Taylor Swift connects with fans in one of her most vulnerable albums “Midnights.” Graphic By: Maddie Bataille | Photo Editor
At 11 p.m., I put the kettle on the stove to make a cup of tea. At 11:02 p.m., I lit my favorite candle. By 11:36 p.m., my roommate and her friend walked in the door. 11:51 p.m.. “Is it out yet?” Only nine more minutes.
At 12 p.m. sharp, we waited for the break of a new day and a new album, hoping Spotify wouldn’t fail us now.
Mouths gaped and eyes shifted across the room as the beginning chords of “Lavender Haze” began to play.
If you asked me where I was when Taylor Swift announced her 10th studio album, I could easily apprise. I was walking back to my sister’s apartment in New York City after having just watched Harry Styles play at Madison Square Garden.
I think that may be the most New York City sentence I have ever said. And It may be the most New York City moment I have ever experienced.
Yet somehow, the feeling of disbelief and restless sleep I felt last Friday was perfectly encapsulated by the album Swift has just released.
Swift has said that “Midnights” is one of her most vulnerable albums, and it shows. The lyrics are gut-wrenchingly sad, diving into topics she has only ever skimmed the surface of in past collections.
While the sound of the album is different than what I had expected, originally thinking along the course of Fleetwood Mac in the soft-rock genre, Swift stays true to her own by experimenting with new music, all while making the melody sound familiar and nostalgic. Swift’s music cannot be described as one or even a few different genres of pop or rock, but rather she has truly redefined the industry and made her own genre: Taylor Swift.
“Midnights” is an album reflecting 13 sleepless nights which, according to Swift, grapples with five themes: self-loathing, fantasizing about revenge, wondering what might have been, falling in love and falling apart.
Following these, to our surprise (but certainly not out-of-character since she is a “Mastermind,”) we received “Midnights (3 am edition),” which includes seven bonus tracks for the “Midnights” album.
With a total of 20 songs, here are my thoughts on “Midnights.”
Track 1: “Lavender Haze”
On my initial listen of the “Midnights” album, I would have said this song was not one that I favored. Having expected a soft-rock sound for the album and then hearing synth-pop was a little bit of a shock.
However, after re-listening, the 1989 sound of this song (and the rest of the album) makes me feel so beautifully nostalgic while listening to this. The more you dive into the history surrounding the term “Lavender Haze” and what the symbolism of lavender means, the better the song gets.
While this is a very upbeat song, the significance of lavender has depth. As described in Swift’s explanation of the song, “Lavender Haze” is a term she learned through “Mad Men,” describing the feeling of a new romance.
What Swift cleverly does here is use the word lavender, which is also tied to a lot of feminist history, to express her longing to stay in this haze-like state with a romance, all while not having the pressure of society that women need to be married, have kids and essentially belong to a man by a certain age.
This song beautifully encapsulates the frustration of facing adulthood as a woman in an upbeat and catchy way.
Track 2: “Maroon”
I saw someone on TikTok describe this song as feeling like the grown-up version of “Red.” I feel so connected to that statement because this song has the same poetic elements as “Red.” Swift compares the feeling of growing apart from something as rust, which can be described as the color “Maroon,” while the song “Red” describes the exciting feeling of falling in love with this brighter color. I think Swift is not only speaking on the feeling of growing apart in romance but overall the feeling of growing up and no longer feeling wanted or loveable.
Track 3: “Anti-Hero”
Arguably one of Swift’s most vulnerable songs, “Anti-Hero” dives into a lot that comes with being famous, but also the battles that many people can relate to. In her explanation of this song, Swift said that “Anti-Hero” encapsulates how she struggles with feeling like a real person. Being famous, especially at the level of Swift, comes with a lot of trust issues – never knowing what people’s true intentions are with you.
That is what the song can boil down to: this lack of trust leads to self-sabotage. This can manifest in different ways. And one of those that Swift delved into is her struggle with an eating disorder. Swift has become more open about this within the past few years. She feels like she can not take up too much space, with her fame, with her presence and with her body. A feeling I know people can relate to is that their existence is a burden.
I would like to take this time to now get into the lyric, “sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby, and I’m a monster on the hill.” This lyric is one of the most underrated lyrics in the album to date.
Many are confused about this reference to “30 Rock,” but Swift is commenting on the fetishization of little girls in our society, as well as the lens that says women need to be hairless, look young and age with grace in order to be still desirable.
Swift has spoken in the past about her fears of being discarded after a certain age for no longer being a “shiny new toy.” Swift’s ability to open up in “Anti-Hero” has made being a fan so intricate because songs are so complex with her poetic lyricism, and there is always another way people can find a way to relate to her music.
Track 4: “Snow On The Beach (feat. Lana Del Rey)”
I am not dissing this song at all; I am, however, stating I am disappointed with the lack of Lana Del Rey on this track. I know that Swift usually collaborates with people in this way, as having them adds more depth and breadth to the sound of the song.
However, I was really hoping for a collaboration like what we saw with Phoebe Bridgers on “Red (Taylor’s Version)” for “Nothing New (feat. Phoebe Bridgers) (Taylor’s Versions).” I think the voices of Lana Del Rey and Swift work so beautifully together, as we do see on some parts of the track. Lana’s lyrics and the way she sings her own songs would have made this track almost unbearably beautiful to listen to.
Regardless, I do love the song but have not yet gotten the chance to dive deeper into the lyrics and significance behind it.
Track 5: “You’re On Your Own, Kid”
This is track five, and it hurts my feelings.
Track 6: “Midnight Rain”
I was shocked after hearing this song on the first listen. The sound is definitely something that Swift has never explored before, and I was thrown off. I think the wavy synth sounds that are playing in the background beautifully relate to the lyrics of wanting to be comfortable but feeling pain instead. The way Swift plays with the intertwining of the lyrics and sound on the track has gone somewhere she has never before. I really appreciate this song and the capturing feeling unsteady or unprepared for relationships. If “Maroon” is grown up “Red,” “Midnight Rain” is grown up “Back To December.”
Flip to side B for Sleepless nights: “Midnights” Review side B featured next week..