Taylor Swift Managed To Eclipse The Eclipse With New Tortured Poets Lyrics

Heading into the 2024 Grammys, Swifties were so focused on Reputation re-release Easter eggs that nobody saw Taylor Swift’s even bigger announcement coming. When Swift took to the stage to accept her award for Best Pop Vocal Album (her 13th Grammy overall), she shocked everyone by revealing her next release wouldn’t be one of her old albums, but a completely new one. That’s right — the dramatically named The Tortured Poets Department is coming soon, and the department chairman has already revealed the cover.

As she’s wont to do, Swift pulled a fast one on Swifties on Feb. 4. Rather than announcing Reputation (Taylor’s Version) as her diehard fans had theorized, the pop star used her moment on the Grammys stage to unveil her 11th studio album.

“Going to the Grammys, going in, I had this plan,” she explained at the Eras Tour on Feb. 7, per Us Weekly. “I had told my friends, I told Jack [Antonoff], but I hadn’t really told very many other people. I thought, ‘OK, if I’m lucky enough to win one thing tonight, I’m just gonna do it. I’m just gonna announce my album.’ And luckily enough, that ended up happening.”

Apparently, Swift’s plan B was giving her Tokyo fans the inside scoop. “My backup plan was I was gonna do it tonight in Tokyo,” Swift explained. “But thanks to you and your support, I was lucky enough to win a Grammy and tell you about it on stage at the Grammys. … We can debrief tonight and talk about it.”

So far, Swift has revealed the new collection’s title, The Tortured Poets Department, and tracklist — which seems to be throwing some shade toward a certain London boy. As you await the new album’s release, here’s every single detail Swifties should know.

TTPD Has Been In The Works For Years

When Swift announced TTPD was on its way, she revealed that it had been in the works for two years. “I want to say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I've been keeping from you for the last two years, which is that my brand new album comes out on April 19,” she told the Grammys audience.

Then, on Feb. 7, she gave more details about the upcoming album on the first night of the Tokyo stint of the Eras Tour. “I’ve been working on Tortured Poets since right after I turned in Midnights,” she told fans.

Swift continued, explaining BTS details, “You turn in an album months in advance … so I started working on it immediately after that and I’ve been working on it for about two years. I kept working on it throughout the U.S. tour and when it was perfect, in my opinion, when it was good enough for you, I finished it.”

The singer joked, “Everyone’s like, ‘Why do you make so many albums?’ And I’m like, ‘Man, because I love it! I love it so much! I’m having fun, leave me alone.'”

The First Lyrics Are Full Of Imagery

Along with dropping the album’s cover art, Swift also included a few song lyrics in the announcement post, though it’s unclear which song this is teasing.

As 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

Swift also emphasized the high drama of the album by posting another set of lyrics during a natural phenomenon: the solar eclipse. As the moon blotted out the sun on April 8, Swift took to her Instagram stories to post some very timely lyrics:

Crowd goes wild at her fingertips / Half moonshine / Full eclipse

The Tracklist Has Some Pointed Song Titles

The day after announcing the album, Swift unveiled its tracklist on Instagram. The Tortured Poets Department contains 16 tracks, followed by a bonus track. Post Malone and Florence + the Machine are featured on the album:

1. Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)
2. The Tortured Poets Department
3. My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys
4. Down Bad
5. So Long, London
6. But Daddy I Love Him
7. Fresh Out the Slammer
8. Florida!!! (Florence + the Machine)
9. Guilty as Sin?
10. Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?
11. I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)
12. loml
13. I Can Do It With a Broken Heart
14. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
15. The Alchemy
16. Clara Bow

There Are Multiple Bonus Tracks

When Swift first revealed the Tortured Poets Department tracklist, it included a bonus track called “The Manuscript.” Turns out, there are more bonus tracks than just that one. On Feb. 16, Swift announced a new edition of the album only available for a limited time that swaps “The Manuscript” for a different bonus track called “The Bolter.”

Swifties immediately read into the song’s bizarre title, theorizing that the name is in reference to a well-known video of Swift’s ex Joe Alwyn bolting to a car with her after a date night to avoid the paparazzi.

Then, on Feb. 23, Swift announced yet another bonus track: “The Albatross.” She posted on IG, “File Name: The Albatross 🤍Pre-order the new edition of THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT with exclusive bonus track ‘The Albatross’ on my website now.”

Along with “The Albatross” announcement, Swift shared more album art, too — featuring the words, “Am I allowed to cry?”

The Release Date Is So Soon

Swift also surprised fans with the Tortured Poets Department release date. Her new era will begin on April 19.