Taylor Swift - 'Lover'
Taylor Swift's newest studio album, titled 'Lover' was released on 23rd August, and I am living for it. In my opinion, her best album since 2014's '1989', it has been playing through my Airpods constantly. I am completely and utterly in love with it. Each of the songs sound different, as though they all belong on different albums, but they somehow come back together... but I knew that this was going to be a good album - since 'ME!' was released, ft. Brendon Urie (of Panic! At The Disco) who is one of my favourite artists of all time. Taylor Swift is in a long-term relationship, and it is abundantly clear to see that she is happy, shown in the wonderful work which she has recently put out. I hope I get tickets to her tour for this album, because it is something that I do not want to miss.
The album opens with I Forgot That You Existed, a simple-sounding song that is both catchy and beautiful. In my opinion, it shows how one can get away from the bad memories which might follow them from previous relationships, and Swift does a really good job of illustrating perhaps how simple it is to forget the bad things which have happened and to unburden yourself, if only for a short amount of time.
The next song, Cruel Summer, is one of my favourite on 'Lover' and it is immediately in your head once you listen to it. It does the trick and delivers the message of heartbreak, which is spoken about in a way that implies she is familiar with the feeling.
Lover, the titular song on the album, is my favourite song on it. I love the lyrics, specifically. 'We can leave the Christmas lights up 'til January'. It seems to describe my life (laziness), but that isn't what she's trying to say. This song is deep - open to so many interpretations that I've got a piece of paper with every one of my thoughts for this song written down on it. I'd love for Swift to enlighten me, truly, but maybe that would ruin the song for me. Maybe it is supposed to be open to interpretation. The music video is beautiful soon, and takes place at Christmas time inside of a little girl's snowglobe - here's the link:
The fourth song on the album, The Man, is the most upbeat on the album yet, and is a little strange, I think. 'Cause if I was the man / Then I'd be the man'. The lyrics aren't the most amazing I've ever heard, and truthfully left me a little confused. That isn't to say that it isn't a good song, however - it just leaves the song open to interpretation, like Lover, though I think it's slightly harder to make an understanding of this song's lyrics.
The Archer is my least favourite song on the album; it starts off too slow, and I find it hard to listen to - I am fond of the lyrics, though: 'all of the king's horses, all the king's men / Couldn't put me together again' which I think truly shows how much being in love can hurt when it goes sour. They're powerful words, and emotional, too. The track ends abruptly, which I think is not necessary. This song is disappointing, though it is not terrible.
The next song, I Think He Knows reminds me of ME! which is another song on the album. I'm not sure why exactly, but I think that one of the songs doesn't belong on the album, because in my opinion, they're too similar, and ruin each other. One of them needs to be appreciated, and together they both can't be.
What a title Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince has! The very title draws you in and holds your attention - as it should! It is an amazing song, and reminds me of the earlier songs such as You Belong With Me and Love Story. Not because they sound similar, but because they have the same mood about them: the two subjects belong together, and they have to face problems in order to be together. This is the Taylor Swift that I have missed, and I hope we get to see more of.
Starting off with a catchy beat, Paper Rings has a bright, upbeat feeling to it and is the kind of song which everybody can dance to, and I hope will be a well known song in the future. Another one of my favourites off of the album, I think it so catchy and just hearing it makes me grin - it's not often that a newly released song does that for me.
Cornelia Street is also an odd song, though it is very interesting. Once again, some of the lyrics are open to interpretation, and to truly understand what the artist is saying, you need to listen to the song a few times... and everytime you do, you will pick up on something different. Upon researching this song, it surprised me to find that initially, her Cornelia Street landlord didn't know of who she was - who would have thought that somebody didn't know of the Taylor Swift?
As the tenth song on the album 'Lover', Death By A Thousand Cuts has an interesting sound to it - a multitude of instruments have been used to give the effects and create the emotions throughout the song, and each sound catches the listener's attention - they're all so different, and shouldn't work together - but they do. It's truly mind-blowing to experience this song especially because it is so busy, and everything is happening. If the song was without vocals, it would still be a work of art. There is so much to think about and experience in the 3 minutes and 19 seconds which this song lasts for that it needs to be listened to several times through to truly understand what is going on and what is being sung about. A good song, though it is slightly confusing and maybe didn't need to have so much going on in it.
London Boy has caused much debate online - with her lyrics, and stating where she and her 'London Boy' went in one day, many people have taken to social media to state how she is making their head spin. "There is no way she went and did all of that in one day!" one Twitter user declared. Here's a map of the route which she sings about. Many have pointed out that the route almost looks like a heart, though I personally don't think it does. The real questions are evident, though - did she really do all of that trek? Will we ever know?
The next song, Soon You'll Get Better is dedicated to her mother, who was suffering with cancer. It is a beautiful song, with a beautiful guitar tune, and features the Dixie Chicks, who were very big in the 1990s - maybe not the most well-known group among today's youth, Taylor, but very good artists to collaborate with anyway.
In a recent live Q&A, Shawn Mendes said that his favourite songs on Taylor Swift's new album are Lover and Fake God. Yes, the song is very good, I agree, Shawn. It's catchy, and runs at a good speed, in my opinion. I like it, a lot. Also one of my favourites on the album. Good choices, Shawn.
Another single from the album, You Need To Calm Down is one of those songs that everybody can relate to, despite the obvious relation to the homosexual community within it. The lyrics are fun and memorable with the simple hook, 'you need to calm down'; which is a favourite of mine when speaking to my mum. Relatable, Taylor.
One might argue that the songs towards the end of an album are tired-sounding, or perhaps not as good as the others - this is not the case. Afterglow has a good beat to it, though the high notes which Taylor goes for are a little too much for me - a brilliant song, nevertheless, but not one of my favourites.
ME! is there anything else to say? The first single released from this album, I fell in love with it immediately - I've been a fan of Taylor Swift for the last few years and usually follow any new music that she releases, but I also love Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco (I got to meet him, once), and so two of my favourite artists collaborating was bound to be awesome, right?
It's Nice To Have A Friend is the penultimate song on 'Lover' and is provocative, making the listener think about everything that Taylor Swift is saying. I don't think that it is as much about love as it is about friendship, as referred to in the title, so some might find it strange to include in an album titled 'Lover' - but I think it is perfect. I adore it. My favourite one to sing along with. Good in the car for sing-alongs!
The final song, Daylight, is the perfect ending to what is a work of art, and an amazing album. Another one of my favourites, it is fitting that it is the end. The album starts out dark; a few songs about a bad relationship, and so it is nice to see that by the end of the album, Taylor Swift (or the narrator) has come out of the bad patch and has found somebody knew who makes them feel better, and helps them to see the daylight.
In summary, there seems to be a running theme to this album; an American girl falling in love with a English boy in London, and them being happy together despite the American girl's previous relationships where she has been hurt before. 'Lover' is a good album, and one of the best ones that Taylor Swift has ever recorded and released. I adore it.