One year ago today, the Tortured Poets Department was born, and the music universe has never been the same. The record broke records, killed records, became the first-ever album to hit 314 million Spotify streams in 24 hours, got the biggest album debut in history for both Spotify and Apple Music, and ended up putting over 1.1 billion global streams just in the first week and sold 2.61 million in the states. And oh, it just went ahead and owned all the top 14 spots on the Billboard Hot 100. Chill.
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“One-year anniversary tweet from Taylor Swift Updates” put the internet into a whirlwind, with thousands commenting back to those who are still mind-blown that it has been a year. “This is my comfort album,” commented @ipureAura, whereas @torturedtori13 claimed it is “the album of our lives.” @arttifact would say “Best album, by the way” might have started a full-on quarrel if Twitter hadn’t done away with quote tweets.
Some answers made the drama pour out. @tayliviaslacy opined that “This quote literally changed my life”, adding that they lived “a million lives since.” Now that is emotional damage for just one album! Meanwhile, @HeeralalNigam was admirative, saying the album deserves great credit for lyrical depth: “‘Felt like a poem, no skips, just emotions and excellence’ for every track.”
Others were not here to wax poetic. @effslur gave a little cheeky shade, tweeting, “oh music industry (no shade to the queen Bey).” @TayBeyDefender then hammered in an attempt at reconciliation, calling it “the definition of a hit album” while name-checking Lady Gaga, Charli XCX, and Billie Eilish. Diplomacy at its finest.
Some of the replies were just chaotic. “Me bc it’s still the 18th for me,” tweeted @solonglondonnnn. And then the careless remark came from @mhaseebjan, who was happy enough to say, “Hi good morning 🌅 too.”
The album’s impact has been unemotional but historic. @kanchana243 stated, “Taylor is the first artist in the history to achieve this,” and @vivechana894791 claimed it was an “unforgettable milestone in music history.” Even @AuthorHemanta philosophized on Twitter, tweeting, “The Tortured Poets Department has redefined music history, the brilliance of Taylor Swift knows no bounds.”
But the bigger question now is … where do we go from here? If this is something she has to top, then after this could be a symphony that her cat writes? Next, a spoken-word album that will be recorded in space? At this point, nothing will even surprise us.
But for now, all those replies indicate one thing: The Tortured Poets Department was not just an album-a cultural reset-on its own. And whichever way you’re into it-from the poetry, the drama, or just plain embracing it-Taylor Swift is not about to stop now.
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So here’s 14 well-deserved birthday wishes for that album that broke the internet, smashed records and probably sent a few exes squirming. Cheers to another year of the wrecking ball-please drink responsibly.
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