Did Taylor Swift reveal that she was once a “functional alcoholic” in lyrics from The Tortured Poets Department?
As you’re likely aware, Taylor has dropped several surprises on fans in the past 24 hours, including the news that TTPD is a double album.
And then there’s the music itself, which — as fans have come to expect — features lyrics that contain numerous intriguing references to the events of Taylor’s personal life.
There’s the breakup drama, of course, with numerous allusions to Taylor’s relationships with Matty Healy and Joe Alwyn.
Taylor Swift performs onstage for the opening night of “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at State Farm Stadium on March 17, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
But TTPD also contains revelations about Taylor’s life that were never the subject of any tabloid headlines.
Taylor Swift Refers to ‘Functional Alcoholic’ Past on ‘Fortnight’
In the opening lines of the of the opening track on TTPD, Taylor sings:
“I was supposed to be sent away / But they forgot to come and get me / I was a functioning alcoholic ’til nobody noticed my new aesthetic.”
Taylor Swift cheers prior to the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on October 01, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
The song, “Fortnight,” features Post Malone, and it quickly emerged as one of music critics’ favorite tracks on TTPD.
But not surprisingly, many listeners were more fixated on those eyebrow-raising opening lyrics than on the music.
Some fans think that the lyrics are just alluding to the many drinking references on Taylor’s Midnights album.
Taylor Swift performs onstage for the opening night of “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour” at State Farm Stadium on March 17, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management)
Others believe that Taylor is not the “speaker” of this particular poetic narrative. These folks point out that not every line the pop icon sings needs to be autobiographical.
Still, knowing that her lyrics are usually interpreted in that way, Taylor chose to open her album with those lines.
Make of that what you will.
Fortunately, if Taylor really was indicating that she was once an alcoholic, she also seemed to be saying that those days are now behind her.
Taylor Swift performs on stage during a concert as part of her Eras World Tour in Sydney on February 23, 2024. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)
That said, we know that Taylor is not completely sober these days.
After all, we saw her chug a beer at Super Bowl LVIII.
And she reportedly apologized to Travis Kelce for being drunk at Coachella last weekend.
But there’s quite a big difference between having a few drinks at a football game or a concert and being an alcoholic.
And recovery is not a “one size fits all” proposition.
Taylor Swift attends “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” Concert Movie World Premiere at AMC The Grove 14 on October 11, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images)
So Taylor may have found a way to moderate her booze intake without quitting completely.
Whatever the case, her most recent drinking occasions appeared to be happy ones, at least.
We just hope for her sake that her days of crying like a baby coming home from the bar have now come to an end.
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