Written in TREND he
United States.- On April 19, 2024, Taylor Swift launched The Tortured Poets Departmentan album that quickly became the subject of global conversation for its introspective tone, its letters loaded with references and its literary aesthetics.
One year after its premiere, the album is still analyzed by fans and critics equally. To commemorate your first anniversary, we collect 13 Curiosities that you might not know about this project that marked a new stage in the singer’s career.
The secret origin of the title (beyond the group)
While the connection with Joe Alwyn’s group chat is known, Taylor mentioned in an interview after the launch that the phrase “tortured poet department” resonated with a broader vision of creativity and vulnerability in art, not limited only to that anecdote.
The “Vault Songs” that were almost double
Initially, it was rumored that there would be even more “from the vault” songs from Eras included in the standard edition of TTPD, but finally they were reserved for “The Anthology”, suggesting a possible thematic division from the beginning.
Leonard Cohen’s silent influence
Some critics and fans noticed subtle echoes in the lyrical structure and melancholy of certain TTPD songs that remembered the style of Leonard Cohen, an influence that Taylor had not cited directly in the past.
The “Easter” pre-ancium in Midnights merchandise
After the launch, some fans discovered phrases or images in the merchandise of the Midnights era that, retrospectively, seemed to presage the theme of TTPD, although at the time they went unnoticed.
The hidden connection with “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)”
According to some critics, they suggested an analysis of TTPD letters where they found thematic and narrative parallels with the extended version of “All Too Well”, suggesting a continuous exploration of the complexity of past relationships and the process of loving duel.
The use of vintage analog synthesizers
The producers revealed in technical interviews that several old analog synthesizers were used to create the melancholic atmosphere already oppressive of the album, looking for a specific sound that evoked a certain time.
The first “filtered” reactions through poems
Before the official announcement, some close friends of Taylor shared in social networks poems or writing fragments that, with the current perspective, seemed to reflect TTPD’s tone and theme, although not to mention the album directly.
The hidden meaning behind the order of songs (pre-anthology) as a duel cycle
Many fans interpreted the original order of the songs as a representation of the different stages of the duel after a break, from the denial to acceptance.
Fans theories about collaborations that never happened
There were several fans theories about possible collaborations with other artists (in addition to post Malone and Florence + The Machine) that finally did not materialize in the album.
The evolution of the art of the cover in alternative photo sessions
Some images of alternative photo sessions were leaked for the cover that showed Taylor in a slightly different style and environment, suggesting that there were several creative options considered.
Cultural references to black and white photography
The visual aesthetics of the album, with its predominance of black and white, was interpreted as a reference to the photograph of certain poets and artists from past times, seeking to evoke a feeling of nostalgia and melancholy.
The impact of the surprise announcement on vinyl sales
The unexpected announcement in the Grammy generated a mass increase in the pre -sale of TTPD vinyl, becoming one of the albums with the highest vinyl sales in its launch year.
The “early” legacy of the fashion album and Tiktok’s trends
One year after its launch, certain phrases and aesthetics of TTPD have influenced fashion trends and content in Tiktok, demonstrating their cultural impact beyond music.
