It's been a long while since an album has been noticed by so many people. Years ago we'd go to record shops each week to see what was released but the new ways to consume music means its presence is just assumed.
The new Taylor Swift album, called The Tortured Poets Department, has already broken records. It was streamed more than 300 million times in one day. One of those streamers was me.
I thought I should listen to it all so I know what I'm talking about as I do my afternoon radio show on Time 105.7fm, which I'm sure you listen to online. The whole album is over 30 tracks, running at over 2 hours long. I didn't fully understand that when I started my research listening.
Here's what I learned from listening to the biggest album of the year.
Taylor has had a lot of break-ups. Most of the songs seem to be about the end of relationships and from listening to the lyrics, all of the break-ups were the guys' fault. That's quite impressive. It also feels statistically unlikely, but I'll take her word for it.
Her main complaints seem to be that the men she dated told her that they'd settle down and start a family when they first met. Then, as the relationship fizzled out and the couple separated, Taylor seems upset that those early promises weren't kept.
We used to call that changing your mind and it used to be something you were allowed to do. Plus, ever relationship starts full of optimism. No one goes into a new relationship thinking, “Well, this should fill a year or two.”
There's one song where she sings about not wanting to get out of bed in the morning after a break-up. But she's Taylor Swift. It must be great being her. Imagine how hard it is to start the day for the rest of us.
The opening track is about a two week relationship she had. I don't think you can really call that a relationship, it's only just about a fling. It's a long tryst. I've had longer relationships with pimples.
We learn that the end of this fortnight fling was so upsetting for her that she now wants to kill the man and his wife.
Could we possibly stop normalising this? Going crazy at the end of a two week hook-up isn't OK? Feeling upset shouldn't lead to murderous thoughts and it shouldn't be a cool thing to confess.
It was still an excellent album as Taylor Swift is an amazing artist. I hope she brings out another recording breaking album again soon. Let's hope she has lots of break-ups between now and then to make sure it's a good one.
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