Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ Faces plagiarism Claims – but Experts Say Coincidence Is more Likely
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A wave of accusations alleging musical plagiarism has swept across the internet following the release of Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, last week. While initial comparisons between Swift’s new tracks – including the title track, “Actually Romantic,” and “Wood” – and existing songs were largely harmless, some have escalated into serious claims of copyright infringement. However, leading musicologists suggest that these similarities are likely coincidental, stemming from the inherent constraints of popular music composition.
The speed at which these comparisons surfaced is notable, fueled by social media and the album’s immediate popularity. Musicologist Joe bennett, in an interview with rolling Stone, explained that the reliance on common chord progressions and musical tropes in pop music makes accidental similarities almost inevitable.”Pop music operates within a fairly limited harmonic palette,” he said.”Because of this, and the fact that there are only so many ways to arrange notes, looping chord progressions.” This inherent structure, he argues, inevitably leads to occasional overlaps between songs.
“The Life of a Showgirl” vs. Jonas Brothers’ “Cool”
One of the most discussed comparisons involves the title track of Swift’s new album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” and the Jonas Brothers’ “Cool.” Bennett dismisses this claim as a “false flag,” asserting that a close listen reveals “most of the notes are diffrent and they use entirely different chord progressions.” The perceived similarity, he explains, likely stems from the shared use of similar keys and tempos.
“I would describe them as objectively dissimilar, and it’s easily possible that two separate songwriting teams could have arrived at these melodic choices independently of each other,” Bennett stated. He further noted that many of the notes are based on the fundamental building blocks of music – “literally, do-re-mi” – and “melodic coincidences happen.”
“Actually Romantic” vs. Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind”
The comparison between “Actually Romantic” and Pixies’ iconic track “Where Is My Mind” centers on a shared chord progression (E C#m G# A) and key center (E major). However, Bennett clarifies that there are “no similarities of topline melody, lyric, or any other part of the composition.” He acknowledges that songs utilizing the same chord progression will inevitably sound subjectively similar.
The I-vi-III-IV chord progression – (1 major, 6 minor, 3 major, 4 major) – isn’t unique, appearing in songs by artists like Ellie Goulding, Arctic Monkeys, Demi Lovato, and even Swift herself. “Taylor herself loves to re-use common chord progressions but always makes a fully original song out of them,” Bennett added.
“Wood” vs. The Jackson 5’s “I want You Back”
The accusation leveled against “Wood,” reportedly inspired by Travis Kelce, holds the least weight in Bennett’s assessment.He argues that the musical elements in question – specifically, the guitar licks – are commonplace within the funk and disco genres.
“Every funky guitar player knows licks like this,” Bennett explained, citing songs like Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” or “Shining Star,” Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” Bee Gees’ “Jive Talkin’,” and Taste of Honey’s “Boogie Oogie Oogie” as examples of similar production tropes and musical elements.
Ultimately, Bennett sees no basis for requiring Swift to add interpolation credits to her songs. “She’s just using commonplace musical elements and having fun with production tropes,” he concluded. He pointed to instances where Swift has intentionally interpolated other artists’ work,such as in “Look What You Made Me Do” and “Father Figure,” as evidence that she readily provides credit when appropriate.
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