Patti Smith reacts to Taylor Swift mentioning her on 'The Tortured Poets Department'

Swift's new album mentions a few big names in several songs.

April 22, 2024, 3:21 PM

Patti Smith is thanking Taylor Swift for mentioning her on her new album, "The Tortured Poets Department."

Over the weekend, the legendary singer, poet and author shared an Instagram post saying she was "moved" by the name drop.

"This is / saying I was / moved to be / mentioned in / the company of the great / Welsh poet / Dylan Thomas," Smith wrote in the caption of a post featuring a black and white photo of her holding the book "Dylan Thomas: Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog."

"Thank you Taylor," she added.

Smith's name is mentioned in the lyrics of Swift's title track, "The Tortured Poets Department."

Patti Smith attends "Horses: Patti Smith and Her Band" - 2018 Tribeca Film Festival at Beacon Theatre on April 23, 2018 in New York City, and Taylor Swift attends the 66th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 04, 2024 in Los Angeles.
Theo Wargo and Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images, FILE

In the song, Swift sings, "And who's gonna know you, if not me? / 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.'"

Thomas, a 20th century Welsh poet, is known for the poem, "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night."

This cover image released by Republic Records show "The Tortured Poets Department" by Taylor Swift.
Republic Records via AP

Along with Smith and Thomas, others mentioned on Swift's new album, which was released on April 19, include singer-songwriter Charlie Puth ("The Tortured Poets Department"), the Scottish band The Blue Nile ("Guilty as Sin?"), and silent film star Clara Bow ("Clara Bow"). "Clara Bow" also includes a mention of Fleetwood Mac singer Stevie Nicks.

Since the release of Swift's new album, it has broken several records, including becoming the most streamed album in a single day in Spotify history, according to the streaming platform.

The album also became the first in Spotify's history to crack 300 million streams in a single day, and Swift's song "Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)," became Spotify's most streamed song in a single day on April 19.

ABC News' Mason Leib contributed to this report.

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