatter. Either way, to me it looked like an attempt at making her fan base less suffocating, which kinda worked, to a reasonable extent.

[@justhere-uu6mw]

She did say she needed to write this and that can be interpreted by us in different ways now after listening to it multiple times it is clear what she really meant and yeah

[@annaphallactic]

This album was something she needed to get out of her system before she could move on with her life, just like Ratty

[@tjohannam]

Well said. I also think the un-editness mirrors her "temporary insanity" so well.

[@nickybull2361]

I completely agree with you! At this point she can afford to lose a few of the Sarah’s and Hannah’s so she might as well go full psycho on us and see who is real enough to stick around 😂 I really appreciated the raw honesty even when it portrayed herself badly. Relatable queen!

[@DozyRoseyPosey]

Yeah, I really get this feeling in Who's Afraid of Little Old Me, she's going to lash out and if you're one of the suffocating fans, or overbearing press, stupid enough to be in her way you're going to get hurt. Edit to add: by lasing out, I mean she released an album that's incomprehensible to such people.

[@manouka]

I think people don’t listen to the title enough. The tortured poets department. it’s so unserious yet accurate and it’s her grappling with not taking herself too seriously while dealing with some very serious issues. And at the end of the day yes getting your heartbroken also feels serious and that’s what matters to the art (like what you said on emotional truth). everyone do your reading x

[@DozyRoseyPosey]

It's like when she said that she can take a feeling she has for four seconds and turn it into a 4 min song (paraphrasing) but here she turned it into a double album.

[@livelurklaugh]

Swiftologist giving flowers to COSOSOM and The Manuscript? we cheered

[@EvanThomas-b2m]

I could listen to you talk about But Daddy I Love Him for weeks on end!!!! you've always gotten it and I feel so validated whenever you talk about it

[@Mother_is_Mothering306]

FINALLY THIS MESSAGE IS BEING SPREAD THIS LITERALLY AN AMAZING ALBUM AND ITS NOT ALL “sad and boring” AND THE SLOWER SONGS ARE STILL AMAZING AND EMOTIONAL

[@creepypapermultipack]

I was SO WORRIED you weren’t going to mention I Hate It Here when we were approaching the end because I KNOW you relate to it and then you added it on and I was so relieved! As a fellow writer and dreamer myself it felt like she was digging through my brain when I first heard it because daydreaming has been my greatest escape through childhood trauma and beyond. And the analysis on The Prophecy?!? Spot on. I truly feel it’s her most vulnerable song to date. These might be my two favorite songs from the whole double album, but definitely from the second half. Honestly, the analysis of all of these songs was *chef’s kiss* Zach

[@Theaterkid510]

I feel like TTPD would not be so hated if Taylor didn't write it. I can't believe that people need to remember to separate the art from the artist when the artist didn't do enough to need to be separated from the art.

[@springsteen4ever]

ONE TRILLION PERCENT. If Taylor’s name wasn’t starched to it, it would have been immensely well received and admired.

[@elizaday]

Or I feel like if it wasn’t mostly about Matty Healy

[@livyarondon6126]

It’s my favorite! 1 - TTPD 2 - folklore 3 - Evermore ...Then the songs from the vaults ❤

[@highperformer5532]

1 - folklore 2 - Red 3 - TTPD

[@AshleyShamos]

That’s a solid top 3!

[@bluedolphin814]

Commenting before finishing the video lol but 1:05 I really saw ttpd as a modern version of Red (and to a lesser extent speak now) too! There’s something about the raw confessional songwriting that Taylor hasn’t fully explored since those albums and ttpd is really a return to form Edit: 3:59 “and I don’t mean that in a derogatory way for reputation” LMAOOO you’ll always stay shading lover

[@theswiftologist]

i'll never change but i'll never say the same either - taylor swift (and me rn)

[@mistahmago]

when the SWIFTOLOGIST posts, the DIVAS are seated🤭. i simply cannot get ENOUGH of your content. it’s so well thought out. also on an unrelated note i learn like 20 new words when i watch your videos (thesaurus who?😜)period diva 💅😽✨

[@kira8550]

LOL at swiftlyneutral having discovered this video. Lots of "very smart" people being big mad at such an obvious bait title 😂

[@Reputationdino]

right lmao, this is probably my least favorite album but I'm not offended if someone says my opinion is dumb, I'd rather listen to what they have to say about it

[@musicandmania]

The words i used to describe it after my first two listens, "beautifully devastating". I think she wrote it, she HAD TO, to find the closure and therapy through it in order to continue. She risked herself burning out before she couldnt express herself. I believe this album to be more of a side quest, albeit a critically important one and of dire necessity and urgency, but stands somewhat alone among her entire discography before it and probably after.

[@canlyhansen1588]

After I watched the making of Please Please Please interview w/ Jack, I understand more about the making of the albums he produced. Jack WAS involved in making those productions and the final product was what indeed what they planned. Now, what I need is the artistic explanation/discussion behind the making of the album. We haven't had that for multiple albums now...

[@DatingDisaster]

The way I would happily listen to your video essays even if they were 12 hours long😭😭😭

[@DefineObsessed]

Tayvoodoo at work: Loosing him was Blue: (1989, Midnight) Missing him was Dark Grey: (TTPD) Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met: (Lover, Folklore, Evermore) Loving him was Red: (Rep)

[@shar3859]

YOOO

[@ItsCatrissa]

I have barely listened to anything else but TTPD since its release. It is meaty, it is lengthy, but it is everything that I needed to hear. I find new things out of it to appreciate all of the time.

[@mbthebookworm]

I have to say I agree with every word. this album is actual art.

[@Unlikely_Pirate]

"I won't confess that I waited, but I let the lamp burn... but the woman who sits by the window has turned out the light." Chills and tears. Was it the most necessary song to tell the story of that relationship? No. But it hit me in a way the other takes of that relationship did not. The boy who swore he was coming back, but never grew up and never came for you.

[@VioletaFolgarait]

Chloe or Sam or Sophie or Marcus is so my FAVORITE song from the album so THANK YOU!!!! it resonates as such a stream of consciousness in the way it sounds but still so full of pointedly painful realizations..... soooo good!!!

[@the_piano_nerd4960]

Preach. I would argue it’s the best song on the whole double album. Unsung hero with excellent storytelling, efficient and evocative lyrics, and walks the line between revealing just enough but not too much

[@DozyRoseyPosey]

Yes, she wondered, he wondered, and her world was torn apart.

[@hermionegranger4837]

It is long, but it’s not a problem. Did I need a break to process everything? Absolutely, but still slaps

[@emmaarpa13]

I literally can’t stop listening to this record! I was in dire need of a thoughtful, nuanced approach to TTPD, and you gave us just that. Thank you so much for the video, Zack!

[@MM-dw4ew]

I cannot for the life of me get behind I Can Do It With A Broken Heart. It‘s full of lore but sonically it‘s the definition of a bleep bloop song to me and it sounds like a kids bop

[@Philosophicalavocado]

clock their tea! but idc anymore, i know what the album means to me and i'm grateful for all the 31 songs, it's in my top 5 of her discography even. a masterclass in storytelling

[@mina_hark3r]

TTPD is a work of art. And I'm not using that lightly, I am a philologist and I've studied language and literature my entire career. I'm so glad people are finally seeing these albums are just too smart for the majority. Sorry🎉

[@oscarrevelins6034]

I’ve been saying this since day one ! TTPD is the spiritual successor to red, the culmination of the sounds she’s been experimenting with over the past few years. You devoured with this vid

[@oscarrevelins6034]

Also you clocked my only two skips back to back, Cassandra & Amiee 😂

[@majorisker]

Unfortunately the production really hurts this album for me. It just comes off so bland and uninteresting. It really does the writing a disservice as it does not fit at all in some instances. I just can’t get invested in poets like her previous albums. The writing is good but it’s not enough to make me want to revisit over and over.

[@capobvious]

Thank you for this! I love TTPD and the anthology and it breaks my heart to see so much negativity around it... I love your deep dives - you really see the depth in the art beyond just the drama

[@Mel-jl8dt]

The way this album is my favourite. I was broken up 2 days after she released it by a man who talked rings and cradle. For the longest time i couldn't listen to the full double alnum. It took me month to go through her grief and mine. What an insane album

[@Whymee24]

I think The Way I Loved You on Fearless actually kinda of summarizes her Tortured Poets situation. The song is about being bored with a nice and stable guy and missing the highs and lows of a more chaotic past relationship

[@tennisfan1706]

You’re so right! The thing about tortured poets that KEEPS GIVING is that it’s so complex and poetic that as you said, no one could possibly take it in and get it all at once. It’s po-e-tic. Duh. The album title is actually perfect. Guilty as sin has to be the most perplexing, astonishing song to me. Ugh so good!

[@yadiraduarte8622]

Not a swiftie but I dig you a lot. After a while of watching, you say we share the same favorite writer. Things are making sense :)

[@tp4055]

It’s honestly scary how…. stupid…. people are these days 😭 going to bat for 143 and calling TTPD a flop isn’t just a bad opinion, it’s an insult to the world of art.

[@tinamardt7734]

That final pleading “Please” at the end of The Prophecy is so emotional

[@Tess7]

The way you articulate you’re thoughts is impressive. I loved your thoughts on I Hate it Here and especially, The Prophecy. I will overlook your opinion on Who’s Afraid lol 😊 Great video

[@intheskatepark]

i hate to say it but i disagree. production-wise, a lot of this album is boring. the lyrics however are unmatched as usual. they give me full body chills.

[@maruchita222]

I honestly think all the ttpd songs are underrated, because the album is. But if I had to pick a few songs that I feel are perfectly constructed and don’t receive the praise they deserve: - Peter - The Prophecy - But Daddy I Love Him - the tortured poets department - How did it end ?

[@That_BrownGirl]

After taking a break from TTPD with Midwest Princess and Sort and Sweet I revisited it and I was blown away. Not saying I didn't appreciate it before as it was all I could listen to for a while but I liked it so much better. Totally agree with everything you said

[@mathey5558]

I ABSOLUTELY loved this one cause TTPD is really a grower due to delicate details and brilliant writing that not everyone will understand! Keep up the good work Zach❤

[@sarahkeling7124]

Sam, Chloe, Sophia, or Marcus is my favorite song from TTPD...the lyrics, the lore, and the way the lyrics beautifully convey the sense of longing throughout the passage of time; it's a masterpiece.

[@OrngePeel]

Chloe et al was my fast favorite track and hasn't budged from my #1 spot. So, so good!

[@Javilex27]

"It was somewhere around my 300th spin of Guilty as Sin? that I realized the tortured poets department is the greatest album ever made" GAGGED ME 😭😭😭😭😭😭💀💀💀💀💀💀

[@KextoJohn]

Betty：Plus, I saw you dance with him. Peter: And I won't confess that I waited But I let the lamp burn As the men masqueraded I hoped you'd return. Betty: Betty, I’m here on your doorstep And I planned it out for weeks now but it’s finally sinking in Peter: With your feet on the ground Tell me all that you'd learned Betty: The only thing I wanna do Is make it up to you I’m only seventeenI don’t know anything But I know I miss you Peter: Tell me all that you'd learned' Cause love's never lost when perspective is earned And you said you'd come and get me good ending (aka "always wondering" version in T's 10+ years): Cardigan: I knew you Tried to change the ending Peter losing Wendy /And you’d be standing in my front porch lightAnd I knew you’d come back to me/ when I felt like I was an old cardigan Under someone’s bed (Yogurt Boy) You put me on and said I was your favorite Betty: Standing in your cardigan Kissing in my car again Stopped at a streetlight You know I miss you bad ending (aka the reality) Peter: And you said you'd come and get me but you were twenty-five And the shelf life of those fantasies has expiredLost to the Lost Boys chapter of your life Forgive me Peter please know that I tried To hold on to the days when you were mine But the woman who sits by the window has turned out the light NODODY DOES IT LIKE TAYLOR! HER MIND! it's like watching a heart-broken 10 years long serial drama only coming to the devastating tragic ending a lesson learned for her and all of us? sure she HATES him? partly he may be the smallest guy in the world and she WON'T FORGIVE HIM FOREVER but he was her best friend and you can sense her feelings towards him are so complicated and nuanced and delicate. personally I don't view TTPD as a diss album ever because it's a modern Shakespeare tragedy masterpiece that can illuminate new thoughts about life, love, self-love, situationship, wondering ever time.

[@caleplrent4030]

this album really keeps shape-shifting with time as I find out more things about it. My first tracklist reshuffle was about telling the story of the relationship, but as I payed attention my new reshuffle is about how her fame and how it affects her. Clara Bow is such a good book end because it reflects her career and also the idea of being picked up and put down like what happened in the main relationship of this album. "Take the glory, give everything" is a perfect thesis statement (in my opinion). THERE ARE LAYERS.

[@hanaz1023]

I have so much to say 1. THANK YOU for this analysis and bringing it back to Red. I hadn’t thought about how her relationship with Joe had made her want to be reckless again but it makes so much sense and just puts all of her discography into a clear, yet complex, psychological framework. Bellisismo! 2. My hot take is that The Bolter is one of my favorites on this album lyrically. She’s a genius poet and you help me understand a lot of her lyricism, but I am just such a sucker for a good story. Yes I’m a folklevermore girly. The Bolter is simple in its lyrics, but uses this metaphor of breaking through the ice being able to finally breath again that is so visceral and easy to grasp.

[@mandmified17]

“I can fix him (no really I can)” is genuinely one of my favorites. The country flare and outlaw imagery ties in so well with “Fresh out the slammer”. I also think of it as a bit of a sister song/sequel to “Cowboy Like Me”

[@ms_khoff]

THANK YOU for what you said about Dear Reader. You said EXACTLY what I thought 🤯 and have been hoping you would discover. I hope others now open their eyes & ears because of your video.

[@flvvrboy]

its cute that u swifties actually think you are some kind of clever masterminds

[@theswiftologist]

We’re all smarter than you that’s for sure!

[@flvvrboy]

@theswiftologist yes u are. theres no one smarter than swifties

[@tayluvofficial]

And you trolls need to do something productive! 💀

[@richmaxmchalliwchester1984]

Thank you for video where you basically just listed all reasons why i love this album and why i think it´s one of the best if not the best project she ever made. My favorite thing about it is how raw it is, no filter, no edit just raw emotions and thoughts. Not only TTPD but also this video makes me very interested how she will approach TS12 because we know it´s already in making. I wonder if TTPD was the last true look on the past and now the chapter´s closed and done or if it will in some shape or form come back again on TS12. Also i want to say that even with all it´s accolades TTPD will receive it´s real flowers only years later. 10 - 20 years from now this will be known as Taylor´s most important and career-defining album.

[@tnxnext]

“and i dont mean it in a derogatory way for REPUTATION” the shade on lover … 😭

[@e.brewin9038]

I laughed in delight a few times on here because when Tortured Poets first came out, and I listened to your reaction, I thought "oh, Swiftologist will come around to this" and you did!!! Thank you for giving But Daddy I Love Him and I Hate It Here their flowers. I've come to the conclusion that this album had an element of truly being for her, her coming back to herself as an artist first and marketer second, except for Fortnight, which I see as both a summary and needed single, but which I think is specifically loaded with things that will torture Matty but the rest of us don't understand. She made it the only single for so long so he would have to keep hearing it. I suspect he isn't into or is jealous of Posty, so of course he's on it looking and sounding great. Love you!

[@noqodioxex8220]

Complexity? The lyrics literally read like a 6 year old wrote them.

[@juliasleftovers]

I would like to add a comment about 'Fortnight.' You said it was a bit confusing, and yes, it is a bit confusing, but in my view, 'Fortnight' is a metaphor. The song describes a relationship that lasted very little time (a fortnight), and now she and the person she was involved with have become 'friends.' I think what she meant by 'neighbor' wasn't literal; it's a metaphor for when you still have your ex added on Instagram, maintaining a certain level of contact, and keep seeing their life. Both of you have moved on and are with other people now, but in this song, she keeps watching his life and realizes that she still loves him. In her current relationship, she's being cheated on and fantasizes about the perfect life the person she loved has.

[@Chinni_C888]

Moment of silence for the Katy Cats, who apparently have been working overtime on the internet this past few weeks 🖤🙏📿

[@shelleygoodwin6371]

I just imagined if someone tried to make a similar video about Katy's new album 😂

[@Chinni_C888]

@@shelleygoodwin6371 😅🥇

[@alohasargent]

In college, the theme stated by each professor in my first 2 years of general education courses was "Text and Context." In other words, we would read a text, and then we would explore the social and historical *context* in which it was written. Only then were we able to have a full understanding of what was being said in the text. I will never forget this idea of "text and context" and as you note, it is a key part of *fully* fathoming Taylor's work.

[@theswiftologist]

great class much needed by many internet 'critics' !!!

[@tabathaarria9558]

when we said that taylor has a song for every occurrence in your life, we were NOT exaggerating. when taylor said "i can't get out of bed cause something counterfeit's dead", on god i have been there. i was like "girl you too??" i love this idea that sews all the songs in ttpd together: that love is a life ruiner. she didn't write love in this album as this magical, miracle, beautiful thing. even in songs like but daddy i love him or so high school, there's still something ominous hiding underneath ("are you gonna marry, kiss, or kill me? (...) i'm betting on all three for us two"). this album was written by someone who was temporarily insane, and it shows. we were in the mental hospital fr

[@guille2196]

This is one of your best videos, Zach. As someone who’s been a fan for as long as you have, it has been truly fascinating to watch Taylor’s career and her evolution- she is someone with ambition, intelligence, a compelling vision and artistic integrity. All of those are are rare to have in pop music. It’s frustrating when casual listeners have all these preconceived ideas or prejudice about her / her work and don’t even bother delving into her world a bit. She is such a wonderful artist and ttpd is her quintessential record. So excited to see where she’ll go next.

[@MimSou]

Proud to say here that the bolter and the prophecy were part of my favorites, especially the prophecy, since the beginning ❤