The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift’s eleventh studio album, was released on April 19, 2024.
The Album and Controversy
Taylor Swift is among the most popular performers. She just released her eleventh album. The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD). This has created quite a stir, particularly among poets. Famous poets, including Eileen Myles, Richard Siken, and Gregory Pardlo, discussed it in The New York Times. Many people are discussing the album on social media, even creating memes. I have also expressed my opinions online, particularly my hatred for Swift’s Spotify “library” exhibit in Los Angeles last week.
Critics are also discussing the record, some critically. One writer from Paste began their review with a harsh remark. It is not as if Sylvia Plath did this with her head in an oven—the anticipation surrounding album reviews built up in the few days following the release and quickly subsided. I still intend to evaluate TTPD, as I said I would back in February. Something from my industry rarely gains international attention.
The Record as a Whole
We were prepared not to enjoy this somber record from a wealthy pop idol, and regrettably, TTPD deserves the disapproval. Despite the word “poet” being in the title, Swift’s album lacks depth, is too lengthy, and exhibits little of her literary skill.
The Debate Over the Title
The lack of punctuation in the title, The Tortured Poets Department, sparked a discussion on grammar. Interestingly, our argument over grammar came up first, as if poets could have been more inventive with words.
The Tortured Artists Department
If the department were named The Happy Mathematicians Department or The Tortured Artists Department, would we still be critical of the title’s grammar? Most likely not. The question of what constitutes poetry has long been debated. Nobody ever says, “That’s not a painting,” when paint is applied to a canvas. Even scathing criticism of artists such as Rothko just states that the work is poor or meaningless, not that it is a painting.
We enjoy criticizing poetry and grammar, so something about this feels off. Not simply because some people find Taylor Swift obnoxious, but also because of our prejudices, we’re too quick to criticize this album’s title.
Expected Success
It had been expected that Taylor Swift’s latest album, The Tortured Poets Department, would achieve significant sales.
The only question was how big. The answer? Extremely big.
Record-Breaking Release
Swift smashed some records with the release of her 15th album, including 11 studio albums and four re-recordings of previous ones she did not own the rights to. Tortured Poets Department records broken include new heights on Billboard—tallying sales—and Spotify, which is one of the top streaming services.
Swift’s Gratitude
Swift expressed her gratitude to her followers on social media for their support of her album, saying that the sales of her most recent release had “blown her mind” and “completely overwhelmed.”
Album Announcement and Release
Taylor Swift announced her album, The Tortured Poets Department, during the Grammy Awards in February. On April 19, the album was made available, creating huge excitement following her successful worldwide Eras tour. Discover the latest selection of Taylor Swift Eras Tour Merch, now accessible here.
Billboard Records: Broken
Biggest Debut
The Breakup has proved even more successful for the Tortured Poets Department, marking the band’s highest chart entry on the Billboard list for Swift. It was indicated that four million copies were sold within the first week after episode 2. Copies that were bought on the first day spanned $6 million. The latest work of Adele entitled 25 became a hot topic, which had 3.
Many successful songs were released in the first week of the year 2015, selling 4 million copies. Only this song has been able to break this record. Swift’s album also managed to surpass the record that belonged to N Sync’s album, No Strings Attached, which, in its first week of sales, sold 2. 4 million copies.
He is the first artist in modern history to sell seven million copies of album in a single attempt.
Swift is one of the few artists who managed during the week to release seven albums of modern music totally different from each other, and all seven albums were sold for at least one million copies.
First Modern-Era Artist with All Seven Albums Going Platinum
Taylor Swift set a new record as the first musician of the postmillennial generation to score seven albums conforming to the 1 million copies in a week club.
Most Streamed Album
According to Billboard, The Tortured Poets Department is now the most streamed album ever, with all 31 tracks streamed 891.37 million times.
Most Vinyl Sales
Swift broke the record for most vinyl sales with 859,000 copies sold.
Tied for Second Most No. 1 Albums
Landing three No. 1 albums consecutively, Swift is the only artist alongside Jay-Z, who has 14 No. 1 albums each. She presently sits atop the list of the highest-ranked female singers and performers and is also tied on the number of chart-topping hits as a singles artist with another man—Beyoncé’s husband. Even the highest-ranked, the Beatles, who hold the record for the number of No. 1 albums at 19, are ahead of them.
Spotify Records: Broken
Largest Streaming Debut
The Tortured Poets Department had the largest streaming debut on Spotify to date, with 380 million streams in a single day.
Most Streams for a Single Song
The song “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone had the greatest streaming day ever for any song on Spotify.
Top Singles and Album Debuts
Swift holds the top seven singles and the top three album debuts in Spotify history with Poets, Midnights, and 1989 (Taylor’s Version).
Amazon Music Records: Broken
Highest Streaming Launch
The album had the highest streaming launch ever on Amazon Music.
Apple Music and iTunes Records are broken.
No. 1 Singles
Swift had four No. 1 singles on iTunes: “The Black Dog,” “So High School,” “Thank You,” and “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone.
The Female Artist to Launch at No. 1
She became the first female artist to have a song launch at No. 1 on Apple Music.
Greatest First-Day Streaming for a Pop Album
The Tortured Poets Department broke the previous record for the best-ever pop album first-day stream on Apple Music.
Most No. 1 Hits on U.S. iTunes
With 69 the top spot hits on US iTunes. Taylor Swift now holds the record for most number-one spot hits.
Overall Streaming Records Broken
Fastest Album to 1 Billion Streams
The Tortured Poets Department became the fastest album ever to hit 1 billion streams across all platforms.
International Records: Broken
Biggest Launch Week of the Year
The list was released in the week that had the biggest sales in the first week of this year.
- Australia
- Brazil
- Canada
- Germany
- Ireland
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- Spain
- Sweden
- United Kingdom
Most Consumed Album in Ireland
Swift’s 11th No. 1 album in Ireland became the most consumed album ever.
12 No. 1 Albums in the UK
Swift became the first artist to have 12 No. 1 albums in the UK, with the most first-week sales since Ed Sheeran’s Divide in 2017.
Complete Top 10 Singles Chart in Australia
Swift is the only artist to have the complete Top 10 Singles Chart in Australia, along with her 13th consecutive No. 1 album and best week-one sales since Adele’s 25.
Most Streamed Album in Canada
Swift’s album had the most streams in a single day in Canada, with 14 consecutive weeks as the No. 1 album.
Additional Achievements
Quickest Rise to Top of 2024 Album Charts
In less than 48 hours, The Tortured Poets Department rose to the top of the 2024 album charts based on pure sales and online album listens.
Who Is The First Artist to sell 100 Million Equivalent Album units?
So Luminate indicates that Swift is the first artist in America to sell 100 million equivalent album units.
Best-Selling Artist of 2024
Swift has sold the equivalent of five million albums in 2024. It made her the best-selling artist of the year. In addition to her popularity as a musician clothing brand, “The Tortured Poets Department Merch” has become popular among followers. Her devoted fans love this collection because of its distinctive and creative designs, which have increased her fame.
Top Four Vinyl Debuts Ever
According to Nielsen, Swift made one of the top four vinyl debuts ever.
Future Prospects
Taylor Swift is likely just getting started. She has the opportunity to break numerous records with The Tortured Poets Department in the coming months, especially with the upcoming Grammy Awards.
Poetry and the Poets
Song lyrics and poetry are a long-standing and uninteresting debate.
Only the author, whether a pop star or a famous poet, may choose whether it is poetry.
According to Susannah Young-ah Gottlieb of Northwestern University, the distinction between lyrics and poetry is irrelevant. Some argue that lyrics are not poetry, but she does not find this intriguing.
Swift cites other poets in the album’s title track, saying, “You’re not Dylan Thomas, and I’m not Patti Smith.” This is not the Chelsea Hotel; we are modern idiots.
Dylan Thomas was a recognized poet who suffered from drinking and died at a young age. Swift may do better by modeling herself after the innovative poet and musician Patti Smith. Smith’s lyrics are strong, both in song and on paper.
The poems of Swift and Nicks
The CD includes two authentic poems, one by Swift and one by Stevie Nicks. Both give tales, but the language used is unsatisfactory. In Swift’s poem, the wording follows her and feels cumbersome.
“I stand before my colleagues and members of the Tortured Poets Department at this hearing.”
With an overview of my results. A debrief, a full replay, For the sake of warning As a reminder, Unfortunately, I experienced a limited sense of humanity. The start is clumsy, and terms like “restricted humanity” lack both surprise and color. Later, she adds, “I screamed while bringing my fists to my coffee-ringed desk.” It was a mutually beneficial time. It was self-harm. The incident occurred at home and was followed by a sudden cardiac arrest.
This feels clichéd and lacks material. Another statement, “Spring sprung forth with dazzling freedom hues,” is a terrible combination of cliché and abstraction.
Nick’s poetry has a lot of emotion but uninteresting words. Words like “brokenhearted,” “joy,” “tragedy,” “clouds,” and “too hot to handle” sound hollow. Music may assist, but the language alone is not strong.
The Torture Theme
The album once again focuses on broken relationships. There are fleeting hints of fame and toughness, but the focus is primarily on grief. Some critics believe Swift needs an editor to trim back. Critics agreed when Drake launched his extended album. Fans will like it, but asking listeners to focus on breakups for more than two hours is a lot.
Some quipped that Swift copied the 1989 film Dead Poets Society. Swift addressed this by using Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles in her music video for “Fortnight.”
Songs That Haven’t Been Played Yet:
The Tortured Poets Department
- So Long London
- Florida
- I Can Fix Him No Really I Can
- Clara Bow
- The Black Dog
- imgonnagetyouback
- The Albatross
- I Hate It Here
- Thank you Aimee
- The Prophecy
- Cassandra
- Peter
- Robin
