Taylor Swift's 'Torture Poet' Tracklist May Have Been Coded by Joe Alwyn

Just one day after Taylor Swift announced her 11th studio album , The Tortured Poets Department, at the 2024 Grammy Awards, the singer posted the back cover on social media, The tracklist for the album was announced. Naturally, the Swifts pulled out a magnifying glass to examine the song title, figuring all roads lead to her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn.

After winning Best Pop Vocal Album in 2022 for "Midnights ," Swift jokingly said she's been keeping a secret "for the past two years," meaning she'll likely conceive and produce it sometime in 2022 Started writing "Torture the Poet" .

Swift and Alwyn reportedly split in early 2023, and fans believe much of the album will be about the end of their six-year relationship — and the tracklist contains plenty of hints and references, fueling that speculation .

Joe alvin curious group chat name

Some fans believe Swift's album title may be a direct homage to Alvin. In a 2022 interview with Variety's Paul Mescal, the pair revealed that they were in a WhatsApp group chat with Andrew Scott called "The Torturer Club."

Swift's lyrical and songwriting history clearly predates group chats, which is probably where the term "poet" appears. But if the nod is intentional, expect some devastating breakup songs.

Never overlook Swift’s Track 5

The most obvious tribute to Alwyn is the album's fifth track, "So Long, London." Swift tends to place her most emotional or vulnerable songs as the fifth song in her tracklist, making track 5 a unique trend in her catalog.

"Choosing Track 5 was a forced decision," she previously said in her 2020 documentary Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions.

Since Alwyn is from London, as she proudly sang in her 2019 song "London Boy," Swifties thought the new song would be about saying goodbye after a breakup. Grab some tissues before you start listening.

Florence collaboration reveals important clues

Fans also thought Swift's collaboration with Florence + the Machine, "Florida!" ! ! 》may be related to Alwyn. While it's unclear exactly when the two broke up, Swift played her first Eras Tour show in Tampa, Florida, from April 13 to 15, following reports of the breakup.

breakup story

Even though they weren't directly coded by Alwyn, many of Tortured Poets' song titles allude to breakups and trying to save a relationship, including "I Can Fix Him (No, I Really Can)," "I Can Do It With a Broken Man That's "Heart" and "loml," which is short for "the love of my life." Swifties also marveled at "the smallest person ever."

Some fans also pointed out that Swift may have arranged the tracklist to tell the story of a breakup in different stages of grief. The album's vinyl release consists of two discs, splitting the tracklist into Sides AD. Given the title, Swifties thought side A might represent denial, side B might be filled with anger, side C might represent depression, and side D might represent acceptance.

But is All the Tortured Poets a breakup album?

Despite all the speculation about a breakup album, "Torture Poet" could address a lot of other topics that Swift hasn't even considered. Some titles, like "Fresh Out the Slammer" and "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" maintain a bit of mystery and have the potential to tell stories that have nothing to do with love. Here's the full song list:

1. "Two Weeks" (feat. Post Malone)
2. "The Tortured Poets Ministry"
3. "My son only broke his favorite toy"
4. "Bad mood"
5. "Goodbye London"
6. "But dad I love him"
7. "Freshly baked"
8. "Florida!!!" (feat. Florence + The Machine)
9. "Is it a serious sin?"
10. “Who’s scared of little old me?”
11. "I can cure him (no, I really can)"
12. "Lom"
13. "I can do this with a broken heart"
14. "The smallest person ever"
15. "alchemy"
16. "Klara Bow"
17. "Manuscript" (Bonus Track)

One thing the Tormented Poet tracklist doesn't hint at is its sound. Swift has yet to announce which producers she will be working with on the album. Some fans think it could be a mix of folky indie ballads and Midnight's moody synth-pop, while others think Swift will be making another complete genre shift. Swifties will have to wait until April 19 to find out for themselves.