Everyone Taylor Swift Seemingly Alludes to in 'The Tortured Poets Department' And Why

SONG: thanK you alMee

Fans believe Swift has taken aim at her presumed enemy Kim Kardashian in one of her new songs from The Tortured Poets Department. At first glance, the song has three letters capitalized, thanK you alMee - K - I - M. A blatantly obvious clue Swift wants her Swifties to put together. The lyrics themselves also seem to allude directly to Kardashian. She describes "aIMee" as a "bronze spray-tanned statue" in her hometown that "threatens to push me down the stairs at our school."

"All that time you were throwin' punches, I was buildin' somethin' / And I can't forgive the way you made me feel / Screamed f--k you, Aimee to the night sky, as the blood was gushing. But I can't forget the way you made me heal."

Swift also brings her mother, Andrea Swift, into the song, singing that she supposedly wanted the character of "aIMee" "dead". Another clue is Swift saying aIMee's kids will come home singing Swift's songs one day, which is exactly what North West, Kardashian's daughter does on TikTok.

Swift, Kardashian and Kanye West have had a years-long feud since 2016 when West put Swift in his song "Famous". Swift maintains she was not told the correct or finished lyrics when she was originally told the idea. Kardashian released a recording of a phone call of West clearing the song with Swift, however it was not the full recording.

Swift made it clear nothing was forgiven in her TIME Person of the Year interview -- when she revealed she never got an apology from Kardashian.

SONG: The Tortured Poets Department

Can we get a pulse check on Charlie Puth? Swift rarely will drop a full first and last name in her music but singer/songwriter and overall musical genius, Puth got a very clear call out.

"You smokеd then ate seven bars of chocolate / We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist," Swift says in the song.

This isn't the first time Swift has commented on Puth's talent. She commented on one of Puth's TikToks, writing: "I've been quietly following your account for a long time! Thanks for the welcome, piano prince."

SONG: The Tortured Poets Department

The chorus of the title track of Swift's 11th album mentions two literary legends, Dylan Thomas, a Welsh poet, and Patti Smith, an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter and author.

"You're not Dylan Thomas, I'm not Patti Smith / This ain't the Chelsea Hotel, we're modern idiots," she sings, seemingly comparing the two characters of the song to the icons.

Smith has, in fact, spoken about Swift in the past, "It's unbelievable to not be able to go anywhere, do anything, have messy hair. And I'm sure that she's trying to do something good. She's not trying to do something bad. And if it influences some of her avid fans to open up their thoughts, what does it matter?" she told to The New York Times in 2019.

SONG: The Alchemy

Some may have thought Swifties needed a break-up album to hear about Travis Kelce and Swift's relationship, however fans believe Daddy Kelce has received his first Swift song mention.

The 15th song on TTPD, appears to be the first time that Swift has alluded to her boyfriend, Kelce.

"This happens once every few lifetimes / These chemicals hit me like white wine," Swift begins the song, and Swifties know how much she loves white wine.

The chorus has clear references to football -- something Kelce knows a thing or two about being the Kansas City Chiefs tight end.

"So when I touch down / Call the amateurs and cut 'em from the team / Ditch the clowns, get the crown / Baby, I'm the one to beat."

SONGS: The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived, But Daddy I Love Him, and I Can Fix Him (No I Really Can)

Swifties began theorizing long before TTPD dropped about whether her short-lived romance with Matty Healy would feature in her 11th studio album. Well, according to fans, it seems there are several tracks in which Swift may be alluding to her time with Healy. The two dated publicly for around a month and Healy was spotted making various appearances at the Eras Tour. They split in June 2023.

SONGS: So Long, London, loml, and I Can Do It with a Broken Heart

It would be hard to imagine Swift's latest album drop to avoid any nods to her six-year long relationship with Joe Alwyn. Swifties believe the British actor and their breakup is referenced in tracks such as "So Long, London," "loml," and "I Can Do It with a Broken Heart."

However, it's important to note the clause Swift prefaced when the TTPD album dropped, that she has "nothing to avenge" now the wounds from the people this album is about are "healed".