“I was moved to be mentioned”— Patti Smith responds to mention on Taylor Swift‘s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ title track

Taylor Swift's latest studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, was just released on April 19. In the title track of her new album, Swift name-dropped singer, poet, and author Patti Smith, along with Welsh poet and writer Dylan Thomas. Smith took to Instagram to show her appreciation. She shared a photo of her reading Dylan Thomas' work and wrote:

"I was moved to be mentioned in the company of the great Welsh poet Dylan Thomas."

The Tortured Poets Department is Taylor Swift's eleventh studio album. The album is already making waves on streaming platforms, as right upon its release, it broke Spotify's record for the most-streamed album in a single day, and Swift became the most-streamed artist in a single day in the platform's history.

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Patti Smith, Dylan Thomas, and the Chelsea Hotel find themselves in Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department

Patti Smith expressed her gratitude towards Taylor Swift (Image via Instagram/@taylorswift, @pattismith)

The title track for Taylor Swift's 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department, sees Swift singing about a relationship that she describes as a "cyclone" with a person whom she describes as a "tattooed golden retriever." In the chorus of the song, she compares both of them to Patti Smith and Dylan Thomas and even mentions the Chelsea Hotel.

Swift asks the person who was going to hold them like she does and who was going to love them if not for her. The chorus continues:

"I laughed in your face and said, 'You’re not Dylan Thomas, I’m not Patti Smith'/ This ain’t the Chelsea Hotel/ We’re modern idiots."

Swift further sings:

"Who’s going to hold you like me? Nobody. No f**king body. Nobody."

Patti Smith, a legendary singer, songwriter, and poet herself, quite liked Swift referencing her alongside an iconic poet like Dylan Thomas. She shared an Instagram post of her reading Dylan Thomas' Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog. The 77-year-old captioned her post:

"This is saying I was moved to be mentioned in the company of the great Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. Thank you Taylor. @taylorswift."

Patti Smith is an American author, poet, and singer/songwriter known for her merging of rock music and poetry. Smith's debut studio album, Horses, is widely recognized as one of the most influential punk rock records of all time. The album peaked at 47 on the United States Billboard 200.

Patti Smith is known for her blend of poetry and rock (Image via Instagram/@thisispattismith)

Horses even made it to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2021. Back in 2010, Smith, who received four Grammy nominations throughout her career, landed the 47th position on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Smith is also a prolific author; her 2010 memoir Just Kids won the National Book Award.

Dylan Thomas is a legendary Welsh poet who was born in Swansea in 1914. The official Dylan Thomas website describes him as one of the "finest poets" that the world has ever seen. According to the Poetry Foundation, Thomas shot to fame due to his "acutely lyrical and emotional poetry" and unstable personal life.

Thomas' work is considered an extension of 20th-century romanticism. His work presented charged emotions, with an emphasis on intuition and imagination complimented by vivid imagery.

The 12-story Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan is a well-known destination for prominent artists, authors, writers, and socialites. Dylan Thomas passed away in 1953 while staying at the Chelsea Hotel. Patti Smith moved into the hotel back in 1969.

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The Tortured Poets Department is Taylor Swift's latest studio album, released promptly after the immense success of The Eras Tour movie and Midnights, which sold a whopping 1.6 million copies. Initially, the album launched with 16 tracks but was later joined by 15 more.