A Guide to the Bonus Versions of Taylor Swift’s ‘Tortured Poets Department’

Taylor Swift is treating her fans to more than one version of her upcoming 11th studio album.

Three editions of The department of tortured poetsthe original version and two bonus versions, will be released on Friday, April 19. In addition to the 16 songs from the standard edition, each album variation will include one of three bonus tracks titled “The Manuscript,” “The Bolter” and “The Albatross.”

While many fans thought Swift’s next album release would be Reputation (Taylor’s version)the singer surprised fans by announcing The department of tortured poets at the 2024 Grammys.

“[The way I can celebrate] is to tell you a secret that I have been hiding from you for the past two years, which is that my brand new album is coming out on April 19,” she said while accepting the award for Best Pop Vocal Album at the February 2024 awards ceremony. . “It is called The department of tortured poets and I’m now going to place the cover backstage.

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She followed up the reveal by announcing the two bonus cuts of the album during her Eras tour concerts in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia.

In true Swiftie fashion, fans wasted no time theorizing about the possible meanings behind the various album versions and their bonus tracks, namely how they might relate to her relationship with ex-boyfriend. Joe Alwyn.

Keep scrolling for everything you need to know about the different versions of The department of tortured poets:

‘The Manuscript’

The bonus track “The Manuscript” will be included on vinyl, CD and cassette versions of the original album edition, the cover of which shows Swift lying on white sheets, wearing what appears to be black lingerie. The song will apparently not be released digitally or via streaming once the album drops, although Swift has been known to release bonus tracks digitally, such as Midnight“Hits Different” and “You’re Losing Me” — after the fact.

Each of the album formats comes with its own collectibles, including never-before-seen photos, photo and lyric booklets, handwritten lyrics unique to each item, collectible album covers and more, according to Swift’s website.

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‘The Bolter’

Swift has announced “The Bolter” edition of The department of tortured poets during a February Eras tour concert in Melbourne. “Look at that cover, it’s so tortured [and] so poetic,” she said on stage. The cover features Swift lying on what appears to be the same bed as the original cover art, but this time she has a melancholy look on her face.

The first bonus version, available for purchase on Swift’s website for a limited time only, also came on vinyl, CD and cassette and featured similar collectibles to the original.

It is widely believed that this version’s bonus track, “The Bolter”, is about Swift’s former romance with Alwyn. Many Swifities believe the song’s title is a reference to how Swift and the actor jumped in a car after the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards to avoid paparazzi. The exes kept their relationship out of the public eye throughout their six-year relationship, which ended in early 2023.

Others suspect the song may share meaning with author Frances Osborne’s 2010 book of the same name, which follows the story of Idina Sackville when she fled to Kenya after leaving multiple marriages and violating societal norms.

Although Swift did not reveal the song’s inspiration during her Melbourne concert, she described the album as a “lifeline” for herself. “It kind of reminded me why songwriting is something that really gets me through life, and I’ve never had an album where I needed more songwriting than on Tortured Poets,” she said.

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‘The Albatross’

The department of tortured poets‘s third bonus version, featuring the song “The Albatross”, was announced in February Eras tour stop in Sydney. “You know, it’s good to have options. Everyone likes options. I wanted to show you something if you focused your attention on the main screen. This is an alternative cover for The department of tortured poetsSwift told attendees as he debuted the album’s artwork. On the cover of “The Albatross” version, Swift looks into the camera while wearing a white shirt and standing in front of the ocean.

The ocean setting of the cover relates to the word ‘albatross’ itself, as it can refer to a type of bird that lives near the ocean and is found in Australia. According to Smithsonian magazine, albatross birds spend their first six years at sea, which some Swifties say is as long as the pop star’s relationship with Alwyn.

Metaphorically, “albatross” can also be used to describe “something that causes persistent deep concern or fear,” according to Merriam Webster. Swift has yet to reveal the inspiration behind the song.

Like the other two versions of the album, “The Albatross” edition is from The department of tortured poets also comes with unique collectibles. The version can be ordered on Swift’s website for a limited time.

‘The Black Dog’

Swift announced its fourth and “last edition” by The department of tortured poets during her March 2024 concert in Singapore.

“I just had a plan for Night 2. I kinda felt like you would be too [excited and loud], so I kind of wanted to show you something that no one else has seen before,” Swift said during the concert. “If you want to look at the main screen, I want to show you something. This is the last edition of The department of tortured poets. It’s the last cover… [and] there’s a song called ‘The Black Dog.’ I can’t wait for you to hear it and I appreciate the enthusiasm.”

As a metaphor, a black dog can be used to describe depressive symptoms or as an omen of death from old English folklore.