Taylor Swift, TTPD: Jack Antonoff vs Aaron Dessner's music and impact

Jack Antonoff vs Aaron Dessner: How Taylor Swift’s closest music collaborators influenced TTPD

By: Emmelyn Mah
Associate Digital Editor
Published: Apr 23, 2024 05:00 PM MYT
Jack Antonoff vs Aaron Dessner: How Taylor Swift’s closest music collaborators influenced <i>TTPD</i>
Lifestyle
Jack Antonoff vs Aaron Dessner: How Taylor Swift’s closest music collaborators influenced TTPD

The highly anticipated release of Taylor Swift’s TTPD (The Tortured Poets Department) has been nothing short of spectacular. From the shock announcement of a surprise double album to the explosion of TTPD discourse on social media, this past weekend has been an incredible ride of emotional highs and lows. A hot topic that has dominated the discourse: Jack Antonoff vs Aaron Dessner, and how their music influences can be heard on TTPD. 

Raise a hand if you’ve felt personally victimised by Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department this past weekend. While a few casual Swifties in want of reading classes have expressed disdain for the album and its lyrics, the numbers do not lie: The Tortured Poets Department has shattered records across Spotify and Apple Music, which once again proves and enthrones the incredible success and staying power of Taylor Swift. 

Taylor Swift’s TTPD shatters records on debut day 

On debut day, TTPD garnered over 313 million streams on Spotify, blowing the previous record holder out of the water. In case you’re curious, the previous record was also held by Swift for her 2022 album Midnights, which made history when it was streamed 184.6 million times in a single day. 

The shattering success of TTPD is not merely contained to Spotify; Apple Music has also declared the album its ‘biggest pop album of all time’, based on the number of streams it garnered upon debuting. In traditional sales, TTPD sold 1.4 million copies on release day, spread across CD, vinyl, cassette, and digital downloads in the United States alone, marking the biggest sales week Swift has ever achieved. Notably, her second-best sales week was charted upon the release of 1989 (Taylor’s Version), which sold 1.359 million copies. 

jack antonoff vs aaron dessner music taylor swift ttpd
Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, and Aaron Dessner have been close collaborators in music numerous albums, and recently worked together on TTPD. (Image: @TSwiftNZ/X)

With the all-encompassing success of The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift also marked another notch in the dazzling register of her career by becoming Spotify’s most-streamed artist in a single day. The lead single of TTPD, Fortnight (feat. Post Malone), also became the platform’s most-streamed song in a single day, with Swifties and casual listeners alike lauding the singers’ inaugural collaboration. 

On YouTube, the music video for Fortnight has garnered 27.7 million views, featuring extraordinary cinematography, editing, and storytelling. Swift and Post star as the ‘tortured poets‘ alongside actors Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles of Dead Poets Society (1989) acclaim, further celebrating the album’s intrinsic themes. 

The Tortured Poets Department has also become the first album in the world to broach 1 billion streams within three days of its release. In terms of the numbers, Swift’s well-deserved path to yet another chart-topping success appears inevitable — but what tracks are pulling the most weight in driving the figures? 

A story of distinct styles: Breaking down the tracks of TTPD: TA and beyond 

While it can certainly take more than a single listen to identify one’s favourite on any given album (particularly when it is a masterpiece of 31 unskippable tracks), popular hits from TTPD : TA have now emerged in the form of Spotify’s streaming data. 

To date, the song on TTPD:TA with the most streams is Fortnight, which was written collaboratively by Swift and Post, along with Swift’s longtime collaborator and friend Jack Antonoff. Produced by Antonoff and Swift, the song garnered close to 52 million streams in its first three days, dominating Spotify’s streaming chart for the duration. Written and produced by the dynamic duo of Swift and Antonoff, Down Bad has likewise emerged as a fan favourite. Despite ranking third with 17.3 million streams on debut day, it went on to scale the charts over the weekend, garnering 34.9 million streams in three days. 

Third in place is the album’s titular track, The Tortured Poets Department, which garnered 30.8 million streams in its first three days. Also written and produced by Swift and Antonoff, the track is a testament to their songwriting prowess, displaying the musical genius that the pair have come to be recognised for. 

In spite of Antonoff’s longstanding collaborative relationship with Swift, listeners on social media have bemoaned his signature synth-pop touch on her music. Across TikTok and X (formerly Twitter), listeners expressed their belief that Antonoff was holding Swift back. The most zealous of this set have even gone so far as to add that his musical arrangements were ‘lacklustre’ and ‘repetitive’, recalling his work on Midnights, which include bops like Lavender Haze, Midnight Rain, and Anti-Hero among others. Yet, Antonoff’s power with the beat extends beyond the dreamy, synth-rich tracks of Swift’s 2022 album. 

The Bleachers frontman first began working with Swift on 1989, in which he co-wrote and produced Out Of The Woods, You Are In Love, and I Wish You Would. He went on to work with Swift on Reputation, Lover, Folklore, and Evermore, and likewise received writing and producing credits on her re-recorded albums Fearless (Taylor’s Version), Red (Taylor’s Version), Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), and 1989 (Taylor’s Version). 

Through it all, Antonoff has displayed a keen understanding of sound, from the softer nuanced notes of The Lakes to the high-octave, high-energy beats of Cruel Summer. Other fan-favourite bops that Antonoff has worked on include the iconic Look What You Made Me Do, Getaway Car, Paper Rings, Cornelia Street, Daylight, My Tears Ricochet, and I Don’t Wanna Live Forever. 

In stark contrast, fans have lauded the involvement of Aaron Dessner in TTPD: TA. Dessner, who has made a name for himself in the alternative music sphere as a founding member of The National, is yet another longtime collaborator who first began working with Swift for Folklore in 2020, for which he is credited as both a writer and producer. Dessner continued to work alongside Swift and Antonoff for Evermore and Midnights, and is responsible for bringing a gentler and folksier alternative vibe to the songstress’ expansive catalogue. 

Among his songs, Dessner can count hits like You’re Losing Me, The Great War, The 1, Right Where You Left Me, Champagne Problems, and others to be his own. His golden touch is evident throughout Swift’s discography, and likewise, in The Tortured Poets Department, where his songwriting genius shines across numerous fan-favourite tracks. 

Most notably, Dessner worked on So Long, London, which is the fifth track in The Tortured Poets Department. A longstanding theory amongst Swifties posits that the fifth spot is reserved for the most gutting song of each album, and So Long, London, does not break with that tradition. The song garnered 17 million streams on debut, eventually racking up 33.75 million streams in its first three days. 

Dessner also brought his brooding musical quality to the scathing ballad that is The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived, which garnered 10.8 million streams on release day. Over the weekend, the track went on to rack up an impressive 21.7 million streams. Yet another song that Dessner worked on with Swift was loml, a mournful ballad that speaks to anyone who has ever lost a relationship that seemed destined in the stars to succeed. On debut day, loml charted at 12th place in Spotify’s top-played songs, garnering 12 million streams; in its first three days, it received a total of 23.5 million streams. 

Jack Antonoff vs Aaron Dessner and how their distinctive music styles have influenced Taylor Swift’s TTPD 

In the face of critique, true Swifties have risen to the defense of Antonoff, who has noticeably (and unfairly) caught flack on social media. In songwriting and production, both Antonoff and Dessner have proven their prowess. It would not be wrong if one were to assume that Swift’s choice to continue working with the duo is due to their expertise in specific genres, thus rendering the Jack Antonoff vs Aaron Dessner argument in Swift’s music completely moot. 

While there are notable intersections between the genres most frequented by Antonoff and Dessner, the former is most known for his work with alternative/indie rock band Fun, and indie and synth-pop band Bleachers, which recently performed at Coachella 2024. Echoing his colourful personality, Antonoff’s sound boasts depth and range; his musical journey with Swift has taken the duo through numerous genres, including pop, bubblegum pop, synth-pop, electropop, country, and indie/alternative. 

In The Tortured Poets Department, Antonoff returns to the groundwork he and Swift first laid together in Midnights, exploring dreamy synths and cheerful beats (“You know you’re good when you can even do it with a broken heart!“). Despite casual listeners’ determination to disprove his magical touch, Antonoff is a collaborator well worth his salt, and Swift certainly considers his input essential to her music. 

Of equal importance to the thriving catalogue of Taylor Swift is Aaron Dessner, who boasts an incredible discography as part of indie alternative/indie rock and folk rock band The National. Most notably, The National has received widespread acclaim, garnering a loyal fanbase for their music which has appeared in many television shows and movies. The band’s cover of The Rains of Castemere for Game of Thrones caught public attention; beyond that, their songs have also been featured in Warm Bodies (2011), Friday Night Lights (2006–11), and Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist (2008) among others. 

Dessner’s Electric Touch (Yes, he produced that) in The Tortured Poets Department is most notable in soft ballads and gentle melodies recalling Swift’s earlier Folklore and Evermore eras. His inimitable expertise in producing alternative/indie sounds lent themselves to The Anthology portion of The Tortured Poets Department; within the extra 15 tracks, Dessner is credited as a writer and producer on 12, including the internet-breaking country song thanK you aIMee, on which he worked with Antonoff and Swift.  

Other tracks on TTPD and TTPD: TA that have benefitted from Dessner’s touch include The Albatross (indie/electronic), The Bolter (folk pop, indie folk), Cassandra (folk pop, gothic folk, indie pop), and The Prophecy (folk pop). 

With the impact of these two standout musicians on Taylor Swift’s music in TTPD laid bare, it’s clear to see that the argument of Jack Antonoff vs Aaron Dessner holds no water. Thankfully, despite the ramblings of a select few on social media, the streaming numbers tell a different tale, one in which the musicians are not pitted against one another — but rightfully celebrated for their work and the role they have played in bringing Swift’s incredible music to life. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

– Which songs did Jack produce on TTPD? 

Jack Antonoff produced many tracks on Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department (TTPD). Among them are Fortnight, The Tortured Poets Department, My Boy Only Breaks His Favourite Toys, Down Bad, But Daddy I Love Him, Fresh Out The Slammer, Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me, and more. 

– Are Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff still friends? 

Yes, Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff are still friends, and the duo worked on The Tortured Poets Department together. Alongside Aaron Dessner, Jack Antonoff has posted congratulations to Taylor Swift for the successful release of TTPD. 

– What songs did Aaron Dessner produce on The Tortured Poets Department? 

Like Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner has also produced numerous tracks on The Tortured Poets Department. These include So Long, London, loml, The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived, Clara Bow, The Albatross, The Prophecy, Cassandra, Peter, The Bolter, Robin, and The Manuscript, among others. 

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Jack Antonoff vs Aaron Dessner: How Taylor Swift’s closest music collaborators influenced <i>TTPD</i>

Emmelyn Mah

Associate Digital Editor

Emmelyn curates and creates content in Kuala Lumpur, where she's spent the past decade building a portfolio comprising copy and video spanning print and digital platforms. Endlessly fascinated with cookbooks, interior design, aesthetics, and video games, she is also an ardent foodie - a lemon tart, lychee martini, and latte enthusiast. Her favourite animal is the common wombat. She's written one award winning cookbook.

 

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