Taylor Swift’s music has been called many things over the years, but her way of storytelling, and connecting with her audience has a much more profound impact than people realize. “Swifties”, Swift’s devoted fans, share an extraordinary emotional bond with her, cultivated through years of connecting deeply with her music. Their unwavering loyalty and passionate devotion reflect the profound impact her artistry has had on their lives.
Swift’s latest album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department,’ released on April 19, 2024, contains 31 songs across its two volumes. It did not fail to live up to expectations, in fact, it exceeded them. With emotional and vulnerable songs and lyrics, her album reaches her audiences in a way that goes far beyond simply listening and fangirling over music. Songs like “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” and “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” exemplify the emotionally charged storytelling that resonates deeply with Swifties, further strengthening their connection to her music.
Sharing emotional ties, according to psychologists, might make people feel less alone. Swifties throughout the world are united in their love for Swift, heartbreak and all, thanks to her brand-new album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’. Although a lot of Taylor’s new tracks are heavily emotional and some might say sad, research indicates that shedding tears can generate feel-good endorphins and improve mental health while suppressing your emotions can make it harder to feel good. Trauma specialist Arianna Galligher stated, “I think music can be a real conduit for processing our own emotions.”
Taylor’s new album is full of beautiful emotional and heartbreaking songs that draw from her own experiences and shine a light on a variety of different topics in her own life and life in general which is one of the reasons fans are so drawn to the music. These five songs in particular cover different areas of mental health such as loss, depression, anger and grief.
I Can Do It With a Broken Heart
Despite its fun upbeat track, this emotional pop song perfectly describes what it is like to struggle with depression as well as heartbreak all at once, a sentiment Taylor Swift masterfully encapsulates. “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” alludes to Swift having to perform during the Eras Tour while struggling with her mental health. The lyrics “I’m so depressed, I act like it’s my birthday every day,” and “I cry a lot but I am so productive, it’s an art” are words to live by for anyone wo puts on a smile whist having to fight internal battles everyday. Through this song and her lyric video that shows us her Eras Tour, Swift seems to be commenting on her ability to turn her heartbreaks and struggles into inspiration. In a similar way the song carries a message of resilience and empowerment. Reminding viewers to find the strength to push through and succeed and of their capacity to persevere through adversity. As her lyrics go “You know you’re good when you can do it even with a broken heart.”
Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?
This song is Swift’s portrayal of what society does to artists. It’s about standing your ground in a world that tries to knock you down. Having been in the public eye since she was a teenager, Swift has been judged, critiqued, hated on and scrutinized by the press and by society. That has a significant impact on how you view the world and how you see yourself. The notion that everyone has this sense of ownership over you—that is what this song makes the audience feel, that despite those who evaluate, criticize, and provide their opinions— you can choose to rise above them. Her lyrics “You don’t get to tell me about sad / If you wanted me dead, you should’ve just said / Nothing makes me feel more alive / So I leap from the gallows and I levitate down your street / Crash the party like a record scratch as I scream /”Who’s afraid of little old me?” / You should be/” are though-provoking to say the least. This is song is a great self confidence booster.
So Long London
It’s a well known fact among Swifties that the fifth track on her albums are the most emotionally vulnerable songs, and this has been confirmed by Swift herself. “So Long, London” is about processing grief and moving on, it is an emotional song that bids a somber farewell to both London and her relationship with her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn. Its heartbreaking lyrics, such as ‘Just how low did you think I’d go? / Before I’d self-implode / Before I’d have to go be free’ and ‘You swore that you loved me, but where were the clues? / I died on the altar waiting for the proof,’ resonate deeply with Swifties, showcasing Swift’s unparalleled ability to capture raw emotion through her music.”
I Hate it Here
The song “I Hate It Here” has a theme of escape to it. We have seen this with Swift in her previous album Folklore where she mentioned she likes to escape to poetic, old-world places in her mind to escape an unhappy reality. The lyrics “I hate it here so I will go to / Secret gardens in my mind / People need a key to get to / The only one is mine,” resonate with the desire to retreat from the world and the lyrics “I’m lonely but I’m good / I’m bitter but I swear I’m fine /, evokes a very similar feeling that those grappling with depression would know. When wanting to isolate themselves from the world and wanting to escape reality, what are Swift’s songs if not an escape? Of course, this is not the only interpretation of this song, simply one example of Swift’s artistry when it comes to storytelling.
Fortnight
This song represents the inner anguish that lies beneath an apparently flawless relationship. Shedding light on the challenges frequently overlooked. It serves as a therapeutic anthem for those who have felt their struggles dismissed. The song’s lyrics, which describe two married neighbors who conduct an affair over the period of a fortnight, are mostly fictional. The recurring line, “I love you, it’s ruining my life,” tells a tale of the initial stages of longing, denial, and grief as well as the psychological and emotional harm that a romantic relationship may inflict. As Swift said about the song “It’s about a traumatic, artistic tragic kind of take on love and loss” offering listeners a profound exploration of the complexities of human connection.”
Next time you’re feeling numb, down, or just like you need an escape, don’t shake it off, turn up the volume on Taylor Swift and let the healing begin, her music can be pretty therapeutic when you need it to be.
Listen to Taylor Swift’s ‘Tortured Poets Department’ here
Fangirl and Writer with a huge passion for entertainment.
