Current:Home > Invest'The Black Dog' in Taylor Swift song is a real bar in London -AssetPath
'The Black Dog' in Taylor Swift song is a real bar in London
View
Date:2025-04-16 13:11:21
At 2 a.m. Friday, Taylor Swift dropped 15 extra songs in what she called a "surprise double album."
"The Black Dog" stands out from the pack on "The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology."
A "black dog" is a term referring to feelings of depression, great sadness and lack of energy, according to the Cambridge Dictionary. In English literature and folklore, a black dog was a demonic hellhound that served as an omen of death.
In this instance, Swift refers to a bar, the "Black Dog" that she notices her ex going to one night. He has forgotten to stop sharing his location. Something so trivial invokes incredible sadness and thoughts of comparison, maybe jealousy. Swift writes an invented narrative that the ex is meeting a new girl who won't understand the starting line of a song because she's too young. Part of the lyrics are, "I move through the world with a heart broken. My longings stay unspoken, and I may never open up the way I did for you."
The Black Dog is a London pub located at: 112 Vauxhall Walk, London SE11 5ER, United Kingdom.
The tender whimper on the last note captures perfectly the pangs of saying goodbye to a relationship.
'Tortured Poets' release live updatesWhat to know as Taylor Swift's new album debuts
'The Tortured Poets Department'
If you didn't get the memo from the department's Chairman, "Tortured Poets" is Swift's 11th era album with 16 tracks and four bonus songs (four versions of the album each have a different bonus track).
Swift announced the project at the Grammys, when she won her 13th career Grammy for pop album of the year. Post Malone and Florence and The Machine are two contributors on the pop album.
Its track titles are brutal. Fans speculated the album was about Swift’s six-year relationship with English actor Joe Alwyn and their breakup. Both stars kept the relationship out of the public eye. The back of the first version of the album reads, “I love you, it’s ruining me,” serving as a dagger-to-the-chest harbinger.
The album was released during Swift's two-month break from her massively popular and economically fruitful Eras Tour. "Tortured Poets" serves as an exclamation point to the behemoth success the billionaire has seen over the past year since the three-plus-hour show launched in Glendale, Arizona. Swift will return to the stage in Paris, France, on May 9. Fans anticipate that her newest era will be added to the show.
Don't miss any Taylor Swift news; sign up for the free, weekly newsletter "This Swift Beat."
Follow Taylor Swift reporter Bryan West on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
veryGood! (71)
Related
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- Tory Lanez to be sentenced for shooting Megan Thee Stallion
- Trump effort to overturn election 'aspirational', U.S. out of World Cup: 5 Things podcast
- Stock market today: Asian benchmarks mostly slip after Wall Street’s losing week
- As Trump Enters Office, a Ripe Oil and Gas Target Appears: An Alabama National Forest
- First-time homebuyers need to earn more to afford a home except in these 3 metros
- 4-year-old run over by golf cart after dog accidentally rests on pedal
- Suddenly repulsed by your partner? You may have gotten 'the ick.' Here's what that means.
- Travis Hunter, the 2
- At least 3 dead in bus crash on Pennsylvania interstate, authorities say
Ranking
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- 'The Fugitive': Harrison Ford hid from Tommy Lee Jones in real St. Patrick's Day parade
- Is it better to take Social Security at 62 or 67? Why it's worth waiting if you can.
- California authorities capture suspects in break-ins at Lake Tahoe homes: a mama bear and three cubs
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Fans welcome Taylor Swift to Los Angeles: See the friendship bracelets, glittery outfits
- Grappling with new law, fearful Florida teachers tossing books, resellers say
- Missing Oregon woman found dead after hiking in the heat in Phoenix
Recommendation
Opinion: Gianni Infantino, FIFA sell souls and 2034 World Cup for Saudi Arabia's billions
Suddenly repulsed by your partner? You may have gotten 'the ick.' Here's what that means.
Kate Spade 24-Hour Flash Deal: Get This $260 Crossbody Bag for Just $59
New York oncologist kills baby and herself at their home, police say
Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
Rapper Tory Lanez set to be sentenced for shooting and injuring Megan Thee Stallion
WWE SummerSlam takeaways: Tribal Combat has odd twist, Iyo Sky and Damage CTRL on top
Minnesota 14-year-old arrested in shooting death of 12-year-old