Patti Smith reacts to Taylor Swift name-dropping her on The Tortured Poets Department track: ‘I was moved’

Rock legend Patti Smith shared her reaction to being named-dropped on Taylor Swift’s latest record, The Tortured Poets Department, which came out on April 19.

After learning her name was included on the the title track of the pop star’s 11th studio album, in the same verse as Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, the singer, 77, shared a gracious message directly to Swift.

‘This is saying I was moved to be mentioned in the company of the great Welsh poet Dylan Thomas,’ she captioned two black and white photos of herself reading a copy of Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog by Thomas. ‘Thank you, Taylor.’

In the images, Smith can be smiling while reading her book on a cozy chair as she rocked her hair in two braids. 

She was nodding to Swift’s lyrics on The Tortured Poets Department, in which she sings; ‘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.’ 

Smith previously defended Swift when discussing the 11-time Grammy winner’s level of fame. 

‘She’s a pop star who’s under tremendous scrutiny all the time, and one can’t imagine what that’s like,’ she told The New York Times in 2019.

The Dancing Barefoot hitmaker continued: ‘It’s unbelievable to not be able to go anywhere, do anything, have messy hair. And I’m sure that she’s trying to do something good. She’s not trying to do something bad. And if it influences some of her avid fans to open up their thoughts, what does it matter?’ 

Swift made a number of references to poets past and present as well as other musical artists, like Charlie Puth and Stevie Nicks.

Nicks even wrote a poem, which became the written prologue on the record.

The Fleetwood Mac artist, 75, who penned the work in Austin, Texas on August 13, 2023, titled the poem, For T and me. 

The poem reads: ‘He was in love with her / Or at least she thought so / She was brokenhearted / Maybe he was too.’

The work from Nicks makes reference to a pair of star-crossed lovers, who she described as one ‘way too hot to handle’ and one ‘way too high to try,’ according to the outlet.

Nicks told TODAY.com last fall that she feels her honesty in her artistry has rubbed off on Swift.

‘I never don’t tell the truth,’ Nicks said. ‘And I think that’s something that if Taylor Swift, who is my friend, if Taylor got anything from me, that’s what she got. I don’t ever lie in my songs – and if you broke up with me, I don’t put I broke up with you. I tell the truth, always.’

Swift, 34, and Nicks have past performed together, belting out the songs You Belong with Me and Rhiannon at the 2010 Grammys. Swift went on to say performing alongside Nicks was a ‘fairy tale and an honor,’ according to People.

Nicks, who does not perform on the record, was also referenced in Swift’s lyrics in the album on the track Clara Bow, with the lyrics: ‘You look like Stevie Nicks in ‘75, the hair and lips/ Crowd goes wild at her fingertips, half moonshine, a full eclipse.’

Swift also mentioned Puth, 32, on the title track The Tortured Poets Department with the lyrics, ‘You smoked then ate seven bars of chocolate/ We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist.’

Another potential pop reference on the album came with the track But Daddy I Love Him, which some fans interpreted as a reference to dialogue from The Little Mermaid between Ariel and King Triton over Prince Eric, according to Today.com.

The track consisted of Swift narrating in contrast to what the other messages in the song, saying, ‘I just learned these people only raise you just to cage you.’

On Friday, Swift dropped The Tortured Poets Department. The album has a total of four versions, as well as 16 songs and a bonus track titled The Manuscript.

The title of her latest work had caused fans to speculate that the name was aimed at her ex, Joe Alwyn, 33. And earlier this week, Swift appeared to reference the actor as she shared lyrics from the album on X.

Hours before the album dropped, Swift revealed that the album’s lead single would be Fortnight featuring rapper/singer Post Malone.