Does good art need inner turmoil? Taylor Swift’s newest album breaks the mould with a breezy, joyful feel. But some critics think in shedding her sadness she has also lost her way.
How Taylor Swift smashed her own records
Record release: In just three days, Swift achieved the UK's biggest first-week album sales since Ed Sheeran's Divide in 2017. Glossary
Iron law - A controlling principle.
Behemoth - Originally a monster described in the Bible, today the term is used to describe anything large, unwieldy and potentially dangerous.
Turmoil - A state of great confusion. The word was originally a verb meaning to agitate.
Charli XCX - A British singer, songwriter and DJ who first became popular in the early 2010s before a hugely successful album Brat in the 2020s.
Triumphalist - Showing boastful pride.
Melancholy - A feeling of sadness.
Vincent van Gogh - A Dutch artist who painted The Starry Night in 1889 while staying in a French mental asylum after suffering a breakdown. He died by suicide the following year.
Despondency - Low spirits due to a lack of hope.
Poignant - Causing sharp feelings of sadness.