Current:Home > reviewsTaylor Swift draws backlash for 'all the racists' lyrics on new 'Tortured Poets' album -FinanceMind
Taylor Swift draws backlash for 'all the racists' lyrics on new 'Tortured Poets' album
Oliver James Montgomery View
Date:2025-04-09 04:14:30
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! (96)
Related
- House passes bill to add 66 new federal judgeships, but prospects murky after Biden veto threat
- Lionel Messi's Inter Miami already in MLS playoffs. Which teams are in contention?
- Toyota recalls 43,000 Sequoia hybrids for risk involving tow hitch covers
- Lululemon Labor Day Finds: Snag $118 Align Leggings for Only $59, Tops for $39, & More Styles Under $99
- B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
- Sarah Adam becomes first woman to play on U.S. wheelchair rugby team
- From 'The Fall Guy' to Kevin Costner's 'Horizon,' 10 movies you need to stream right now
- 2024 Paris Paralympics: Paychecks for Medal Winners Revealed
- Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow owns a $3 million Batmobile Tumbler
- Brazil blocks Musk’s X after company refuses to name local representative amid feud with judge
Ranking
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Governor appoints ex-school board member recalled over book ban push to Nebraska’s library board
- Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open on Labor Day? Here's what to know
- Harris says Trump tariffs will cost Americans $4k/year. Economists are skeptical.
- Sarah J. Maas books explained: How to read 'ACOTAR,' 'Throne of Glass' in order.
- Trump wants to make the GOP a ‘leader’ on IVF. Republicans’ actions make that a tough sell
- Chrysler's great-grandson wants to buy, rebuild Chrysler, Dodge brand; Stellantis responds
- Nikki Garcia's Rep Speaks Out After Husband Artem Chigvintsev's Domestic Violence Arrest
Recommendation
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
Priceless Ford 1979 Probe I concept car destroyed in fire leaving Pebble Beach Concours
Richard Simmons' final days: Fitness guru deferred medical care to spend birthday at home
What to know about Johnny Gaudreau, Blue Jackets All-Star killed in biking accident
Trump issues order to ban transgender troops from serving openly in the military
Look: Olympic medalist Simone Biles throws out first pitch at Houston Astros MLB game
Women behind bars are often survivors of abuse. A series of new laws aim to reduce their sentences
USA TODAY Sports' 2024 NFL predictions: Who makes playoffs, wins Super Bowl 59, MVP and more?