ICYMI, Taylor Swift announced the release date for her brand new album, The Tortured Poets Department at the 2024 Grammys on Feb. 4. This release definitely came as a shocker to everyone, but regardless, Swifties immediately went to work on figuring out what this next album may mean. While some fans pointed out that the new album’s name could possibly be a diss at Swift’s ex, Joe Alywn, other fans on TikTok saw a historical significance with the upcoming April 19 release date. And apparently, Swift went way back to the Revolutionary War for this Easter egg.
After Swift announced the album, fans pointed out that The Tortured Poets Department release date, April 19, is also the date of The Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775. These battles kickstarted the American Revolution, which — as a reminder — was the war America won to achieve independence from Great Britain. If you’re less familiar with history but more familiar with the musical Hamilton, The Battles of Lexington and Concord took place before Alexander Hamilton joined the revolution.
The Battles of Lexington and Concord started with the British setting out to Massachusetts to suppress the possibility of a rebellion by taking weapons from American colonists. But in doing so, they were confronted by American militants and “the shot heard around the world” was fired, which started the war. What made these battles very significant was that it showed other Americans that it is possible to rise above against the British. The events that took place following these battles eventually led to American independence against the British, making this a very powerful moment in American history. Now, it’s very important to remember that Swift’s ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn is British. Taylor, what are you trying to say?
Given the context of this historical event, Swift definitely could have taken a page out of U.S. history books for her upcoming album release. She even hinted at war in the Instagram she posted after her album announcement — “All’s fair in love and poetry,” which is a play on the phrase, “All’s fair in love and war.”
It would make sense that this album would be a breakup album — but a revolutionary one at that. If these speculations are proven to be true, I would definitely see this album to be a very powerful statement for Swift.
Although Swift herself has not confirmed the correlation, the pieces are kind of aligning. She said the album was “two years in the making,” which could date back to her relationship and breakup with Joe. But the date could merely be a coincidence, with April 19 being a Friday — the usual day for music releases. But is anything ever a coincidence with Taylor Swift?