Who is the ‘Lucy’ name-checked on Taylor Swift’s ‘Tortured Poet’s Department’
Taylor Swift has name-dropped a person called ‘Lucy’ in her latest album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’, and fans have begun speculating who it could be.
The star’s 11th studio album arrived today (April 19) and earlier this morning Swift announced that it is, in fact, a double album and shared the remaining tracks.
Since its release, fans have taken to social media to suggest that the record is about her six-year relationship with actor Joe Alwyn, as well as her brief romance with The 1975‘s frontman Matty Healy.
However, it is during the second song of the album – the title track – that one line in particular has caught the attention of fans, as the pop icon goes on to refer to a person called ‘Lucy’.
In the song, Swift criticises her partner’s “self-sabotaging” behaviour, and makes reference to him “coming undone” – a line which some fans are convinced is about Healy and his infamous string of controversies.
In the track, Swift goes on to recall how the lover in question once told “Lucy” that he would take his own life if Swift left him.
“Sometimes I wonder if you’re gonna screw this up with me, but you told Lucy you’d kill yourself if I ever leave,” she sings, also adding: “And I had said that to Jack about you so I felt seen, everyone we know understands why it’s meant to be, because we’re crazy.” In the latter, fans speculate that the reference to ‘Jack’ may be a nod to Jack Antonoff, who is Swift’s longtime collaborator and producer of the album.
Ultimately, fans seem convinced that the ‘Lucy’ referenced in the title track is Lucy Dacus – a third of the Grammy-winning group boygenius and someone who has connections to both Swift and Healy.
Dacus had a friendship with Healy for years, as did boygenius bandmate Phoebe Bridgers, who previously stated that she had been a fan of the frontman “forever” before they joined forces in 2020.
Her relationship with Swift also comes through Bridgers, as the latter acted as the opener for the pop icon on her ‘Eras Tour’. Similarly, in May last year – just days after Swift confirmed her relationship with Healy – both Dacus and fellow boygenius bandmate Julien Baker joined Bridgers for the opening slot in Nashville.
Healy also joined Bridgers during the second of three ‘Eras’ shows at Texas’ Nissan Stadium playing guitar as part of her band while she was opening for Swift.
More recently, Dacus and Swift posted together for pictures last February at the Grammy Awards ceremony – where the ‘Midnights’ singer announced details of the latest album.
While it seems that the two are still friends, the relationship between Dacus and Healy seems to have soured in recent months. As highlighted by The Pink News, Healy deactivated his X account after the singer and songwriter called him out over an ableist joke made about boygenius.
“I told Lucy Dacus that ‘Boygenius’ had inspired me and [The 1975 member] George to start a new band called ‘Girlr****d’,” Healy said at the time, going on to add. “I don’t really hear from her that often.”
In response, Dacus hit out at him by writing: “You don’t hear from me at all.”
In a three-star review of the album, NME shared: “‘The Tortured Poets Department’ ends up chasing its own tail with frenzied attempts to respond to critics despite Swift’s current stature.”
It continued: “Swift seems to be in tireless pursuit for superstardom, yet the negative public opinion it can come with irks her, and it’s a tired theme now plaguing her discography and leaving little room for the poignant lyrical observations she excels at. It’s why the pitfalls that mire her 11th studio album are all the more disappointing – she’s proven time and time again she can do better.
“To a Melbourne audience of her ‘Eras Tour’, Swift said that ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ came from a “need” to write. It’s just that maybe we didn’t need to hear it.”
In other news about the album, fans have also been reacting after she gave Charlie Puth a shout out in the lyrics. Previously, the singer-songwriter has declared his admiration for Swift and has often covered her songs during his shows. “This is why she’s such a genius, man,” he said while performing her early hit ‘Teardrops On My Guitar’ in 2021 (via People).
In other news, The National‘s Aaron Dessner has admitted to being “forever grateful” to have worked on Swift‘s new album, and it appeared that Swift referenced Healy again, both in the track ‘But Daddy I Love Him’ and in a comparison to Patti Smith and late Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.
Following the LP’s release, Swift will resume her career-spanning ‘Eras Tour’ in Europe next month before heading to the UK and Ireland in June. She is due to play eight shows at Wembley Stadium in London this summer as part of the run, with support coming from Paramore.
The post Who is the ‘Lucy’ name-checked on Taylor Swift’s ‘Tortured Poet’s Department’ appeared first on NME.
Liberty Dunworth
NME
