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Taylor Swift drops surprise double album for 'Tortured Poets'

Swifties have been decoding all the clues and speculating about the significance of the number two. The secret is out, and a double album is here.
Taylor Swift drops surprise double album for 'Tortured Poets'
Posted at 9:29 AM, Apr 19, 2024
and last updated 2024-04-19 15:15:44-04

It was all going as expected.

Taylor Swift dropped her new album "The Tortured Poets Department" at midnight, with 16 songs and a bonus track whose titles were previously announced.

But Swifties were in for a big surprise waking up Friday morning.

In true Tay fashion, the pop star had something up her sleeve.

At 2 a.m. ET, Swift announced a surprise double album, "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology," with another album's worth of songs added to the original list.

"It's a 2 a.m. surprise: The Tortured Poets Department is a secret DOUBLE album️," said Swift on Instagram. 

"I'd written so much tortured poetry in the past two years and wanted to share it all with you, so here's the second installment of TTPD: The Anthology. 15 extra songs. And now the story isn't mine anymore … it's all yours," she said.

Swifties have come to learn nothing is an accident with their favorite pop star, and this case was no different. 

Fans have been adding up the clues, known as "Easter eggs," with some even speculating about the meaning behind the number two. 

In her Grammys acceptance speech earlier this year, Taylor announced Tortured Poets and its April 19 release date, notably emphasizing the number two as she threw up two fingers. The gesture was widely dissected by fans online, with many speculating that meant her "Reputation (Taylor's Version)" was also on the way.

Little did they know it meant a double album.

A mysterious pop-up had also emerged in Los Angeles this week ahead of the singer's album release, sending fans on a journey to decode all the clues. Notably, in one part of the installation, a clock was set to 2:00.

Songs like "The Black Dog," "imgonnagetyouback" and "How Did It End?" were among those added to the mega album. 

"So High School," another of the unexpected tracks, is seemingly about boyfriend Travis Kelce. It features lyrics like "you know how to ball, I know Aristotle," a nod to Kelce's career as a Kansas City Chiefs player. She also sings, "you knew what you wanted, and boy, you got it." Kelce first put himself out there when he tried to send Tay a friendship bracelet — which are big in Swiftie culture — with his phone number on it during an "Eras Tour" concert. He publicly shared his unsuccessful attempt at getting her the bracelet, and said he invited her to see him play at that very same stadium in Kansas City.

Swift's album also reflects on her breakup with British actor Joe Alwyn, with songs like "So Long London." The pair dated for six years before breaking up a year ago.

'The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology' full track list:

1. Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)

2. The Tortured Poets Department

3. My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys

4. Down Bad

5. So Long, London

6. But Daddy I Love Him

7. Fresh Out the Slammer

8. Florida!!! (feat. Florence + The Machine)

9. Guilty as Sin?

10. Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?

11. I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)

12. loml

13. I Can Do It With a Broken Heart

14. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

15. The Alchemy

16. Clara Bow

17. The Black Dog

18. imgonnagetyouback

19. The Albatross

20. Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus

21. How Did It End?

22. So High School

23. I Hate It Here

24. thanK you alMee

25. I Look in People's Windows

26. The Prophecy

27. Cassandra

28. Peter

29. The Bolter

30. Robin

31. The Manuscript


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