Taylor Swift, the pop superstar and 13-time Grammy winner, has revealed the track list for her highly anticipated new album, The Tortured Poets Department, which is set to be released on April 19, 2024.
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The album, which Swift announced at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024, after winning Best Pop Vocal Album for her previous album, Midnights (2022), consists of 16 songs, featuring collaborations with American rapper Post Malone and English indie rock band Florence and the Machine. The physical edition includes a bonus 17th track12
One of the songs that caught the attention of fans and critics alike is Clara Bow, named after the silent film star who rose to fame in the 1920s and became known as “The It Girl”3 Bow, who starred in 58 films, including hits such as Mantrap (1926), It (1927), and Wings (1927), was the leading sex symbol and the epitome of the Roaring Twenties45 She retired from acting in 1933 and died of a heart attack in 1965 at the age of 606
Swift, who has often drawn inspiration from history, literature, and cinema for her songs, has not revealed the meaning or the lyrics of Clara Bow yet, but fans have speculated that it could be a homage to the actress’s life, career, and legacy, or a reflection on Swift’s own experiences in the spotlight7
Swift posted the album cover artwork, along with a photograph of a handwritten note, which incorporated English translations of the words from the source code of her website, on her social media accounts. The note read: 8
And so I enter into evidence My tarnished coat of arms My muses, acquired like bruises My talismans and charms The tick, tick, tick of love bombs My veins of pitch black ink All’s fair in love and poetry…
Sincerely, The Chairman of the Tortured Poets Department
The Tortured Poets Department is Swift’s eleventh studio album, following 2022’s extremely successful Midnights, which sold over 10 million copies worldwide and earned her critical acclaim. Swift also released two re-recorded albums, Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) and 1989 (Taylor’s Version), as part of her re-recording project.
Swift is currently on her sixth concert tour, the Eras Tour, where she takes fans through her extensive music catalog. The tour, which began in Tokyo on February 8, 2024, will visit 50 cities across Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania, and end in Sydney on October 31, 2024.
The Tortured Poets Department is available for pre-order on Swift’s official website and on various streaming platforms. Fans can also purchase physical versions of the album, including CD, cassette, and vinyl, which come with a bonus track, The Manuscript.
