Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets Library Pop-Up Is Full Of Easter Eggs
What do all the twos means??
Taylor Swift is entering her The Tortured Poets Department era on Friday, April 19. However, aside from the album announcement at the 2024 Grammys, Swift hasn’t done much promoting. Instead, the Midnights singer has been dropping subtle Easter eggs and word puzzles for her Swifties to uncover, including a library pop-up with Spotify.
Taylor Nation announced that a three-day Spotify Library Installation was opening on April 16 at The Grove in Los Angeles, not too far away from where I live, so I had to stop by. One of the last times I went to The Grove was for The Eras Tour movie premiere, so it was nostalgic being back. The Tortured Poets pop-up is actually located across from the Barnes & Noble, which some Swifties have speculated is a book theory Easter egg from All Too Well: The Short Film. While that’s a bit of stretch for me, a fellow Swiftie, there are several obvious clues hidden within the library that may make more sense once the album drops.
Since the wait time can be over three hours long and the Spotify Library Installation is only in LA, here’s everything you need to know about The Tortured Poets Department experience if you can’t make it:
The “So Long, London” Book Was Upside Down
While there are a few photo ops at the Spotify pop-up, the Tortured Poets installation is all about the hidden Easter eggs. The first things you’ll notice are the books on the shelves, which have track names from the album written on the spines. Most of the books are white, except bonus tracks like “The Black Dog,” “The Bolter,” and “The Albatross” matched their variant colors.
Also, “So Long, London” was placed upside down on the shelf, and was the only book like that from the original track list. Since Swift is a mastermind and almost everything she does is for a reason, Swifties in line speculated this upside down placement was on purpose. One fan even thought it had something to do with the upside phone theory from when Swift was promoting her Midnights album. I did notice one of “The Albatross” books was also upside down. What does it mean??
There Were A Lot Of 2’s In The Decor
Another major theme fans noticed with the decor on the shelves was that there were a lot of twos. Swift first started referencing the number two when she put up two fingers while announcing The Tortured Poets Department. Some fans thought that meant there might be a double album, while others think she might be hinting at a book release alongside TTPD.
It’s still a little too early to know, but what’s for certain is that there were a lot of twos represented in the library. There was a statue of a hand with a peace sign, two candlesticks, two lyrics, and the clock was stuck at 2.
New Lyrics Were On Display In The Library
One area of the library had an old book on display that featured new lyrics from one of The Tortured Poets Department songs. When I was there, it read, “Even statues crumble, if they’re made to wait.” According to Swifties, a page was turned at 2:00 p.m. to reveal new lyrics that read, “One less temptress, one less dagger to sharpen.”
The Diana Of Ephesus May Reference Swift’s Relationship With Joe Alwyn
The “statues crumble” lyric may actually have something to do with the Diana of Ephesus bust on one of the library shelves. According to one fan, “The original statue of Diana crumbled while waiting to be shipped to London in the 6th century due to years of neglect, succumbing to the passage of time and the elements.”
Swift was recently spotted wearing a purse inspired by Diana, and another Swiftie pointed out that the goddess’ symbols are a bow and quiver along with a crescent moon. Not only is Swift a Sagittarius (aka the Archer), but the moon has been associated with her Midnights album. In this case, Swift could be like Diana, and her relationship with ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn may have been the “years of neglect” and waiting that caused her to crumble.
The Lavender Haze Is All Dried Up Now
During her Midnights era, Swift was in a “lavender haze,” but it seems that may be over now. On the shelves, you can see dried up lavender in vases. There are other dried flowers and lace in the card catalog cabinet, which some fans believe is a reference to a crypt or wedding invitations that were never sent. Six of the drawers were open with flowers inside, which could also represent the six years that Swift and Alwyn were together.
In golden cages, there are also dried Cornelia roses — which are a nod to “Cornelia Street” and another song about Alwyn.
Taylor’s Birthday May Be Hinting At The Next Re-Recorded Album
At the front of the library is a table with a typewriter, and a desktop calendar with “Friday December 13.” Fans will know right away that Dec. 13 is Swift’s birthday, but she wasn’t born on a Friday. 2024’s Dec. 13 does fall on a Friday, which is why some fans believe this date could be hinting at when the next re-recorded album will drop. It could be Taylor Swift (Taylor’s Version), Reputation (Taylor’s Version), or even a double album release where she finally takes back her reputation and her name.
No Glitter Gel Pens Were Used In The Library
Swift has previously stated that all her songs can be categorized into three groups: glitter gel pen songs, fountain pen songs, and quill pen songs. Fans noticed both fountain and quill pens were spotted in the library, but no glitter gel pens. This could mean that none of the tracks on The Tortured Poets Department are glitter gel pen songs.
Swift said glitter gel pen songs are “songs with lyrics that make you want to dance, sing, and toss glitter around the room,” so it looks like TTPD will be more of a crying than dancing album.
There Were Also Typewriters, Globes, Tambourines, & The Story Of Us
Other items I noticed on the shelves were typewriters, a globe with a nail in Florida, and several tambourines. The globe is obviously an Easter egg to the song “Florida!!!” and it’s possible there will be tambourines as Florence & The Machine is the featured artist, but the typewriters may have more clues. I’m usually terrible at puzzles and wait for other Swifties to decipher Easter eggs, but I can’t help but to associate typewriters and Taylor Swift with breakup albums.
Swift featured a red typewriter in All Too Well: The Short Film, and Red is known as Swift’s only true breakup album — until now. It’s possible the use of typewriters in this era signify that this is also a true breakup album. I also noticed a few keys — B, U, and T — on one of the typewriters were pressed down, which made me think of the song “But Daddy I Love Him.”
Spotted on one of the bottom shelves, there is also a notebook with “us” written on the front. This could be a reference to Swift’s breakup song “The Story of Us” from Speak Now — which “looks a lot like a tragedy now.”
If You Want To Visit The Library, Be Prepared To Wait
The Spotify Library Installation for The Tortured Poets Department is open now through Thursday, April 18 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day. While the pop-up is small and you can see most of it from the outside, if you want to get a closer look at these TTPD clues, you’ll need to wait in line.
Some fans were getting to The Grove as early as 6 a.m. on opening day, and most people had to wait over three hours. Since it can get pretty hot in the afternoon, bring some sunscreen, a fan, and sunglasses with you. Another fan I talked to recommended you bring along a snack and some water.
Once it’s your turn to enter the library, you’ll get your photo taken and be able to snap as many pictures as you’d like of the rest of the bookshelves. You’ll also be given a piece of paper for you to mark which songs off the album you’re most excited to hear. Then, you can leave your paper in one of the card catalog drawers before leaving. As you exit, you’re given a Tortured Poets bookmark with all the tracks listed.
It’s a free event, and worth it if you have the time and are excited about the new album. As a fan, I was obviously pumped for TTPD, but this just made me even more excited to see what else Swift has in store for the department on April 19.
