My daughter and I had so much fun ranking our favorite Taylor Swift songs a few months ago that we decided to do a review of Taylor’s new album The Tortured Poets Department. Judging by the number of views on that first article, there were many of you who also enjoyed it as well! We are not just doing this by ourselves though. We have asked one of our favorite girls’ next door, and diehard Swiftie, Meredith, to help us in this endeavor. I actually think this will be interesting because my daughter is in high school, Meredith is in college, and I am…well, I was going to say in my forties but the fifty year gong is in my near future. I’m curious how different our choices might be and how alike they may be as well.

We decided to write a simple review from our individual perspectives and then put each song into different categories. We are also viewing both albums as one anthology.

I’m going to start with my thoughts first…

I’m not going to lie. Lilah and I stayed up to have a listening party and I was overwhelmed by the first album. Then, just as I am going to bed, I found out there was a second album, so of course, I stayed up to listen to it because I’m a nut. My daughter has made me an easter egg hunting, watch as many grainy live-streams of concerts, obsessive fan. I actually think I watch more live-streams than she does.

Don’t even get me started on how invested I am in a romance between two people I do not even know. #tayvisforever

I came to a startling conclusion, and maybe a controversial one, a few days after listening to the anthology on repeat. These two albums are masterpieces. These songs were written with blood, sweat, and tears. Many tears. But there was also some reflection and a bit of hope woven into a few of the songs. This was not an album for the casual fan or critics. This was not even an album for us Swifties. This was an album Taylor Swift, I believe, had to write for herself and herself alone. These were not the words of a young girl or a young woman. These songs were written by a mature woman who has been through quite a bit in her life and, like most writers or poets, she had to get it out her tortured soul in order to heal.

And all I have to say is bravo. Bravo, Taylor Swift. There were several songs which provoked a visceral reaction from me ( So Long, London, loml, Peter) and I still can’t get over the depth of some of them. As a writer, I am in awe of her skills and as a woman, I am deeply impressed. Few artists have garnered such a reaction from me and I want to personally thank her for being so vulnerable with her music. As a fellow tortured writer and poet…I see you.

Meredith

To begin, as any good Swiftie knows, ranking Taylor Swift songs or albums is near to impossible and they almost never stay the same ranking order… ever. This was a challenge like no other, but one I enjoyed thoroughly. I appear to be slightly biased to the original 16-song album, but it wouldn’t be on the first album if it wasn’t legendary! If I am being completely honest, the Anthology album was not my favorite to begin with but has grown on me immensely. “The Bolter” being the song I currently have on repeat the most, along with “imgonnagetyouback.” I am also using this time to give “Fresh Out The Slammer” its time to shine. From the get go, it has absolutely been my favorite song off the album and one that is not talked about enough!! Truly a masterpiece of a song! But as an extremely long time listener of Taylor Swift, I continue to be amazed at her ability to release original work with the occasional callback to her older songs. If I were to rank her albums currently, this would be one of my top 5 and one I’ve had on repeat since its release. 

Lilah

After listening to this album for the first time, I felt like I needed to readjust my life so The Tortured Poets Department was at the center of it. That’s how much I loved it. Taylor has grown into a phenomenal artist and this album reveals all of her talent and skill. Singing, songwriting, and the ability to paint a story using only lyrics and instruments, this album covers it all. Her poetry is mesmerizing and intricate and makes this album irresistibly beautiful and heartbreaking. She is a true writer 🤍

Ranking

We have chosen four different categories to put each song into. My daughter chose most of them and I had a bit of input. The categories are…well…if you know, you know.

The first one is ‘Put it on my Tombstone.’ Self-explanatory, really. These are the songs which provoked a soul-wrenching reaction and, in our minds, legendary.. The second category is ‘Aristotle.’ These songs are amazing and ridiculously well-written. The third category is ‘Dazzling.’ These are great songs, maybe not legendary, but we still vastly enjoyed them. The third category is ‘Seven bars of chocolate.‘ They may not be our favorite or are on repeat, but we still appreciate them because…it’s Taylor Swift.

We’ll start with Meredith’s list first!

Put it on my Tombstone.

Fresh Out The Slammer. My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys. Fortnight. So Long, London. Florida!!! imgonnagetyouback. The Prophecy. The Bolter.

Aristotle

Down Bad. Guilty as Sin? I Can Fix Him (No Really I can). So High School. Cassandra. Peter.

Dazzling

The Tortured Poets Department. But Daddy I Love Him. Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived. I Can Do It With a Broken Heart. The Alchemy. Clara Bow. The Albatross. Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus. How Did it End? I Look in People’s Windows.

Seven Bars of Chocolate

loml. The Black Dog. I Hate it Here. thanK you aIMee. Robin. The Manuscript.

Lilah’s List

Put it on my Tombstone

So Long, London. But Daddy I Love Him. Florida!!! Guilty as Sin? Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? loml. The Alchemy. Clara Bow. How Did it End? I Hate it Here. The Prophecy. Peter. The Bolter.

Aristotle

My Boy Only Break His Favorite Toys. Fortnight. Fresh Out The Slammer. I Can Fix Him (No, Really I can). I Can Do It With a Broken Heart. imgonnagetyouback. The Albatross. Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus. So High School. thanK you AImee. The Manuscript.

Dazzling

The Tortured Poets Department. Down Bad. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived. The Black Dog. I Look in People’s Windows. Cassandra. Robin.

Seven Bars of Chocolate

…Yeah. Lilah just couldn’t put any song in the last category.

Shannon’s List

Put it on my Tombstone

So Long, London. But Daddy I Love Him. loml. How Did It End? The Prophecy. Peter.

Aristotle

My Boy Only Break His Favorite Toys. Fresh Out The Slammer. Guilty as Sin? Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived. The Black Dog. The Albatross. Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus. I Look in People’s Windows. Cassandra. The Bolter. imgonnagetyouback. Fortnight. The Manuscript. The Alchemy. So High School.

Dazzling

Down Bad. I Can Do It With a Broken Heart. thanK you aIMee. Florida!!!

Seven Bars of Chocolate

Clara Bow. Robin. I Hate It Here. I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can). The Tortured Poets Department.

It really is amazing how our lists are similar in some regards and different in others. At the end of the day, we are Swifties, and we love our girl, and her music. It’s incredible how music can bring people together and how certain songs can speak to us.

What are some of your favorite songs from TTPT? Let us know!

~Shannon