"The Albatross" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Written and produced by her and Aaron Dessner, the track is a soft indie folk ballad. Inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge's 1798 poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Swift uses an albatross as a metaphor and a personification for public perception, regret and self-definition.
"The Albatross" was first released as a bonus track in a physical edition of The Tortured Poets Department on April 19, 2024, and then digitally as part of a double album edition, The Anthology, two hours later. The song peaked at number 32 at the Billboard Global 200 and reached the national charts of the United States and Canada. Swift performed the song live multiple times on her Eras Tour as a surprise song (2023–2024).
Contents
Background
Taylor Swift conceived her eleventh original studio album, The Tortured Poets Department after the release of her previous album, Midnights (2022). She further continued her work during the US Leg of her sixth concert tour, The Eras Tour in 2023 amidst heightened fame and personal life. On February 4, 2024, Swift later announced The Tortured Poets Department at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards during her acceptance speech for the Best Pop Vocal Album award for Midnights. Swift described the album as a "lifeline" for her and one that she "needed" to create, detailing how its development somewhat reminded her that songwriting was an integral part of her life.
Swift wrote the track with her longtime collaborator, Aaron Dessner, who produced and recorded the track at Long Pond (Hudson Valley), Narwhal Studios (Chicago), Air Studios (UK) and unnamed studios in Los Angeles, California and Paris, France. The song was mixed at Mixstar Studios by Serban Ghenea and Bryce Bordone. The track was mastered by the engineers Randy Merrill & Ryan Smith, at Sterling Sound, while Swift's vocals were recorded by Bella Blasko, Jonathan Low, James McAlister, Ben Lanz, and Jeremy Murphy. Dessner played synthesizers, piano, keyboards, guitar, electric guitar, percussion, bass guitar and acoustic guitar for the track.
Composition
At three minutes and three seconds long, "The Albatross" is an indie folk ballad, with a midtempo rhythm. Critics compared the song to Swift's previous albums – Reputation (2017) and Evermore (2020) due to its lyrical content and production. Miranda Siwak of Us Weekly pointed out that the song is named after a hotel that was allegedly the setting of a fire incident near a Coney Island in New York City, occurring in 1903.
"The Albatross" incorporates the albatross metaphor which originated from the 1798 poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, as well as a direct reference to William Shakespeare's tragedy, Romeo and Juliet in a line of the song. Swift starts the song in third-person as she compares herself to an albatross as both a representation of danger and burden, and a medium for salvation. Throughout the song, she warns her partner about the warnings and perceptions surrounding her, including advice from others discouraging the relationship due to concerns about its potential impact on his reputation and career. Swift inverts the metaphor in the final chorus and shifts to a first-person narration, reframing herself from a perceived threat into a protective figure: "So I crossed my thoughtless heart / Spread my wings like a parachute / I'm the albatross / I swept in at the rescue".
Swift's fans, Swifties, commented that her outfit during the 66th Annual Grammy Awards – a custom white strapless gown paired with black gloves – was a direct reference to "The Albatross".
Release and live performances
"The Albatross" was initially released as a bonus track as part of a physical edition of The Tortured Poets Department, which was temporarily available for pre-order on Swift's website and was released alongside the standard edition on April 19, 2024, under Republic Records. Two hours after the album's release, the song became available for streaming and digital download when a double album edition, subtitled The Anthology, was surprise-released with 31 songs; "The Albatross" is the album's 19th track.
Swift performed "The Albatross" for the first time on her Eras Tour, on June 29, 2024 at the Dublin stop, mashed-up with her song "Dancing with Our Hands Tied" (2017). It was performed again at the tour's Indianapolis show on November 1, 2024, mashed-up with her song "Holy Ground" (2012).
Critical reception and commercial performance
"The Albatross" was praised by several critics for its lyrical references and production. In Billboard's ranking of all 31 tracks of The Tortured Poets Department, "The Albatross" was placed 25th, with Jason Lipshutz highlighting the bridge and comparing the production to Swift's previous works Folklore and Evermore (2020). Similarly, The Hollywood Reporter journalist Ryan Fish described the song as "reminiscent of the identity she's previously taken on for songs like 'Blank Space'", ranking it at 19th. Craig Jenkins of Vulture commented on the song's "referential melodrama", stating the imagery of a woman locked in a tower may allude to the imprisonment of Mary, Queen of Scots.
In a ranking list of Swift's discography, Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone placed "The Albatross" at 215th.
"The Albatross" reached number 32 at the Billboard Global 200 as well as the national charts of the United States (number 30) and Canada (number 31).
Credits and personnel
Adapted from the liner notes of The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology
Recorded at Long Pond Studios, Hudson Valley
Bryce Dessner's orchestration recorded in Biarritz
Aaron Dessner's performance recorded at Long Pond Studios, Hudson Valley
Glenn Kotche's performance recorded at Narwhal Studios, Chicago
James McAlister's performance recorded at Adventureland Studios, Chicago
Benjamin Lanz's performance recorded in Paris, France
London Contemporary Orchestra's performance recorded at AIR Studios, London
Mixed at Mixstar Studios, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Mastered at Sterling Sound, Edgewater, New Jersey
Mastered for vinyl at Sterling Sound, Nashville, Tennessee
Musicians
London Contemporary Orchestra
Conductor – Robert Ames
First violin – Eloisa-Fleur Thom (leader), Sophie Mather, Marriane Haynes, Alicia Berendse, Anna de Bruin, Akiko Ishikawa, Nicole Crespo O'Donoghue, Julian Azkoul
Second violin – Emily Holland, Kirsty Mangan, Cara Laskaris, Ronald Long, Dan Oates, Iona Allan
Viola – Nicholas Bootiman, Matthew Kettle, Amy Swain, Elisa Bergersen, Morgan Goff
Cello – Brian O'Kane, Reinoud Ford, Max Ruisi, Abi Hyde-Smith
Double bass – Dave Brown, Chris Kelly, Sophie Roper
Percussion – George Barton