The Taylor Swift Effect: Swifties Swarm To London Pub Name-Checked In New Album

When Taylor Swift mentions a place in her songs, it is bound to become famous. Was there ever any doubt? We think not. Something similar happened when the pop icon named a song The Black Dog in her latest album, The Tortured Poets Department. As soon as the track was out, Swifties made a bee-line to The Black Dog Pub in London. According to a report by The Independent, Amy Cowley, the marketing consultant for The Black Dog Pub, stated, “Last night we were turning people away because we were at total mass capacity. We're expecting a lot more. We're all hands on deck, getting more team members in, getting security at the door to help manage the big crowds.”

“We've been really excited about the whole thing. We've got people on the team who are definitely Swifties and they alerted us to it before anything. To now get that sort of international level of recognition is surreal but it's lots of fun. It's been a bit of a whirlwind, but we're enjoying it.,” Amy Cowley added. 

In case you're curious, here are the lyrics of The Black Dog: "I am someone who until recent events you shared your secrets with and your location. You forgot to turn it off. And so I watch as you walk into some bar called The Black Dog." 

There are speculations that the song referred to Taylor Swift's ex-boyfriend, British actor Joe Alwyn. Reacting to the speculation, The Black Dog Pub's marketing consultant added, “If anybody can crack it it's (the Swifties), right?” Swifties also suggested that the pub's team check CCTV footage to look for any sightings of Taylor Swift with her ex-boyfriends Alwyn or Healy. Talking about that, Amy Cowley shared, “We did a fun little TikTok video looking back at security cameras to see if we can find them because the answer is they absolutely could have been, but we're just not entirely sure.”

“Part of the mystery is actually part of the fun,” Amy Cowley concluded.

The Tortured Poets Department is the eleventh studio album by Taylor Swift. Released on April 19, the album has 17 songs including Fortnight, Down Bad, The Bolter, Clara Bow, and more. The Tortured Poets Department has been collectively produced by Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner, and Patrik Berger.