Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department features astounding name-dropping, here’s the list

While Swift is renowned for her exploration of love and heartbreak in her lyrics, she seldom names individuals directly. Instead, she often drops subtle references that her fans eagerly decipher.

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TTDP features Matty Healy

However, the album’s second track, also titled “The Tortured Poets Department,” stands out for its abundance of named references. Fans speculate that this song alludes to Swift’s brief relationship with Matty Healy, the lead singer of The 1975.

Although Healy isn’t mentioned by name, the song includes other notable references. For instance, Swift sings, “You’re not Dylan Thomas, I’m not Patti Smith / This ain’t the Chelsea Hotel, we’re modern idiots,” comparing her subjects to these iconic figures.

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TTDP features Charlie Puth

The track also mentions singer Charlie Puth, whom Swift praises for his talents and covers of her songs. “You smoked then ate seven bars of chocolate / We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist,” she sings.

TTDP features Jack Antonoff and Lucy Dacus

Swift also alludes to two other individuals, Jack and Lucy, without specifying their surnames. Fans suspect that “Jack” refers to her frequent collaborator Jack Antonoff, while “Lucy” likely points to Boygenius member Lucy Dacus, who opened for Swift’s Eras show in Nashville.

Throughout the album, Swift drops hints that fans use to connect the dots. Songs such as “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” “loml,” “But Daddy I Love Him,” “Fresh Out the Slammer,” and “My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys” are all speculated to be about Healy. Additionally, the extended version of the album includes “The Black Dog,” another potential Healy reference.

TTDP features Travis Kelce

In a departure from her usual practice of avoiding direct name mentions, “The Alchemy,” the 15th track on TTPD, appears to reference Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end. Football-related lyrics like “So when I touch down / Call the amateurs and cut ’em from the team / Ditch the clowns, get the crown / Baby, I’m the one to beat,” suggest Kelce’s influence.

TTDP features Kim Kardashian

Fans also believe that the track “thanK you aIMee” is about reality star and businesswoman Kim Kardashian. The song recounts a bullying experience, and while Swift and Kardashian didn’t attend school together, they have had public disputes in the past.

TTDP features Joe Alwyn

Lastly, the song “So Long, London” is thought to reference British actor Joe Alwyn, Swift’s ex-boyfriend of six years. The lyrics, “I died on the altar waiting for the proof / You sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days,” suggest a reflection on their relationship.

While Swift has not confirmed these interpretations, her fans continue to dissect her lyrics, eagerly connecting the dots to uncover the stories behind the songs.