Paige Young

Introduction

This album was one that we didn’t expect – musically or lyrically. Taylor has really stepped back in the last 3 albums from being oddly specific about events to protect those around her. Midnights was ‘autobiographical’ but a bit vague in pronouns and blurring between stories. This album also was that way, I think to protect people from being made the villain by the fan base – however, as we continue on with this story and a new lens, Midnights was definitely a break up album, being coded as things in the past to protect Joe [probably]. That doesn’t mean all songs were in the present, but definitely all connected to those same feelings of hurt and abandonment from her past. Re – listening to High Infidelity, Maroon, The Great War, Dear Reader, and Bejeweled we can see the blending lines of this new album and midnights. There are also threads of Folklore and Evermore, being coded as fictional, which the story lines definitely were, however, they WERE influenced by this back and forth questioning of the unsteadiness of her situationships happening in her life. With that being said, again, everything was vague or situated in similar situations with subconscious connections to her life, but this album is entirely hers.

We haven’t really gotten this in-depth of stories since Reputation... or really, if ever. This album was so potent, deep, heartbreaking, and sometimes specific. The content was not what we expected we’d get. In reality we thought we’d get a complete bash Joe album, but really she was pretty gracious with Joe. I think after 6 years and the relationship slowly falling apart – You’re Losing me, and So Long, London, were really all she needed to say. Those two tracks are exclusively about him. There are other songs in this album that have overlaps of Joe, but I do think she blends some of him and Matty Healy in others, while most of the more angry tracks are aimed at Matty alone.

There are deeper parts of the internet that once again, bring up Karlee in some of these songs, but I do believe that ship has sailed far away from this album. This album is so specifically the last two years, and the reason that she brings up Kim/Kanye again is [in my opinion] simply because she was in the process of recording Reputation again while making this album, which I’m sure made her revisit those feelings.

With that being said

I’m not sure she actually intended on the 5 stages of grief being apart of her roll out. Sometimes I think the fans point out things and then she realizes how well it fits and adapts those ideas. But really as we analyze her past albums – the five stages of grief actually fit with her last few albums. Meaning the only true sense of love she felt in the last 6 years [prior to Travis] was in Reputation,. Prior to the relationship being out in the real world – facing real issues she has routinely come to heads with over and over again. Always with being in the limelight with someone who couldn’t handle it.

I wish I could talk about this album without discussing people, but as I kind of feared, this album is SO specific to her life it’s incredibly hard to divorce the who’s in her life, and make it harder to be related to the listener. Which is why I think a lot of locals [not really true fans] and people who aren’t educated on her life may not love this album – because it’s really hard to relate to unless you are, or have gone through this similar heartbreak.

So this will be the only post I really talk about people. And every other analysis will be about the stories.

I do, sadly, really relate to I can do it with a broken heart

‘I cry a lot but I am so productive’
I can do it with a broken heart

Real bestie.

So let us begin this overall dive into the album before we go into each song along more detailed.

Initial Reactions

Double album truthers won. With all of her 2’s and all of Post Malone’s peace signs at the super-bowl – it just all made sense. I actually did stay up and listened to the first drop at midnight. What is so beautiful about her midnight releases is those of us who are deep in the fandom get this special little moment together during the initial release. We all get to chat about the chaos in our brains before we hear any reactions from people who have the biggest goal to shit on her. When the 2am album dropped I was pretty much dead to the world. So I saw the announcement and set my alarm to listen it before my therapy appointment [lmao].

This may be her most controversial album she released both in and out of the fanbase. The fans on the inside will either appreciate this vulnerability while acknowledging that it may not be her most strong album sonically – but is an album she needed to make to really close these chapters in her life to ‘move on’. The newer fans who came on board during Midnights, or are just too young to really understand these complex situations in life, may hate this album completely. The generic listener definitely may hate every song on this album. Not because they aren’t good songs, but because they are a bit specific and none of them sound like anti hero. There are definitely some catchy hooks on this album but off the bat – the first listen – I was mostly listening to the lyrics, the story and was sobbing [lol]. After listening to it 8 times through, I started to pay more attention to the actual melodies and hooks in the songs and found myself less emotionally listening to them.

She is on the top of the industry right now. Biggest platform and artist on the globe, producing the biggest and most attended to tour, had the most streamed album in history in one stinkin’ day and has the most in your face relationship due to the media invading her privacy at every step of the way. To release the most in depth, personal, and heartbreaking album at the peak of this popularity is actually criminally insane [lol]. I do think that she went through SO MUCH healing that she now is at the ‘i dont get a fuck’ point in her life. She’s gonna be theorized, torn apart or adored no matter what she does, so why not just be her?

In this post I am referencing some thoughts from “Every Single Album” with Nora and Nathan – so please listen to that if you are a true swiftie or someone who wants to understand Taylor’s history more. But a question they asked is, as fans, How do you talk about this album? Criticize it? or Celebrate it?

• How do we talk about this album ? I think it’s a work of art. With opening up with Fortnight- which in my opinion, I wish there was more Post Malone, but it really opens up with the entire story you are going to hear. She opens up Fortnight with discussing how they were supposed to take her away which immediately made me think of Hits different
  • Is that your key in the door?
    Is it okay? Is it you?
    Or have they come to take me away?
• She covers the idea of Florida [a song title in this album], the idea of a person you run into sometimes over and over [over the years this touch and go relationship in between others], and being stuck in an endless February, which may be a point of contact of this ‘fortnight’ relationship. I do think this relationship was longer than 2 weeks, however, it was only in the public for that short time. Which in the end destroyed this relationship.
• How do we criticize it? I think it’s a bit hard to relate to as a viewer. It’s hard to separate her life and mine to listen to it. I’m not going to be able to relate to many of these songs first hand, but I do relate to being overworked, over tired, and depressed. Sonically there are a few songs that do sound like each other, and some that have very similar overlaps to other past songs. The lyrics are critical in differing these songs from one another.
• How do we celebrate it? For the fact she wrote it. The fact she gave us these vulnerable songs. The fact we know she is happy now. The fact she is Taylor Fucking Swift and killed the first day streaming record. But don’t read any of this wrong – there are songs I’m obsessed with already.

In listening to everything, there are only two tracks – in my opinion – that belong to Joe. The rest are a blend of Matty and Joe, or Matty only. HOWEVER – we don’t really know Joe’s personal life. People from England do be loving smoking and drugs [lmao] so some of the discussion of smoking I don’t think is exclusively Matty. Just something to keep in mind.

Ties to People or Songs to Complete the Story

The Black Dog is such a beautiful petty song that discusses someone staring at the location of a love lost and hoping they are having a shitty time. The only reason why I really can see this song being linked to Matty is because she mentions her rain soaked body

I just don’t understand
How you don’t miss me in the shower
And remember how my rain-soaked body

People would think this is a reference to an actual shower, but the show he attended in Nashville for the Eras Tour did downpour, and she left with Matty that night. Plus the Black Dog is a bar in England.

The Prophecy is a song I do love immensely. This song is like Dear Reader [my favorite song] part 2.

Please
I’ve been on my knees
Change the prophecy
Don’t want money
Just someone who wants my company
Let it once be me
Who do I have to speak to
About if they can redo the prophecy?

The idea of her being alone, begging people to stop idolizing her because she is alone, sad, and lost is a repetitive notion we see over and over.

If you knew who was talking
If you knew where I was walking
To a house, not a home, all alone ’cause nobody’s there
Where I pace in my pen and my friends found friends who care
No one sees when you lose when you’re playing solitaire

You should find another guiding light
Guiding light, but I shine so bright
You should find another guiding light

thanK you aIMee – is the true way that Taylor Easter Egg’s [lmao]. She doesn’t really do in depth numbers and things as much as new fans want you to believe. Her old albums when she began were always simple codes like this. So.. Kim. This song is interesting as a summary because it’s the only time she mentions her being prideful of her success. She built something she is proud of, and honestly the last line and thanking Kim for destroying her at one point is actually the biggest healing on this album – because she realizes without that pain she wouldn’t have the following 5 successful albums. Through pain you gain.

Everything you lose is a step you take – You’re on your own, kid

It is wild to listen to this song though, and then two songs later get the Prophecy. Which is very much the opposite of the fame she built.

loml seems to be a blend of Joe and Matty. We kind of know that Taylor left Joe, but Matty definitely promised her many things, couldn’t tolerate the hate online from the fandom [who she definitely scolds in but daddy i love him] and leaves her. Which makes me think the song is a bit about both.

Who’s gonna stop us from waltzing back into rekindled flames
If we know the steps anyway?

This could be Joe, because it’s familiar, but it also could be Matty, because again, it’s a routine touch and go – fall back into relationship. However there are some big Joe lines in that song – so I tilt more towards him being the main character in this song

Mr. Steal Your Girl, then make her cry
You said I’m the love of your life

We all know he stole her from Tom… really. Poor Tom lol – there are many other references too – but again, Ill get to those later

The songs that have the most passionate and angry energy are definitely Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me? and But Daddy I love him. Who is daddy? Tree Paine? Us? Her label? Probably all of the above. Both of these songs have such funny aspects to them too.

How did it end? Is the song that really discusses the question we all had for Taylor. And it definitely plays off of The Labyrinth which is heartbreaking. Come one come all, it’s happening again vs Oh no, I’m Falling in love again.

Musical References

About you – by 1975 and Guilty as Sin sound AWFULLY familiar. Were gonna take a wild ride in referencing music between these two artists for a second. Mostly if you listen to the back track around 2:20 and beyond in About You and then listen to the back track in Guilty as Sin you’ll hear the overlap

These two songs are referencing each other sonically, but also a fun fact is that in 2014 Matty Healy went on stage and said “the one that didn’t work out” and sang fallingforyou and dedicated it to Taylor.

Along with this, Nora and Nathan pointed out that Guilty as Sin discusses downtown lights, which is a reference to Blue Nile, which 1975 lifted and created I love it if we made It.

So her making a song titled imgonnagetyouback in the same format as fallingforyou while using the backtrack of About You, which he played after that song and prior to it said ‘for the one who it did work out with.’ IS PRETTY WILD.

But also if you listen to imgonnagetyouback and then gold rush as well as Now that We Don’t Talk you will hear a lot of similarities as well. Now this could be the idea of reusing music, but I think there is definitely intention for it.

In her own music and references- the lines around Now pretty baby – in Fresh out of the Slammer, is very similar to Maroon – around the lines of Real fucking legacy. Which brings our main question, was Maroon actually about Matty or Joe??? When it first was released, I really did think of Joe because she mentions running down the hallway which is also tied to Hits Different, and You’re Losing me

And the air is thick with loss and indecision
I know my pain is such an imposition
Now, you’re runnin’ down the hallway

and in Fresh out of the Slammer, she is basically saying her first call was to Matty after Joe and her finally split. As apparently, they had been touch and go through various of relationships.

With Maroon being linked – she also quotes scarlet Maroon in Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus, which are definitely stand in names for other people. But it was a forbidden love.. from the fans? She does mention bi-sexuality if she is discussing Matty or Joe – however she mentions drugs while one of these people definitely has been in rehab. Yet none of them are out publicly, but Matty has kissed men on stage.

And you saw my bones out with somebody new
Who seemed like he would’ve bullied you in school
And you just watched it happen

But this could be misinterpreted: it could be, you started to team up against me with a dude who would have bullied you back in the day, and you watched it happen without speaking up. But I will get to that deeper dive later on in weeks when I get to that specific song. But that song itself feels bit like a side story, however it opens up so many questions about who was so scarlet it was maroon.

Sonically this album has the writing style of Folklore, but the sound of 1989 [Taylor’s Version]
I couldn’t get out ‘Is It Over?’ from my head after hearing this album, and it’s not even on this album [lol]. It definitely overlaps with My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys

Honestly, I can do it with a broken heart has to be the saddest songs on the album to me. It’s also the one I relate to the most. The upbeat aspects make it even more sad – because it shows the masking – audibly. And if you were at the eras tour you can just see the DIFFERENCE of Taylor in her shows from March and in August. The interesting part of this song is also in the beginning there is an [sounding] english man counting down – who sounds like a lot like her general manager [points out Nathan], but it gives this aspect of performance that she faces on tour.

But a fun connection is this song with Lorde’s – Supercut which WAS produced by Jack as well.

Overall

Taylors instagram post to this album was a little funny to me – but also responsible. She definitely called off the dogs from her fanbase that would attack any one listed on this album. However, it’s just funny to be like:

Fuck:

• Kanye/Kim
• Some of my fans who bullied me out of my relationship
• John Mayer
• Maybe Jake too
• All of the people that hurt me
• Joe
• Definitely Matty
• The generic listeners who are only watching me to criticize me
• Being famous

but dont worry im passed it [lol].

We can address the fun aspects of this album which make me think about the Bops were gonna get on her next, healed album that she is definitely writing right now. So High School… is just as playful, giddy, and cringey as you would see in a new love. It’s carefree and really encapsulates a fun relationship in high school that we never got to see her in. She went from writing about fantasized love in high school to dating men much older than her that putting her into boxes that she couldn’t fit into.

So high school is SUPPOSED to be cringey. Remember she said to embrace it. She’s in a love that makes her feel giddy like a little kid again. She can be fun and weird and not have to act like someone she isn’t. She’s with a goofball: no anxiety and fear in sight. She isn’t worried about her “lover” leaving her or never having to avoid places (Cornelia street) because this love feels secure

This is the first time that she doesn’t show anxiety in a song. And when she asks him he says ‘you already know, babe.’ All in all this is just a cute and fun song. A simple man that allows her to be so young and careless because she knows this could be end game – allowing her to really move on from these painful moments that gave her this beautiful one.

She is with someone who can handle all of the riff raft from the media and fans. She scolded us, and really is showing us how much in love she is so that way we don’t insert our nose into concerns that only she should be concerned about.

Is the next album going to be full of these bops? I know it’s going to be a rager.

Any ways, follow along to see a breakdown of each song – and art I am going to make for it. <3

Love you all, love you Taylor Swift.