5 Small Details You Missed In Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department
Taylor Swift's "The Tortured Poets Department" has finally arrived, and it's safe to say it's got the whole world talking. Swift is almost as famous for dropping hints and Easter Eggs in her music and on tour (as well as pretty much everywhere else, for that matter) — and that's no different with her 2024 release.
There are some more obvious references in the April 19 release, many of which refer to her past relationships. Swifties think the star has included two songs about her current beau Travis Kelce on the album, as well as several tracks featuring nods to her six-year relationship with Joe Alwyn. Then there's the tellingly capitalized title of "ThanK you aIMee," which appears to be a not-so-subtle reference to her past drama with Kim Kardashian, and even seemingly references her daughter, North West. However, in addition to all those more obvious call-outs, there are a few less exaggerated details relating to "The Tortured Poets Department" that you may well have missed.
The heartbreaking link to You're Losing Me
Often one to reference her past work, Swift's "The Tortured Poet's Department" offers up a subtle nod to previous track "You're Losing Me." The singer surprise-released the song to streaming services in November 2023 after it was previously only available on physical copies of the super rare "Midnights (Late Night Edition)." It was very widely speculated at the time that the track was about the end of her long-term relationship with Joe Alwyn, and many Swifties took the song to heart because of its emotional lyrics. The track even samples the sound of a real heartbeat (which some spans have speculated may be Swift's own) and ends with the heartbeat sound stopping.
The significance of the song in the world of "The Tortured Poets Department," though, is that fans noticed a potential link between the emotional track and the song "So Long, London." On "You're Losing Me," Swift sings, "I can't find a pulse, my heart won't beat anymore." On "So Long, London," she croons about giving up on her heart beating for her partner again, stating, "I stopped using CPR, after all, it's no use." That had many fans believing the two songs could be linked, as "So Long, London" is believed to be about the end of Swift's relationship with Alwyn.
The number of tracks relates to Taylor Swift's favorite number
Swifties more than likely already know that 13 is Taylor Swift's favorite and lucky number. The star has had a special connection to the figure for years now and she explained why back in 2009 while speaking to MTV. "The significance of the number 13 on my hand ... I paint this on my hand before every show because 13 is my lucky number; for a lot of reasons," she said at the time. "It's really weird." Swift also pointed to her birthdate of December 13 alongside a slew of other reasons why she feels a connection to the number, including her debut self-titled album being certified gold after 13 weeks.
Fans noticed that the significance of 13 was definitely still alive years later for "The Tortured Poets Department." Swift only officially announced 16 songs for the album, plus a handful of bonus tracks, but then shocked fans in the early hours of April 19, 2024 by releasing a deluxe version of the album called "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology." The number of tracks officially totaled a whopping 31, and what's 31 backwards? 13. "It's the way she was keeping 11 more songs hidden from us for her 11th studio album. My god her MASTERMIND. 31 backwards is 13. Wow. WOW WOW WOW," one fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, of the subtle Easter egg.
All Taylor Swift's references to the number 2 appeared to relate to the extra tracks and runtime
There's even more significance to the extra tracks on "The Tortured Poets Department"' than you might think. However, you'd have to really have gotten your magnifying glass out to notice that Taylor Swift had actually been hinting at a double album — and the album's length — for a while now.
Eager Swifties noticed that back in February 2024, Swift flashed a very quick peace sign while attending the 2024 Grammys. As the star hit the stage and announced the new album for the very first time, she nonchalantly put two fingers up. She then continued to hint at the number two on multiple other occasions, including in the teaser video she shared on Instagram on April 17. Noticeably in the clip, there were two desks visible in the video, two typewriters, and a clock was set to 2 p.m.
That all makes sense now because the constant reference to the number two appeared to hint at a double album. "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology" features 15 extra tracks, almost double the original tracks Swift originally announced. Not only that, but you may have missed that the special edition's runtime clocks in at, you guessed it, two hours and two minutes. As if that wasn't enough, she also officially released "The Anthology" version at 2 a.m.
Emma Stone is credited on The Tortured Poets Department
Emma Stone and Taylor Swift's friendship is well-documented, but with "The Tortured Poets Department," their relationship went from besties to collaborators. That's because Stone is actually credited on the album in a small detail you've probably have missed.
The "Easy A" star is listed under her legal name, Emily Jean Stone, in the small print of credits for the song "Florida!!!," Swift's collaboration with Florence + The Machine. The credits don't explicitly confirm how Stone worked on the track, but Swifties who got their hands on the physical CD confirmed on X that the album booklet stated that Stone contributed "oddities." Swift, on the other hand, is listed as providing vocals, while her longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff is credited for programming and a number of different instruments. As for Florence + The Machine's Florence Welch, the booklet noted she offered up vocals as well as percussion, piano, and drums.
Taylor Swift's various The Tortured Poets Department references to Greek mythology
You may also have missed Taylor Swift's multiple references to Greek mythology on "The Tortured Poets Department." One of the most obvious is on "The Anthology" track "Cassandra." The title appears to be a reference Trojan priestess Cassandra, who would entice men. Cassandra was given the ability to see into the future by Apollo, but she rejected him. After that, no one took her seriously. That may be a reference to Swift's relationships and how her entanglements with men have influenced how some people perceive her.
The star also appeared to make reference to Sisyphus on "thanK you aIMee," the track thought to be about Kim Kardashian. The song contains the lyrics, "I pushed each boulder up the hill/Your words are still just ringing in my head, ringing in my head." Sisyphus's story is that he cheated death twice, but was punished by having to push a boulder up a never-ending hill. A possible reference to Swift's feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, perhaps? After all, she told Time in 2023 how she suffered after multiple dramas with the duo. "That took me down psychologically to a place I've never been before. I moved to a foreign country. I didn't leave a rental house for a year. I was afraid to get on phone calls," Swift recalled. "I pushed away most people in my life because I didn't trust anyone anymore. I went down really, really hard."