Taylor Swift has released five playlists on Apple Music corresponding to the stages of heartbreak – denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance – ahead of the April 19 release of her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department. The playlists feature songs from her past albums and are curated to reflect each emotional stage. Swift explains the inspiration behind each playlist, from delusion in denial to anger as a creative outlet, bargaining with oneself in the third stage, and the process of acceptance and moving forward in the final playlist. The playlists offer insight into Swift’s emotional journey and songwriting process, providing a glimpse into the themes of her upcoming album.
Taylor Swift’s Heartbreak Playlists: A Musical Journey Through Heartache
Taylor Swift releases 5 new playlists set around stages of heartbreak ahead of The Tortured Poets Department
Taylor Swift is known for paying attention to what her fans say. When the tracklist for The Tortured Poets Department was announced, Swifties theorised that the album explores the various stages of heartbreak. With just weeks left for the release of her 11th studio album, the 34-year-old singer has crafted five new playlists on Apple Music, corresponding to each stage, namely- denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. The Cruel Summer hitmaker curated the five playlists ahead of the April 19 release of TTPD on Friday.
The Denial Playlist: Lavender Haze and Love-Drunk Delusions
This playlist explores the first stage of heartbreak, which Swift states is “denial.” It includes songs like Lavender Haze, Snow on the Beach, Lover, Cruel Summer, Willow, Betty, Treacherous, Wildest Dreams, and other love-drunk songs. In a voice message shared as part of the playlist, Swift said, “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. Results may vary.”
The Anger Playlist: Bad Blood and Edgy Anthems
The second stage of heartbreak- anger, is represented by a collection of Swift’s songs that Apple Music states are “some of her best and most beloved songs” that “boast an edge.” This playlist includes songs like Bad Blood, Vigilante S**t, Illicit Affairs, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, Dear John, and Better Than Revenge. Swift said of the playlist, “These songs all have one thing in common, I wrote them while feeling anger. 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 Bargaining Playlist: Making Deals with Am I Allowed to Cry
Addressing the third stage of heartbreak, which is represented by the Am I Allowed to Cry playlist, Swift said, “This playlist takes you through the songs that I’ve written when I was in the bargaining stage, times when you’re trying to make deals with yourself or someone that you care about, you’re trying to make things better, you’re oftentimes feeling really desperate because oftentimes we have a gut intuition that tells us things are not going to go the way that we hope, which makes us more desperate, which makes us bargain more.” This playlist is loaded with songs from her album Lover, like Death by a Thousand Cuts, Soon You’ll Get Better, Afterglow, Cornelia Street, The Archer. It also features songs from her other albums, like I Wish You Would (Taylor’s Version), The Story of Us (Taylor’s Version), and The Other Side of the Door (Taylor’s Version).
The Depression Playlist: Maroon and Intensity of Loss
“We’re going to be exploring the feelings of depression that often lace their way through my songs. In times like these, I’ll write a song because I feel lonely or hopeless. And writing a song feels like the only way to process that intensity of an emotion,” Swift said of the fourth playlist. It includes songs like Maroon, You’re Losing Me, Champagne Problems, Dear Reader, and Bigger Than the Whole Sky. “And while these things are really, really hard to go through, I often feel like when I’m either listening to songs or writing songs that deal with this intensity of loss and hopelessness, usually that’s in the phase where I’m close to getting past that feeling,” she added.
The Acceptance Playlist: Moving Forward with You’re On Your Own Kid
The fifth and final playlist is named after a track from her upcoming TTPD album and represents the stage of “acceptance.” It includes songs like You’re On Your Own Kid, Midnight Rain, Labyrinth, and August. Swift explained the playlist saying, “Here we finally find acceptance and can start moving forward from loss or heartbreak. These songs represent making room for more good in your life, making that choice because a lot of time when we lose things, we gain things too.”
Subscribe Now! Get features like Taylor Swift Heartbreak Playlists delivered right to your inbox. Taylor Swift has once again shown her creativity and connection with her fans by crafting these playlists that not only provide a glimpse into her personal journey through heartbreak but also offer solace and understanding to her listeners. As we eagerly await the release of The Tortured Poets Department, these playlists serve as a prelude to the emotional rollercoaster that Taylor Swift is about to take us on. So, grab some tissues, a tub of ice cream, and get ready to dive into the heartbreak journey with Taylor Swift’s curated playlists.
