A new Spotify record… Patti Smith reacts to being namechecked on ‘The Tortured Poets Department’… And a London pub is trying to keep up… Here’s the latest in TayTay’s world.
Taylor Swift has a new album out, so you can bet records are already being broken…
Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department‘ has broken the record for Spotify’s most-streamed in a single day, according to the platform. It has become the first album in Spotify history to reach more than 300 million streams – in one day.
Spotify wrote on X: “History made! On April 19, 2024, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department was the first album in Spotify history to have over 300M streams in a single day.”
Previously, the record was held by her re-recorded version of ‘1989’.
That’s not all – the first single from the album, ‘Fortnight’ featuring Post Malone, also became Spotify’s most streamed song in a single day.
On social media Post Malone said: “It’s once in a lifetime that someone like @taylorswift13 comes into this world. I am floored by your heart and your mind, and I am beyond honoured to have been asked to help you with your journey I love you so much. Thank you Tay.”
Taylor Swift’s 11th album dropped on Friday 19 April at midnight, as a stealth double album.
The first 16 tracks were released as scheduled, but just a few hours later, an additional 15 tracks dropped, delighting Swifties the the world over – and giving reviewers the daunting task of suddenly doubling their workload.
Swift said the album was an anthology of new works reflecting “events, opinions and sentiments from a fleeting and fatalistic moment in time – one that was both sensational and sorrowful in equal measure”.
She went on to say that that period in her life “now over”.
“The chapter closed and boarded up. There is nothing to avenge, no scores to settle once wounds have healed,” she said. “Once we have spoken our saddest story, we can be free of it.”
In Euronews Culture’s review of the album, we said: “Sonically, it’s not a leap forward or even a stylistic shift; lyrically, however, there’s messy fun to be had. (…) Taylor dips into the formulaic on certain tracks in her uneven but entrancing post-mortem on love and its pitfalls.” Read the full review here.
Patti Smith responds to a shout-out
One of the songs we were particularly fond of is the titular track, which features some great lyrical moments, especially the delightful line: “You’re not Dylan Thomas / I’m not Patti Smith / This ain’t the Chelsea hotel / We’re modern idiots”.
Patti Smith took notice and has responded to Taylor Swift inserting her name into the song, which seemingly refers to Swift’s short-lived relationship with The 1975’s Matty Healy.
Smith took to social media and posted a photo of her reading Thomas.
“This is saying I was moved to be mentioned in the company of the great Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Thank you Taylor.”
Why are Swifties rushing to the pub?
Elsewhere, another album shout-out has had an unexpected side effect, as hundreds of Taylor Swift fans have swarmed a London pub after Swift mentioned The Black Dog in Vauxhall, South London.
In the song of the same name, Swift sings: “And your location, you forgot to turn it off / And so I watch as you walk / Into some bar called The Black Dog / And pierce new holes in my heart.”
That song is thought to address her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, who lives in the same area as the pub.
“This is the Taylor Swift Effect – anything she touches goes viral,” Amy Cowley, who works at the pub, told British newspaper the Standard. “We’re super excited. It was a great atmosphere last night with the fans.”
“We’re not sure if she visited. She might have done – we wouldn’t even know. It’s a possibility but it’s great to keep her fans in suspense.”
To celebrate their newfound fame, the pub is running an offer of a free ‘Swift Half’ of their house lager for anyone who comes in and quotes a lyric from a Taylor song.
“We have members of the team who are big Swifties,” Cowley continued. “On Friday, everyone got a swift half of our Black Dog lager and we’re running that for the next week with food purchases.”
However, and somewhat unsurprisingly, the numbers soon got out of hand.
“People had to be turned away, we didn’t have capacity,” Cowley stated. “It was really rammed. Obviously, we’re in planning mode now because of her upcoming Wembley shows.”
News
Taylor Swift Halts Her Edinburgh Show to Aid Distressed Fan – Refuses to Continue Until They’re Safe
Taylor Swift refused to continue performing in Edinburgh on Friday after noticing a fan in distress in the crowd. The billionaire songstress, 34, was in the middle of singing Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve to a crowd of over 70,000 in Murrayfield when she noticed…
QB Jackson Mahomes brings special present to brother Patrick, and the two men work past their issues
The Kansas City Chiefs star has helped launch a new “sports coffee” company. Patrick Mahomes has generally gotten along with his brother Jackson, but the younger sibling has put the star Kansas City Chiefs quarterback in tough positions in the past due to his…
At a basketball game, Brittany Mahomes and Travis Kelce exchange provocative denim outfits
While watching the Minnesota Timberwolves play the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA playoffs on Sunday, Brittany Mahomes, 28, appeared to put a bold new twist on a tried-and-true outfit. Sitting courtside with husband Patrick Mahomes at Dallas’ American Airlines Center,…
Odell Beckham Jr. looked elegant when meeting ex-girlfriend Kardashian at MetGala 2024
No flаɡ o𝚗 tҺе ρlаy Һеɾе — OԀеll BеcƙҺаm Jɾ.’s Mеt Gаlа looƙ wаs а totаl tɾιumρҺ. BеcƙҺаm Jɾ., 31, аɾɾιᴠеԀ ι𝚗 а suаᴠе blаcƙ suιt wιtҺ wҺιtе Ԁеtаιlι𝚗ɡ аt tҺе Mo𝚗Ԁаy, Mаy 6 еᴠе𝚗t аt Nеw Yoɾƙ’s Mеtɾoρolιtа𝚗 Musеum of…
Andy Reid Stands Firm with Harrison Butker: “If They Cut Harrison, They Cut Me”
The Chiefs have been dropping hints about releasing their kicker, but Head Coach Andy Reid has made it clear that won’t happen under his leadership. The team has been under pressure due to the ongoing controversy surrounding Harrison Butker’s refusal…
Patrick Mahomes with Rugby Star Siya Kolisi and Liverpool Manager Klopp at Adidas HQ
CҺιеfs quаɾtеɾbаcƙPаtɾιcƙ MаҺσmеsа𝚗ԀLιᴠеɾρσσlmа𝚗аɡеɾJuɾɡе𝚗 KlσρρcɾσssеԀ ρаtҺs σ𝚗 Mσ𝚗Ԁаy аs tҺеy bσtҺ ᴠιsιtеԀ AԀιԀаs’ ҺеаԀquаɾtеɾs ι𝚗 Gеɾmа𝚗y. TҺе ρаιɾ stσσԀ аlσ𝚗ɡsιԀеSσutҺ Afɾιcаɾuɡby cаρtаι𝚗 Sιyа Kσlιsι а𝚗Ԁ AԀιԀаs CEоBjσɾ𝚗 GulԀе𝚗 fσɾ а ρҺσtσ, wιtҺKσlιsι ҺσlԀι𝚗ɡ а sσccеɾ bаll а𝚗Ԁ sιɡ𝚗еԀ fσσtbаll. MаҺσmеs…
End of content
No more pages to load