A Published Poet’s Thoughts on Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department + Diving into “All Too Well”
Introduction and Background of Mary Bea Poet
Share Mary Bea Poet's background, education, and achievements.
Highlight the review and key themes from her poetry collection "Who Do You Think You Are?"
On the weekend of Friday, April 19th, Taylor Swift released her latest album and of course social media went into a frenzy. I’ve spent the last 48 hours listening to The Tortured Poets Department and have mixed thoughts on it. The black community has expressed frustration over the lyrics in the song “I Hate It Here” and Gen Z has stated the lyrics are “lazy”. (Think “We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist.”) Personally and yet rather quickly, I have found a few of the songs to be somewhat poetic.
Over the next few weeks, I will carefully take my time listening and analyzing the lyrics and sharing my thoughts with you. Who knows? Maybe I, as a poet myself, will become a new member of the Tortured Poets Department.
In honor of The Tortured Poets Department, we take a look at poetic elements found in the Swiftie’s favorite “All Too Well” (10 Minute Version).
"All Too Well" is more than just a song; it's a poetic narrative driven journey through the intricacies of love, love loss and everything that comes in between those two points. In this way this Taylor track has easily become an anthem for broken hearts.
“All Too Well” (10 Minute Version) alludes to a love that quickly ignites and then cools seemingly just as fast often, leaving both good and bad memories on which to reflect or even obsess over. Taylor Swift's discography is laden with storytelling as she paints vivid pictures in listeners’ minds and ultimately is what works to draw them into the piece. From the opening lines of ATW, "I walked through the door with you, the air was cold / But something 'bout it felt like home somehow," listeners are drawn into the intimate world of the song and the relationship inspiring the speaker.
Swift uses sensory language and imagery in ATW that perfectly encapsulates the moments that built and broke a relationship. As the lovers are "dancin' 'round the kitchen in the refrigerator light" a clear picture is seen of this intimate and hopeful moment between the two. It is almost as though at this time they burn so hot the cool of the fridge grounds them. But before long these moments only become memories too as the couple become stuck in routine and even the speaker feels "time won't fly" like she is "paralyzed by it".
“All Too Well” (10 Minute Version) has many symbols and metaphors that Swifties and casual listeners can unpack and explore but also work to reveal the depth of Swift's writing talent. Swift writes of the "autumn leaves falling down like pieces into place." The leaves falling symbolizes change and is a metaphor for how a relationship evolves over time.
As we listen to The Tortured Poets Department, let's first stop to remind ourselves just how poetically powerful Taylor's discography has been throughout her career. She is definitely a tenured professor in the Tortured Poets Department!