Diving into Taylor Swift’s ‘Tortured Poets Division’ : NPR

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

All proper. 2023 could have been the most important yr in Taylor Swift’s profession. She mounted the Eras Tour, a worldwide itinerary that celebrated her total catalog and revamped $1 billion. She always prompted information tales concerning the touring Business, the movie Business, local weather change, skilled soccer, tv, the native economic system of Kansas Metropolis. And that hardly digs into all the gossip round who she was or was not courting. All of that with out an album of latest music – however wait, (singing) are you prepared for it?

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “WHO’S AFRAID OF LITTLE OLD ME?”)

TAYLOR SWIFT: (Singing) Who’s afraid of little outdated me?

CHANG: As we speak, Taylor Swift has launched her eleventh album. It is known as “The Tortured Poets Division,” and we’re joined now by NPR music editor Hazel Cills to speak all about it. Hello, Hazel.

HAZEL CILLS, BYLINE: Hello. Thanks for having me.

CHANG: Effectively, thanks for being with us. OK. So I used to be listening to this album whereas driving to work as we speak, however this album is longer than my total Los Angeles commute. I imply, I preferred it to date. What are your first impressions?

CILLS: It’s totally lengthy, and I ought to say that these 16 tracks should not even the entire thing. She additionally, at 2 a.m., shock launched one other 15 bonus songs along with the album.

CHANG: (Laughter).

CILLS: So yeah.

CHANG: Wonderful.

CILLS: My first impression of this album is that it seems like a return to kind for Taylor, particularly a return to the sort of confessional, slicing songwriting that has outlined the earliest beats of her profession. This album feels prefer it’s all her. Like, this can be a wounded, darkish album about heartbreak via and thru…

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “THE SMALLEST MAN WHO EVER LIVED”)

SWIFT: (Singing) And I do not even need you again. I simply need to know if rusting my glowing summer season was the objective.

CILLS: …That packs a variety of artfully written punches at unnamed exes and lovers.

CHANG: However is not that her…

CILLS: So…

CHANG: …Modus operandi?

(LAUGHTER)

CILLS: It’s. It’s, however I really feel like I have not heard her flex that songwriting muscle for an album’s size, particularly, as you mentioned, an album this lengthy…

CHANG: Yeah.

CILLS: …In such a very long time.

CHANG: So then, does this album really feel prefer it’s a part of the entire Eras Tour period? Or do you assume its starting one thing a bit new?

CILLS: Yeah. I imply, I feel that the album suits into the previous eras for me within the sense that it sounds rather a lot like her previous. You understand, she’s labored with producers and songwriters Jack Antonoff and The Nationwide’s Aaron Dessner for many of this album, and you may sort of hear Antonoff’s, like, muted ’80s synth pop sound in spots on this album. You too can hear the sort of heat, folks, acoustic strategy Dessner introduced.

However what alerts a brand new period for me on this album are sort of the layers of maturity right here and, like, how she’s taking inventory of her relationships and her fame, you recognize, which has by no means been larger and the way these two are sort of affecting one another.

CHANG: Yeah.

CILLS: You understand, one of many album’s greatest songs that’s certainly going to be an enormous hit is that this tune known as “I Can Do It With A Damaged Coronary heart”…

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “I CAN DO IT WITH A BROKEN HEART”)

SWIFT: (Singing) Breaking down, I hit the ground. All of the items of me shattered as the group was chanting, extra.

CILLS: …Which is concerning the methods wherein she has sort of hid her darker feelings as one in every of pop’s greatest performers. You understand, she sings about being so depressed and the way you by no means comprehend it as a result of she’s sort of mastered the artwork of that fakery right down to an artwork. And it is…

CHANG: Certain.

CILLS: …Type of a crack within the Taylor machine.

CHANG: Yeah, I imply, that is the factor ‘trigger she is within the information always, and it could possibly really feel like we all know rather a lot about Taylor Swift. However on the identical time, it additionally seems like we do not know her in any respect, proper? And this album, “The Tortured Poets Division” – it is framed as, like, that is sincere, uncooked Taylor Swift. And it sounds such as you’re saying, yeah, it sort of is. There’s something a bit bit revelatory right here.

CILLS: I do assume the specificity of her songwriting, when it comes to the best way she’s articulating her wishes at this stage in her life, you recognize, as a 34-year-old lady – I used to be actually stunned to listen to themes on this album about wanting marriage, about perhaps wanting youngsters. You understand, one of the affecting moments on this file for me was on the observe “The Tortured Poets Division.” She has this second the place she sings about somebody taking a hoop off her center finger and placing it on her ring finger and the way it makes her coronary heart explode.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT”)

SWIFT: (Singing) At dinner, you’re taking my ring off my center finger and put it on the one individuals put wedding ceremony rings on.

CILLS: It feels very human.

CHANG: Yeah.

CILLS: And it is only one instance of why this album, to me – it seems like she’s getting into a brand new section of her songwriting, a brand new section of her artwork.

CHANG: That’s NPR Music’s Hazel Cills. The brand new Taylor Swift album is out as we speak. Thanks a lot, Hazel.

CILLS: Thanks.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “GUILTY AS SIN?”)

SWIFT: (Singing) Drowning in The Blue Nile, he despatched me “Downtown Lights.” I hadn’t heard it shortly. My boredom’s bone-deep. This cage was as soon as simply fantastic. Am I allowed to cry?

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