I had to go to great lengths to find this but it was worth it. I'm mad that this isn't on streaming. It sounds like Speak Now era Taylor ramped up to 11 and daddy NEEDS more
If you go to her tik tok, you see the comments, nobody has a cd player and when it comes to DVD or Blu ray players, nobody has that, it is streaming all the way. She really needs to release it. It's a much different culture than 1989.
@@EljohnMacaranas and she owns the copyright, it's a much bigger profit for her, republic records is for promotion and hard-copy distributions. That's basically it
You are literally the only person who gave deserved credit to the great war The melodies, the bridge, the lyrics, the storytelling, everything was phenomenal in this song, its my favorite form the album
The Great War is such a classic in the making, it feels so much like a soundtrack track for one of those old timey period movies. I've seen beautiful Hunger Games edits to it, which outs me as late millennial but perfectly fits it too. It's definitely some of the best work on the album, the instrumental feels so RICH. Not to knock Jack but it's a good reminder that Dessner can do pop too!
I like how Lana’s lyrical voice seeps into the song. It feels very early Lana in a way, like a refined poppier version of an Ultraviolence or Honeymoon track, though the lyrics feel more akin to Folklore and NFR/BB/Chemtrails.
I was surprised some didn't like it, I think it was cool that Lana's atmosphere and vocals was there in a way that really fits the song. Delicate like snow and Taylor's beach XD
Cruel Summer is absolutely the best track on Lover. SO UNDERRATED. I keep changing my mind about which songs I like best on Midnights. I love "Vigilante Shit!" Think the tone of that one is fantastic and I like it when she gives into her dark side a bit. I vibe a lot with "Midnight Rain" and "Maroon" but my feelings about each song keeps changing as I live with them more. Think that's a unique aspect of this album - I hear a lot of people saying "this was my favorite song initially but now after a couple of weeks I've changed my mind." She really is an amazing combo of brilliant songwriter/crafter of pop hooks and shrewd business woman. There are few artists as gifted and savvy as she is.
Cruel Summer forever! I swear you’re so right about shifting favorites like I’ve fallen in love with Midnight Rain and Sweet Nothing this week. I had a similar feeling when Rep dropped and every week I had a new fave! The business mind she has… I’d love to see her run her version of a label/company one day where artists are given freedoms she has or never experienced. I feel like rn she’s developing into a masterful film director with her videos. I see her taking over the world. I said that years ago and now we’re seeing it!
I feel like my FAVE song (the one which just totally infected me) is Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve which absolutely derails me because its so dark but also i can’t get it out my head. But as a whole album i totally understand why the 3am tracks were not on the main album. The original 13 tracks just work so well and totally speaks to how her albums are thought out and not just a collection of songs.
WCS is such a heartbreaking song but damn did she make it an absolute banger of a track. I agree the original 13 def feel like a collection of curated thoughts and emotions and ideas. Not quite a story but definitely a concept record!
Dear reader is such a good album closer cuz it gives like you read my diary and she's like thanks for taking the time to hear abt my insecurities and everything because the album was so personal yk
Dear Reader does feel that way and I love it because of that. It feels almost like a 12 years later sequel to the songwriting style she used in Speak Now. More jaded, but also much wiser.
To me, I felt like Mastermind as the closer was a stroke of genius, specifically because it doesn't feel like Midnight's closer. It leaves the album feeling unfinished, but in a subtler way for first time listeners. Since Dear Reader and Lavender Haze go well together, I saw Mastermind as a way to keep the listener hooked during the wait for the 3 am edition. Ending with Mastermind isn't completely dissatisfying, but if the album ended with Sweet Nothings I doubt as many people would have stayed up or waited around for another three hours on release.
That makes sense. I had a cliffhanger feeling like a deluxe version was open for the evening. Her dropping at 3am was a surprise, most artists wait weeks for a deluxe sometimes to boost sales later on. Lavender Haze and Dear Reader feel so tied together like narratively both being about rejecting other’s narratives about her one aggressively and the other resigned.
The only "problem" I had with Midnights is that there were no song which I could listen to on repeat for hours. And then 4 days after release finally I came across with Hits different. Oh boy, that song gave me everything I needed and even more. It gives literally an uncontrollable feeling of happiness, shivers all over my body and I just cannot smile listening to it. It is an ultimate bop. August is still my all-time favorite. But, even though it might be a blasphemy, I'd say Hits different is more a bop than Cruel summer and You belong with me.
Bejewelled, Karma, Midnight Rain, Question, Lavender Haze, Maroon, Labyrinth, and Snow on the Beach all infected my brain to the point that I was constantly humming them even when I didn't listen to the album. Total earworms! Hits different is a nice song but feels too juvenile for such a mature, self-reflective album, no wonder it got a bonus track treatment.
@lapinska101, it’s not really like juvenile so much as tonally jarring like Midnights tracks even the 3am tracks have this sort of murky mysterious evening vibe to them where Hits Different is a trip to the beach in the afternoon like it’s not a song to play at Midnight lmao
lover deserves all the drags… i simply don’t get how her and her team fumbled the bag so hard that entire era. reminds me of the line in this is me trying “i was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere”
Literally, they had some smash hits on there but chose the oddest single choices. Like Me! and YNTCD? Really? I Think He Knows and Cruel Summer were right there?!
I honestly think Lover was a masterpiece of an album, but it was horribly marketed and indeed she chose horrible singles. I don't mind Me (YNTCD is lyrically pretty stupid) but it's a horrible representation of the album.
It had more good songs than bad songs imo! Cornelia Street, DBATC, Miss Americana, Paper Rings, CRUEL SUMMER, afterglow, daylight... i like 11 out of 18 songs, which isnt bad at all. I think it did pretty well as a "stupidly lovestrucked vibes" album That being said, holy shit the bad songs were BAAAAD. And they fucked up by making the bad songs the representative of the album 😭. I mean, Lover (the song) was fine but its not IT, ya know? First single shouldnt have been ME! and YNTCD is really... unecessary... i get people were dogpiling on her cause she "had no political stance" or whatever but eugh.
Me! is an enjoyable song and I'll die on that hill lol. Most people hate it because they don't like Urie as a person. I used to hate Lover, then I gave it a real chance, and after seeing it at Eras, I adore it now
My first preorder as well. I’ve never bought physical copies or digital before. I’ve always just listened to them in Spotify but this was the first album I’ve bought a vinyl for. I don’t even own a vinyl player.
You're right. Hits Different just...hits different lol. I think the fact its so hidden makes it all the more special. Add to the fact this sounds more like old Taylor, so its her spending an endless midnight loop of self reflection and doubt, and finally seeing the sunrise in a new light, reconnecting with herself (definitely not her intended purpose lmao, just something i like thinking about)
My holy Trinity if Taylor albums is Speak Now, Reputation and Evermore but this album has honestly pushed Red out of the top 4 space for me. The sound is so cool especially with how she samples older melodies and makes them sound more mature and modern. They lyrics are amazing and overall it's such a cohesive album even with the 3am tracks.
@@EljohnMacaranas Same and the muffled "I remember" at the start of question 😍😍😍 and obviously how she sampled the tour instrumental from King of My Heart for Maroon was just amazing.
The Great War blows my mind, it's such a beautiful, perfect song. I've been listening to Midnights on repeat these last few weeks but when I get to The Great War, I have to stop and listen 🎶
I’d agree with that! Anti-Hero was the most obvious choice but the fact she had Bejeweled visuals and a couple more videos (Lavender Haze being one probably) is proof she has plans to keep this era going strong. 1989 was her last record to feel like any song would have done well!
I’ve never been into pop music, and I think I listened to Folklore once because of all the hype, but this album blew my mind and I have been listening on repeat. Such a newbe fan that I didn’t realize there was a 3am version until a few days ago!😂 It’s interesting to hear your thougts as an old fan, Mastermind and Snow at the beach are my two favourites. 😋
AAAH! I'm glad you love Midnights! And I'm glad you just found the 3am tracks! I'm ancient (joined mid-Fearless era) haha! I liked those two tracks but other tracks just resonated more haha!
Snow on the Beach is my favorite song on the record, but yes, I really wanted more Lana on it. My dream is for Taylor and Lana to collaborate on a full record one day.
I’d love to see them do a joint record, likely with Jack but Dessner working with Lana would be a dream come true for me as well. If she had a full verse in the song, SoTB would be S-Tier for Midnights.
to me mastermind right after sweet nothing is a perfect closer, and they need to be together to make sense as a closer, if it was mastermind after any other song it could be weird, but i feel she kinda builds from labyrinth to mastermind giving details about the relationship and ends up reflecting on it.
That’s fair! Mastermind and Sweet Nothing are pretty much interlocked for me, but I personally would have ended on Sweet Nothing than Mastermind just to showcase a transition from digital synth-y sounds back to a more grounded analog sounding closer about how she found someone who just wants to be there. It’d thematically tie with Lavender Haze and directly contrast the middle point Midnight Rain. I view Mastermind as sort of the big reveal gesture in a romcom where they both layout the cards and go for the big kiss while Sweet Nothing feels more like an epilogue where we see the happy couple just be before the credits close.
@@EljohnMacaranas I get what you're saying but I just think that putting Mastermind as the thirteenth track is also kinda like a fan service because I feel like that song is a callback from Taylor to her fans saying that she is that "crazy, over-scheming" lady, hence Mastermind, and her fans know that 13 is her favorite number.
I agree with the beginning part I literally get so turned off by critical receptions and massive discourse all over social media that can ruin my perception on the records this is what made me takes months to listen to Renaissance by Beyoncé but luckily with swifties the hype is a beautiful hype bc of the theories surrounding the sound. For about 2 weeks midnights have been my repeat I initially thought was conflicted on the first listen but the more I got into I got into the album more than before. Favorite tracks: Lavender haze Maroon Anti hero Snow on the beach You’re on your own kid Midnight rain Question Vigilante ish Sweet nothing Mastermind Karma
Yeah hype can ruin an album ahead of time, I personally try to avoid saying anything until like 2 weeks or so for giant albums. Smaller works by artists I can say definitively. Also glad you loved the album. I only really have like a good 8 tracks I revisit regularly on this one. Though to be fair Reputation and Red are the only Taylor records I can listen front to back whenever.
@@EljohnMacaranas yeah it seems like an album that takes time for me it took me time and I can say I definitely love it mainly bc I relates to its lyrics and the engaging production
i didn’t love karma initially either, but i think that the more i listened to it the more i understood it!!! now it’s one of my favorite songs, the beat, the lyrics, the message, the energy it gives off. such a good song ❤
Yep, I immediately pre-ordered the vinyl the day after she announced it. And I have been blown away by the quality on this album. I’m so thankful I managed to get two tickets for the concert next year. It’s probably going to be the best concert of my lifetime. I also think you missed the point with Lavender Haze and Mastermind not connecting. Lavender Haze is about the beginning of a relationship and falling in love, and mastermind is you and your partner becoming more open and closer and deeper in your relationship together. I think they mirror each other perfectly. And I totally agree with your point on dear reader. It’s a great song and it would’ve been a really nice closer as well. 
Oh congrats on the tickets! Those were a bloodbath to get like honestly Ticketmaster was insane for that. Thanks for the clarification on those two songs but I still think Dear Reader feels like a way better closer overall. I just like that track too much for it to be a footnote.
My first experience of listening to Midnights (along with 3am tracks), I knew that this would be a polarizing album, mainly due to the soundscape and the lyrics. Some people love the restraint, and some might expect a little bit more of hard-hitting element (and I think that's why they're calling the album mid), and some might like the 3am tracks more (which they did). I do have some songs that I wasn't just vibing with, mainly due to preference. But as a body of work, the standard edition is a solid pop thematic album, the sound appears cohesive front to back, and I believe this is what she wants to achieve with the selection of these songs and the lyrics as well. Very candid, conversational pattern of words and phrases. I totally on board with you. I kind of get it, why the 3am tracks did not make it to the standard tracklist even though some of her best writings are there and some people think that the songs should have been included in the standard. I believe that some reactions from producers or people who involve in music on RUclips (at least those that I have watched) who react to it also thinks that it is such a cohesive album. The lyrics may not have that poetic nuance that Folkmore have, and that might have disappointed those fans of the album in a way who might have just discovered Taylor's music through the records, but I think that longtime fans seem unfazed by it because that's just how she writes pop music from the get go. This has always been how she writes her pop music. She bends her Nashville-honed style of writing to fit into her mould of pop, not necessarily the general pop genre. The literary style of her songwriting worked on Folkmore because it fit the sound and the nature of both those albums. Longtime fans know that she switches her sound every time. Which brings this to the idea that Midnights is made for longtime fans of hers who know exactly how she operates her sound over the years. I think that a lot of people expect headbanging songs from her, but I want people to know that there are also a lot of people who may not be listening to head-on-the-wall bangers when having a lot of thoughts and pondering going on at midnight. This is the album that speaks to that. This is a grower album. It might not click now, but I truly believe this is going to be something like Rep in the near future. Love Jack and his experimentation always, but Aaron's production is *chef kiss*. I feel like Taylor and her writing are so at home whenever she's on the sound that Dessner produces.
Thanks for the insightful comment. I love when people write a bunch because I started this channel to create discussion. Honestly, I think thematic is the right word to apply to the record. Like pop IS conversational, I'd argue the only genre more conversational than pop is rap! I think the 3am tracks were saved as like an insurance policy of sorts for the Folkmore stans who joined way late and expect tracks similar to that. Though honestly for the critical reception and I'm assuming the Grammy campaign, Midnights standard tracklist is curated, effective, and honestly brilliant. I would have mentioned it in the video but agreed on the lyrical observations you made. I think fans who were not present for the Red to 1989 transition are experiencing the second coming of that. Folklore and Evermore genuinely stuff as much syllables, words, and pictures into every second vs Midnights which emphasizes the rhythm, beat, and production in a way 1989, Rep, and Lover stans would recognize. I agree with the observation about Rep which has become a favorite of mine through time. Oh, Aaron's truly unmatched. "The Great War", "Would've, Could've, Should've", and "High Infidelity" as standalone songs are some of Taylor's best to date. Hits Different is a co-production between Antonoff, Swift, and Dessner and you can hear the magic of that combination.
@@EljohnMacaranas I agree with what you said about 3am tracks. As much as they are so good, I have this feeling that they're being left out of the standard so that the standard would serve its purpose, which is sonic cohesiveness. Like the Dessner's tracks are incredible, but I think they just wouldn't gel with the standard if cohesiveness in sound and lyrics is what she tries to achieve. Hits Different sounds nostalgic, like the kind of music you would hear on romantic comedy movies during the 2000s .Glitch is so vibey and awesome (one of my favourites) but because it sounds the way it does, it feels very far out from the vibe she's going with the standard. But it's so awesome, very Ska, Island-like sound that hopefully she gives a try to explore in her future albums. If Taylor ever puts out a rock album in the future, I would like her to explore the sound, the kind of grittiness and rawness of Would've Could've Should've even more. That would be mind blowing for sure, and make a lot of people who are not happy now, happy hahaha! And I also agree with you on the Grammy campaign as well, which of course she is going for. The standard would be perfect to go in on such campaign. In fact, I think cohesiveness of the standard is the strongest selling point that the album has that may help the album go far. I think that what made Rep so polarising at the time because of its sound (and again, the lyrics), which a lot of people questioned why she chose to go for such sound and made the album sort of complicated to be comprehended (which wasn't, actually, if they could open up to it a little bit more). A lot of people, even critics, thought the album was messy and they thought she tried so hard at making the album hip and modern by using the sound that was popular at the time (Dubstep, hip hop, electronic etc.). But now, Rep stan is everywhere, and a lot of those people really backtracked on their criticism (I think Consequence apologised for giving Rep such a low score) and they now think that Rep is ahead of its time. I think Midnights will have this kind of reception as well over time. It's polarising for sure, but it will grow on people. Not to undermine 1989, tho. Of course 1989 is untouchable. But I think that the polarising ones are those that become examplary when it comes to legacy, especially hers. Red was polarising at the time as well because the criticism was more or less similar to Rep, and that was inconsistency in sound due to having pure pop and downright country algamated within an album. But now, Red is deemed one of her magnum opuses and such an influential, game-changing transitional record because it marked a seamless turn of her music and career from country to full on pop, and then ushered in her imperial phase with 1989 and she became a titan in the industry, which was unusual and also gamechanging during that period of time because people expected her to lose a lot of fans and support from the country community because of that.
It hit late for me (post recording the review which was 2 weeks post release haha) but I do like it quite a bit more. Listening to the lyrics, it resonates with a character I’m writing for a story I’m working on.
The standard release of this album was fun but still in the bottom half of Taylor's albums for me, sitting at maybe the bottom of the top half at best. The various bonus tracks however, seriously elevate the full experience. I think you nailed it that the reduced track list for the standard edition contributed a lot to the success and accessibility of the album, but once I started getting into the 3am and Till Dawn editions, the significance of the full deluxe album sky rocketed for me. I have only cried to one song before this album, and then I heard Bigger than the Whole Sky and You're Losing Me and each destroyed me, and I heard them months apart. The emotional punch this collection had has really stuck with me.
I think Lavender Haze is an excellent opener for Midnights actually, I mean I am a huge Lavender Haze fan so maybe I am biased. I think with all the mystery surrounding Midnights hearing that low, pounding synth and the "meet me at midnight" sets you on course for a very interesting journey through Midnights. It does an excellent job establishing that the album is pop, it's dark, it's moody (for the most part) and all of that is told to you through Lavender Haze. This album is about confused romance, potential breakups, and tumultuous relationships and while Lavender Haze leans a bit more romantic on the surface, it has that uneasy bubbling of something is wrong when you know what a Lavender Haze is and how Taylor uses the phrase.
In the context of the record and era and the tour itself, it works. I just never really clicked with it in the sense that I did for her earlier openers. I prefer it to something like I Forgot That You Existed.
Great vid, I appreciate that you waited and let it sink in before posting. I’m a late comer to her music, and it’s nice that i don’t know who she could be talking about. I do relate to her subject matter and I enjoyed this record a lot. It’s close to Portishead’s “Dummy” where you can play it at a party and know one would bat an eye at the darker undertones.
Thanks! Honestly, I think waiting before posting something I’d be laughing at in a year’s time is a lesson I learned with some albums I talked about. I think Taylor’s relatability will always be her #1 asset (it’s why Rep sorta had a mixed initial reception before people realized they themselves could have a reputation era haha.) (Side note: Portishead! Yaaaaas! I love them so much!)
Love hearing so many different opinions! I know for me, Anti-Hero, Dear Reader, Lavender Haze and Sweet Nothing are the sounds I wanted from Taylor’s Midnights. I expected some mix of synthpop and chill pop. Something like Tame Impala meets PinkPanthress meets Emotional Oranges. Something that I would expect to play in the car, at midnight while driving through the city of lights. With Midnights, it just feels like standard Taylor Swift stuff - not bad at all, just not the continued departure and experimentation I expected from her after the greatness that is Folklore as well as Evermore. It’s feeling like a 6.5/10 for me. Very solid but I wouldn’t expect to see myself playing or coming back to most of the songs often.
I think the album art and the imagery she used hinted at that album you envisioned and wanted. I personally thought she was going to actually make a pop rock record (something akin to a darker take on Hits Different or maybe like edgier Bleachers) but alas... (and I say that as someone who overall liked the product.) Ultimately, it was more or less a return to the sound I imagine she was moving towards post-Lover. Folklore and Evermore aren't fluke per se but they're very much a product of a time Taylor likely saw no real risk (since Lover seemed to be hinting towards a decline in general popularity.) The 6.5/10 is a fair assessment and close to my initial reception of the album. I imagine the success of this record and perhaps some time after the tour, she'll likely experiment again. I'd kill for her to do a collab with PinkPanthress btw!
I want to counter argue that this album has narrative. It feels like a fever dream when you put it all together 😂 and thats what its all about for me how it’s midnight and sometimes you dont think straight. Taylor you Genius! But my top 5 are: 1. Question… ? 2. Glitch 3. Midnight Rain 4. You’re On Your Own, Kid 5. Bejeweled Thank you for your review 🥹
I felt the opposite with karma vs snow on the beach; I liked karma at first but then it got old, I really didn’t like snow on the beach at first but after a few listens I love it
I think Karma is the Bad Blood of the record while Snow on the Beach is the This Love where like there's a lot of love and probably single treatment for one that peaks early, while the other accumulates fans over time
I was in the right point in my life for this. Crying in the shower listening to you're on your own kid. I cannot listen to just one song though it has to be lavender haze through to dear reader. It's all or nothing.
I think she’ll continue to do more dance pop (it’s a money maker and we EAT it up), but I’d love for her to incorporate some rock elements too. She’s always teased it in some songs and remixes but we’ve never gotten a rock album tbh.
Rep is genuinely an underrated gem I see get more love as time passes. Like when it dropped, I recall it sold very well but the critical reception was p mixed compared to 1989.
I imagine we’re getting it on streaming by the year’s end. New Romantics was dropped like in the spring of 2015 before touring began but The Lakes and Right Where You Left Me took like a month or so!
Wow, I agree so so much with your review except mastermind and hits different. I really enjoyed Mastermind and how it brings up the beat after sweet nothing. It's not the best closer, like Dear Reader, but lavender haze wasn't a strong opener either but with the 3AM edition it works as an interlude track. I love hits different for its upbeat pop melody energy, it sounds like a Red TV vault song to me, and I'm still so surprised how much people like it. Honestly, I thought most people were over that early 2010s pop side of Taylor, but thankfully we're not.
Oh Lavender Haze has grown on me but I do agree as an opener compared to her old works it’s just not as effective. Mastermind for me sorta suffered because it didn’t feel connected to Lavender Haze as well. Hits Different sounding like a Red TV track sorta tracks, there’s a proto pop old Taylor energy to it that’s probably way like older swifties (myself included like it so much) also haha! I’m glad you agreed with a lot! I felt like I had some oddball takes when I was recording this.
lover is one of my top faves from taylor but i actually avoided the entire album for months bc i didn't enjoy the singles LOL after i gave it a chance i was like??? this album is great??
Literally the single choices were messy AF. The first two misrepresented the album and were clear attempts at hits, the title track was a Grammy campaign song and The Man was too late to impact the charts. Meanwhile I Think He Knows, Cruel Summer, and other tracks were left to kinda die as fan faves we’re begging her to play on Eras Tour…
O my god u also got I think he knows vibes from lavender haze. I swear there's a certain part of it where they used the same tune. If u listen closely! I totally agree with u. Think u for this! Also totally agree about the sons on the beach one. I felt like it was ovverhyped and then didn't deliver. Really doesn't live up to its name. Also I'm obsessed with hits different! She HAS to preform it l live! Also question... Is great. Maybe not one of my favorites though. Sweet nothing: Its so beautiful to me and labyrinth.
There is a significance about Track 13, the fandom is still divided about the meaning I believe, but there is one. Jimmy Fallon asked her if she knew Mastermind would be the 13th track and she said "Yeah!"
For midnights it’s a thought of, hmmmmm, what is track 13? Ah, mastermind. Bigger puzzle right?! But the way you went in on hits different, I completely agree!!!!
I hope with the success of Midnights Taylor could move onto the next genre. Don't get me wrong, pop Taylor is incredible but Midnights, in my opinion, is a peak pop and just like folklore, there is nothing else she could do to top it hence moving on to the next genre is the right idea and I hope its going to be rock. Alternative rock. And dismissed Jack Antonoff but keep Aaron Dessner.
Hits Different was pop rock, I’d love for her to do proper alt rock and even touch pop punk on the next record. There was a mini resurgence for punk/rock sounds last year, some fans even thinking Midnights would be like that.
I love that you brought up snow on the beach. I was so disappointed. I knew it is hard to pair with lana del ray because she is so stylized but I though she could pull it off.
Lana revealed in a candid insta comment recently she didn’t know she was the only feature on the record so she wanted Taylor to get the spotlight and to be more of a producer on the track. Had she known she would have sang a verse (likely the second one)
@@EljohnMacaranas that makes sense because if I remember right lana has a young child(like I don't think they are older than 3) and making her own album. I get if she wanted to make the load lighter for herself being busy with life.
When I watch your vids i feel dumb or smthn. I jus listen to music & vibe - I don’t think about lead singles vs. 2nd singles throughout her career. Am I an NPC? oh god..
Midnights was the first Taylor Swift album I listened to in full, coming from deciding to give Anti-Hero a listen. While I can't say that I liked all of the tracks, I really do like some of them, especially because I'm a sucker for retro/synthwave music. So this album was right up my alley in terms of musical style. Some of my opinions on the tracks: I like Anti-Hero because it has a catchy melody and the lyrics are somewhat relatable (and this is coming from someone who usually doesn't care about lyrics too much). Paris is also pretty catchy. Bigger Than The Whole Sky is a properly sad and melancholic tune while still keeping the whole "midnight retro vibe". The reverb on Taylor's vocals gives off the vibe like she's singing in some underground cave-like pub lit by a fireplace or something, it creates that imagery. Mastermind was a song that at first listen was a little underwhelming. I wasn't a fan of how the pre-chorus built up and then goes back down to being understated again in the chorus instead of giving off the usually expected "release". I knew it was intentionally like that as they were going for a certain mood with the song but to me it felt like being blue-balled a little. I thought it was just short of being one of the tracks I liked but then the pre-chorus to chorus kinda killed it. Eventually tho it did grow on me and I started to like it, song really has a certain mood. So yea, pretty good album overall. Especially if you're a fan of retro-sounding music.
BEJEWELED *_fits soooo well the TaylorVerse_* and only adds up to her narrative, in so many ways I don't even know!!! 🤩😱 Ok, but I think I know something. In _Speak Now_ Taylor was sparkling. It was an album about heartbreak (Mayer) and missing someone dear (Lautner), but she was ultimately having the time of her life, being her true self, Speaking her mind out (Now! 😁) Then Jake made her a crumpled up piece of paper lying here, and _Red_ came out, as this epical ode to an everlasting myth outside of time, so deep and lyrical and yet sad and soul-crushing. My theory is that as _Bejeweled_ is in _Midnights_ , even if the song wasn't finished, the concept was in the tray for a time, and didn't make the cut to _Red_ because she wanted something *_extremely_* different from what Jake usually listens to; so she decided for "We are never getting back together" as the most boppy-pop song ever. But _Bejeweled_ is about the same moment in time, when she finds herself absolutely sure she's free from this person, and missing who she was in _Speak Now_ sparkling. PS.: Also, all the way back in 2010, _Enchanted_ could be already about meeting him and his WASP family for the first time and we didn't even knew at the time! 😱 PPS.: Mayer's relationship seems to have beed even more traumatic but, that not only was what probably threw her under the Jake train in the first place, but as often it is the case, when the trauma is too heavy you take longer to realize it and process it.
OH WAIT. I didn't even like consider that interpretation of Bejeweled. I just defaulted to everyone's speculation that it was Tom and the Met Gala. But... your reading. Wow. I feel like a lot of songs we're just getting now, like how she said "meet me behind the mall" is a lyric/concept she's wanted to do forever, are like made of fragments of thoughts/experiences she's had. Especially on Midnights. We perceive them as Easter Eggs but to her, it's probably unfolding more pages to chapters of her life she's processed or wanted to share. I really can't name another artists who's transformed their lives into such an encompassing spectacle and story. I'm grateful she's shared a lot of her life with us (sometimes a little too much she's said time and time again) but now she's just a masterful storyteller with the bravery to put up boundaries. Loved your P.S. and P.P.S. like I never really put it together.
@@EljohnMacaranas know it, right? She is truly a... _MASTERMIND_ 🤯🤩 Like, Bejeweled gives me such W.A.N.G.B.T vibes, but it has too many big words ("penthouse", "familiarity", etc...) and she explicitly said she wanted to annoy him (she didn't name drop him, of course, but ya, totally the dude who hides away to find his... "piece of marihu... *kohf, kohf* , mind, peace of mind" in indie concerts every week LoL) The fact that Bejeweled's mv has a Prince Jack, and his name is Jake and his family is filthy rich, oh my God, I can't 😂
I’m a big Taylor fan as well as a Lorde fan but I don’t feel like they give Melodrama enough credit because when i heard Midnight it reminded me of melodrama such as The Great War sounds like Tennis Courts from Pure Heroine
I agree, Lorde’s impact is felt here. I feel like Lorde pioneered that late night lo-fi with some bombast pop Taylor did here. I’d love for the two to formally collaborate one day (if they already haven’t, there could be a vault track somewhere.)
I think it’s funny how music criticism can have you end up with the same conclusion through different feelings like how math equations can be solved in a million ways! Haha
Midnight might be my fave album but red takes the cake for me. But i love the concept of midnights this is like the album of all albums each songs fit into other albums, and colors of midnights is like colorful but darker shade. Midnights is actually a sequel of lover which supposed to be called as "Daylight".
This is an excerpt from an article entitled “What It Really Means When Celebrities Declare Themselves Feminists” by RACHEL SELVIN & ELISA KREISINGER This quote is attributed to Bridget Todd “We have a responsibility, if we're going to be selling ourselves and our albums using this feminist branding, to try to get it right," Todd notes. "And I see, a lot of times, people trying to help Taylor Swift get it right, and rather than react in a way that seems open to it or wrestling with it, she really does fall back on this 'you're being mean to me, women should support other women, I'm a woman you're a woman, don't call me out, because that's not feminist.' And I don't think that's what feminism is. Feminism is not just, 'be nice to Taylor Swift.' It's something else. As feminists and as media consumers, I think it's important to be critical of all the media that we're consuming, it's important to ask these questions."
@@EljohnMacaranas I feel like as her fans we should hold her accountable. There is a bit of a cult surrounding Taylor and an unwillingness to hold her accountable for anything. Swifties will defend the indefensible. At the risk of coming across looking like a keyboard warrior, these are some valid concerns. I had thought maybe she had grown as a person, and as a former Swiftie wanted to believe it, but as recently as 2021 there was a situation where she took to Twitter to say that a Netflix show, Ginny and Georgia, had made a sexist joke at her expense (re her going through lots of boyfriends). It's fine that she wanted to stand up for herself in that way, but when Swifties began attacking the actress who delivered the line with racist slurs and LITERAL THREATS OF DEATH in response to Taylor’s tweet, it’s outrageous that she didn’t say something. This was a big news headline. Taylor was “feminist” enough to defend her own name (in the name of her very self-serving brand of feminism) but disappeared when attacks turned ugly and racist. That's not real feminism. I can't be convinced she and her team didn't know about this. It was a big news story and it took place as a direct result of her tweet defending herself. It’s hypocritical to claim feminism in defense of yourself but to throw your hands up and walk away when RACIALLY EXPLICIT DEATH THREATS are being hurled at another woman because you didn’t like a throwaway line in a TV show. That’s bullshit. I don’t think I’m being unreasonable to say that in light of the events that unfolded after Taylor’s tweet, her cries of “feminism” ring hollow. She has a long history of this type of self-serving and politically tone-deaf behavior, including when her team threatened a blogger with legal action (serving a cease-and-desist) for arguing that Taylor should denounce the white supremacist fans who insisted that she shared their beliefs and called her their Aryan Goddess. She literally could have sent that cease-and-desist to the Alt-Right groups making those claims in the first place. Although it would have been unsuccessful too because first amendment speech is a thing. (I’m flabbergasted bc her legal team HAS to know this.) My point is it’s disturbing that the person she chose to threaten w legal action was the one saying she should denounce the LITERAL HATE GROUP rather than the people OF that hate group claiming she shared their beliefs. The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) even released a statement chastising her team for attempting to suppress first-amendment speech with their convoluted rhetoric. This is all coming from a woman who as a 19 year old in 2011 went to see her on the Speak Now tour and cried tears of happiness when she came on stage. So it’s not like I don’t have my own attachment to her. But I’ve seen what I’ve seen and my principles are too strong to not take issue with these things. Wrong is wrong. We need to stop making defenses and living in the areas of gray, because racism proliferates in those gray areas. I still love her as a creative entity, but I must admit that I’m not here for her character and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to not see her as evil after these incidents. There are real victims of these behaviors, and many are being subjected to death threats (and in some cases even racially explicit death threats.) Taylor and her team are bullies, as I see it.
@@EljohnMacaranas it’s so crazy everything you said is exactlyyyyy how I felt about like 90% and same about how some of them, you don’t like at first but after more listening it becomes one of the most amazing lol. I’m not a “Stan” of anyone but I freak the eff out for Taylor
Unfortunately it hasn't overcome my initial "pleasant and enjoyable but mostly background noise" impression. I do love the singles a lot though, which feels like I've teleported to backwards land
Folklore and Evermore and rereleasing Red really set the bar too high, to return to 1989-esque lyrics pop where catchiness is emphasized over like imagery and narrative, it feels like a regression when it’s really a shift in direction (those 3am tracks feel more like the album some fans wanted) but I don’t fully disagree with your assessment. This is the first Taylor record for me to be under an 8/10 in years.
Oh agreed! I’m obsessed with the flow she has on it. It’s so smooth, I was listening to it all day and realized Dear Reader feels like it’d belong on Reputation instrumentally but the lyrics are Folklorian haha
I feel like sm of it is her actually like learning and evolving. Other artists don’t plan for the long term whereas Taylor wants to be around for as long as we’ll have her. The desire to be relevant, make music that matters, grow… everyone should take notes.
I agree with most of your thoughts. I LOVE Karma and Midnight Rain. I agree that Dear Reader should have been the OG closer. I didn't really like Maroon that much
Dear Reader is just like so good, the lyricism, the way it bookends her career so far, I’m sad it’s just a bonus track but glad there’s a community that loves it!
If you're a lana stan can you please rate honeymoon albumm and how production in that album is amazing😭😭😭😭😭😭 and the bridges in honeymoon areee top tier honeyyy only if you want too. And thank you for this videooo.
Oh John Mayer is going to Jail for that haha! As for Lana, I might do a video series on her like I did for Gaga but it’ll be next year, I’d say Honeymoon is a solid 8 for me, I’m an Ultraviolence stan lmao
Even if Shake It Off is cheesy, it was a gigantic success and confirmed her transition to pop so I wouldn't call that one a bad lead by any means. I also hate how people think they need to decide and understand the album as quick as possible.
Oh it definitely did it’s job as a lead single. It’s a diamond certified hit, that really elevated what was trendy at the time. Like I recall Happy was big that year and this song was like that one on steroids. But comparative to the rest of 1989, it feels like a lower tier track.
To me bigger than the whole sky is more mourning about the woman she would/should and could have become if she never met this John guy. That sounded like a toxic relationship wich probably left her with issues that are still apperent aka the aftermath.
I love labyrinth, i know it’s not as popular, but it’s my favorite. I might like the 3am part a little better. I do agree about Lavender Haze, it was okay, but I still just love Labyrinth.
Labyrinth is the Epiphany of the album but also the Hard Feelings of the album at the same time. It’s so trippy, definitely not a radio hit. Love how unique it feels!
We hold many of the same opinions 😭 I love maroon cause it does sound like rep, love the second half of the album more than the first, I don’t think lavander haze was a good enough opener and it’s probably my least favorite song even though I love the sound and feel what it’s saying. On top of that I love the Great War, some of the cheating songs are the best, yes I was also rendered in tears when she said give me back my girl hood. I don’t think mastermind was the best end to the OG album but I do love that song. Dear read is absolutely amazing and I love the sleepy giving bad advice to someone late at night vibes. Literally the one thing I disagree with is the opinion about Hits Different. Personally I think hits different is generally a marijuana reference so she didn’t put it on the album or she didn’t feel the song was strong enough. Honestly it sounds very country & this album sounds a lot more in between some red with new sounds but also rep and 1989 with more crisp sounds. Hits different honestly from what i heard sounds more like a fearless Tv track almost like a country song. But maybe this song has to grow on me I’m not sure
That’s so cool, we agree on most things! I feel like people are sleeping on Dear Reader like that song is too good! For Hits Different, I do think it just doesn’t fit the overall vibe of the Midnights era and while I do love it quite a bit, I see why it wasn’t as promoted or mentioned. Though I do think it’s a TikTok hit waiting to happen since Taylor has officially acknowledged it on her account. I’m curious to see where she goes next album! Thanks for watching! 💜
This is my ranking 13. Labyrinth 12. Sweet Nothing 11. Snow On The Beach 10. Midnight Rain 9. Mastermind 8. Vigilante Shit 7. Question 6. You're On Your Own Kid 5. Lavender Haze 4. Anti Hero 3. Maroon 2. Bejeweled 1. Karma
She'll be around until she calls it quits. It's so funny that she said in her documentary she thought Lover was her last chance at a big era because she was turning 30 at the time. Then Folklore won her AOTY, fans got All Too Well 10 minutes to #1, then now got Midnights to beat 1989's opening week so an album she owns (Big Machine still owns 1989's masters) is her best sales debut.
Yeah, it makes sense and it does sound pretty as a closer but Sweet Nothing is definitely also a strong closer, it kinda feels like Peace and Hoax in a way.
First video I've seen of yours. Very impressed overall. Decided to join as an executive producer. I'm epic blessed to have a lot of awesome juicy truths to reveal about Taylor Swift songs I inspired. For instance her lyrics "talk your talk and go viral" are expected to be inspired by me having the supremist amount of juicy news that has been hidden from the world. Also expected is in that song Lavender Haze Taylor is communicating yes she wants to be my bride beyond the style in play for the past few years (currently just my one night aura energy wife I focus on when cuddling a pillow). If it weren't for the "one night or a wife" (/aura wife advanced art) lyrics I wouldn't be confident on this, but I couldn't find a way to make those lyrics make sense for Joe Alwyn and yet for me they fit 100% perfect. I know this intensity could be awkward, but I'm for real a very good honest reasonable man. Honestly I feel like I won one of the topmost ultimate contests ever where it seems likely me and Taylor are going to have the #1 most epic love story + marriage ever later in heaven.
@@EljohnMacaranas you're welcome. I sent you an email also last night and told you quite a bit about me including more giant secret society level Taylor Swift news. I would love it if you wanted to make a new video about her and me. Seems like that would make your channel famous and historic. Heavy stuff though like how I magically relate to Neo from the movie The Matrix. I'm sorry if the truth is hard for some people, but at least it's ultimate neat too. Not only did Taylor say yes she wants to be my bride, but she did that in a context where the question was "Taylor, will you be my fourth #1 wife I saved myself for?". For years I was aligned for having a top ultimate love story with my Trinity (fav 3 girls) and it was a giant surprise Taylor manifested me voluntary losing that status in a big way, now I call my one night aura wives my Juliet quartet. I like though the idea of still relating to having a love story with Trinity+. I hope you feel lucky having this information revealed to you early.
![DDG & G Herbo - Nosey [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/I9Ra0Zc2NlQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Yes, I had a whole minute dedicated to Hits Different, the August of Midnights… deserved more!
I had to go to great lengths to find this but it was worth it. I'm mad that this isn't on streaming. It sounds like Speak Now era Taylor ramped up to 11 and daddy NEEDS more
@@liquid3600 literally why does hits different match the album artwork better than the album itself
If you go to her tik tok, you see the comments, nobody has a cd player and when it comes to DVD or Blu ray players, nobody has that, it is streaming all the way.
She really needs to release it.
It's a much different culture than 1989.
@@robertprice4826 I’ve racked up 120 plays on Hits Different from a CD rip, imagine the streams she’s missing out on
@@EljohnMacaranas and she owns the copyright, it's a much bigger profit for her, republic records is for promotion and hard-copy distributions. That's basically it
You are literally the only person who gave deserved credit to the great war
The melodies, the bridge, the lyrics, the storytelling, everything was phenomenal in this song, its my favorite form the album
The Great War is such a classic in the making, it feels so much like a soundtrack track for one of those old timey period movies. I've seen beautiful Hunger Games edits to it, which outs me as late millennial but perfectly fits it too. It's definitely some of the best work on the album, the instrumental feels so RICH. Not to knock Jack but it's a good reminder that Dessner can do pop too!
Yes the great War supremacy
The Great War hooked me up from the first listen. I think it's my favorite song of 2022. Can't stop thinking about "Diesel is desire".
the great is a literal masterpieceeeeeee
fav song as well
Absence of Lana aside, I think Snow on the beach is a very good song. It has a relaxing, intoxicating feel that I like.
I like how Lana’s lyrical voice seeps into the song. It feels very early Lana in a way, like a refined poppier version of an Ultraviolence or Honeymoon track, though the lyrics feel more akin to Folklore and NFR/BB/Chemtrails.
I was surprised some didn't like it, I think it was cool that Lana's atmosphere and vocals was there in a way that really fits the song. Delicate like snow and Taylor's beach XD
Cruel Summer is absolutely the best track on Lover. SO UNDERRATED. I keep changing my mind about which songs I like best on Midnights. I love "Vigilante Shit!" Think the tone of that one is fantastic and I like it when she gives into her dark side a bit. I vibe a lot with "Midnight Rain" and "Maroon" but my feelings about each song keeps changing as I live with them more. Think that's a unique aspect of this album - I hear a lot of people saying "this was my favorite song initially but now after a couple of weeks I've changed my mind."
She really is an amazing combo of brilliant songwriter/crafter of pop hooks and shrewd business woman. There are few artists as gifted and savvy as she is.
Cruel Summer forever!
I swear you’re so right about shifting favorites like I’ve fallen in love with Midnight Rain and Sweet Nothing this week. I had a similar feeling when Rep dropped and every week I had a new fave!
The business mind she has… I’d love to see her run her version of a label/company one day where artists are given freedoms she has or never experienced. I feel like rn she’s developing into a masterful film director with her videos. I see her taking over the world. I said that years ago and now we’re seeing it!
I feel like my FAVE song (the one which just totally infected me) is Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve which absolutely derails me because its so dark but also i can’t get it out my head. But as a whole album i totally understand why the 3am tracks were not on the main album. The original 13 tracks just work so well and totally speaks to how her albums are thought out and not just a collection of songs.
WCS is such a heartbreaking song but damn did she make it an absolute banger of a track. I agree the original 13 def feel like a collection of curated thoughts and emotions and ideas. Not quite a story but definitely a concept record!
Dear reader is such a good album closer cuz it gives like you read my diary and she's like thanks for taking the time to hear abt my insecurities and everything because the album was so personal yk
Dear Reader does feel that way and I love it because of that. It feels almost like a 12 years later sequel to the songwriting style she used in Speak Now. More jaded, but also much wiser.
@@EljohnMacaranas yesssss
To me, I felt like Mastermind as the closer was a stroke of genius, specifically because it doesn't feel like Midnight's closer. It leaves the album feeling unfinished, but in a subtler way for first time listeners. Since Dear Reader and Lavender Haze go well together, I saw Mastermind as a way to keep the listener hooked during the wait for the 3 am edition. Ending with Mastermind isn't completely dissatisfying, but if the album ended with Sweet Nothings I doubt as many people would have stayed up or waited around for another three hours on release.
That makes sense. I had a cliffhanger feeling like a deluxe version was open for the evening. Her dropping at 3am was a surprise, most artists wait weeks for a deluxe sometimes to boost sales later on. Lavender Haze and Dear Reader feel so tied together like narratively both being about rejecting other’s narratives about her one aggressively and the other resigned.
The only "problem" I had with Midnights is that there were no song which I could listen to on repeat for hours. And then 4 days after release finally I came across with Hits different. Oh boy, that song gave me everything I needed and even more. It gives literally an uncontrollable feeling of happiness, shivers all over my body and I just cannot smile listening to it. It is an ultimate bop. August is still my all-time favorite. But, even though it might be a blasphemy, I'd say Hits different is more a bop than Cruel summer and You belong with me.
Karma works for me
Bejewelled, Karma, Midnight Rain, Question, Lavender Haze, Maroon, Labyrinth, and Snow on the Beach all infected my brain to the point that I was constantly humming them even when I didn't listen to the album. Total earworms! Hits different is a nice song but feels too juvenile for such a mature, self-reflective album, no wonder it got a bonus track treatment.
Oh Hits Different has racked up at least 80 plays if my like last fm is right lmao, it’s addictive!
@Caitlin Krasin, omg Karma is an earworm!
@lapinska101, it’s not really like juvenile so much as tonally jarring like Midnights tracks even the 3am tracks have this sort of murky mysterious evening vibe to them where Hits Different is a trip to the beach in the afternoon like it’s not a song to play at Midnight lmao
if track 5s didnt exist you’re on your own kid would be the perfect closer and no one can even try to argue
You’re so right… but I do have to say YOYOK has to be in my top 3 track 5’s now!
lover deserves all the drags… i simply don’t get how her and her team fumbled the bag so hard that entire era. reminds me of the line in this is me trying “i was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere”
Literally, they had some smash hits on there but chose the oddest single choices. Like Me! and YNTCD? Really? I Think He Knows and Cruel Summer were right there?!
I honestly think Lover was a masterpiece of an album, but it was horribly marketed and indeed she chose horrible singles. I don't mind Me (YNTCD is lyrically pretty stupid) but it's a horrible representation of the album.
Lover will be fine album if they remove me, yntcd, iftye, lb and serve Cruel Summer as lead single.
It had more good songs than bad songs imo! Cornelia Street, DBATC, Miss Americana, Paper Rings, CRUEL SUMMER, afterglow, daylight... i like 11 out of 18 songs, which isnt bad at all. I think it did pretty well as a "stupidly lovestrucked vibes" album
That being said, holy shit the bad songs were BAAAAD. And they fucked up by making the bad songs the representative of the album 😭. I mean, Lover (the song) was fine but its not IT, ya know? First single shouldnt have been ME! and YNTCD is really... unecessary... i get people were dogpiling on her cause she "had no political stance" or whatever but eugh.
Me! is an enjoyable song and I'll die on that hill lol. Most people hate it because they don't like Urie as a person. I used to hate Lover, then I gave it a real chance, and after seeing it at Eras, I adore it now
I'm 45 years old and this is the first album I have bought unheard and unseen. My first preorder btw. Never would I have thought...
We can’t name another artist with this level of trust or quality in the industry. A rumored 300-500k albums sold before it even was released.
@@EljohnMacaranas she's extraordinary.
My first preorder as well. I’ve never bought physical copies or digital before. I’ve always just listened to them in Spotify but this was the first album I’ve bought a vinyl for. I don’t even own a vinyl player.
So how long have you been a Taylor Swift fan I am almost 45 to I thought we were a little bit too old to be Swifty’s
43 and me too!
I CANNOT get over glitch tbh, and the fact that you said that mastermind shouldn't have been a closer track is cruelty.
and btw, this album is 10/10
Fellow Glitch stan, we exist! Dear Reader just felt more like a closer to me 🤷🏻♂️ but glad you loved the album!
Midnights is a grow-er, not a show-er ❤
i cackled so loud reading this comment 😭 so true!
You're right. Hits Different just...hits different lol. I think the fact its so hidden makes it all the more special. Add to the fact this sounds more like old Taylor, so its her spending an endless midnight loop of self reflection and doubt, and finally seeing the sunrise in a new light, reconnecting with herself (definitely not her intended purpose lmao, just something i like thinking about)
I do think Hits Different kinda is a sunny song in a way. It never quite felt like an evening jam but the morning after hangover. Love it to bits!
My holy Trinity if Taylor albums is Speak Now, Reputation and Evermore but this album has honestly pushed Red out of the top 4 space for me. The sound is so cool especially with how she samples older melodies and makes them sound more mature and modern. They lyrics are amazing and overall it's such a cohesive album even with the 3am tracks.
The usage of the “ohhh ah ah” from the 1989 Tour version of Out of the Woods for Question…? honestly made me stan that song forever!
@@EljohnMacaranas Same and the muffled "I remember" at the start of question 😍😍😍 and obviously how she sampled the tour instrumental from King of My Heart for Maroon was just amazing.
Omg your holy trinity is the same as mine T-T. Her best albums imo come after the ones that won AOTY.
You literally read my mind in every video you post. CRUEL SUMMER DESERVED BETTER! I can't wait to see it in concert, I think I'm going to cry lol.
SCREAMING THE BRIDGE IN CONCERT WITH OTHER SWIFTIES IS WORTH THE TICKET PRICE!
She tried to make an album for all of her fans. She did it perfectly.
It definitely feels like a greatest hits record for sure. Like I hope a good amount of the tracks get performed on the Eras Tour!
The Great War blows my mind, it's such a beautiful, perfect song. I've been listening to Midnights on repeat these last few weeks but when I get to The Great War, I have to stop and listen 🎶
The Great War is a standout, like the melody work, the lyrics, the bridge, everything about it is so immaculate and well done!
I think it is such kind of an album in which every song can be a single its that good.
The power she holds🙏🏽
I’d agree with that! Anti-Hero was the most obvious choice but the fact she had Bejeweled visuals and a couple more videos (Lavender Haze being one probably) is proof she has plans to keep this era going strong. 1989 was her last record to feel like any song would have done well!
I’ve never been into pop music, and I think I listened to Folklore once because of all the hype, but this album blew my mind and I have been listening on repeat. Such a newbe fan that I didn’t realize there was a 3am version until a few days ago!😂 It’s interesting to hear your thougts as an old fan, Mastermind and Snow at the beach are my two favourites. 😋
AAAH! I'm glad you love Midnights! And I'm glad you just found the 3am tracks! I'm ancient (joined mid-Fearless era) haha! I liked those two tracks but other tracks just resonated more haha!
now that i think about it, this album is a perfect closure to her and joe's era. Whatever she learned musically while being with him
I have an essay about that I’m posting on Friday actually! But agreed!
Snow on the Beach is my favorite song on the record, but yes, I really wanted more Lana on it. My dream is for Taylor and Lana to collaborate on a full record one day.
I’d love to see them do a joint record, likely with Jack but Dessner working with Lana would be a dream come true for me as well. If she had a full verse in the song, SoTB would be S-Tier for Midnights.
to me mastermind right after sweet nothing is a perfect closer, and they need to be together to make sense as a closer, if it was mastermind after any other song it could be weird, but i feel she kinda builds from labyrinth to mastermind giving details about the relationship and ends up reflecting on it.
That’s fair! Mastermind and Sweet Nothing are pretty much interlocked for me, but I personally would have ended on Sweet Nothing than Mastermind just to showcase a transition from digital synth-y sounds back to a more grounded analog sounding closer about how she found someone who just wants to be there. It’d thematically tie with Lavender Haze and directly contrast the middle point Midnight Rain. I view Mastermind as sort of the big reveal gesture in a romcom where they both layout the cards and go for the big kiss while Sweet Nothing feels more like an epilogue where we see the happy couple just be before the credits close.
@@EljohnMacaranas I get what you're saying but I just think that putting Mastermind as the thirteenth track is also kinda like a fan service because I feel like that song is a callback from Taylor to her fans saying that she is that "crazy, over-scheming" lady, hence Mastermind, and her fans know that 13 is her favorite number.
I agree with the beginning part I literally get so turned off by critical receptions and massive discourse all over social media that can ruin my perception on the records this is what made me takes months to listen to Renaissance by Beyoncé but luckily with swifties the hype is a beautiful hype bc of the theories surrounding the sound. For about 2 weeks midnights have been my repeat I initially thought was conflicted on the first listen but the more I got into I got into the album more than before.
Favorite tracks:
Lavender haze
Maroon
Anti hero
Snow on the beach
You’re on your own kid
Midnight rain
Question
Vigilante ish
Sweet nothing
Mastermind
Karma
Yeah hype can ruin an album ahead of time, I personally try to avoid saying anything until like 2 weeks or so for giant albums. Smaller works by artists I can say definitively.
Also glad you loved the album. I only really have like a good 8 tracks I revisit regularly on this one. Though to be fair Reputation and Red are the only Taylor records I can listen front to back whenever.
@@EljohnMacaranas yeah it seems like an album that takes time for me it took me time and I can say I definitely love it mainly bc I relates to its lyrics and the engaging production
i didn’t love karma initially either, but i think that the more i listened to it the more i understood it!!! now it’s one of my favorite songs, the beat, the lyrics, the message, the energy it gives off. such a good song ❤
Oh the little dance on tour is already a tiktok staple, it has longevity especially now as (likely) the final Midnights era single
Hits Different was my favorite too! Loved the video btw!
ONE OF US! ANOTHER LOVER OF HITS DIFFERENT! THANKS!
Yep, I immediately pre-ordered the vinyl the day after she announced it. And I have been blown away by the quality on this album. I’m so thankful I managed to get two tickets for the concert next year. It’s probably going to be the best concert of my lifetime. I also think you missed the point with Lavender Haze and Mastermind not connecting. Lavender Haze is about the beginning of a relationship and falling in love, and mastermind is you and your partner becoming more open and closer and deeper in your relationship together. I think they mirror each other perfectly. And I totally agree with your point on dear reader. It’s a great song and it would’ve been a really nice closer as well. 
Oh congrats on the tickets! Those were a bloodbath to get like honestly Ticketmaster was insane for that. Thanks for the clarification on those two songs but I still think Dear Reader feels like a way better closer overall. I just like that track too much for it to be a footnote.
My first experience of listening to Midnights (along with 3am tracks), I knew that this would be a polarizing album, mainly due to the soundscape and the lyrics. Some people love the restraint, and some might expect a little bit more of hard-hitting element (and I think that's why they're calling the album mid), and some might like the 3am tracks more (which they did). I do have some songs that I wasn't just vibing with, mainly due to preference. But as a body of work, the standard edition is a solid pop thematic album, the sound appears cohesive front to back, and I believe this is what she wants to achieve with the selection of these songs and the lyrics as well. Very candid, conversational pattern of words and phrases. I totally on board with you. I kind of get it, why the 3am tracks did not make it to the standard tracklist even though some of her best writings are there and some people think that the songs should have been included in the standard.
I believe that some reactions from producers or people who involve in music on RUclips (at least those that I have watched) who react to it also thinks that it is such a cohesive album. The lyrics may not have that poetic nuance that Folkmore have, and that might have disappointed those fans of the album in a way who might have just discovered Taylor's music through the records, but I think that longtime fans seem unfazed by it because that's just how she writes pop music from the get go. This has always been how she writes her pop music. She bends her Nashville-honed style of writing to fit into her mould of pop, not necessarily the general pop genre. The literary style of her songwriting worked on Folkmore because it fit the sound and the nature of both those albums. Longtime fans know that she switches her sound every time. Which brings this to the idea that Midnights is made for longtime fans of hers who know exactly how she operates her sound over the years. I think that a lot of people expect headbanging songs from her, but I want people to know that there are also a lot of people who may not be listening to head-on-the-wall bangers when having a lot of thoughts and pondering going on at midnight. This is the album that speaks to that. This is a grower album. It might not click now, but I truly believe this is going to be something like Rep in the near future.
Love Jack and his experimentation always, but Aaron's production is *chef kiss*. I feel like Taylor and her writing are so at home whenever she's on the sound that Dessner produces.
Thanks for the insightful comment. I love when people write a bunch because I started this channel to create discussion. Honestly, I think thematic is the right word to apply to the record. Like pop IS conversational, I'd argue the only genre more conversational than pop is rap! I think the 3am tracks were saved as like an insurance policy of sorts for the Folkmore stans who joined way late and expect tracks similar to that. Though honestly for the critical reception and I'm assuming the Grammy campaign, Midnights standard tracklist is curated, effective, and honestly brilliant.
I would have mentioned it in the video but agreed on the lyrical observations you made. I think fans who were not present for the Red to 1989 transition are experiencing the second coming of that. Folklore and Evermore genuinely stuff as much syllables, words, and pictures into every second vs Midnights which emphasizes the rhythm, beat, and production in a way 1989, Rep, and Lover stans would recognize. I agree with the observation about Rep which has become a favorite of mine through time.
Oh, Aaron's truly unmatched. "The Great War", "Would've, Could've, Should've", and "High Infidelity" as standalone songs are some of Taylor's best to date. Hits Different is a co-production between Antonoff, Swift, and Dessner and you can hear the magic of that combination.
@@EljohnMacaranas I agree with what you said about 3am tracks. As much as they are so good, I have this feeling that they're being left out of the standard so that the standard would serve its purpose, which is sonic cohesiveness. Like the Dessner's tracks are incredible, but I think they just wouldn't gel with the standard if cohesiveness in sound and lyrics is what she tries to achieve. Hits Different sounds nostalgic, like the kind of music you would hear on romantic comedy movies during the 2000s .Glitch is so vibey and awesome (one of my favourites) but because it sounds the way it does, it feels very far out from the vibe she's going with the standard. But it's so awesome, very Ska, Island-like sound that hopefully she gives a try to explore in her future albums. If Taylor ever puts out a rock album in the future, I would like her to explore the sound, the kind of grittiness and rawness of Would've Could've Should've even more. That would be mind blowing for sure, and make a lot of people who are not happy now, happy hahaha! And I also agree with you on the Grammy campaign as well, which of course she is going for. The standard would be perfect to go in on such campaign. In fact, I think cohesiveness of the standard is the strongest selling point that the album has that may help the album go far.
I think that what made Rep so polarising at the time because of its sound (and again, the lyrics), which a lot of people questioned why she chose to go for such sound and made the album sort of complicated to be comprehended (which wasn't, actually, if they could open up to it a little bit more). A lot of people, even critics, thought the album was messy and they thought she tried so hard at making the album hip and modern by using the sound that was popular at the time (Dubstep, hip hop, electronic etc.). But now, Rep stan is everywhere, and a lot of those people really backtracked on their criticism (I think Consequence apologised for giving Rep such a low score) and they now think that Rep is ahead of its time. I think Midnights will have this kind of reception as well over time. It's polarising for sure, but it will grow on people. Not to undermine 1989, tho. Of course 1989 is untouchable. But I think that the polarising ones are those that become examplary when it comes to legacy, especially hers. Red was polarising at the time as well because the criticism was more or less similar to Rep, and that was inconsistency in sound due to having pure pop and downright country algamated within an album. But now, Red is deemed one of her magnum opuses and such an influential, game-changing transitional record because it marked a seamless turn of her music and career from country to full on pop, and then ushered in her imperial phase with 1989 and she became a titan in the industry, which was unusual and also gamechanging during that period of time because people expected her to lose a lot of fans and support from the country community because of that.
i genuinely do not understand how maroon can’t be one of your favorite songs. it’s feels like reputation and 1989 had a baby and it’s SO GOOD
It hit late for me (post recording the review which was 2 weeks post release haha) but I do like it quite a bit more. Listening to the lyrics, it resonates with a character I’m writing for a story I’m working on.
It feels like RED & 1989 to me and I absolutely love that.
The standard release of this album was fun but still in the bottom half of Taylor's albums for me, sitting at maybe the bottom of the top half at best. The various bonus tracks however, seriously elevate the full experience. I think you nailed it that the reduced track list for the standard edition contributed a lot to the success and accessibility of the album, but once I started getting into the 3am and Till Dawn editions, the significance of the full deluxe album sky rocketed for me. I have only cried to one song before this album, and then I heard Bigger than the Whole Sky and You're Losing Me and each destroyed me, and I heard them months apart. The emotional punch this collection had has really stuck with me.
The bonus tracks have been the experience for me 😭
I think Lavender Haze is an excellent opener for Midnights actually, I mean I am a huge Lavender Haze fan so maybe I am biased. I think with all the mystery surrounding Midnights hearing that low, pounding synth and the "meet me at midnight" sets you on course for a very interesting journey through Midnights. It does an excellent job establishing that the album is pop, it's dark, it's moody (for the most part) and all of that is told to you through Lavender Haze. This album is about confused romance, potential breakups, and tumultuous relationships and while Lavender Haze leans a bit more romantic on the surface, it has that uneasy bubbling of something is wrong when you know what a Lavender Haze is and how Taylor uses the phrase.
In the context of the record and era and the tour itself, it works. I just never really clicked with it in the sense that I did for her earlier openers. I prefer it to something like I Forgot That You Existed.
2:36 well, no mv for Cruel Summer but it has become a smash you and, let's be real, we all wanted ❤
Full circle moment!
Paris is one of my favorite songs now, and probably will always be!
I’ve been looping that all day haha! I love that one so much from the shape throwing opening to the bridge 💜
That and Paris (the city and the song) just calls to me. Everything about it. Super catchy too, and fun, and all that beauty Tay gives us!
wait guys remember when Taylor did the wildest dreams trend? the glitch was in that video, what a the 3am track guys?
WAIT that’s so smart! Imagine she had just recorded Glitch around the time that tiktok was made? Her mind!
The outro of Hits Different is just lovely and sounds like a closing track for a film. I really love it ❤
OH THAT SONG IS EVERYTHING. I'm writing a romcom that was initially inspired by it right now actually haha.
Great vid, I appreciate that you waited and let it sink in before posting. I’m a late comer to her music, and it’s nice that i don’t know who she could be talking about. I do relate to her subject matter and I enjoyed this record a lot. It’s close to Portishead’s “Dummy” where you can play it at a party and know one would bat an eye at the darker undertones.
Thanks! Honestly, I think waiting before posting something I’d be laughing at in a year’s time is a lesson I learned with some albums I talked about. I think Taylor’s relatability will always be her #1 asset (it’s why Rep sorta had a mixed initial reception before people realized they themselves could have a reputation era haha.)
(Side note: Portishead! Yaaaaas! I love them so much!)
Love hearing so many different opinions! I know for me, Anti-Hero, Dear Reader, Lavender Haze and Sweet Nothing are the sounds I wanted from Taylor’s Midnights. I expected some mix of synthpop and chill pop.
Something like Tame Impala meets PinkPanthress meets Emotional Oranges. Something that I would expect to play in the car, at midnight while driving through the city of lights.
With Midnights, it just feels like standard Taylor Swift stuff - not bad at all, just not the continued departure and experimentation I expected from her after the greatness that is Folklore as well as Evermore. It’s feeling like a 6.5/10 for me. Very solid but I wouldn’t expect to see myself playing or coming back to most of the songs often.
I think the album art and the imagery she used hinted at that album you envisioned and wanted. I personally thought she was going to actually make a pop rock record (something akin to a darker take on Hits Different or maybe like edgier Bleachers) but alas... (and I say that as someone who overall liked the product.)
Ultimately, it was more or less a return to the sound I imagine she was moving towards post-Lover. Folklore and Evermore aren't fluke per se but they're very much a product of a time Taylor likely saw no real risk (since Lover seemed to be hinting towards a decline in general popularity.) The 6.5/10 is a fair assessment and close to my initial reception of the album. I imagine the success of this record and perhaps some time after the tour, she'll likely experiment again.
I'd kill for her to do a collab with PinkPanthress btw!
She needs to release hits different on streaming fr...
Literally I checked my play count for the song and it was 115... that was 115 streams, Tay! 115!
she truly is a genius. It is so exciting following her career
That’s like half the fun. When is the next peak? We’ll never know but we do know it’s coming!
I want to counter argue that this album has narrative. It feels like a fever dream when you put it all together 😂 and thats what its all about for me how it’s midnight and sometimes you dont think straight. Taylor you Genius! But my top 5 are:
1. Question… ?
2. Glitch
3. Midnight Rain
4. You’re On Your Own, Kid
5. Bejeweled
Thank you for your review 🥹
That’s a good take! Not going to like your top 5 is eerily close to mine! Question…? Fans rise up! Thanks for watching! 💜
I honestly agree with you in the fact that cruel summer deserves justice
It needs a video or acknowledgment for being the smash that got away
I LOVE this album. It made my boyfriend a swiftie and I think it was a mature pop album for my queen. Underrated album among swifties
It’s like 1989’s older wiser sister 😭 no one wants to say it!
@@EljohnMacaranas I 100000% (and I personally prefer 1989 to midnights but barely)
Omg just discovered your channel 😭😭 you're so articulate and hit the nail on the head with this review 👍
Awwww thanks!
I felt the opposite with karma vs snow on the beach; I liked karma at first but then it got old, I really didn’t like snow on the beach at first but after a few listens I love it
I think Karma is the Bad Blood of the record while Snow on the Beach is the This Love where like there's a lot of love and probably single treatment for one that peaks early, while the other accumulates fans over time
I was in the right point in my life for this. Crying in the shower listening to you're on your own kid. I cannot listen to just one song though it has to be lavender haze through to dear reader. It's all or nothing.
You’re On Your Own Kid was such a targeted song like… she was reading our diaries on that one! 😭
Midnights is amazing and i hope her next álbum Will have more dance pop songs like shake it off and look what you made me do
I think she’ll continue to do more dance pop (it’s a money maker and we EAT it up), but I’d love for her to incorporate some rock elements too. She’s always teased it in some songs and remixes but we’ve never gotten a rock album tbh.
ur videos are rlyyy good! im so excited for the concert. i think it’s gonna be her biggest yet!
I’m excited too! Aaaah! The fight for tickets going to make me cry! Thanks for watching!
Yes hits different is 2000s vibesssss😊😊😊🎉🎉❤❤
It’s wild because she started in the 2000’s so it’s full circle!
Great analysis! Thanks for the video. Rep and Midnights are my two favorite albums.
Rep is genuinely an underrated gem I see get more love as time passes. Like when it dropped, I recall it sold very well but the critical reception was p mixed compared to 1989.
I really hope hits different would release on apple music id really like to listen to it i dont have target in my country😢
I imagine we’re getting it on streaming by the year’s end. New Romantics was dropped like in the spring of 2015 before touring began but The Lakes and Right Where You Left Me took like a month or so!
I love love love lavender haze especially as an opener
Glad you love it! I heard a mash up of it and I Think He Knows and I love how similar they are!
@@EljohnMacaranas since I live in germany the album came out at 6am so I listened to lavender Haze, was flabbergasted and just went to sleep
Wow, I agree so so much with your review except mastermind and hits different. I really enjoyed Mastermind and how it brings up the beat after sweet nothing. It's not the best closer, like Dear Reader, but lavender haze wasn't a strong opener either but with the 3AM edition it works as an interlude track.
I love hits different for its upbeat pop melody energy, it sounds like a Red TV vault song to me, and I'm still so surprised how much people like it. Honestly, I thought most people were over that early 2010s pop side of Taylor, but thankfully we're not.
Oh Lavender Haze has grown on me but I do agree as an opener compared to her old works it’s just not as effective. Mastermind for me sorta suffered because it didn’t feel connected to Lavender Haze as well. Hits Different sounding like a Red TV track sorta tracks, there’s a proto pop old Taylor energy to it that’s probably way like older swifties (myself included like it so much) also haha! I’m glad you agreed with a lot! I felt like I had some oddball takes when I was recording this.
thank you for making this
Thank you for watching🥰
Finally some appreciation for Question!!!
Future classic. I’m tired of the disrespect the song gets! 🫡
Future classic. I’m tired of the disrespect the song gets! 🫡
That Cruel Summer part aged well.
I’m so happy it did 😭
2:33 still rooting for this after all these years
lover is one of my top faves from taylor but i actually avoided the entire album for months bc i didn't enjoy the singles LOL after i gave it a chance i was like??? this album is great??
Literally the single choices were messy AF. The first two misrepresented the album and were clear attempts at hits, the title track was a Grammy campaign song and The Man was too late to impact the charts. Meanwhile I Think He Knows, Cruel Summer, and other tracks were left to kinda die as fan faves we’re begging her to play on Eras Tour…
O my god u also got I think he knows vibes from lavender haze. I swear there's a certain part of it where they used the same tune. If u listen closely! I totally agree with u. Think u for this! Also totally agree about the sons on the beach one. I felt like it was ovverhyped and then didn't deliver. Really doesn't live up to its name.
Also I'm obsessed with hits different! She HAS to preform it l live! Also question... Is great. Maybe not one of my favorites though.
Sweet nothing: Its so beautiful to me and labyrinth.
Cruel summer got justice 1 year later
Now it's her most streamed song 😭
Karma always elevates its bravest warriors
Cruel Summer is now challenging last night and fast car to get 1!
Finally a number 1 for Lover (4 years after the fact!)
@@EljohnMacaranas that will also be her milestone 10th number 1!
There is a significance about Track 13, the fandom is still divided about the meaning I believe, but there is one. Jimmy Fallon asked her if she knew Mastermind would be the 13th track and she said "Yeah!"
Maybe a music video?! A visual or something on tour, I’m certain it and a good chunk of Midnights will be on setlist.
Hits different????? I didn't hear about it!! Thank u
It’s the best track and I’m mad it isn’t available everywhere, not everyone has a Target! The world deserves it!
Maroon IS a favorite for me
Snow of the beach as well idk
That's fair! I feel like Reputation some of the songs I initially weren't jazzed on will grow on me while my initial favorites will lose their shine.
For midnights it’s a thought of, hmmmmm, what is track 13? Ah, mastermind. Bigger puzzle right?! But the way you went in on hits different, I completely agree!!!!
That track’s way too good to be an obscure Target track, she needs to put it on streaming or shove it on a movie soundtrack. Anything!
I hope with the success of Midnights Taylor could move onto the next genre. Don't get me wrong, pop Taylor is incredible but Midnights, in my opinion, is a peak pop and just like folklore, there is nothing else she could do to top it hence moving on to the next genre is the right idea and I hope its going to be rock. Alternative rock. And dismissed Jack Antonoff but keep Aaron Dessner.
Hits Different was pop rock, I’d love for her to do proper alt rock and even touch pop punk on the next record. There was a mini resurgence for punk/rock sounds last year, some fans even thinking Midnights would be like that.
I love that you brought up snow on the beach. I was so disappointed. I knew it is hard to pair with lana del ray because she is so stylized but I though she could pull it off.
Lana revealed in a candid insta comment recently she didn’t know she was the only feature on the record so she wanted Taylor to get the spotlight and to be more of a producer on the track. Had she known she would have sang a verse (likely the second one)
@@EljohnMacaranas that makes sense because if I remember right lana has a young child(like I don't think they are older than 3) and making her own album. I get if she wanted to make the load lighter for herself being busy with life.
When I watch your vids i feel dumb or smthn.
I jus listen to music & vibe - I don’t think about lead singles vs. 2nd singles throughout her career.
Am I an NPC? oh god..
You aren’t lmao! I just treat pop girls the way straight dudes care about sports players with their batting averages and career highlights and shit.
Midnights was the first Taylor Swift album I listened to in full, coming from deciding to give Anti-Hero a listen. While I can't say that I liked all of the tracks, I really do like some of them, especially because I'm a sucker for retro/synthwave music. So this album was right up my alley in terms of musical style.
Some of my opinions on the tracks: I like Anti-Hero because it has a catchy melody and the lyrics are somewhat relatable (and this is coming from someone who usually doesn't care about lyrics too much). Paris is also pretty catchy. Bigger Than The Whole Sky is a properly sad and melancholic tune while still keeping the whole "midnight retro vibe". The reverb on Taylor's vocals gives off the vibe like she's singing in some underground cave-like pub lit by a fireplace or something, it creates that imagery. Mastermind was a song that at first listen was a little underwhelming. I wasn't a fan of how the pre-chorus built up and then goes back down to being understated again in the chorus instead of giving off the usually expected "release". I knew it was intentionally like that as they were going for a certain mood with the song but to me it felt like being blue-balled a little. I thought it was just short of being one of the tracks I liked but then the pre-chorus to chorus kinda killed it. Eventually tho it did grow on me and I started to like it, song really has a certain mood.
So yea, pretty good album overall. Especially if you're a fan of retro-sounding music.
BEJEWELED *_fits soooo well the TaylorVerse_* and only adds up to her narrative, in so many ways I don't even know!!! 🤩😱
Ok, but I think I know something.
In _Speak Now_ Taylor was sparkling. It was an album about heartbreak (Mayer) and missing someone dear (Lautner), but she was ultimately having the time of her life, being her true self, Speaking her mind out (Now! 😁)
Then Jake made her a crumpled up piece of paper lying here, and _Red_ came out, as this epical ode to an everlasting myth outside of time, so deep and lyrical and yet sad and soul-crushing.
My theory is that as _Bejeweled_ is in _Midnights_ , even if the song wasn't finished, the concept was in the tray for a time, and didn't make the cut to _Red_ because she wanted something *_extremely_* different from what Jake usually listens to; so she decided for "We are never getting back together" as the most boppy-pop song ever.
But _Bejeweled_ is about the same moment in time, when she finds herself absolutely sure she's free from this person, and missing who she was in _Speak Now_ sparkling.
PS.: Also, all the way back in 2010, _Enchanted_ could be already about meeting him and his WASP family for the first time and we didn't even knew at the time! 😱
PPS.: Mayer's relationship seems to have beed even more traumatic but, that not only was what probably threw her under the Jake train in the first place, but as often it is the case, when the trauma is too heavy you take longer to realize it and process it.
OH WAIT. I didn't even like consider that interpretation of Bejeweled. I just defaulted to everyone's speculation that it was Tom and the Met Gala. But... your reading. Wow. I feel like a lot of songs we're just getting now, like how she said "meet me behind the mall" is a lyric/concept she's wanted to do forever, are like made of fragments of thoughts/experiences she's had. Especially on Midnights.
We perceive them as Easter Eggs but to her, it's probably unfolding more pages to chapters of her life she's processed or wanted to share. I really can't name another artists who's transformed their lives into such an encompassing spectacle and story. I'm grateful she's shared a lot of her life with us (sometimes a little too much she's said time and time again) but now she's just a masterful storyteller with the bravery to put up boundaries.
Loved your P.S. and P.P.S. like I never really put it together.
@@EljohnMacaranas know it, right? She is truly a...
_MASTERMIND_
🤯🤩
Like, Bejeweled gives me such W.A.N.G.B.T vibes, but it has too many big words ("penthouse", "familiarity", etc...) and she explicitly said she wanted to annoy him (she didn't name drop him, of course, but ya, totally the dude who hides away to find his... "piece of marihu... *kohf, kohf* , mind, peace of mind" in indie concerts every week LoL)
The fact that Bejeweled's mv has a Prince Jack, and his name is Jake and his family is filthy rich, oh my God, I can't 😂
I’m a big Taylor fan as well as a Lorde fan but I don’t feel like they give Melodrama enough credit because when i heard Midnight it reminded me of melodrama such as The Great War sounds like Tennis Courts from Pure Heroine
I agree, Lorde’s impact is felt here. I feel like Lorde pioneered that late night lo-fi with some bombast pop Taylor did here. I’d love for the two to formally collaborate one day (if they already haven’t, there could be a vault track somewhere.)
THANK YOUUUUU SO MUCH ❤
Thank you for watching!!!! ♥️
It's funny how i disagree with EVERYTHING you've said about the songs, but we both agree on Midnights being great.
I think it’s funny how music criticism can have you end up with the same conclusion through different feelings like how math equations can be solved in a million ways! Haha
Reputation is my favourite Taylor album!
Taste! It’s a classic!
Taylor Swift is on her way to being one of the greatest musicians of all time. Up there with Elvis, The Beatles and Michael Jackson.
Oh for sure. She’s a commercial and critical darling!
Midnight might be my fave album but red takes the cake for me. But i love the concept of midnights this is like the album of all albums each songs fit into other albums, and colors of midnights is like colorful but darker shade. Midnights is actually a sequel of lover which supposed to be called as "Daylight".
This is an excerpt from an article entitled “What It Really Means When Celebrities Declare Themselves Feminists” by
RACHEL SELVIN & ELISA KREISINGER
This quote is attributed to Bridget Todd
“We have a responsibility, if we're going to be selling ourselves and our albums using this feminist branding, to try to get it right," Todd notes. "And I see, a lot of times, people trying to help Taylor Swift get it right, and rather than react in a way that seems open to it or wrestling with it, she really does fall back on this 'you're being mean to me, women should support other women, I'm a woman you're a woman, don't call me out, because that's not feminist.' And I don't think that's what feminism is. Feminism is not just, 'be nice to Taylor Swift.' It's something else. As feminists and as media consumers, I think it's important to be critical of all the media that we're consuming, it's important to ask these questions."
OK but like… idc, she’s literally mother and peak slay
@@EljohnMacaranas I feel like as her fans we should hold her accountable. There is a bit of a cult surrounding Taylor and an unwillingness to hold her accountable for anything. Swifties will defend the indefensible.
At the risk of coming across looking like a keyboard warrior, these are some valid concerns. I had thought maybe she had grown as a person, and as a former Swiftie wanted to believe it, but as recently as 2021 there was a situation where she took to Twitter to say that a Netflix show, Ginny and Georgia, had made a sexist joke at her expense (re her going through lots of boyfriends). It's fine that she wanted to stand up for herself in that way, but when Swifties began attacking the actress who delivered the line with racist slurs and LITERAL THREATS OF DEATH in response to Taylor’s tweet, it’s outrageous that she didn’t say something. This was a big news headline. Taylor was “feminist” enough to defend her own name (in the name of her very self-serving brand of feminism) but disappeared when attacks turned ugly and racist. That's not real feminism. I can't be convinced she and her team didn't know about this. It was a big news story and it took place as a direct result of her tweet defending herself.
It’s hypocritical to claim feminism in defense of yourself but to throw your hands up and walk away when RACIALLY EXPLICIT DEATH THREATS are being hurled at another woman because you didn’t like a throwaway line in a TV show. That’s bullshit. I don’t think I’m being unreasonable to say that in light of the events that unfolded after Taylor’s tweet, her cries of “feminism” ring hollow.
She has a long history of this type of self-serving and politically tone-deaf behavior, including when her team threatened a blogger with legal action (serving a cease-and-desist) for arguing that Taylor should denounce the white supremacist fans who insisted that she shared their beliefs and called her their Aryan Goddess. She literally could have sent that cease-and-desist to the Alt-Right groups making those claims in the first place. Although it would have been unsuccessful too because first amendment speech is a thing. (I’m flabbergasted bc her legal team HAS to know this.) My point is it’s disturbing that the person she chose to threaten w legal action was the one saying she should denounce the LITERAL HATE GROUP rather than the people OF that hate group claiming she shared their beliefs. The ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) even released a statement chastising her team for attempting to suppress first-amendment speech with their convoluted rhetoric.
This is all coming from a woman who as a 19 year old in 2011 went to see her on the Speak Now tour and cried tears of happiness when she came on stage. So it’s not like I don’t have my own attachment to her. But I’ve seen what I’ve seen and my principles are too strong to not take issue with these things. Wrong is wrong. We need to stop making defenses and living in the areas of gray, because racism proliferates in those gray areas.
I still love her as a creative entity, but I must admit that I’m not here for her character and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to not see her as evil after these incidents. There are real victims of these behaviors, and many are being subjected to death threats (and in some cases even racially explicit death threats.) Taylor and her team are bullies, as I see it.
@@EljohnMacaranas Smartest Swiftie
I love Taylor Swift so so much ❤
Literally, a pop star I see lasting another 20+ years... I will forever be a fan.
Loved this video!! First one I’ve watched from you :) subscribed !
Thank you so much! Aaaah!
@@EljohnMacaranas it’s so crazy everything you said is exactlyyyyy how I felt about like 90% and same about how some of them, you don’t like at first but after more listening it becomes one of the most amazing lol. I’m not a “Stan” of anyone but I freak the eff out for Taylor
i love question...? too i can't believe most swifties hate it
NO WAY! Those Swifties are fakes lmao, this song is the most “her” song on this one… like the storytelling… she slayed so hard on this one!
Unfortunately it hasn't overcome my initial "pleasant and enjoyable but mostly background noise" impression. I do love the singles a lot though, which feels like I've teleported to backwards land
Folklore and Evermore and rereleasing Red really set the bar too high, to return to 1989-esque lyrics pop where catchiness is emphasized over like imagery and narrative, it feels like a regression when it’s really a shift in direction (those 3am tracks feel more like the album some fans wanted) but I don’t fully disagree with your assessment. This is the first Taylor record for me to be under an 8/10 in years.
Great videos, just checking out your channel now. Keep up the good work! 🎉
THANK YOU SM! AAAAH!
Dear Readers bridge is probably my favorite bridge on the entire album
Oh agreed! I’m obsessed with the flow she has on it. It’s so smooth, I was listening to it all day and realized Dear Reader feels like it’d belong on Reputation instrumentally but the lyrics are Folklorian haha
Amazing she is a queen at everything she does
I feel like sm of it is her actually like learning and evolving. Other artists don’t plan for the long term whereas Taylor wants to be around for as long as we’ll have her. The desire to be relevant, make music that matters, grow… everyone should take notes.
I agree with most of your thoughts. I LOVE Karma and Midnight Rain. I agree that Dear Reader should have been the OG closer. I didn't really like Maroon that much
Dear Reader is just like so good, the lyricism, the way it bookends her career so far, I’m sad it’s just a bonus track but glad there’s a community that loves it!
If you're a lana stan can you please rate honeymoon albumm and how production in that album is amazing😭😭😭😭😭😭 and the bridges in honeymoon areee top tier honeyyy only if you want too. And thank you for this videooo.
AND ALSO WCS IS EVERYTHING JOHN MAYER GET READY FOR SPEAK NOW TV HE DESERVES MORE HATE THAN JAKE!
Oh John Mayer is going to Jail for that haha! As for Lana, I might do a video series on her like I did for Gaga but it’ll be next year, I’d say Honeymoon is a solid 8 for me, I’m an Ultraviolence stan lmao
@@EljohnMacaranas YESS UV IS MY FAVE TOO ESPECIALLY SAD GIRL😭 that bridgeeee is everything
as a Lover babe, i’m feeling very called out rn
It's OK, the album is great. The promo was just very bad. It's still a classic.
Even if Shake It Off is cheesy, it was a gigantic success and confirmed her transition to pop so I wouldn't call that one a bad lead by any means. I also hate how people think they need to decide and understand the album as quick as possible.
Oh it definitely did it’s job as a lead single. It’s a diamond certified hit, that really elevated what was trendy at the time. Like I recall Happy was big that year and this song was like that one on steroids. But comparative to the rest of 1989, it feels like a lower tier track.
question?.. is the best midnight song
Hands-down. You win the comment section. I will not tolerate Question…? slander. It’s a certified hit.
@@EljohnMacaranas its the way she conveyed the feeling of asking a question even though already know the answer, I LIVEEEEE it should have a MV!!
To me bigger than the whole sky is more mourning about the woman she would/should and could have become if she never met this John guy. That sounded like a toxic relationship wich probably left her with issues that are still apperent aka the aftermath.
I love labyrinth, i know it’s not as popular, but it’s my favorite. I might like the 3am part a little better. I do agree about Lavender Haze, it was okay, but I still just love Labyrinth.
Labyrinth is the Epiphany of the album but also the Hard Feelings of the album at the same time. It’s so trippy, definitely not a radio hit. Love how unique it feels!
Sweet Nothing stans unite!
There are dozens of us! (I want her to sing it live at one point 😭)
We hold many of the same opinions 😭 I love maroon cause it does sound like rep, love the second half of the album more than the first, I don’t think lavander haze was a good enough opener and it’s probably my least favorite song even though I love the sound and feel what it’s saying. On top of that I love the Great War, some of the cheating songs are the best, yes I was also rendered in tears when she said give me back my girl hood. I don’t think mastermind was the best end to the OG album but I do love that song. Dear read is absolutely amazing and I love the sleepy giving bad advice to someone late at night vibes. Literally the one thing I disagree with is the opinion about Hits Different. Personally I think hits different is generally a marijuana reference so she didn’t put it on the album or she didn’t feel the song was strong enough. Honestly it sounds very country & this album sounds a lot more in between some red with new sounds but also rep and 1989 with more crisp sounds. Hits different honestly from what i heard sounds more like a fearless Tv track almost like a country song. But maybe this song has to grow on me I’m not sure
That’s so cool, we agree on most things! I feel like people are sleeping on Dear Reader like that song is too good! For Hits Different, I do think it just doesn’t fit the overall vibe of the Midnights era and while I do love it quite a bit, I see why it wasn’t as promoted or mentioned. Though I do think it’s a TikTok hit waiting to happen since Taylor has officially acknowledged it on her account. I’m curious to see where she goes next album! Thanks for watching! 💜
This is my ranking
13. Labyrinth
12. Sweet Nothing
11. Snow On The Beach
10. Midnight Rain
9. Mastermind
8. Vigilante Shit
7. Question
6. You're On Your Own Kid
5. Lavender Haze
4. Anti Hero
3. Maroon
2. Bejeweled
1. Karma
Not Sweet Nothing at 12!
Anti-hero lives in my head rent free. I don't wanna sing it but can't stop singing. Its frustrating and I can't do anything about it.
It’s an earworm. Like Blank Space’s sister song
I bet her career will last for another decades.
She'll be around until she calls it quits. It's so funny that she said in her documentary she thought Lover was her last chance at a big era because she was turning 30 at the time. Then Folklore won her AOTY, fans got All Too Well 10 minutes to #1, then now got Midnights to beat 1989's opening week so an album she owns (Big Machine still owns 1989's masters) is her best sales debut.
sweet nothing should’ve been the closer, it sounds like a lullaby but she HAD to put mastermind as the 13th track
Yeah, it makes sense and it does sound pretty as a closer but Sweet Nothing is definitely also a strong closer, it kinda feels like Peace and Hoax in a way.
Mastermind was the best song I’ve heard of hers since delicate IMO
That’s really high praise!
for me at first i didn’t really love this album. idek how. THIS IS MY FAVORITE
That’s an opinion I’m seeing more and more of everyday!
shes a mastermind i love her so much
Seriously one of the most thoughtful artists to grace our airwaves ever
First video I've seen of yours. Very impressed overall. Decided to join as an executive producer. I'm epic blessed to have a lot of awesome juicy truths to reveal about Taylor Swift songs I inspired. For instance her lyrics "talk your talk and go viral" are expected to be inspired by me having the supremist amount of juicy news that has been hidden from the world. Also expected is in that song Lavender Haze Taylor is communicating yes she wants to be my bride beyond the style in play for the past few years (currently just my one night aura energy wife I focus on when cuddling a pillow). If it weren't for the "one night or a wife" (/aura wife advanced art) lyrics I wouldn't be confident on this, but I couldn't find a way to make those lyrics make sense for Joe Alwyn and yet for me they fit 100% perfect. I know this intensity could be awkward, but I'm for real a very good honest reasonable man. Honestly I feel like I won one of the topmost ultimate contests ever where it seems likely me and Taylor are going to have the #1 most epic love story + marriage ever later in heaven.
Thank you so much for joining the channel as an exec producer! Slay!
@@EljohnMacaranas you're welcome. I sent you an email also last night and told you quite a bit about me including more giant secret society level Taylor Swift news. I would love it if you wanted to make a new video about her and me. Seems like that would make your channel famous and historic. Heavy stuff though like how I magically relate to Neo from the movie The Matrix. I'm sorry if the truth is hard for some people, but at least it's ultimate neat too. Not only did Taylor say yes she wants to be my bride, but she did that in a context where the question was "Taylor, will you be my fourth #1 wife I saved myself for?". For years I was aligned for having a top ultimate love story with my Trinity (fav 3 girls) and it was a giant surprise Taylor manifested me voluntary losing that status in a big way, now I call my one night aura wives my Juliet quartet. I like though the idea of still relating to having a love story with Trinity+. I hope you feel lucky having this information revealed to you early.