Taylor Swift and the art of the (controversial) name-drop

"Why does Taylor Swift only write about her ex-boyfriends?"

Aside from this being incorrect - she's written about friendship, childhood bullies, misogyny, family members, 1950s socialites and fictitious murders, to name just a few - it also wouldn't matter if she did.

You would be hard-pressed to find a songwriter who doesn't write about their own life - whether it be their love life or other elements. We wouldn't have Hey Jude by The Beatles, Don Mclean's American Pie or Fleetwood Mac's entire Rumours album, if writing songs about identifiable people was off limits.

And yet, in the wake of The Tortured Poets Department - Swift's 11th album which dropped on Friday - a large chunk of the discussion focuses on which songs are about whom.

Don't get me wrong - I love finding out the origin stories for songs as much as the next person. Understanding the motive behind the lyrics goes hand-in-hand with the enjoyment of the album as a whole.

But I don't condemn her for any inspiration she may or may not have. Even if this particular album has more discussion than ever about the names dropped in its lyrics.

Perhaps it's because we were expecting an album filled with the breakdown of the singer's elusive six-year relationship with actor Joe Alwyn, and received a two-disc anthology about so much more instead.

It was an emotional purge of what has been years of the highest of highs in public, and some of the lowest of lows behind closed doors.

There were songs clearly about Alwyn, and just as many clearly about the much criticised short-lived relationship with The 1975 lead singer Matty Healy, plus at least one song dedicated to her new beau, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

But there were even more that were so filled with poetic lines and metaphors that even the most dedicated Swifties are still combing through lyrics for clues.

No one pieces together puzzles better than a Swiftie and I do not doubt that they will eventually solve the puzzles hidden in the singer's rawest album to date.

Then there are the one-off mentions that have had listeners playing "spotto".

Poet Dylan Thomas gets a mention, as does Swift's long-time friend and producer Jack Antonoff. The original "it" girl, 1920s actress Clara Bow, has a song named after her which also features musings about Stevie Nicks.

Both singer-songwriter Patti Smith and American band The Starting Line have publicly thanked Swift for their own mentions on the album.

And while singer Charlie Puth hasn't entered the conversation, his unexpected name-drop in the album's title track has seen Google searches for the singer jump 846 per cent.

Then there is the song, thanK you aIMee - a thinly veiled jab at Kim Kardashian (her name is "hidden" in the song's title).

Swift paints Kardashian as a bully, who "wrote headlines in the local paper laughing at each baby step I'd take". It riffs off Kardashian's social media posts in 2016 which gaslighted people into thinking Swift knew about Kanye West's Famous lyric, "I made that bitch famous" before the song's release and was simply denying it for publicity.

The song also admits that Swift wouldn't be who she is if it wasn't for "Aimee's" actions.

While it is drawing on the past, it's a song that couldn't have been written eight years ago, because it's a sentiment that only comes from hindsight. I'm sure Kardashian's fans would argue that releasing it would bring a once-dead feud into the light again. Let bygones be bygones.

And yet, everyone loves a celebrity scandal in a memoir. What exactly is the difference here? There isn't one, except that Swift has earned an unfair reputation for using her interactions with others as fuel for her writing.

The fans even get a name-drop - and not in the best light, either. Lines like, "I don't cater to all these vipers dressed in empath's clothing" reference the public backlash to Swift's relationship with Healy.

And, "You taught me, you caged me, and then you called me crazy" paints her as an angered circus performer, bitter from the demands of fame.

But all of this just makes for a layered album, filled with layered songs. And that's what every good album should be.

You don't have to like The Tortured Poets Department - it's had a mix of five-star and dud reviews already.

But name-dropping can't be the reason for disliking it, unless you are discrediting every other song and album that does the same thing.