ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images
Taylor Swift’s 2024 Album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’: Release Date, Tracklist and What to Expect
If there’s anyone who knows how to pull off a surprise, it’s Taylor Swift. The pop star left fans shocked at the 2024 Grammy Awards when she announced a new album called The Tortured Poets Department. One day later, she shared the album’s full tracklist on Instagram, followed by the reveal of different versions of the record with additional bonus tracks.
When Did Taylor Swift Announce Her New Album?
Taylor unveiled her new album at the 2024 Grammys on February 4, 2024. While accepting her award for Best Pop Vocal Album for Midnights — her 13th Grammy — the “Lover” singer reminded fans that 13 was her “lucky number.”
“I don’t know if I’ve ever told you that,” she joked. “I wanna say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I’ve been keeping from you for the last two years.”
Taylor then announced the name of her new album, as well as the release date.
What Is the Release Date for Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ Album?
The Tortured Poets Department will be released on April 19, 2024, as Taylor revealed in her acceptance speech. After she left the stage, she took to Instagram to post the album artwork — a sultry black and white shot of her laying on a pillow in a black tank top and shorts, crossing her arms over her body.
Taylor also included a poem or a set of lyrics on the next slide. “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,” read cursive handwriting on a piece of paper.
“All’s fair in love and poetry… New album THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. Out April 19,” she captioned the post.
What Is the Tracklist for Taylor Swift’s Album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’?
On February 5, 2024, Taylor confirmed the titles of the 17 songs that will be featured on TTPD. The album is split into four parts called Side A, Side B, Side C and Side D. Each section has four songs, with Side D also including a bonus track.
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!!! (feat. Florence and 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
17. Bonus Track: The Manuscript
After the initial tracklist reveal, Taylor shared additional bonus tracks that would be included on extra bonus versions on the record. The different variants/bonus tracks are “The Albatross,” “The Black Dog” and “The Bolter.”
Fans also got a glimpse at some possible lyrics to the record when Taylor shared the different album covers. With the initial album, the back cover read, “I love you, it’s ruining my life.” The back cover for “The Bolter” said, “You don’t get to tell me about sad.” Along with “The Albatross,” Taylor shared the quote, “Am I allowed to cry?” and “The Black Dog” back cover said, “Old habits die screaming.”
Fans immediately began speculating what might have inspired the songs on the record. Swifties theorized that many of the songs will be about Taylor’s breakup from Joe Alwyn, especially those with gut wrenching and specific titles like “So Long, London” and “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.”
While Taylor often writes about her personal life in her songs, she’s also been known to get inspired by other people’s lives. Track No. 16, “Clara Bow,” will seemingly tell the story of the silent film star of the same name. The actress rose to prominence in the 1920s and died at the age of 60 in 1965. Fans have already drawn parallels between Clara and Taylor’s lives in the public eye.
Did Taylor Swift Announce ‘Reputation (Taylor’s Version)’?
Many fans went into Grammys night expecting Taylor to announce Reputation (Taylor’s Version). Hours before the Grammys, the pop star changed all of her profile pictures on social media to a black and white version of the Midnights album artwork, which seemed to be a sign that Rep (TV) was coming, as these colors are normally associated with that album.
Additionally, fans thought Taylor’s gorgeous white gown and black gloves were another clue that her rerecorded album was coming. Nobody expected that the clues were pointing to an entirely new album! There was no Rep (TV) announcement that night, but this might be even better.
Have a tip? Send it to us! Email In Touch at contact@intouchweekly.com.
