Taylor Swift Name-Checks Charlie Puth on Tortured Poets Department — and the Internet Has So Many Thoughts

We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist,” the pop superstar sings on her new album’s title track

By Melody Chiu and Rachel DeSantis Published on April 19, 2024 12:33AM EDT

On The Tortured Poets Department’s title track, the Grammy winner, 34, cheekily ribs her paramour about his penchant for old-fashioned typewriters and for likening himself to legendary poets.

Swift includes an unexpected name drop early on, singing, “You smoked then ate seven bars of chocolate/ We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist.”

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Taylor Swift Name-Checks Charlie Puth on Tortured Poets Department — and the Internet Has So Many Thoughts
“We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist,” the pop superstar sings on her new album’s title track

By Melody Chiu and Rachel DeSantis Published on April 19, 2024 12:33AM EDT
taylor swift and charlie puth
Taylor Swift and Charlie Puth. PHOTO: MATT WINKELMEYER/GETTY; TAYLOR HILL/GETTY
Swifties were not ready for Taylor Swift to give Charlie Puth a shoutout on her latest album.

On The Tortured Poets Department’s title track, the Grammy winner, 34, cheekily ribs her paramour about his penchant for old-fashioned typewriters and for likening himself to legendary poets.

Swift includes an unexpected name drop early on, singing, “You smoked then ate seven bars of chocolate/ We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist.”

After Swift dropped the album, the internet had some thoughts about the lyric, ranging from confusion to gratitude.

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Over the years Puth has been open about his admiration for Swift, often covering her songs during his shows. “This is why she’s such a genius, man,” he said while performing her early hit “Teardrops on My Guitar” in 2021. “These are the chord changes. It’s wonderful. I think it’s wonderful.”

When Swift joined TikTok that same year, the singers also had a cute interaction on the platform after Puth welcomed his “fellow Sag.”