Whenever Taylor Swift releases a new album, it's as if the world collectively hits pause to immerse itself in her musical journey. With the drop of her 11th studio album, "The Tortured Poets Department," Swifties everywhere have embarked on an emotional rollercoaster, dissecting every lyric, melody, and hidden Easter egg along the way. And let me tell you, I was right there with them, tissues in hand and heart wide open.
In classic Swift fashion, the announcement of "The Tortured Poets Department" came with all the subtlety of a wrecking ball—Taylor casually dropped the title while graciously accepting her Grammy for Album of the Year for 'Midnights' back in February. Since then, fans have been on high alert, eagerly anticipating the cathartic journey that awaited them.
From the very title of the album to Swift's meticulously curated playlists on Apple Music, hinting at themes of grief and heartache, it was clear from the get-go that this album was tailor-made for the soul-searching, heartbroken crowd. And now that it's finally here, it's evident that "The Tortured Poets Department" is not just another album—it's a raw, vulnerable masterpiece that hits home in ways we never imagined.
Let's dive into the tracks, shall we?
1- “The Tortured Poets Department” Fortnight (feat. Post Malone).
Kicking off the album with a bang, "Fortnight" immediately grabs your attention with its haunting melody and poignant lyrics. Fans couldn't help but speculate about the inspiration behind the song, and all signs point to Swift's brief romance with The 1975 frontman, Matty Healy. The lyrics, "And I love you, it’s ruining my life / I touched you for only a fortnight," seem to allude to their whirlwind relationship, which sparked briefly in 2014 before rekindling in early 2023 amidst Swift's breakup from Joe Alwyn. The teaser for the music video had Swifties buzzing with excitement, promising visuals reminiscent of Bella Baxter's 'Poor Things' aesthetic.
Now to fully understand their relationship, it goes back a decade. It all began in March 2014, when Matty Healy made headlines for turning down the opportunity to tour with Taylor Swift—a decision that would set the stage for years of speculation and intrigue. However, he is then pictured wearing a deluxe 1989 album cover tee at his concert in Milwaukee on the 4th of November, where 4 days later Taylor reblogs the picture on tumblr and says The 1975 are her favorite band.
Selena Gomez, Taylor, and other friends went to the 1975 show in LA on 19th of November, 3 days later, Taylor was photographed wearing the 1975 band shirt. Matty quickly denies dating rumors on 26th of that month and 2 days later Taylor is rumored to have attended the 1975 show in Chattanooga , TN.
Matty is seen signing this Polaroid for a fan in the end of November and on the 4th of December Taylor, Martha and Karlie attended the 1975 show in NYC where Matty dedicated “fallingforyou” to her. It was also rumored that Matty missed the after party and spent the night with Taylor instead (Its was rumored that Matty dedicated the song for her while she was watching him from the balcony at his concert that night). A quick side note to consider is her song “imgonnagetyouback” being written the same way “fallingforyou” is and the song having the same intro as his song “looking for somebody to love”!
Fast forward to February 2015, and Taylor's whirlwind romance with Calvin Harris begins, leaving fans to wonder what could have been with Matty. Yet, their connection remained palpable, with mentions of each other cropping up in interviews and award show encounters over the years. In February 2015, Matty and Taylor hung out at the BRIT awards after party and that weekend Taylor met with Calvin Harris. On 3/17/16, Matty Healy has suggested that dating taylor swift would have been "emasculating" for him due to her much larger fame. 2 days later, he apologized for the comment. In the fall of 2019, he mentions Taylor in an interview and in February 2020’s NME awards they hug on the carpet he also mentions how he wanted to do an album with her.
Everything’s quiet until 2022, On the 9th of August, Matty Healy shares Taylor's reaction to the 1975's new album, 2 months later, the 1975 discuss covering “lover” for the BBC lounge. Matty mentions Taylor again in a Zane Lowe interview. On the 23rd of October, Matty posted on his Instagram to stream midnights 3 days later he posted listening to Hey Stephen TV on his Instagram story.
On the 29th of November, Matty said he worked on Midnights with Taylor, but their versions didn't make the cut, and on the 4th of December, he mentions the 2014 era, Taylor and Arctic Monkeys then goes on to stay Taylor listened to their new album.
Entering 2023 on the 13th of January, Taylor has a surprise performance at the 1975 show in London, and Duexmoi later claims they stayed up late till 4 am talking. The next month, Matty mentions Taylor briefly and the ticketmaster debacle. In April of that year, he followed Taylor on IG and on the 3rd Taylor replaces "invisible string" with "the 1" for her eras tour setlist. 5 days later things get heated up when Matty deactivated his social media and said "I preform all the time, and its my job. I love doing this, but I cant perform off the stage any more as I just want to be a bloke” - on the same day its announced that Taylor and Joe had split up.
On the 3rd of May, The SUN reports Matty and Taylor are dating and will go public with their relationship at her show in Nashville and on the 11th of May they are spotted on a date with Jack Antonoff in NYC, Matty is in Philly nights 1 and 2 on the 12th and 13th of May and Taylor performs "this love" with no introduction. The next day, she plays "Hey Stephen" as a request but doesn't say who requested it (it is obvious who did). The same day Matty is photographed in the VIP tent at her eras tour Philly night 3, the night they are photographed leaving a party at Electric Studios in NYC. On the 18th of May, Matty is running into Taylor's apartment in NYC.
Now let's also note that her song "Fortnight" is about him, and of course, as a mastermind, fortnight means 14 days, and 14 days after April 19 (which is the release of her album) is May 3rd.. which is when Matty said in a show, "this is about you, you know who you are.. you know. i love you” last year when they started dating. Finally, on May 5, last year, just two days after they started dating, Taylor mouthed on stage, "this one is about you.. you know who you are. i love you." during "cardigan," when Matty was in attendance.
Now, with the release of "The Tortured Poets Department," fans are dissecting every lyric, searching for clues about Taylor and Matty's complicated relationship. As Taylor Swift and Matty Healy's musical odyssey unfolds, we've only scratched the surface of their captivating journey through "The Tortured Poets Department." From the tantalizing breadcrumbs of their past encounters to the poignant melodies of their rumored romance, there's still so much left to explore. Join us tomorrow for Part 2 as we delve deeper into Taylor's album, uncovering the hidden gems and unraveling the mysteries that lie within.
And remember, as we navigate through the twists and turns of this fan theory-laden narrative, if we've missed a beat or made a misstep, we rely on you, our dedicated readers, to keep us informed. Your insights and perspectives shape our journey together, ensuring that the story of Taylor Swift and Matty Healy is told with accuracy and authenticity. Until tomorrow, let the melodies linger and the speculation simmer, for the intrigue is just beginning.