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He is tormented by her music.
Pet Shop Boys lead singer Neil Tennant is no Swiftie as he recently attacked Taylor Swift following the release of her album The Tortured Poets Department.
“She fascinates me as something of a phenomenon because she’s so popular,” Tennant, 69, said while speaking at Guardian Live’s “An Evening with Pet Shop Boys” event in London on Monday, according to the Independent.
“I like everything, but then I think, ‘Where are the famous songs?’ What’s Taylor Swift’s Billie Jean like?’
He continued, “’Shake it off’? But is it? I was listening to this the other day and it’s not “Billie Jean”.
Swift, 34, released her 11th studio album on April 19, which features a whopping 31 new songs featuring a slew of ex-boyfriends, including Joe Alwyn, Matty Healy and John Mayer.
Swift fans often theorize who she’s writing about with her lyrics and easter eggs. She and Healy, 35, dated briefly last summer after her six-year relationship with Alvin, 33, ended. She has also previously written about Mayer, 46, Harry Styles, Jake Gyllenhaal, Calvin Harris and more.
In her latest song, she also added love songs for her current boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
“To have a successful pop career now, you have to have a series of relationships that are amazing and then fall apart tragically,” Tennant said. “I wonder how the other half of the relationship feels about this.”
Although Tennant noted that Swift’s music “brings people together”, he insisted that “the only disappointing thing is the music, not the lyrics”.
He concluded: “People don’t write songs like Karma Chameleon anymore.” (Culture Club dropped “Karma Chameleon” in 1983.)
Here’s what you need to know about Taylor Swift’s new album The Tortured Poets Department:
- The 14-time Grammy winner released her long-awaited 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, on Friday.
- Swift sent her fans into a frenzy at 2am after revealing the record was a double album. Titled “The Anthology,” Swift’s surprise night features 15 bonus tracks, bringing the total to 31.
- Swift originally unveiled her 16-song album at midnight, including a two-song collaboration with Post Malone and Florence Welch. There are also four bonus tracks, “The Manuscript,” “The Bolter,” “The Albatross,” and “The Black Dog,” which are included on various vinyl versions of the album. The four tracks, as well as 11 new songs, are included in the “Anthology”.
- A poem about heartbreak that serves as the album’s prologue was written by Fleetwood Mac alumnus Stevie Nicks.
- There are several celebrity names in the album’s lyrics, the mention of singer Charlie Puth’s name surprised some Swifties.
- While some of Swift’s exes aren’t spared on “TTPD,” the singer, 34, appears to refer to her current boyfriend Travis Kelce on the new album’s song “The Alchemy” in a loving way.
- As for her exes, 1975 frontman Matty Healy is reportedly referenced throughout the 31-song record. In fact, Healy – who before their summer split was a rekindled romance for the pop superstar following her split from British actor Joe Alwyn after six years – appears to be the subject of a vicious takedown of The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived. However, other fans may speculate that the “sparkling summer” line is for Alvin. There are also hints that ‘I Can Fix It (No Really Can)’ – gotta love that title – could be about 35-year-old Healy.
- As for Alwyn, Swift alludes to the couple’s ill-fated 6-year romance for a good — or, for him, not so good — part of the album. Check out the 10 Alwyn-related references we spotted.
- Read The Post’s review of The Tortured Poets Department here.
- Shop Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department Special Vinyl Edition at Target.
- Buy The Tortured Poets Department special edition Ghosted White 2 LP set now.
The 1975 frontman, for his part, did share his feelings about The Tortured Poets Department, claiming he still hadn’t listened to it. Healy was asked by paparazzi about his ex and how he would “rate” his “Taylor Diss song” while in LA on Wednesday.
Songs ostensibly about Healy include the album’s title track, “Fortnight” and “Florida!!!”
“My diss song? Oh!” he then replied. “I haven’t heard that much from him, but I’m sure it’s good.”
Swift’s latest record has already broken records, selling 1.4 million copies in its first day.
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