Here’s a toast to you, Taylor. That’s right―Taylor Swift has done it again, taking the world by storm with her latest album “Reputation.” Home to her hit singles “Look What You Made Me Do” and “Ready For It,” “Reputation” is better than any of her previous albums reflecting on love and revenge in an entirely new way.
Swift released her sixth album, “Reputation,” on Nov. 10 and since then has received a lot of positive feedback. This album speaks at a much louder volume than her other work. Deciphering who the songs are about is no longer a difficult task. What used to be subtle hints are now blatant; the only thing missing is their names.
She sings about relationships and the ups and downs of feelings that go along with them.
What’s new right?
Well, the songs are edgier, honest, contain more mature content and she doesn’t hold back. Long gone are the days of “Teardrops On My Guitar.” Yeah that Taylor is seriously dead.
“Getaway Car” is a prime example. Speculation has surfaced that the song is about Tom Hiddleston and honestly no one can dispute that. Her lyrics are painstakingly honest.
“Don’t pretend it’s such a mystery,” she sings. “Think about the place where you first met me/ Riding in a getaway car/ There were sirens in the beat of your heart/ Shoulda known I’d be the first to leave/ Think about the place where you first met me/ In a getaway car.”
Here she’s supposedly referring to leaving her relationship with Calvin Harris and rebounding with Hiddleston. Despite the savage lyrics of this song, it has hints of the old Taylor, or at least the Taylor from her album “1989,” singing “Wildest Dreams.” “Getaway Car” is an upbeat song with a nice backbeat you can bop your head to. It’s got a mystical ambience to it and keeps the listener engaged until the very end.
And of course we can’t forget about the infamous feud between her and Kanye West. It’s been speculated the song “This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” is all about that disastrous friendship and when West recorded her on the phone without her knowledge.
“It was so nice being friends again,” she sings. “There I was giving you a second chance/ But you stabbed me in the back while shaking my hand/ And therein lies the issue/ Friends don’t try to trick you/ Get you on the phone and mind-twist you.”
If you’ve decided based on the first single “Look What You Made Me Do” that you don’t like her new album, don’t rule it out just yet. It most likely was the first single because it’s the farthest she’s ever gone to be different from her previous work. That one song is not reflective on how all the songs on “Reputation” are. These songs are a collection of anthems. They are powerful and the harmonies in them raise hairs on your skin.
“Don’t Blame Me,” is arguably one of the best songs on the album. The beginning is simplistic with just the use of the piano and sets the tone of the track with her sultry voice scooping the notes up in each phrase. It sounds as if it’s going to be a ballad and then turns into a powerhouse. It makes you want to turn the volume up all the way to jam to this soulful song.
This pop anthem is everything fans have been waiting for. It’s passionate, complex and should’ve been one of the singles Swift released.
It tells the obsession and addiction that should come with love comparing it to a drug.
“Don’t blame me,” she sings. “Love made me crazy/ If it doesn’t you ain’t doing right/ Lord save me/ My drug is my baby/ I’ll be usin’ for the rest of my life.”
“Reputation” is complicated and beautiful. Its songs are incomparable and expose raw emotion. They suggest that she’s in it for the long haul with her boyfriend Joseph Alwyn and shows the world how she is in control of her life, not anybody else.
Swift just released her tour dates for 2018 on Nov. 13 and fans could not be more excited.
As she sings in “Delicate,” “My reputation’s never been worse so/ You must like me for me.” And while she was definitely talking about a boyfriend (most likely Alwyn) and not fans, they can still relate to this line and this is proven with recent sales.
Swift has sold over 950,000 albums in the first three days, according to The New York Times. Based on this number, it’s safe to say “Reputation” will surpass one million copies sold within the first week. Will you be one of the one million?
