"Fortnight" by Taylor Swift & Post Malone // Record Store Day 2025 Exclusive White Vinyl 7" Single

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And for a fortnight, there we were forever đŸ€ Happy Record Store Day! I have always loved collecting Taylor Swift's music on vinyl and I was so excited when it was announced she was releasing a new 7" single for Record Store Day! To celebrate one of the biggest events of the year for independent record stores, Taylor and Post Malone released a special 7" copy of their song "Fortnight". Post Malone was also the Record Store Day ambassador this year, and this is one of two special pressings he released to celebrate it.  

I love this song and all that it represents for the emotionally intense 31 track masterpiece The Tortured Poets Department. The themes present within this song thread through the rest of the album so intricately. The true power of this song lies in its subtlety. Its lyrical connections and narrative echoes only fully reveal themselves after spending significant time immersed in the music. It's a powerful testament to the album's layered and thoughtful artistry.

Anytime Taylor releases something, its obviously a very big deal, but her Record Store Day exclusive vinyl are always especially sought after collector's items. An interesting detail about this release that I haven't seen before is that there were never any official numbers provided on how many were pressed for the event. Usually, every Record Store Day release on the list includes this information upon its announcement. I imagine the production number was very high, likely well over 100,000 copies or more. I really appreciate that though, as it allows more fans to buy a copy without having to pay the outrageous resale prices that some of her past RSD releases have gone for.

I'm very happy to add this record to my collection, it was among my most anticipated releases of the year! My dad and I waited in line for about two hours to grab our RSD essentials, it was one of the busiest years at our local store, but was well worth the wait. Thankfully they had plenty of copies for everyone! Record Store Day is one of my favorite days of the year and it has been such a fun tradition that we always look forward to!

The "Fortnight" 7" vinyl is a beautiful white pressing, which aligns perfectly with the aesthetics of this era. The cover is also stunning, I always loved that scene of the music video where Taylor and Post are laying surrounded by pieces of paper filled with their respective tortured poetry, which forms her silhouette.

The back of the cover features three cute photos of Taylor and Post, which were taken when they recorded the song together. The inner sleeve is also printed with the repetition of the moving lyric: "I love you, it's ruining my life", which is the phrase that the entire record is based around from that point forward. A similar repetitive motif of that lyric was also incorporated into the design of one of her costumes from The Eras Tour as well. 

Side A features the standard version of "Fortnight", which of course is so beautiful and sounds amazing. Side B features the BLOND:ISH remix, which is the first time it is available on vinyl. While I will almost always prefer the original version of Taylor's songs to any of the remixes she releases, I do think this one featured on the vinyl was well done and brought a new energy to the production. It's a lot higher energy than the original, which doesn't necessarily fit the tone for the rest of the album, but is fun for a one-off special for a release like this.

"Fortnight" is the opening song on The Tortured Poets Department that sets the scene for a time in the distant future. It is written almost as if this is what she imagines her reflections of the turbulent time in her life in which she wrote the album will be one day. While the relationship that is the focus of much of this album was brief in hindsight, it felt like forever in the moment. In "Fortnight", she looks into a future where they both have moved on with other people and "turned into good neighbors", but acknowledges that a part of her will always want to be with him instead and resents him for that. "I love you, it's ruining my life", Taylor repeatedly sings throughout the song. If there was one lyric to sum up the entire album, it would be that. It's not the most poetically written or complex from the record, but it simply captures the contrast in the all-encompassing emotions she battles throughout. That same sentiment is echoed by Post Malone, representing the male perspective in the story. His feature is very subtle, at least until the end, but his voice in the back really 

This song also served as the lead single for the album, which was accompanied by a stunning music video that brought all of the emotions and lyrical symbolism to life. It wasn't the obvious choice for the lead single, but it is a much-needed introduction into The Tortured Poets universe and set the tone for the rest of the songs to come.

At an iHeart Radio album premiere, Taylor opened up about the meaning behind "Fortnight," sharing her thoughts on how it reflects the overarching themes of the album. She explained, "'Fortnight' is a song that I think really exhibits a lot of the common themes that run throughout this album, one of which is fatalism; longing, pining away, lost dreams." She added that the album as a whole carries a very dramatic tone, saying, "There are lots of lines about life or death and 'I love you, it's ruining my life'. These are very hyperbolic, dramatic things to say. But it's that kind of album. It's about a dramatic, artistic, tragic take on love and loss."

Taylor went on to describe how she envisioned "Fortnight" taking place in an American town where dreams didn't quite come true. "You ended up not with the person that you loved, and now you have to just live with that every day, wondering what could've been, maybe seeing them around… and that's a pretty tragic concept, really." This perspective really highlights the song's deeply emotional and reflective nature, which she continues to expand on throughout the rest of the album. 



Thanks for reading! I have written about Taylor's music countless times over the years, particularly some of my favorite pieces from my ever-growing record collection of her music. All of them are linked here and below, including overviews of her past RSD releases like; folklore: the long pond studio sessions, "the lakes" 7" single and more. Last year I also wrote a veryyyy in-depth review of The Tortured Poets Department, which I would love for you to read too. Many more are coming soon always! ♡

Make sure to support your local record stores and shop small when you can! Check out more of my Record Store Day posts here, including another new addition from this year: "Guess" by Charli xcx and Billie Eilish.



All photos are my own!



Lover by Taylor Swift // 5 Year Anniversary Album Review

Taylor Swift: Storyteller // Exhibit at Museum of Arts and Design in New York City!






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