She's good 'cause she's miserable

If you’re already a pop princess, why not become a capitalist queen?

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Background

In this article in which I hope the Swifties do not come for me, I discuss my first experience awaiting a Taylor Swift album release, the rabbithole of Taylor Swift internet theories and Reddit forums, and what I’ve learned about her brand and industry so far.

Significance

I am a relatively new Swiftie, if you could call me that. I’d always hear her songs on the radio and random Tiktok edits that scrolled past my feed (that cardigan Tiktok edit was on loop at one point), and Shake It Off and Cruel Summer would play at school dances, Zumba sessions at the local park, or really, any event. But I never really took the time to listen to her music intentionally, sort out the songs by album, or figure out the differences between her so-called eras. That was, until her latest album The Tortured Poets Department was released in April 2024.

Lyrics from I Can Do It With A Broken Heart from The Tortured Poets Department.

Even though I was not a Swiftie prior to this album, I had anticipated the release of this new one for a couple of reasons. First, I had nothing else in my life to look forward to. Second, the title and concept of the album intrigued me. As a poet-wannabe, I was waiting for songs that referenced poems or pieces that I would happily dissect or relate to my favorite authors. Despite this, the motifs and promotion of the album confused me. I was hoping for an academia-themed album cover, perhaps with Taylor Swift clad in a plaid skirt and glasses. Instead, I got pictures of a depressed Taylor lounging about her bed in underwear.

The Spotify pop-up piqued my interest, too, with its office drawer-like appearance and many hidden meetings. I spent an embarassingly long amount of time browsing Reddit theories that discussed this, and was morbidly surprised to find the drawers could have resembled a morgue.

From my browsing, I realized that this was an album that thousands of people were anticipating with me. Taylor Swift was at the peak of her fame and stardom with her Eras Tour pulling out sold-out stadiums and covering social media no matter where she went. More important, however, was her recent break-up with her boyfriend of six years, Joe Alwyn. The internet had deemed their relationship as the pinnacle of true love, and when the news broke that it had suddenly dissapitated, fans eagerly awaited how the album would dissect the ins-and-outs of their relationship, and more critically, explained what went wrong.

So, at exactly noon on the day it was set to come out, I plugged in my headphones and spent my lunch break listening to her new album song-by-song, a feat that I had never done before. I felt a little let down when I realized it might be a miss for me after all, because I disliked each song at first. They seemed to merge together, and I slowly grew tired of the pop mix that made it difficult to distinguish each song. The second half of the album was better but still felt jarringly unpeppy and startlingly vindicative of her apparent relationship with Matty Healy, with only some songs written about Joe.

The Anthology, the second part of the album, was released two hours later, which confirmed everyone’s suspicions on the twos and peace signs sprinkled into her promotions. And as I was listening to the albums trying to decipher it all, I spiralled down a rabbithole of outpouring dedication for Taylor Swift, with a mix of backlash, hate, trolls, and theories on just about everything she did, wrote, posted, and released.

I had never encountered a celebrity with such extreme parasocial relationships with her fans, rivalled only by K-pop groups and One Direction. I understood now, more than never, why there were whole internet forums dedicated to her and college classes you could take dissecting her persona and fandom and industry. There was so much of her life, writing, and stories to cover.

In fact, it almost made me curious as to what it felt to have nearly two decades of your life broadcast to the world, with every song eagerly dissected by hundreds of fans. Even now as I move to publishing my work, I can’t imagine the pressure of having so many people looking at every move you make, from the clothes you wear to the man you choose to date. Everyone has a say in who you are, because your job in life is to give them what they want.

Thpite my nuances about her, I can’t help but say that I still find myself jamming to her albums and watching videos of the Eras Tour online. If there is one thing I must say for sure, it is that Taylor Swift is a masterclass in persona. After all, she brought the word “eras” into mainstream usage with how she chooses a new narrative to tell with every album she releases. Many people who criticize her songwriting claim her lyrics mean nothing, yet her lyrics and stories extend beyond her songs until the crafting of her identity. She may not have the vocal talent, but it is undeniable that she is an excellent performer, entertainer, and businesswoman who understands what the world wants, and how to give it to them.

At the same time, this album made me realize how I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her and the hate she has received. Although some of it may be well-deserved (especially concerning her carbon emissions from jetting around the world and her dozens of album variants), her life leaves me much to wonder how much she has given for stardom.

Imagine, if you may: You’re 34, and the most successful thing in your life is your career, which would be amazing except your boyfriend of six years isn’t The One. Now, no one can tell if the person you’re dating is a ploy if you’re really in love, and so soon after your long-term relationship. You realize you’re sure of nothing except your career so you lean into it. And as she’s phrased in so many of her songs—maybe she’s not meant for love.

The Tortured Poets Department is an album that explores what comes next in the age of the expectations of the world when you realize all you’re sure you have is your career. If you’re already a pop princess, why not become a capitalist queen? And after all this, my best hope for what comes next for her is for her to truly find a person who sees her for who she is—and then maybe she’ll tone down on the capitalism.

The TTPD set of the Eras Tour. ABC Audio.

Literature Review

Here’s a list of my favorite Taylor Swift songs, by album. A tell-tale sign to me that I’m not really a big fan is that I couldn’t think of a lot of songs from the top of my head and had to look up each album individually and pick out the songs I liked. And yes, I did make sure to label the Taylor’s Version songs.

Taylor Swift

I literally only know one song from this one, and it’s:

• Teardrops On My Guitar

Fearless

This was the first album that I heard from her and I remember singing to these songs when I was just six years old.

• Love Story (Taylor’s Version)

• You Belong With Me (Taylor’s Version)

• Mr. Perfectly Fine (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)

Speak Now

This is my favorite of Taylor’s older albums, and I am biased for the purple aesthetic and country songs.

• Mine (Taylor’s Version)

• Sparks Fly (Taylor’s Version)

• Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)

• Enchanted (Taylor’s Version)

• When Emma Falls in Love (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)

• I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault)

Red

The Lucky One was the first Taylor song I truly liked. I stumbled upon it in 2019 and loved everything about it. I know that Taylor Swift might not be for everyone, but because of this song, I definitely believe that there’s a Taylor Swift song for everyone.

• All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)

• The Lucky One (Taylor’s Version)

1989

I am not a big fan of 1989, but maybe I just haven’t listened to enough songs yet. This is the only one that really stands out to me that I like not just because I heard it play so many times.

• New Romantics (Taylor’s Version)

Reputation

I love this album. No other words to say.

• Call It What You Want

• Don’t Blame Me

• I Did Something Bad

• Getaway Car

• This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

Lover

This far in I seriously doubted I got the correct order, but I’m a little proud of myself for getting this one right.

• Afterglow

• Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince

• Cruel Summer

Folklore

I’m also not a huge fan of the sister albums purely because it is incredibly hard for me to distinguish these songs, to be honest.

• illicit affairs

• cardigan

Evermore

I discovered the first song just recently and liked it enough to try learning it on the piano. The second one isn’t a huge favorite but it’s one of the few songs I’ve really listened to.

• tolerate it

• champagne problems

Midnights

I like Midnights more than I should, but I do believe that sonically, the album is not too pleasing to listen to all at once.

• Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve

• Bigger Than The Whole Sky

• Mastermind

The Tortured Poets Department

I like this album and it might just be because I was going through it at the time.

• The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

• loml

• The Prophecy

• Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me

Peer Review

Answers were slightly edited for length and clarity. Not many answers were given because of the nature of this article, but I digress.

MIZ (@mizcalculations)

i’ve been a swiftie all my life and i do hold a lot of love for her songs and the memories ive made with it. in grade 1, i sang Love Story in front of my school (i think?). i did lose a bit of interest when she went into pop, around her 1989 phase but i still liked her songs. fully didn’t care about Reputation and i listened to a couple on Lover, though i think that was mostly because i was beginning to get into my folk and midwest emo phase. folklore & evermore brought me back because it was almost like a grown-up version of old Taylor, and the tv’s of old albums reminded me of good memories. at this point, i had listened to the past five releases (including rerecordings) pretty much on the night it dropped. i eagerly awaited Midnights and listened to it on drop night and i was so disappointed when i did because it had pivoted so far into pop that it didnt register to me as the taylor i (emphasis on my subjectivity here) knew, and i just completely dropped The Tortured Poets Department because from the previews i did hear it sounded nothing like i expected—similar to what u thought of like. dark academia, maybe folksy feels.

Bibliography

Faulkner, C. (2024, Apr 24). ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ is the “miracle move on drug” we all needed. Berkeley Beacon. https://berkeleybeacon.com/the-tortured-poets-department-is-the-miracle-move-on-drug-we-all-needed/

Yang, J. (2023, Dec 6). Opinion: No one does capitalism like Taylor Swift. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/02/opinions/taylor-swift-conquers-capitalism-yang/index.html

To ***, who introduced me to the world of Taylor Swift,

To that one friend of mine who ranted on how he used to be neutral about Taylor Swift but got tired of watching football and hearing her mentioned every single time,

And to Harry, who listened to TTPD just after hearing about my eager anticipation of its release, even if he ended up not liking it anyway.