By Ethan Millman
As she gears up for the release of The Tortured Poets Department later this month, Taylor Swift has shared five new playlists on Apple Music comprised of her old songs, angled around the five stages of grief and heartbreak: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
Swift shared brief audio messages with each playlist, and the first playlist, titled “I love You, It’s Ruining My Life Songs” represents denial. “This is a list of songs about getting so caught up in the idea of something that you have a hard time seeing the red flags, possibly resulting in moments of denial and maybe a little bit of delusion,” Swift said. “Results may vary. That playlist features 19 songs including “Lavender Haze,” “Cruel Summer,” “Lover,” and “Bejeweled.”
In the playlist for anger, “You Don’t Get to Tell Me About Sad Songs,” the tracks all have one thing in common: “I wrote them while feeling anger,” Swift said. “Over the years I’ve learned that anger can manifest itself in a lot of different ways, but the healthiest way that it manifests itself in my life is when I can write a song about it and then oftentimes that helps me get past it.” The 22-song playlist starts with “Vigilante Shit” and also includes “Exile,” “Bad Blood,” “I knew You Were Trouble,” “Dear John,” and “Mr. Perfectly Fine.”
The additional lists include “Am I Allowed To Cry?” (Bargaining), “Old Habits Die Screaming” (Depression), and finally, “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart” (Acceptance). “These songs represent making room for more good in your life,” Swift said of the final musical compilation. “Making that choice. Because a lot of time, when we lose things, we gain things too.” The acceptance songs include “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” “August,” “Closure,” and “Daylight.”
Swift hopes to continue the massive momentum she had last year with The Tortured Poets Department, which she announced during an acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards in February.
We want to hear it. Send us a tip using our anonymous form.
Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.
