Eleven time Grammy award winner Taylor Swift is by far one of the most famous musical artists in the world. She has stolen listeners' hearts since she released her debut album Taylor Swift, at the age of seventeen in 2006. Sixteen years and nine albums later, we have all grown up with Taylor Swift, listening to the highs and lows of her life through her music. At this year’s MTV Video Music Awards, Taylor won Video of the Year, for her short film All Too Well. During her acceptance speech, Taylor announced that her tenth studio album, Midnights was going to be released October 21st, at midnight sharp. Throughout the next few weeks, Taylor began a series on her social media platforms titled Midnights Mayhem With Me, where she released the name of each song on the album one at a time, at random. The Midnights album features thirteen songs, telling the stories of thirteen sleepless nights scattered throughout Taylor’s life.
On the night of Thursday, October 20th, “Swifties'' all around the world were anxiously waiting for the clock to strike midnight. Taylor had a special message for fans in the third quarter of the Saints vs. Cardinals football game on Thursday night. She released a teaser trailer of her upcoming music videos, coming soon after the new album is released. This teaser made fans even more excited to listen to the thirteen new songs, coming just a few hours after the teaser was released. I can definitely say I was one of the millions of “Swifties” waiting restlessly for this album to be released. In this article, I will share my feelings on the album, some of my favorite tracks, my favorite lines, the meanings behind the songs, and my love for the incredible artist that created this album, Taylor Swift.
This album was truly beautiful. There was not a single song that I could say I didn’t like. It had the perfect mix of sad, happy, upbeat, and slow. Taylor Swift is truly one of the most gifted
singers and songwriters in history. I hope everyone has the opportunity to listen to this album. Now let’s review the first five tracks of the album!
Track 1: “Lavender Haze”
“Lavender Haze” starts off the album with a chill, but upbeat song. It’s definitely a song that you could dance to or sing in the car with all the windows down. The song begins with the iconic line from this album, “Meet me at midnight”. “Lavender Haze” is a phrase commonly used in the 50s that was used to describe being in love. Taylor wrote this song about a relationship she has been in, where rumors were spreading about her and her partner, but she did not let it get to her because she was so in love. Like the song says, “I just want to stay in my lavender haze.”
Track 2: “Maroon”
“Maroon” is by far my favorite song on this album. It’s truly such a beautiful song with no flaws. I believe that this song is about a break up in a relationship, and reminiscing on all of the memories that you had with that person. In the chorus Taylor sings, “And I lost you, the one I was dancing with in New York.” and “The lips I used to call home.” The bridge of the song features the line “And I wake with your memory over me.” This song is a beautiful interpretation of love and loss.
Track 3: “Anti-Hero”
Taylor has confirmed that her song “Anti-Hero” is about all of her insecurities she has of herself. The song describes sometimes not even feeling like a person, and having to come to terms with things that we do not like about ourselves. On this track, such powerful words are hidden behind a more upbeat song, so fans really have to listen to the message she is trying to get across. The chorus of this song is, “It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem, it’s me.” This simple line really shares the true meaning of the song.
Track 4: “Snow On The Beach (featuring Lana Del Rey)”
This long awaited duet was not everything fans hoped for. The song was absolutely beautiful, but many fans were disappointed with the representation Lana had in this song. She mainly participated in background vocals, while Taylor sang all of the lyrics to the song. Many were expecting Lana to have a solo, since fans have fallen in love with her voice. But, myself, along with other fans were disappointed when the song ended and they did not hear Lana’s feature. This song is still one of my favorites on the album, but I would have loved it if the duet was done differently.
Track 5: “You’re On Your Own, Kid”
“You're On Your Own, Kid” is a song about Taylor feeling alone many times throughout her life. From wanting a man’s attention, to her rise to fame, this song touches on Taylor’s highs and lows. Taylor shows the true pressure she was under when she sings, “I gave my blood, sweat, and tears for this, I hosted parties and starved my body.” My favorite line from this song is, “So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it. You’ve got no reason to be afraid.”
At 3:00 am on October 21, 2022, Taylor let fans know that she had yet another special surprise. Swift fans wondered and guessed what surprise Taylor had in store for them. It could have been another new album, a tour, or another re-recording of one of her albums. To everyone’s surprise, Taylor released seven new track to the Midnights album, called the 3am Tracks.The titles of these songs are “The Great War”, “Bigger Than The Whole Sky”, “Paris”, “High Infidelity”, “Glitch”, “Would’ve, Could've, Should’ve”, and “Dear Reader”.This album is fantastic, just like every single one of Taylor’s albums. Even if you don’t typically listen to Taylor Swift, this album has a variety of different styles on it and there is a little something for everyone. I highly recommend it!