Taylor Swift Announces the Final Version of Her New Album, With Bonus Track “The Black Dog”
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Hours after Taylor Swift dropped the bombshell news that she would release a brand-new album in April, the record-breaking Grammy-winning singer put out the track list for said album, The Tortured Poets Department.
On February 5, Swift posted the back-cover album art for the upcoming release on Instagram, which included the song titles. And let us tell you, at least one makes clear reference to the superstar’s most recent ex-boyfriend, actor Joe Alwyn. The track in question is “So Long, London.” Alwyn is from London, and Swift previously paid tribute to him in the love song “London Boy,” from her romantic 2019 album Lover, inspired by her then-good relationship with the actor.
When Swift announced the new album at the 2024 Grammys on February 4, she noted that she had been working on the project for two years. And despite the fact that she split from Alwyn in April 2023, several other song titles also seem like they may allude to him: “My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys,” “But Daddy I Love Him,” “I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can),” “loml,” “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”—and “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived.”
Swift took to Instagram again on February 23 to post a slideshow of images announcing a new edition of the record that will include a bonus track, “The Albatross.” The cover sports a black-and-white photo of Swift in front of the vast sea, wearing a loose white button-up shirt; the second slide shows the back cover, which features a close-up image of the singer and the question Am I allowed to cry? overlaid in white text, along with the track list.
Once again, Swifties were quick to look for symbolism in the additional song, noting that the bird the track is named for does not touch land for a long, long time after it’s born, soaring above the ocean for its first six years—the same length of time Swift and Alwyn dated. Albatross can also mean “something that causes persistent deep concern or anxiety” or “something that greatly hinders accomplishment”—something, perhaps, like being in the wrong long-term relationship?
Another thing: The Albatross Hotel in Coney Island, Brooklyn, was set on fire in 1903, purportedly by a former employee torn apart by unrequited love. The hotel was at the west end of the Bowery—and the infamous pseudonym Alwyn used when collaborating on songs with Swift was William Bowery. (As the cherry on top: When you add up the digits of 1903, you get 13, Swift’s magic favorite number.)
And just when we thought she might be done, Swift announced the final version of Tortured Poets Department, with bonus track “The Black Dog,” in an Instagram post on March 3. The black-and-white cover of this version depicts a distressed Swift dramatically holding her chin and hair in her hands. The second slide shows her looking off onto the distance, with the words Old habits die screaming overlaid in white text, along with the expanded track list. We’ll give this one just a few hours before Swifties’ theories begin circulating.
Of course, Swifties have a pretty good reason to believe the entire album is about Alwyn, who began dating the singer in 2016. After their split last spring, the pop star moved on with NFL star Travis Kelce, so it is also possible some songs are about her new man—one never knows with this mastermind.
Other songs on the album include opening track “Fortnight,” which features rapper and singer Post Malone, and one featuring British indie rockers Florence + the Machine, titled “Florida!!!”
“Okay, this is my 13th Grammy, which is my lucky number—I don’t know if I’ve ever told you that,” Swift joked onstage at the Grammys, while accepting her award for Best Pop Vocal Album, for 2022’s Midnights. “I want to say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I’ve been keeping from you for the last two years, which is that my brand-new album comes out April 19. It’s called The Tortured Poets Department.”
Here is the full track list:
Side A
“Fortnight” (feat. Post Malone)
“The Tortured Poets Department”
“My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys”
“Down Bad”
Side B
“So Long, London”
“But Daddy I Love Him”
“Fresh Out the Slammer”
“Florida!!!” (feat. Florence + the Machine)
Side C
“Guilty As Sin?”
“Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?”
“I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)”
“loml”
Side D
“I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”
“The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived”
“The Alchemy”
“Clara Bow”
Bonus track: “The Manuscript”
Bonus track: “The Black Dog”
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