"I Can Do It with a Broken Heart"
Song by Taylor Swift
from the album The Tortured Poets Department
ReleasedApril 19, 2024 (2024-04-19)
Genre
Length3:38
LabelRepublic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Taylor Swift
  • Jack Antonoff
Lyric video
"I Can Do It with a Broken Heart" on YouTube

"I Can Do It with a Broken Heart" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift from her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department (2024). Swift wrote and produced the song with Jack Antonoff. An upbeat electropop and dance-pop track, "I Can Do It with a Broken Heart" incorporates house elements, percolating synth arpeggios, and a dance-friendly bubblegum beat.

The song's lyrics reflect her tumultuous state of mind while on the early run of her Eras Tour in 2023, claiming that she was going through a heartbreak while having to show up professionally to perform. Some critics considered the track a standout on the album, highlighting its upbeat production. Others considered the lyrics insubstantial.

Background and release

Taylor Swift started working on The Tortured Poets Department immediately after she submitted her tenth studio album, Midnights, to Republic Records for release in 2022. She continued working on it in secrecy throughout the US leg of the Eras Tour in 2023.[1] The album's conception took place around the time the media reported that Swift's six-year relationship with the English actor Joe Alwyn had ended, which was also when she was on the early run of her Eras Tour.[2] She described The Tortured Poets Department as her "lifeline" album which she "really needed" to make.[3] Republic Records released it on April 19, 2024;[4] "I Can Do It with a Broken Heart" is 13th on the track list.[5]

Music and lyrics

Swift wrote and produced "I Can Do It with a Broken Heart" with Jack Antonoff, who programmed the track and played the drums, piano, and synthesizer. The track was recorded by Laura Sisk and Oli Jacobs, who provided background vocals, percussion, and a spoken word.[6] "I Can Do It with a Broken Heart" is an upbeat electropop[5][7] and dance-pop song.[8] Its incorporation of house elements[9] and a bubblegum, dance-friendly beat is a contrast to the album's predominantly moody atmosphere.[10][11] It is instrumented by percolating synth arpeggios.[12][13] Critics compared the song's production to Swift's 2022 track "Mastermind"[12][14] and the music of other artists such as Robyn[15] or the Pet Shop Boys.[13]

The song is lyrically a "pep talk" to oneself about persevering in the face of being a public figure despite personal heartbreak.[16] Joel Calfee of Harper's Bazaar considered it to be a "deceptively upbeat" song, wherein "Swift gets candid about what it was like to perform through the heartbreak".[17] Music journalists suggested "I Can Do It with a Broken Heart" discusses Swift's need to hide her negative emotions regarding the breakup while performing on her tour ("All the pieces of me shattered as the crowd was chanting 'more'.").[7][18][19][20] Will Harris of Q wrote that the lyrics showcased "romantic confusion and heartbreak", citing the lyrics, "I'm so depressed, I act like it's my birthday every day/ I'm so obsessed with him, but he avoids me like the plague."[21]

Critical reception

Variety gave the song a positive review in its review of the parent album, considering it to be the album's climax and suggested it was "sure to be one of the most talked-about and replayed tracks".[22] In a ranking of all 31 tracks of The Anthology edition of The Tortured Poets Department, Billboard ranked the song in eighth place, considering the song "rollicking, snarky and strikingly funny".[12] Clash's Lauren Webb described the track as "triumphantly-erupting".[23] Josh Kurp of Uproxx selected "I Can Do It with a Broken Heart" as one of the album's "strong songs",[24] while Alex Hudson from Exclaim! opined that its production makes it the only track that stands out on the album.[10] Jonathan Keefe of Slant Magazine opined that the song was a "viable radio [hit]".[25]

Writing for The Guardian, Laura Snapes considered the lyric "lights, camera, bitch smile" to be "meme-worthy" and "makes clear why she wanted [her music] back on TikTok."[13] In NME, Laura Molloy deemed "I Can Do It with a Broken Heart" "poised for internet virality than anything more substantial".[26] Olivia Horn from Pitchfork similarly suggested that the lyrics were "versed in memespeak" and the music was too familiar to Swift and Antonoff's past collaborations.[14] By contrast, Tom Breihan of Stereogum wrote that the song showcased "a musical energy and inventiveness" that suggested a new path for Swift's artistry, praising the vocals and keyboard instrumentation.[9]

Personnel

References

  1. ^ Blistein, Jon (February 7, 2024). "Taylor Swift Reveals Tortured Poets Department Back Up Plan In Case She Didn't Win a Grammy". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  2. ^ Sisario, Ben (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's Tortured Poets Arrives With a Promotional Blitz". The New York Times. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  3. ^ Bonner, Mehera (February 16, 2024). "Taylor Swift Reveals Bonus Track Title and New Album Cover for The Tortured Poets Department". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  4. ^ "As The Tortured Poets Department drops, here's all Taylor Swift's albums ranked by sales". Music Week. April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Ruggieri, Melissa (April 19, 2024). "The most Taylor Swift song ever: 'I Can Do it With a Broken Heart'". USA Today. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  6. ^ "The Tortured Poets Department / Taylor Swift". Tidal. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Wood, Mikael (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift turns heel, owning her chaos and messiness on The Tortured Poets Department". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  8. ^ Exposito, Suzy (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department – And Its Surprise Companion, The Anthology – Mine The Darkness To Pop Perfection". British Vogue. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (April 19, 2024). "Premature Evaluation: Taylor Swift The Tortured Poets Department". Stereogum. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Hudson, Alex (April 22, 2024). "Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department Is Full of Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 23, 2024.
  11. ^ Viswanath, Jake (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's 'I Can Do It With A Broken Heart' Is A Dance Anthem". Bustle. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Lipschutz, Jason (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department: All 31 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c Snapes, Laura (April 19, 2024). "Breakups, fantasies and her most cutting lyrics: inside Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department". The Guardian. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Horn, Olivia (April 22, 2024). "Taylor Swift: The Tortured Poets Department / The Anthology Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  15. ^ Willman, Chris (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift Renews Her Vows With Heartbreak in Audacious, Transfixing Tortured Poets Department: Album Review". Variety. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  16. ^ Bologna, Caroline (April 19, 2024). "This New Taylor Swift Song Hits On A Relatable Breakup Urge". HuffPost. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  17. ^ Calfee, Joel (April 19, 2024). "Every Reference Taylor Swift Makes to Joe Alwyn on The Tortured Poets Department". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  18. ^ Partridge, Ken (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift Describes The Highs & Lows Of The Eras Tour On New Song 'I Can Do It With A Broken Heart'". Genius. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  19. ^ Petridis, Alexis (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift: The Tortured Poets Department Review – Fame, Fans and Former Flames in the Line of Fire". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  20. ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's New Album, The Tortured Poets Department, Could Use an Editor: Review". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 20, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  21. ^ Harris, Will (April 19, 2024). "First Impressions: Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department Is Every Bit the Epic Affair It Was Expected to Be". Q. Archived from the original on April 21, 2024. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  22. ^ "Taylor Swift Renews Her Vows With Heartbreak in Audacious, Transfixing 'Tortured Poets Department': Album Review". Variety. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  23. ^ Webb, Lauren (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department". Clash. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  24. ^ Kurp, Josh (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department Isn't The Breakup Album You Were Expecting—It's Better". Uproxx. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  25. ^ Keefe, Jonathan (April 22, 2024). "Taylor Swift The Tortured Poets Department Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  26. ^ Molloy, Laura (April 19, 2024). "Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department Review: A Rare Misstep". NME. Archived from the original on April 19, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
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