Despite the mixed critical reception, ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ has been a commercial success, becoming the most-streamed album in its first day on Amazon Music and Spotify and breaking records for first-day streams on Apple Music. It sold 1.4 million physical copies in the US on Friday alone. Over its first three days, the record became the most-streamed album globally in its first week on Amazon Music.
Swift has presumably noticed the mixed reviews, but if so, she’s paying them no mind. The pop star has been posting screenshots of positive reviews on her Instagram story, including those from Variety and Billboard. On Monday, she released personal commentary for select tracks on Amazon Music, including Clara Bow and Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?, offering further insight into the songs’ lyrics and context.
“Fortnight is a song that exhibits a lot of the common themes that run throughout this album,” she said in one of the commentary tracks. “One of which being fatalism – longing, pining away, lost dreams. It’s a very fatalistic album in that there are lots of very dramatic lines about life or death. ‘I love you, it’s ruining my life.’ These are very hyperbolic, dramatic things to say. It’s that kind of album.”
The pop star will commence the European leg of her Eras Tour in May, leaving many wondering whether she will incorporate new tracks into the line-up. Swift is unlikely to add an entire new TTPD era to the European leg of her Eras Tour. At 3.5 hours already, it’s unlikely she will add an entire new era. However, the surprise song section at each of her concerts will allow her to test the 31 new songs. If she were to incorporate TTPD tracks into the permanent set-list, it’s likely that would come at the expense of songs in the Folklore and Midnights sections since these are currently the longest in the show (consisting of seven songs each).
The Eras Tour, which is still ongoing, is officially the highest-grossing music tour ever, becoming the first to exceed $US1 billion in revenue. Her concert film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, smashed the record for the biggest opening weekend for a concert movie in North America.
Whether you love her or hate her, swathes of people are consuming Swift content, which has become a defining feature of 21st century culture. The number of streams TTPD has claimed in less than a week speaks for itself – negative reviews do not stop people listening. The response is reminiscent of the pushback her earlier album Reputation received in 2017, which saw some fans shocked by the grittier, darker themes explored. However, that album has since become a popular fan-favourite and a prominent feature of her Eras Tour. Could the same happen with TTPD? Does it just require time to marinate?
It remains to be seen how Swift deals with the middling reception on an artistic level. She’s known for her clap backs and reinterpretations of the narrative surrounding her. It’s possible her next project directly references the current conversation. But on a purely commercial level, it’s clear that her massive stardom, and loyal fans, will keep her well and truly afloat.
