Taylor Swift Reveals the Real Meaning Behind TTPD Songs

1 week ago 9

Taylor Swift's 'Fortnight' Music Video Reunites ‘Dead Poets Society’ Stars

Taylor Swift thinks immoderate things she'll ne'er say, but she's explaining The Tortured Poets Department anyway. 

Days aft releasing her 11th workplace album, the "Fortnight" vocalist gave immoderate penetration into immoderate of her record's much convoluted tracks—including the aforementioned single, "Clara Bow" and "Florida!!!"—in Amazon Music-exclusive commentary. 

Users of the streaming level tin declare, "I'm a subordinate of The Tortured Poets Department," connected their Amazon instrumentality and power connected the peculiar feature, during which Taylor provides her penetration connected 5 songs, including the medium opener featuring Post Malone.  

"‘Fortnight' is simply a opus that exhibits a batch of the communal themes that tally passim this album," she explains. "One of which being fatalism—longing, pining away, mislaid dreams. It's a precise fatalistic medium successful that determination are tons of precise melodramatic lines astir beingness oregon death. ‘I emotion you, it's ruining my life.' These are precise hyperbolic, melodramatic things to say. It's that benignant of album."

Later, Taylor breaks down "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys," a opus she produced with longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff. Taylor explains, arsenic the rubric suggests, the opus is astir "being somebody's favourite artifact until they interruption you and past don't privation to play with you anymore."

"Which is however a batch of america are successful relationships wherever we are truthful valued by a idiosyncratic successful the beginning, and past each of the sudden, they interruption america oregon they devalue america successful their mind," she adds. "We're inactive clinging connected to ‘No no, no. You should've seen them the archetypal clip they saw me. They'll travel backmost to that.'"

And the "Florida!!!" vocalist adjacent delved into her duet with Florence Welch, a opus that was really inspired by her emotion of Dateline

Graham Denholm/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

"People person these crimes that they commit; wherever bash they instantly skip municipality and spell to? They spell to Florida," Taylor posits. "They effort to reinvent themselves, person a caller identity, blend in. When you spell done a heartbreak, there's a portion of you that thinks, ‘I privation a caller name. I privation a caller life. I don't privation anyone to cognize wherever I've been oregon cognize maine astatine all.' And truthful that was the jumping disconnected point."

Other songs similar "Clara Bow" and "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me" research the difficulties that travel from beingness successful the nationalist eye. 

As she says, Taylor wrote the second opus "alone, sitting astatine the soft successful 1 of those moments erstwhile I felt bitter astir conscionable each the things we bash to our artists arsenic a nine and arsenic a culture."

"There's a batch astir this peculiar conception connected The Tortured Poets Department," the 34-year-old continued. "What bash we bash to our writers, and our artists, and our creatives? We enactment them done hell. We ticker what they create, past we justice it. We emotion to ticker artists successful pain, often to the constituent wherever I deliberation sometimes arsenic a nine we provoke that symptom and we conscionable ticker what happens."

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

And arsenic for wherefore she dedicated an full way to a 1920s movie star? Reflecting connected her astir 2 decades of stardom, Taylor calls the opus a commentary connected "what I've seen successful the manufacture that I've been successful implicit time."

Ultimately, the way is simply a connection to the women successful the manufacture who forged a way for younger artists. 

"That's however we thatch women to spot themselves, arsenic like, you could beryllium the caller replacement for this pistillate who's done thing large earlier you," she added. "I picked women who person done large things successful the past and person been these archetypes of greatness successful the amusement industry. Clara Bow was the archetypal ‘it girl.' Stevie Nicks is an icon and an unthinkable illustration for anyone who wants to constitute songs and marque music."

But that's conscionable the opening of each the hidden meanings wrong the 14-time Grammy winner's caller album. Read connected for each of the annotations connected The Tortured Poets Department

ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images & Perry Knotts/Getty Images

"Fortnight" (featuring Post Malone): In the archetypal way of TTPD, Taylor Swift and Post Malone squad up to sing astir a "temporary" romance that lasted for a fortnight (two weeks).

"And I emotion you, it's ruining my life," the lyrics tease. "I touched you, for lone a fortnight."

It appears the opus is simply a notation to Taylor's rekindled romance with The 1975's Matty Healy, which archetypal began successful 2014 and revived a decennary aboriginal successful the outpouring of 2023 pursuing her breakup with Joe Alwyn

And though the revival of Taylor and Matty's narration was brief, it was jam-packed with emotion, according to these lyrics. 

She told iHeartRadio the opening fig is "fatalistic" conscionable similar the remainder of the "tragic" album. 

Lisa Lake/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS

"The Tortured Poets Department": While fans previously pointed retired the connection betwixt the album's sanction TTPD and Joe's WhatsApp radical chat called "The Tortured Man Club," the titular opus really includes references to Matty.

Even the track's opening lyrics, "You near your typewriter astatine my apartment," gives a motion to Matty, who noted helium "really" likes typewriters in a 2019 interview with GQ.

Later connected successful the song, the lyrics connection much penetration into Taylor and Matty's beardown bond. Taylor adjacent recalls, "At meal you instrumentality my ringing disconnected my mediate digit and enactment it connected the 1 radical enactment wedding rings on. And that’s the closest I’ve travel to my bosom exploding."

Taylor's lyrics besides see shoutouts to writer Dylan Thomas—"you're not Dylan Thomas"—and singer-songwriter Patti Smith—"I'm not Patti Smith." As good arsenic Charlie Puth. "You smoked past ate 7 bars of cocoa / We declared Charlie Puth should beryllium a bigger artist."

Photo by Marcelo Endelli/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

"My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys": "I'm queen of sandcastles helium destroys," Taylor sings connected the 3rd opus connected the album, successful which she recalls a spouse who ran distant from their relationship. 

"Cause I knew excessively overmuch / There was information successful the vigor of my touch," the lyrics note. "Saw everlastingly truthful helium smashed it up."

The Grammy victor told iHeartRadio the way is simply a "metaphor from the position of a child's toy," wherever the kid breaks the artifact and doesn't privation to play with it anymore—just similar successful relationships, wherever "we're truthful valued successful the beginning." It's astir the denial that the romance can't spell backmost to that.

She antecedently compared lovers to toys successful 2019's "Cruel Summer," successful which she sang, "Bad, atrocious boy, shiny artifact with a terms / You cognize that I bought it."

Buda Mendes/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

"Down Bad": In the lyrics to this song, Taylor reflects connected being ghosted by a guy, who she calls her "twin," aft being infatuated by him.

"How situation you deliberation it's romanticist / Leaving maine harmless and stranded," she sings. "Cause f--k it, I was successful emotion / So f--k you if I can't person us."

The "stranded" lyric whitethorn dependable acquainted to Swifties, fixed that Taylor uses it successful the 1989 opus "New Romantics": "Please permission maine stranded / It's truthful romantic."

Taylor admitted to iHeartRadio that "Down Bad" compares the "idea of being emotion bombed—where idiosyncratic rocks your satellite and dazzles you and past benignant of abandons you—as an alien abduction." The creator said erstwhile the quality was "dropped backmost off" successful her hometown, she misses the different "weird" world.

"I've conscionable been exposed to a full antithetic postulation and beingness I didn't cognize was possible," Taylor explained. "How tin you conscionable enactment maine backmost wherever I was before?"

Christopher Polk/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank

"So Long, London": Taylor has been known to reserve way 5 for her astir heartbreaking songs, and, yes, "So Long, London" decidedly fits the bill.

In this track, Taylor reflects connected the extremity of her narration with Joe (who antecedently inspired "London Boy") and the memories they shared successful the metropolis unneurotic implicit the years. She besides alludes to what led to the demise of their relationship

"I didn't opt successful to beryllium your unusual antheral out," she sings. "I founded the nine she's heard large things astir / I near each I knew, you near maine astatine the location by the Heath."

Getty Images

"But Daddy I Love Him":  Taylor raised eyebrows erstwhile she spent clip with Matty, who's been called retired for his controverisal comments implicit the years. In "But Daddy I Love Him," she addresses a akin taxable of wanting a narration to enactment contempt disapproval from the extracurricular world.

"No I'm not coming to my senses," she declares. "I cognize it's brainsick but he's the 1 I want."

"Fresh Out the Slammer": After getting retired of a agelong narration with Joe, Taylor seemingly knew who she wanted to call: Matty. 

"I did my time," she sings. "Now beauteous babe I'm moving backmost location to you."

James Devaney/GC Images, Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

"Florida!!!" (featuring Florence and the Machine): What to bash erstwhile you request an escape? Head to Florida. At least, that's what Taylor and Florence Welch counsel successful this track. 

"You tin bushed the vigor if you bushed the charges excessively / They said I was a cheat, I conjecture it indispensable beryllium true," Taylor sings, referencing speculation astir her idiosyncratic life. "And my friends, each odor similar weed oregon small babies / And the metropolis reeks of driving myself crazy."

"I request to forget, truthful instrumentality maine to Florida," the lyrics aboriginal continue. "I've got immoderate regrets, I'll hide them successful Florida."

Taylor explained that the opus was really inspired by existent transgression sagas astir escaping town.

“I’m ever watching like Dateline—people, you know, person these crimes that they commit," she told iHeartRadio. "Where bash they instantly skip municipality and spell to? They spell to Florida, you know? They similar effort to reinvent themselves, person a caller identity, blend in. And I deliberation erstwhile you spell done a heartbreak, there’s a portion of you that thinks, 'I privation a caller name, I privation a caller life, I don’t privation anyone to cognize wherever I’ve been oregon cognize maine astatine all.'” 

One past concealed astir "Florida!!!"? Taylor's pal Emma Stone helped constitute the song.

"Guilty arsenic Sin?": In different evident motion to Matty, Taylor starts "Guilty arsenic Sin?" with the lyrics, "Drowning successful the Blue Nile / He sent maine downtown lights." Well, it conscionable truthful happens that, backmost successful 2022, Matty named The Blue Nile's Hats arsenic 1 of his favourite albums of the 1980s.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management

"Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?": Taylor tackles her critics successful this passionate track."Is it a wonderment I broke? Let’s perceive 1 morе joke," she sings. "Then we could each conscionable laughter until I cry."

"I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)": As Taylor notes successful this song, she believed she could assistance alteration someone, contempt immoderate naysayers.

"The fume unreality billows retired his rima similar a freight bid done a tiny town," she sings. "The jokes that helium told crossed the barroom were revolting and acold excessively loud."

"Thеy shingle their heads saying, 'God, assistance her' erstwhile I archer 'em he's my man," the lyrics continue. "But your bully lord doesn't request to assistance a digit / I tin hole him, no, really, I tin / And lone I can." 

Sonja Flemming/CBS

"Loml": In this moving track, Taylor archetypal sings astir being called the emotion of someone's beingness "about a cardinal times." However, the dynamic soon changed. 

"If you cognize it successful 1 glimpse, it's legendary," she notes. "What we thought was for each clip was momentary."

She ends the opus by letting the idiosyncratic know, "You're the nonaccomplishment of my life."

While it could beryllium astir her agelong narration with Joe, lyrics astir "rekindled flames" and "we were conscionable kids, babe" hint it's astir her spark with Matty aft each these years: "I've felt a glow similar this ne'er earlier and ne'er since."

"I Can Do It With a Broken Heart": The opus appears to beryllium astir Taylor slaying her Eras Tour contempt the heartbreak, noting that she's "hittin' my marks" connected signifier successful beforehand of a chanting crowd. She hides her emotions by putting connected a beardown face: "Lights, camera, bitch smile."

Though this opus is upbeat, it's filled with lyrics of unrequited love. 

"I'm truthful obsessed with him, but helium avoids maine similar the plague / I outcry a lot, but I americium truthful productive, it's an art," she sings. "You cognize you're bully erstwhile you tin adjacent bash it with a breached heart."

"The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived": Taylor has a fewer questions for "the smallest antheral who ever lived," who seemingly near their narration retired of nowhere.

"You kicked retired the signifier lights, but you're inactive performing," she sings. "And successful plain show you hid / But you are what you did."

John Angelillo/UPI/Shutterstock

"The Alchemy": After ditching "the clowns," Taylor recovered the feline connected the Chiefs. In "The Alchemy," an apparent motion to her NFL subordinate boyfriend Travis Kelce, Taylor makes respective sports references.

"I haven't travel astir successful truthful agelong / But I'm coming backmost strong," Taylor sings. "So erstwhile I interaction down, telephone the amateurs and chopped 'em from the team."

She aboriginal references her past "blokes," who "warm the benches," noting "we been connected a winning streak."

Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images

"Clara Bow": The lyrics to the last opus connected the medium code the transportation betwixt Taylor and the precocious histrion Clara Bow, whose life, akin to Taylor's, was subjected to overmuch speculation and scrutiny.

"It's hellhole connected world to beryllium heavenly," Taylor sings. "Them's the brakes, they don't travel gently."

The lyrics besides enactment a spotlight connected the comparisons of women successful the nationalist eye, with the notation of Clara, Stevie Nicks and Taylor herself.

And, arsenic if being told to the adjacent prima successful line, "You look similar Taylor Swift / In this light, we're loving it," the lyrics state. "You've got edge, she ne'er did / The future's bright, dazzling."

Getty Images

"thanK you aIMee": After surprising fans astatine 2 a.m. with a treble album, featuring 15 further Tortured Poet songs, Swifties were quick to spot Kim Kardashian's sanction successful the rubric of "thanK you aIMee."

"And it wasn't a just fight, oregon a cleanable termination / Each clip that Aimee stomped crossed my gravе," Taylor sings, seemingly referencing the infamous telephone telephone betwixt her and Kanye West that Kim posted online successful 2016. "And past she wrote hеadlinesIn the section paper, laughing astatine each babe measurement I'd take."

But, arsenic the lyrics note, Taylor is stronger now: "All that clip you were throwin' punches, I was buildin' somethin' / And I couldn't hold to amusement you it was existent / Screamed "F--k you, Aimee" to the nighttime sky, arsenic the humor was gushin' / But I can't hide the mode you made maine heal."

Gotham/GC Images

"So High School": Taylor seems to comparison her emotion communicative with Travis to a saccharine precocious schoolhouse romance.

"Are you gonna marry, buss oregon termination me?" she sings. "It's conscionable a game, but truly I'm bettin' connected each 3 for america two."

Travis was erstwhile asked successful a viral throwback video to play "kiss, marry, kill" with Taylor, Katy Perry and Ariana Grande. (He said he'd buss Taylor and wed Katy.)

In "So High School," Taylor besides alludes to Travis opening doors for her and possibly the nighttime she rode successful a convertible with him aft 1 of his shot games, noting, "Get my car door, isn't that sweet? Then propulsion maine to thе backseat." 

Not to notation this mic-drop: "You cognize however to ball, I cognize Aristotle."

Mauricio Santana/Getty Images

"Peter": She sings astir a antheral who told her was gonna "grow up" and past "come find" her to commencement their lives. However, 1 hint astir Peter's property tipped fans disconnected that Peter is astir apt a pseudonym for Matty.

"And you said you'd travel and get me, but you were 25," Taylor sings. "And the support beingness of those fantasies has expired."

Indeed, Matty was astir 25 years aged successful 2014, erstwhile the brace grew adjacent and helium famously supported Taylor by wearing a 1989 T-shirt.

The Peter successful this opus is besides apt the aforesaid Peter successful 2020's "Cardigan" ("Peter losing Wendy") arsenic a notation to Peter Pan.

"Lost to the 'Lost Boys' section of your life," work the lyrics of her caller 2024 track. "Forgive me, Peter, delight cognize that I tried."

Still not convinced Matty is THE Peter? When helium and Taylor were dating successful May 2023, she mouthed the words "This 1 is astir you. You cognize who you are. I emotion you" connected signifier astatine the Eras Tour portion performing "Cardigan."

Kevin Mazur/WireImage

"The Manuscript": The lyrics whitethorn notation her romance with John Mayer—who she dated successful 2009 erstwhile she was 19 and helium was 32—since she sings astir an property gap. 

“In the property of him, she wished she was 30 / And made java each greeting successful a Frеnch press," Taylor sings, aboriginal adding, "She thought astir however helium said since she was truthful omniscient beyond her years / Everything had been supra committee / She wasn't sure."

He is besides believed to person inspired her past songs "Dear John" and "Would've, Could've, Should've." 

For the latest breaking quality updates, click present to download the E! News App

Read Entire Article