Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department (April 19)

[austin]

"The Bolter" is my favorite from the entire crop of 31 tracks, though I largely enjoy like 26 of them. I kinda wish I never had to hear "Robin" but otherwise I find something that is enjoyable about every song. #Queen

My Anthology Top 5

1 The Bolter
2 So High School
3 The Black Dog
4 How Did It End?
5 Peter

Main Album Top 5

1 My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys
2 Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?
3 But Daddy I Love Him
4 Down Bad
5 The Tortured Poets Department

[👑 Eloquent ™]

I actually have ended up returning to The Anthology side more than the Tortured Poets side tbh. With that said, my top 5 Tortured Poets are:

1.) "Clara Bow"
2.) "loml"
3.) "Down Bad"
4.) "The Tortured Poets Department"
5.) "My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys"

[gbaby]

Oct 16, 2024 18:33:53 GMT -5 Rose "Payola" Nylund said:

Oct 16, 2024 18:31:43 GMT -5 Mayman said:

Initially The Anthology I preferred on release, but I find myself returning to the tracks from the main album more

Also same. Though I did listen to the whole album last week. There’s only maybe 2 songs from Anthology I’d cut entirely. The remaining 29 songs are all varying degrees of songs I like (though I still stick to my 20-track version).

Which ones, and why is one of them "I Hate It Here"?

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

Oct 17, 2024 15:03:06 GMT -5 gbaby said:

Oct 16, 2024 18:33:53 GMT -5 Rose "Payola" Nylund said:

Also same. Though I did listen to the whole album last week. There’s only maybe 2 songs from Anthology I’d cut entirely. The remaining 29 songs are all varying degrees of songs I like (though I still stick to my 20-track version).

Which ones, and why is one of them "I Hate It Here"?

“I look in people’s windows” and I think the other is “Robin”. “I hate it here” i think is probably okay but I don’t remember it offhand. It’s one of the ones in limbo that didn’t make ‘Rose’s Version’ of the album so I’m mostly indifferent.

[gbaby]

Oct 17, 2024 15:06:26 GMT -5 Rose "Payola" Nylund said:

Oct 17, 2024 15:03:06 GMT -5 gbaby said:

Which ones, and why is one of them "I Hate It Here"?

“I look in people’s windows” and I think the other is “Robin”. “I hate it here” i think is probably okay but I don’t remember it offhand. It’s one of the ones in limbo that didn’t make ‘Rose’s Version’ of the album so I’m mostly indifferent.

This alone is reason enough for IHIH to be my absolute least fav on this album:
My friends used to play a game where
We would pick a decade
We wished we could live in instead of this
I'd say the 1830s but without all the racists and getting married off for
the highest bid

Drives me bonkers. I wish that the 1830s/racists line had been cut, at minimum, if not the entire song.

[👑 Eloquent ™]

^ haha People making such a monumental fuss over those lines even further cemented for me just how many chronically online people in the words of Katy Perry needed to "go outside and touch grass".

[gbaby]

Oct 17, 2024 17:06:43 GMT -5 👑 Eloquent ™ said:

^ haha People making such a monumental fuss over those lines even further cemented for me just how many chronically online people in the words of Katy Perry needed to "go outside and touch grass".

Says the person with 20k posts.

[Marooned@Midnight]

I love IHIH and most of the Anthology. IGGYB, SHS, TP, Peter, and TB are high level. And The Black Dog is straight up one of the best songs she’s recorded.

[irice22]

Oct 17, 2024 15:13:34 GMT -5 gbaby said:

Oct 17, 2024 15:06:26 GMT -5 Rose "Payola" Nylund said:

“I look in people’s windows” and I think the other is “Robin”. “I hate it here” i think is probably okay but I don’t remember it offhand. It’s one of the ones in limbo that didn’t make ‘Rose’s Version’ of the album so I’m mostly indifferent.

This alone is reason enough for IHIH to be my absolute least fav on this album:
My friends used to play a game where
We would pick a decade
We wished we could live in instead of this
I'd say the 1830s but without all the racists and getting married off for
the highest bid

Drives me bonkers. I wish that the 1830s/racists line had been cut, at minimum, if not the entire song.

I don't really get why people hate this line, it's kind of what the whole song is about - and it's in a conversational tone. It's about getting people to check that very privilege when having those discussions. or that little caveat people throw in there, but it's a much bigger deal. How many times have you heard "I would have loved to grow up in the 80s" from someone completely ignoring the AIDs crisis? Or "the 60s were the best" completely forgetting life before the civil rights act?

We look at the past with rose colored glasses. We'd truly hate it anywhere, because there's always progress to be made.

[👑 Eloquent ™]

Oct 17, 2024 17:12:41 GMT -5 gbaby said:

Oct 17, 2024 17:06:43 GMT -5 👑 Eloquent ™ said:

^ haha People making such a monumental fuss over those lines even further cemented for me just how many chronically online people in the words of Katy Perry needed to "go outside and touch grass".

Says the person with 20k posts.

Over nearly 2 decades (the majority of which were made years and years ago when commenters were ranked and me and a few friends competed to have more)? Yes. Very weak rebuttal. Did you feel personally attacked by my comment? Awee. I'm sorry.

Oct 17, 2024 17:35:16 GMT -5 irice22 said:

Oct 17, 2024 15:13:34 GMT -5 gbaby said:

This alone is reason enough for IHIH to be my absolute least fav on this album:
My friends used to play a game where
We would pick a decade
We wished we could live in instead of this
I'd say the 1830s but without all the racists and getting married off for
the highest bid

Drives me bonkers. I wish that the 1830s/racists line had been cut, at minimum, if not the entire song.

I don't really get why people hate this line, it's kind of what the whole song is about - and it's in a conversational tone. It's about getting people to check that very privilege when having those discussions. or that little caveat people throw in there, but it's a much bigger deal. How many times have you heard "I would have loved to grow up in the 80s" from someone completely ignoring the AIDs crisis? Or "the 60s were the best" completely forgetting life before the civil rights act?

We look at the past with rose colored glasses. We'd truly hate it anywhere, because there's always progress to be made.

Thank you! She even put in a qualifier because she knew people were gonna be looking for things to criticize.

With that said God forbid one love 40s Hollywood Glam and would like to experience it yourself or people will call you antisemitic because the era simultaneously took place during the Holocaust. 🙄 It is people just looking to be offended for the sake of being offended. Nostalgia is no longer "allowed" because there was never a time in history where horrific things weren't happening. Don't get me wrong, I understand the hard truths behind nostalgia, but I absolutely believe people should be able to experience it without being unfairly and harshly labeled/criticized.

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

Oct 17, 2024 15:13:34 GMT -5 gbaby said:

Oct 17, 2024 15:06:26 GMT -5 Rose "Payola" Nylund said:

“I look in people’s windows” and I think the other is “Robin”. “I hate it here” i think is probably okay but I don’t remember it offhand. It’s one of the ones in limbo that didn’t make ‘Rose’s Version’ of the album so I’m mostly indifferent.

This alone is reason enough for IHIH to be my absolute least fav on this album:
My friends used to play a game where
We would pick a decade
We wished we could live in instead of this
I'd say the 1830s but without all the racists and getting married off for
the highest bid

Drives me bonkers. I wish that the 1830s/racists line had been cut, at minimum, if not the entire song.

People definitely overreacted with that line. I don’t care for it not because of what she’s saying but because it sounds clunky. But sometimes that can work in instances when you’re writing from a particular perspective. Like in “Seven,” the lyrics sound like they’re from a child’s perspective so they come off a bit bulky but it works. I haven’t given much time to IHIH to consider its intention or meaning. I’m guessing it’s intentional though.

[Dylan :)]

[ObhiDonna]

Oct 17, 2024 7:52:13 GMT -5 austin said:

"The Bolter" is my favorite from the entire crop of 31 tracks, though I largely enjoy like 26 of them. I kinda wish I never had to hear "Robin" but otherwise I find something that is enjoyable about every song. #Queen

My Anthology Top 5

1 The Bolter
2 So High School
3 The Black Dog
4 How Did It End?
5 Peter

Main Album Top 5

1 My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys
2 Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?
3 But Daddy I Love Him
4 Down Bad
5 The Tortured Poets Department

Umm hello taste?

[carriekins]

I see Taylor on Friday and I'm beside myself.

That is all.

[johnm1120]

Oct 21, 2024 10:41:40 GMT -5 carriekins said:

I see Taylor on Friday and I'm beside myself.

That is all.

My job sent me to Taylor this weekend. As a non-Swiftie, I will say you won't be disappointed.

[gbaby]

Oct 21, 2024 10:41:40 GMT -5 carriekins said:

I see Taylor on Friday and I'm beside myself.

That is all.

Seeing her Saturday! Very, very excited to see how the show has changed from the first leg.

Enjoy New Orleans!

[carriekins]

Oct 21, 2024 14:11:45 GMT -5 gbaby said:

Oct 21, 2024 10:41:40 GMT -5 carriekins said:

I see Taylor on Friday and I'm beside myself.

That is all.

Seeing her Saturday! Very, very excited to see how the show has changed from the first leg.

Enjoy New Orleans!

Thank you, have a great time on Saturday!!

[bat1990]

YouTube is giving me all sorts of interesting Taylor content this evening. This megamix is so interesting, but OMFG LOL at its name

[balletgirlmom]

Happy Anthology will be out there with physicals.  Nice way to wrap up the era.  

[Ivy Leegue™]

You can't have the 1830s without slavery, so, as a Black man, I will never NOT see that line as anything but remarkably tone deaf. I don't expect anyone who isn't Black to relate, but I do expect them to at least understand why that feeling is valid.

Oh...and Robin is probably top 3 on The Anthology. The "Way to go...Tiger" line gets me every fucking time.

[ificanthaveyou]

Oct 23, 2024 0:23:41 GMT -5 Ivy Leegue™ said:

You can't have the 1830s without slavery, so, as a Black man, I will never NOT see that line as anything but remarkably tone deaf. I don't expect anyone who isn't Black to relate, but I do expect them to at least understand why that feeling is valid.

Oh...and Robin is probably top 3 on The Anthology. The "Way to go...Tiger" line gets me every fucking time.

It’s the same way Disney has movies set in different time periods but doesn’t show the “horrors” of the time period or why Bridgerton is so damn popular even though it isn’t very realistic. You “can” have the 1830s without slavery in a make-believe, fantastical world that you dream up in your head like she’s very obviously doing in the song (as if she’s wanting to visit the 1830s that you see in the film/television)

To me the line reads: “I rather be living in a time without social media or tabloids or people lying and witch-hunting me for just existing. But if I were to live in this “alternate reality” I would only want to be there if slavery and sexism didn’t exist.”

If she left out that one line people would have persecuted her for wanting to live in an era where slavery and women’s oppression was rampant. Instead she acknowledged that in reality it was a pretty shitty time period, but her current reality is just as shitty and an escape to a different era sounds nice.

[suburbandreams]

Oct 23, 2024 0:37:59 GMT -5 ificanthaveyou said:

Oct 23, 2024 0:23:41 GMT -5 Ivy Leegue™ said:

You can't have the 1830s without slavery, so, as a Black man, I will never NOT see that line as anything but remarkably tone deaf. I don't expect anyone who isn't Black to relate, but I do expect them to at least understand why that feeling is valid.

Oh...and Robin is probably top 3 on The Anthology. The "Way to go...Tiger" line gets me every fucking time.

It’s the same way Disney has movies set in different time periods but doesn’t show the “horrors” of the time period or why Bridgerton is so damn popular even though it isn’t very realistic. You “can” have the 1830s without slavery in a make-believe, fantastical world that you dream up in your head like she’s very obviously doing in the song (as if she’s wanting to visit the 1830s that you see in the film/television)

To me the line reads: “I rather be living in a time without social media or tabloids or people lying and witch-hunting me for just existing. But if I were to live in this “alternate reality” I would only want to be there if slavery and sexism didn’t exist.”

If she left out that one line people would have persecuted her for wanting to live in an era where slavery and women’s oppression was rampant. Instead she acknowledged that in reality it was a pretty shitty time period, but her current reality is just as shitty and an escape to a different era sounds nice.

it's fine if you hate the song. 

but the next line is literally about the past being a mind trick.

it's pretty simple meaning. she fantasizes about living in a bridgerton like world because she hates her current reality. but she is just being delusional and so a second of scrutiny tears down it. 

the song is making a point about her having a tonedeaf fantasy that she calls herself for.

the larger meaning of the song is that she hates living anywhere or anytime because the problem is with her.

[bat1990]

WOW! The invalidation of Lee's feelings and perspective continues!

Applause on not reading the room and continuing to overexplain the same line for the umpteenth time.

[Ivy Leegue™]

Oct 23, 2024 12:11:42 GMT -5 bat1990 said:

WOW! The invalidation of Lee's feelings and perspective continues!

Applause on not reading the room and continuing to overexplain the same line for the umpteenth time.

Awww, I appreciate you! But, it's OK. I've said what I had to say on the matter. My feelings and perspective remain, no matter the invalidation.

[Coco Yu'Kneek- Saint]

Its really disheartening that a black man is expressing his experience and we have people trying to discredit him with their posts. Whether it's Taylor or Morgan I wish when fellow black people expressed themselves we listened and if we disagree then keep that yourself because your experience is not our experience.

[👑 Eloquent ™]

Meanwhile Taylor finally changed her Rep costume!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBS2-KHghDC

The drama Henny! Haha

[Snowbeast]

The tour ends in just over a month. She has to release self titled and reputation any day????

[nak]

I am thinking those artists moved their release dates around the end of October because of the new Lady Gaga single coming out tomorrow. I may be wrong.

[schnetzka]

Oct 23, 2024 23:44:36 GMT -5 nak said:

I am thinking those artists moved their release dates around the end of October because of the new Lady Gaga single coming out tomorrow. I may be wrong.

Moving album releases because of a single doesn't really make sense though. If she was releasing the album tomorrow, then maybe I could understand it but she said it was coming until next year.

[Mayman]

Oct 24, 2024 4:51:17 GMT -5 schnetzka said:

Oct 23, 2024 23:44:36 GMT -5 nak said:

I am thinking those artists moved their release dates around the end of October because of the new Lady Gaga single coming out tomorrow. I may be wrong.

Moving album releases because of a single doesn't really make sense though. If she was releasing the album tomorrow, then maybe I could understand it but she said it was coming until next year.

She's never said anything was coming at any point, where did you see that?

I do think it is a little silly though that fans think she's still dropping a re-record this year. She's not going to let something compete with the Anthology vinyls. As much as I want something this year, she's definitely going to wait until the spring.