Punk legend Patti Smith has referenced Taylor Swift’s namecheck of her in ‘The Tortured Poets Department’, at a recent show in Dublin. On the song, Swift references Smith, Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, and Manhattan’s Chelsea Hotel. Smith alluded to the title track of one of the year’s most successful records to cheers from the crowd. Shortly after the song’s release, Smith responded with a social media post in which she was seen reading a book of Thomas’ poetry.
Smith is one of the high-profile figures name-checked on ‘The Tortured Poets Department’: ‘Lucy’ is thought to reference Lucy Dacus, one third of boygenius, ‘Guilty As Sin?’ shouts out The Blue Nile, and ‘thanK you aIMee’ is speculated to be aimed at Kim Kardashian. At the same Dublin show, Smith played a cover of Lana Del Rey’s ‘Summertime Sadness’, appearing visibly emotional as she dedicated the track to her late husband and MC5 member Fred Smith.
Swift is not the only artist to have expressed admiration for Smith in recent months. In May, Garbage’s Shirley Manson described her as “one of the touchstones in my life” who had inspired her “as a human being and as an artist”
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