Can pop lyrics be poetry? The secret combination behind Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department’s momentous success

Nobody reads poetry anymore…or do they? I’m going to say that many people would describe reading poetry as a dying art, perhaps disturbed by distant memories of GCSE English.  However I, armed with the definition of poetry as simply language that “emphasises the relationships between words on the basis of sound as well as sense”, would argue that we interpret poetic language more frequently than we expect.

Whatever your thoughts are of the musical phenomenon Taylor Swift, her vast influence as a storyteller is undeniable. Although Swift’s popularity is long-lasting, the genius of her recent albums is her elaborate lyricism, rather than the catchy lyrics and acoustic arrangements of past records. Although the debate of whether song lyrics equate to poetry originated with rap music, this article will focus on the explosive power of Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department in bringing poetry front and centre of current popular music.

By combining musical and poetic talent Swift evokes vulnerability, exemplified in tracks ‘loml’ and ‘Chloe or Sam or Sophie or Marcus’

Poetry is a form of writing many do not think of referring to in everyday life, yet it is a form we continue to rely on in times of crisis or transformation, such as to bring comfort to those grieving or to commemorate a marriage. Music is also used for an emotional or ceremonial purpose and Swift is set apart from most other artists in The Tortured Poets Department by her ability to amalgamate the soothing effect of music and the spellbinding power of poetry. By combining musical and poetic talent Swift evokes vulnerability, exemplified in tracks ‘loml’ and ‘Chloe or Sam or Sophie or Marcus’.

Despite the overstated personifications of herself as a poet, such as the ‘In Summation’ poem written for the album by Swift, the poetic genius of the album lies in its subtlety.  The delicate backing vocals and unremitting piano rhythm of ‘How Did It End?’ set the stage for a breakup song providing a cutting commentary on public examination of celebrity personal lives. The fictional “postmortem” carried out by Swift, resulting in the declaration that “Our maladies were such as we could not cure them / And so a touch that was my birthright became foreign”, cleverly alludes to a personal and public alienation. For an artist first chastised for a discography focused on relationships, her poetry on wounding alienation encourages her listeners to embrace their weaknesses as strengths and is a satisfying retribution for past misogynistic press. Swift’s earnest poetics and captivating melodies thus constitute her to be a universally relatable artist, and, to me, this undeniably defines Swift as not only a storyteller but a poet.

‘The Albatross’ is another track displaying Swift’s poetry’s empowering impact with its nod to Coleridge’s mystic ‘The Rise of the Ancient Mariner’. The folk style underscored by the catchy acoustic percussion of this track allows Swift’s lyricism to shine.  Lines such as “Wise Men once said / “One bad seed kills the garden / One less temptress / One less dagger to sharpen”” are elevated through Swift’s use of folklore-style soothing piano tracks. Both ‘Cassandra’, a mythological tale where a young woman is cursed after she rejects Apollo, and ‘The Albatross’ give a voice to those wronged or rejected, making clear Swift’s subversion of past literary works and character; a technique often used by postmodern poets.

Although Swift’s technical poetic ability is evident throughout this album, the sensationally popular The Eras Tour exemplifies how poetry is a genre still very much alive in the 21^st century

Although Swift’s technical poetic ability is evident throughout this album, the sensationally popular The Eras Tour exemplifies how poetry is a genre still very much alive in the 21^st century. Poetry was previously read aloud and performed, celebrated in the dramatic works of Shakespeare and verbally passed in Homeric traditions. Swift’s sold-out worldwide tour, where thousands of fans scream the lyrics of her songs in unison reflects the past treatment of poetry as something flourishing, breathing and organic. Mirroring these poetic traditions of the past, Swift and her lyrics will be remembered and passed on by current fans, something which will undoubtedly crystallise her lyrics as a form of poetry and confirm Swift’s own purpose as a poet.

Overall, when listening to The Tortured Poets Department it is not only undeniable that her lyrics act as a form of poetry, but it is also evident that the interweaving of poetry and music substantiates Swift’s originality. Swift uses poetry as a mode of empowerment and, like many great poets, critiques outmoded ideas of poetry and encourages her listeners to redefine their sensitivities as their greatest power. Therefore, although it is easy to look for poetic metaphors and other literary devices within the songs themselves, the most important thing about Swift’s storytelling is its encouragement of poetry as a form of writing that is to be spoken, re-interpreted and performed, rather than read silently from a stale GCSE textbook.