One of Taylor Swift’s recent albums, the tortured poet’s department, came out around this time two years ago. Let me tell you, it got me through the end of my junior year of high school. Here are five of my favorite songs on the album and why.
“loml”
Starting strong, we have “loml.” This song captures the quiet heartbreak of realizing something you thought was forever… wasn’t. We all have those young high school relationships that we hope will last. When I was going through a breakup at the time, this song felt like someone finally put into words the exact feelings I had of disbelief and the slow acceptance that maybe it wasn’t love.
“The Black Dog”
“The Black Dog” is one of the best because it captures the raw, stunned ache of watching someone move on so quickly while you are still hurting. I was in fact still checking his location, he forgot to turn off, and watched as he went to places we called ours with someone new. The song traces the quiet devastation that made me feel seen in a moment I couldn’t explain.
“Fresh Out The Slammer”
This song hit so hard, capturing the rush of finally breaking free from something that held me down. Although it took me a while to realize this, I was truly breaking free from something awful. These lyrics capture the exact feeling of stepping back into myself after being confined by a relationship that degraded me.
“I Can Do It With A Broken Heart”
One of my all-time favorites is “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” because it captures the fierce, exhausted determination to keep going, although everything inside you feels shattered. For the longest time, I was relating to that mask of strength; I was pushing forward, performing, smiling, even when I was barely holding it together. My favorite lyric of this song is definitely, “I cry a lot, but I am so productive, it’s an art,” because while being heartbroken, I was still showing up.
“I Hate It Here”
“I Hate It Here” stands out because it encapsulates the aching mix of longing and the quiet wish to be anywhere but places that remind you of how broken your heart is. I always had this gut-wrenching feeling anytime I was somewhere that reminded me of how awful I was treated throughout the relationship.
The song puts into words that hollow, restless ache of wanting a different reality, of imagining softer worlds because the one you’re in hurts too much. Somehow, Taylor Swift always puts into her lyrics my exact situations and my exact feelings.
This album will forever be one of my favorites, and although I am no longer going through heartbreak, I still enjoy belting every song as if I am going through a breakup.