Current:Home > StocksTaylor Swift draws backlash for 'all the racists' lyrics on new 'Tortured Poets' album -GrowthProspect
Taylor Swift draws backlash for 'all the racists' lyrics on new 'Tortured Poets' album
Rekubit Exchange View
Date:2025-04-09 11:33:33
Taylor Swift released a new album Friday, but not all listeners are loving a controversial line from her new song, "I Hate It Here."
In the track off of "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology," a deluxe version of her new album, the Eras Tour singer sings about discontent and the way our recollections are distorted by nostalgia. In it, she says she wants to return to an era that ended more than a century before her career began.
"My friends used to play a game where we would pick a decade we wished we could live in instead of this / I'd say the 1830s but without all the racists and getting married off for the highest bid," Swift sings in the track.
What we know about Taylor Swift's'The Tortured Poets Department' album so far
The Civil War began in 1861, more than 30 years after the decade Swift references in the song. Slavery was still active in the United States during this time.
"Everyone would look down 'cause it wasn't fun now seems like it was never even fun back then / Nostalgia is a mind's trick if I'd been there, I'd hate it," she sings. "It was freezing in the palace."
'So many wrong things about this:' Social media users react to Taylor Swift's 'I Hate It Here' lyrics
The controversial line has drawn the ire of the internet and fueled conversations around Swift's lyricism. Users on X, formerly known as Twitter, reacted to Swift's "I Hate It Here" lyrics.
"y’all .. there are so many wrong things about this," one user wrote, while posting a screenshot of the song's lyrics from Genius.
Slavery's explosive growth, in charts:How '20 and odd' became millions
"'I'd say the 1830s but without all the racists' now Taylor …" another user commented.
Other fans on X defended Swift's songwriting capabilities as historical analysis.
"It's an interesting commentary on how we sometimes idealize certain eras without fully considering the realities of living in them," one commenter said.
'The Tortured Poets Department' features 31 songs
Swift's 11th album "The Tortured Poets Department" features 31 songs, when you add in the 15-song deluxe version "The Anthology," which includes "I Hate It Here." The album draws on heartbreak and coming of age, traditional themes for one of the world's most famous people and songwriters.
Lead single "Fortnight" features rapper and singer Post Malone.
veryGood! (1639)
Related
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- First court appearance set for Georgia teen accused of killing 4 at his high school
- USWNT star Alex Morgan announces retirement from soccer, second pregnancy
- Emergency crew trying to rescue man trapped in deep trench in Los Angeles
- Rams vs. 49ers highlights: LA wins rainy defensive struggle in key divisional game
- 2 Nigerian brothers sentenced for sextortion that led to teen’s death
- Hugh Jackman Proves He’s Still the Greatest Showman With Eye-Popping Shirtless Photo
- Group Therapy Sessions Proliferate for People Afflicted With ‘Eco-Distress’
- Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
- NCAA's proposed $2.8 billion settlement with athletes runs into trouble with federal judge
Ranking
- Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
- Video game performers reach agreement with 80 video games on AI terms
- Colt Gray, 14, identified as suspect in Apalachee High School shooting: What we know
- Red Lobster says it will soon exit bankruptcy protection after judge approves seafood chain’s sale
- Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
- RHOC's Heather Dubrow Shares How Her LGBT Kids Are Thriving After Leaving Orange County for L.A.
- Freshman classes provide glimpse of affirmative action ruling’s impact on colleges
- Forget Halloween, it's Christmas already for some American shoppers
Recommendation
Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
Sicily Yacht Sinking: Why Mike Lynch’s Widow May Be Liable for $4 Billion Lawsuit
Two 27-year-olds killed when small plane crashes in Georgia
Marc Staal, Alex Goligoski announce retirements after 17 NHL seasons apiece
Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
3 Milwaukee police officers and a suspect are wounded in a shootout
Ravens' Ronnie Stanley: Refs tried to make example out of me on illegal formation penalties
Review: 'The Perfect Couple' is Netflix's dumbed-down 'White Lotus'