‘The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology’ Ranked

For the one-year anniversary of Taylor Swift’s eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, I thought it was only fitting to give a ranking of all thirty-one tracks. 

Taylor Swift’s eleventh studio album is her most prolific and challenging work to date. I spent months trying to understand and decipher every single song on The Tortured Poets Department and still do not get every word. Even with that, I feel like I have a strong grasp on what this album is. If you really listen, not only do you hear some of Swift’s best songs of her entire career, but you also get the musings of the world’s biggest pop star and how her past lover left her scorned. The songs feel like they were pouring out of Taylor. As if, to her, this was the most cathartic album of her discography. Even though TTPD is not my favorite album by Taylor Swift, I have grown to love it for what it is and consider it among her bests. For the sake of time, I will only be diving into the top ten of the album. The rest have been ranked. 

Without further ado, here is my official ranking of all thirty-one tracks from The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology.

31. Robin 

30. thanK you aIMee

29. I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can) 

28. The Manuscript 

27. Florida (feat. Florence + The Machine) 

26. The Alchemy 

25. Cassandra 

24. Fortnight (feat. Post Malone) 

23. Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?

22. The Black Dog 

21. The Albatross 

20. Peter 

19. The Tortured Poets Department 

18. So Long, London

17. The Bolter 

16. Clara Bow

15. I Look in People’s Windows

14. How Did It End?

13. I Can Do It With A Broken Heart

12. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

11. So High School 

10. My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys 

•  With classic Jack Antonoff production and clever lyrics by Swift, My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys is one of the lighter tracks on the album. The song is more fun than it is integral to the story being told, but I would be lying if I said this was not a highlight for me. My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys feels like you are running and gives darker imagery than Swift’s other pop songs. 

9. But Daddy I Love Him 

• But Daddy I Love Him sounds like it was plucked from Fearless, but more grown up. With some beautiful imagery, such as “Now I’m running with my dress unbuttoned” and “Dutiful daughter, all my plans were laid, tendrils tucked into a woven braid.” But Daddy I Love Him to me is a message to her fans or haters, who obsess over the people Swift is dating. It is basically her saying she does not care, she is going to do whatever she wants. A sweeping, slow build that hits some of the most powerful moments on the album. 

8. The Prophecy 

• The Prophecy is one of the most relatable songs on the album for many reasons. The song is a plea from Swift to whoever is listening to change her luck when it comes to love. You hear her clear frustration, asking if she is cursed or being punished. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride. The Prophecy more than any song on this album needed to be released. 

7. loml

• One of the main topics brought up in The Tortured Poets Department is the kind of relationship that spans decades but just never works out. loml brings this to a head. The song is one of her most scathing breakup songs, because it explains how much this person hurt her. The production is simple, giving the illusion that we are listening to Taylor play the piano in a dark room alone. It’s haunting and definitely the best piano ballad of Taylor’s entire career. 

6. I Hate It Here

• I Hate It Here is one of the most stereotypical Taylor Swift songs of all time. It is so Taylor that the first time I heard it, the only thing I could say was “About time.” Taylor has always been the girl who dreams of love and Romeo saving Juliet, and in I Hate It Here Swift expresses how she gets lost in these daydreams and fairytales because reality is always worse. It is a deeply relatable song for any person who is obsessed with reading, film, or any form of art that you can get lost in. 

5. imgonnagetyouback

• imgonnagetyouback is definitely the least lyrically complex of the rest of the top ten, but what can I say, it is a pop hit. It’s sexy, punchy, and confident in a way that Taylor usually isn’t. More of a chill confidence, than the overexaggerated confidence of Vigilante Shit. The song is similar thematically to get him back! by Olivia Rodrigo, where it plays with the double meaning of getting someone back. A smart, yet charming simple tune, which in an album full of deep, layered songs is appreciated. 

4. Fresh Out The Slammer

• There is nothing in Taylor’s discography that sounds like Fresh Out The Slammer. In this song, Swift compares being with her ex to being in the slammer, and now that they are through, Taylor can finally rekindle the romance between one of her past muses. With some of the most revealing lyrics in the entire album, Fresh Out The Slammer turns out to be a subtle epic that ebbs and flows through the emotions of the narrator. 

3. Down Bad

• Only Taylor Swift could make the term “Down Bad” not sound incredibly cringe inducing in a song. Down Bad explains Swift’s experiences with being left behind by someone that she thought was a great love. With imagery of alien spaceships and crying in the gym, Down Bad turns out to be one of Swift’s most interesting songs thematically. 

2. Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus

• Whenever you make a new discovery about The Tortured Poets Department it always connects to Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus. To me, this is the centerpiece of the album. A song ripped right from Evermore, Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus has soft, euphoric melodies that are somber yet are coming from a place of acceptance. This is a reflection on the relationship as a whole and how it has torn her world apart. The album would not feel complete without Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus.

1. Guilty as Sin?

• Guilty as Sin? may not be the deepest, but it is an underrated foundation of the album. Most of the songs on The Tortured Poets Department are about the idea of a relationship being more serious than some others may think. The most important line in Guilty as Sin? is “Am I allowed to cry?” The line displays Swift’s hesitation to let herself react to the relationship. Is she allowed to cry when some people think it was not that deep. Other than the lyric content, Guilty as Sin? is the best sounding song on the album, making it a runaway favorite. 

Thanks for reading this article! If you liked this The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology Ranked list, feel free to check out more of our other lists at Feature First!