By Crosby Jassem, Annabelle King, Jillian Walker, and Violet Wexler
At Midnight on October 21st, Dr. Taylor Swift released “Midnights”, a new album consisting of thirteen songs written by Swift on thirteen nights. At 3am, she released seven more, concluding her album with 20 brand new tracks. While listeners didn’t know what to expect, Midnights is a pop album that experiments with sub-genres like electronica, dream pop, and synth pop.
TRACK 1: “Lavender Haze”
The opener of the album, Lavender Haze is an upbeat, catchy song. Taken from the 1950’s phrase “Lavender Haze”, track 1 explores themes of romance in a time of transgressive gender norms.
Lyrics: 4/10
Production: 7.5/10
Danceability: 10/10
Cryability: 2/10
TRACK 2: “Maroon”
In “Maroon”, Swift reflects on a past lover. The song, riddled with red-themed motifs, is thought to be an extension of her 2010 “Red” album, but through a lens of reminiscence as opposed to heartbreak.
Lyrics: 8/10
Production: 6/10
Danceability: 4/10
Cryability: 6/10
TRACK 3: “Anti-Hero”
The lead single off of “Midnights”, is about Swift’s struggle with self-hatred. As of now, the first song with a music video, Swift’s comedic yet meaningful songwriting has yet again struck a connection with her loyal listeners, or “Swifies”.
Lyrics: 4.5/10
Production: 5/10
Danceability: 8/10
Cryability: 6/10
TRACK 4: “Snow On The Beach (feat. Lana Del Rey)”
Snow On The Beach (feat. Lana Del Rey) seemed to only be featuring Lana Del Rey in spirit because where was she? Listeners had mostly negative reactions to this song, as according to many fans, both the production and dancibility of this song were lacking. The song has its high points, like the bridge, where you could hear Del Rey’s voice. The song is about love, rare and unique, like snow on the beach.
Lyrics: 5/10
Production: 3/10
Danceability: 2/10
Cryability: 1/10
TRACK 5: “You’re On Your Own, Kid”
You’re On Your Own, Kid is an explanation of Swift’s career and the pain that she suffered along the way. The line, “From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes
I gave my blood, sweat, and tears for this, I hosted parties and starved my body” shows what Swift suffered throughout her career and life. The line, “everything you lose is a step you take” seems to be a reference to losing the rights to her music and proceeding to re-record her music. While this song is about Swift’s personal experience, the song is kept ambiguous, making it easily relatable for many fans.
Lyrics: 9/10
Production: 9/10
Danceability: 8/10
Cryability: 10/10
TRACK 6: “Midnight Rain”
Midnight Rain is about Swift refusing to settle down in a relationship. Fans speculate it’s a parallel to her “Speak Now” song “Back to December”. A catchy song with sad lyrics, fans can relate to wistful independence.
Lyrics: 8/10
Production: 10/10
Danceability: 6/10
Cryability: 5/10
TRACK 7: “Question…?”
Swifties have suspected “Question…?” to be a song recapping Swift’s relationship with Harry Styles and speculated relationship with close friend, Karlie Kloss. An upbeat and electronic bop, it depicts romantic feelings interlaced with anticipation of uncertainty in new, romantic bonds.
Lyrics: 3/10
Production: 5/10
Danceability: 6/10
Cryability: 2/10
TRACK 8: “Vigilante Sh*t”
“Vigilante Shit” follows “mad woman” and “no body, no crime” as a tale of female rage. Unlike its predecessors, “Vigilante Shit” has a tough beat with hip-hop-like production.
Lyrics: 4/10
Production: 6/10
Danceability: 6/10
Cryability: 1/10
TRACK 9: “Bejeweled”
On “Bejeweled”, Swift sings about reclaiming yourself after a relationship. She can “still make the whole place shimmer” after being dulled down by someone who held her back and tried to outshine her.
Lyrics: 9/10
Production 10/10
Danceability: 10/10
Cryability: 2/10
TRACK 10: “Labyrinth”
“Labyrinth” follows tracks like “this is me trying” and “The Archer” as a song about inner anxieties. In this particular song, swift sings about her fears of falling in love.
Lyrics: 9/10
Production: 6/10
Danceability: 3/10
Cryability: 10/10
TRACK 11: “Karma”
“Karma” is the best song ever. A fun and carefree track about karma will come back around and bite your enemies. Speculated to be from a scrapped sixth album, the production and lyrics are similar to those on 1989 and Reputation. The best thing about “Karma” is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously, referring to the concept of karma as a cat purring in her lap, and her boyfriend.
Lyrics:10/10
Production:10/10
Danceability:10/10
Cryability:1/10
TRACK 12: “Sweet Nothing”
“Sweet Nothing” is about the secretive nature of romantic relationships. Moments shared between blissful whispers, Swift’s songwriting makes the most single of listeners feel the romance of a lifetime.
Lyrics:4/10
Production:6/10
Danceability:0/10
Cryability:7/10
TRACK 13: “Mastermind”
“Mastermind”, a song with an upbeat rhythm and relatable lyrics, recounts the calculated planning behind romantic relationships. Swift’s perspective is one that many can appreciate, as she sings “none of it was accidental”. The singer perfectly encapsulates the feelings of anxiety and excitement as a new relationship begins.
Lyrics:8/10
Production:4/10
Danceability:7/10
Cryability:2/10
TRACK 14: “The Great War”
The Great War is a rhymically upbeat song about her experiences in 2016, when she was seemily “canceled.” The song reflects on her hard experience at that the time, but coming out the other end with her boyfriend – now of 6 years. The war is a metaphor of her battle to get through 2016, yet concludes by talking to her boyfriend, saying that she will “would always be yours
‘Cause we survived the Great War.”
Lyrics: 9/10
Production: 9/10
Danceability: 9/10
Cryability: 6/10
TRACK 15: “Bigger Than The Whole Sky”
Bigger Than The Whole Sky is one of the 7 tracks on the 3 am edition, and is arguably the saddest song on Midnights. Fans speculate that the song is about a miscarriage, with the lyrics all pointing to loosing someone that you have not met yet. In recent years, Swift has been notoriously quiet about her private life, making the personal significance of the song to Taylor even more mysterious.
Lyrics:9/10
Production:8/10
Danceability:1/10
Cryability:10/10
TRACK 16: “Paris”
A lighthearted, upbeat love song about how one can become infatuated with their lover. Very cute.
Lyrics: 5/10
Production: 10/10
Danceability: 10/10
Cryability: 2/10
TRACK 17: “High Infidelity”
High Infidelity is a calm, slow song in which Taylor remembers a relationship in which she was severely unhappy. The song is rumoured to be about Calvin Harris, as Taylor Swift left Calvin Harris for Tom Hiddlseton rather abruptly. She reflects on her new relationship, after the unhappy one, “Do I really have to tell you how he brought me back to life?”
Lyrics: 8/10
Production: 6/10
Danceability: 5/10
Cryability: 8/10
TRACK 18: “Glitch”
A synth-pop song, Glitch is reflection on her timeline of relationships. Swift comments on her current relationship of six years and the effect that keeping the relationship private has had on her. The longetivity of this relationship is seen as a “Glitch” in Taylor Swift’s dating history – previously shorter relationships that aren’t as meaningful.
Lyrics: 3/10
Production: 8/10
Danceability: 5/10
Cryability: 2/10
TRACK 19: “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”
“Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” seems to be a nod to Speak Now era type rage. Many speculate that the song is about musician John Mayer, who Swift dated when he was 32 and she was 19. In “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”, Swift focuses on testing her faith with this relationship, and even refers to (probably) John Mayer as “the devil”.
Lyrics: 10/10
Production: 9/10
Danceability: 6/10
Cryability: 10/10
TRACK 20: “Dear Reader”
The closing song on the album, ‘Dear Reader’ is Swift’s personal advice column to each and every one of her fans. A song of heartbreaking truth that still feels like a musical hug, Swift’s songwriting concludes a perfectly enjoyable and yet again brilliant album.
Lyrics: 7/10
Production: 4/10
Danceability: 2/10
Cryability: 7/10