Taylor Swift latest: Patti Smith responds to Tortured Poets mention in song that hits out at Matty Healy

Godmother of punk responds to mention on Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ as pop titan smashes Spotify records on day of album release

Taylor Swift teases 'timetable' for The Tortured Poets Department album in new video

Taylor Swift has released her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, and fans are busy unpacking everything from lyrics to her “Fortnight” music video.

The pop titan’s latest record, announced earlier this year when she won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album (Midnights), was released overnight on Friday 19 April and has already broken two Spotify records.

In a five-star review of the album, The Independent’s critic Helen Brown praised the “playful narratives” and “hooks like anchors”.

Fans have been surprised that many songs on the album seem to take aim at Swift’s ex Matty Healy, whom she briefly dated last year, instead of Joe Alwyn, her boyfriend of six years, whom she was reported to have parted ways with around April 2023.

Patti Smith has responded after she was namechecked on the title track, writing: “This is saying I was moved to be mentioned in the company of the great Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Thank you Taylor.”

Taylor Swift releases ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ - key points

• Read The Independent’s review of Taylor Swift’s 11th album, ‘The Tortured Poets Department'
• How Taylor Swift takes aim at Matty Healy on The Tortured Poets Department
• Swift takes a shot at sparring partner Kim Kardashian
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[19 April 2024 14:15 · Roisin O'Connor]

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Who are The Blue Nile, the band Swift references on ‘Guilty as Sin?'

Taylor Swift fans are scrambling to decipher the US artist’s many lyrical references on new album The Tortured Poets Society.

The Grammy-winning artist released her 11th studio album at midnight (5am GMT) on Friday 19 April, then announced an extended “anthology” version shortly after.

Swifties were surprised to learn that the majority of songs do not, in fact, appear to be about her six-year relationship with British actor Joe Alwyn, with exceptions such as “So Long, London” and “loml”.

Instead, much of her songwriting seems inspired by her brief fling with The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy, whom she dated around April and May last year.

On “Guilty as Sin?” she sings about “fatal fantasies” for someone from her past who sends her the 1989 song “The Downtown Lights”, by Scottish band The Blue Nile.

“Drowning in The Blue Nile/ He sent me ‘Downtown Lights’,” she sings. “I hadn’t heard it in a while/ My boredom’s bone deep/ This cage was once just fine/ Am I allowed to cry?”

Healy has mentioned his love for the Glasgow-formed trio on several occasions, calling them his “favourite band off all time”.

He also said that The 1975’s song “Love It If We Made It” was inspired by “The Downtown Lights”, calling it “Blue Nile on steroids”.

“Musically, they’ve inspired me so much,” he told Vulture in a 2016 interview. “There’s so much drama. It’s perfect nighttime music. It’s beautiful, romantic music with British sensibilities. The sounds on it are amazing.”

[19 April 2024 13:21 · Roisin O'Connor]

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How Taylor Swift takes aim at Matty Healy on The Tortured Poets Department

Fans expecting a post-mortem of the musician’s six-year relationship with Joe Alwyn have been left surprised, as Swift seems to spend more time dissecting her brief fling with The 1975 frontman