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Music critics compared the production to the music from the 1980s. There were mixed opinions about the song: some found it catchy and complimented the sarcastic tone and melodic production, but some others found the lyrics verbose and overly conversational. "The Tortured Poets Department" peaked at number three on the Billboard Global 200 and reached the top 10 on charts in Australia, Austria, Canada, Hong Kong, Ireland, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, the UK, and the US.
Background and composition
Swift announced her eleventh original studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards on February 4, 2024, during her acceptance speech for the Best Pop Vocal Album award. Shortly after the announcement, Swift's website enabled the album to be pre-ordered in vinyl, CD, cassette and digital format.[1] Swift conceived The Tortured Poets Department amidst publicized reports on her personal life, including a breakup with the English actor Joe Alwyn and a brief romantic linking with the English musician Matty Healy.[2] She described it as her "lifeline" album which she "really needed" to make;[3]Republic Records released The Tortured Poets Department on April 19, 2024.[4]
The lyrics of "The Tortured Poets Department" are about experiencing emotional turmoil and heartbreak in a relationship while also being introspective.[11][12][13] In the lyrics, Swift's character recalls mutual friends of her and her partner, Lucy and Jack.[8][14] John Wohlmacher of Beats Per Minute interpreted the song's lyrics as satirical, adding that Swift acknowledges her inferiority to the artistic levels of Dylan Thomas and Patti Smith, and believes that achieving great artistry comes from embracing deep self-realization and creative integrity rather than fame. In the song's opening, "Who uses typewriters anyway?", Swift seems to question the use of vintage technology, as an expression of artistic struggle, rather, views the instrument as serving a visual purpose. She calls herself and her partner "modern idiots", a self-critique and awareness of their artistic limitations. Swift possibly desires to gain a deep, genuine engagement in her creative process that Thomas and Smith achieved.[15]
Several music journalists complimented the production of "The Tortured Poets Department". In a ranking of all 31 tracks from The Anthology edition of the album, Billboard's Jason Lipsthuz ranked the track at number 11, highlighting the "light and unobtrusive" drums that leave space for Swift's voice and describing the south as a "synth fantasia".[8] Tom Breihan of Stereogum praised the song as an earworm and selected it as one of the album's well-constructed tracks.[16] Webb contended that the track contains "unchartered sonic ground" for Swift, specifically praising the nostalgic 1980s production by Antonoff.[6] Lindsay Zoladz, writing for The New York Times, described "The Tortured Poets Department" as a "chatty, radiant" song that effectively portrays "the flushed delirium of a doomed romance".[9]
There were criticisms of the lyrics as being overwritten or clunky, specifically the lyric, "You smoked, and then ate seven bars of chocolate, We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist. I scratch your head, you fall asleep, like a tattooed Golden Retriever."[13][17][18] The said line became the subject of parodies online.[15] In The Irish Times, Finn McRedmond wrote: "[Swift] leaves no space for the song to breathe, cramming in as many words as she can."[19]Screen Rant's Lynn Sharpe placed the song 21st out of the 31 album tracks, deeming the songwriting "overly conversational" and "hyperspecific" that makes it distracting for listeners.[20]Pitchfork's Olivia Horn called it a "winking" track that makes fun of Swift's self-seriousness but criticized how the lyrics' metaphors were ineffective.[21]Business Insider's Callie Ahlgrim said the song succeeds with its intention of being "over-the-top corny and tongue-in-cheek amusing", but felt the production "sounds like an AI-created Midnights parody".[22] On the contrary, Helen Brown of The Independent complimented Swift's lyricism: "I defy anyone not to lean into Swift's concisely charged storytelling."[23]The New Yorker picked it as one of the best pop songs of 2024.[24]
After the song's release, some commentators speculated that the song's lyric alluding to a woman named "Lucy" could be referring to Lucy Dacus of the band Boygenius. In the lyric in question, Swift states that "Lucy" was told "you’d kill yourself if I ever leave", causing speculation that one of Taylor Swift's exes may have made this comment to Dacus prior to the release of the Tortured Poets Department album.[25][26] 11 months after the song's initial release, Dacus later confirmed in March 2025 that she was the "Lucy" referred to in the song, and that Swift had texted Dacus for her approval about including a reference to her in the song's lyrics.[27][28]
Commercial performance
Following the album's release, nine of its tracks debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard Global 200, with "The Tortured Poets Department" debuting and peaking at number three on the chart. Swift extended her total top 10 entries on the chart to 33.[29][30] In the United States, the track opened at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. The track alongside 13 other songs from The Tortured Poets Department made Swift the first artist to occupy the entire top 14 of the Hot 100.[31][32] In Australia, "The Tortured Poets Department" debuted at number three on the ARIA Singles Chart and she became the artist with the most simultaneous entries in a single week with 29.[33][34] In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart and extended her total top 10 entries in the country to 28.[35][36]
↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 17. týden 2024 in the date selector. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
↑ "Top Singles (Week 16, 2024)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on May 31, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 17. týden 2024 in the date selector. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
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