Revisiting The Tortured Poets Department 1 Year Later

As a lifelong swiftie, I must confess: The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD) came at a time of ultimate Taylor Swift™ fatigue. Just two months earlier, she had swept the Grammys with Midnights and was still riding the high of The Eras Tour — the most commercially successful tour of all time.

The entire Swiftian ecosystem seemed to explode when TTPD finally debuted, and with it came a slew of mixed reviews. While I am biased, I do think, in hindsight, critics and casual listeners were too harsh on this album.

These songs—at least most of them—are aging well. I also propose the theory that if the album were to come out now, it would be accepted with far more open arms. Perhaps the gloomy, Victorian nature of Swift’s 11th studio album is better suited for a Trumpian presidency, rather than the pure bliss of brat summer, and the fleeting hope of Kamala Harris’s presidential run. Here are my top 5 tracks on The Tortured Poets Department—one year later.

Ranked in Order:

1. “Guilty as Sin”:

The best song on The Tortured Poets Department is evidently “Guilty as Sin.” Trapped in the confines of her own mind. Swift ricochets between fantasy, shame, and reality, weaving beautifully written prose around deceptively simple questions: “Am I allowed to cry?” 

 “Guilty as Sin” also features a charming cowbell, and therefore has rightfully earned its spot at #1.

2. “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus”:

Taylor Swift has finally added a bisexual anthem to her catalogue! Kinda, not really. COSOSOM, similar to “Guilty as Sin,” confronts a series of what-ifs? Underneath its surface, COSOSOM is a reflection of how far someone is willing to go to be loved, lost in memory, even if that leads to self-destruction. Insecurity litters its verses—“If you want to break my cold, cold heart — Just say ‘I loved you the way that you were.’”

3. “The Prophecy”:

There might be a little bias in my album rankings, because I do think evermore is Swift’s magnum opus, but once again, “The Prophecy” has crept its way to my Top 3. I do not want to further explain myself. The girls who get it, get it.

4. “Fresh Out The Slammer”:

I’ve been saying for some time that “Fresh Out The Slammer” is the most underrated track on TTPD. The song reiterates our need for old patterns, comforts, and explores the very human need to forget. It's peak self-sabotage. I also feel like I’m sitting in the middle of a western saloon whenever I hear the song’s introduction, and therefore, it earns the #4 spot.

5. “loml”:

Swift has always succeeded in devising the most beautiful, soul-crushing ballads, and “loml” is a top tier Swiftian ballad. The soft piano track is an equal mix of tragedy, reminiscing, and struggle... “And I’ll still see it, until I die — you’re the loss of my life.”

Honorable Mentions: “The Black Dog” and “I Look in People’s Windows.”

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