We’ve spent three years having Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ on repeat but there are only so many times you can quote ‘Style’ and ‘Bad Blood’ on Twitter and Instagram captions. But finally, November 2017 arrived and so did Taylor’s sixth album. After dealing with the drama of Kim K, Kanye, and Katy, Taylor addresses all the drama and pettiness with some shade. ‘Reputation’ brings us a new Taylor, since the “old Taylor is dead”. There were a lot of mix reviews and opinions as her singles were released, but here is a look at every song on the album if you haven’t checked it out yet.
…Ready For It?
Released as her second single, ‘…Ready For It?’ is a great opener. It’s a song you would play at a pregame or getting ready to go out with your girls. Taylor isn’t singing about a crush she has on a boy, but about being ready for a relationship and finding someone who is ready for her as well.
End Game
‘End Game’ is the only song on the album with features. It includes Taylor’s best friend and usual partner, Ed Sheeran, along with some new sound: Future. Taylor uses this song to admit that she has some drama in recent years and it has affected her reputation, but how she is still loyal if you want her. She doesn’t want the short flings Hollywood has shamed her for, and she has issues, but she’s ready to address them in a pop song infused with sports references. It’s definitely a song that will make you wanna chant and sing along to.
I Did Something Bad
This song is darker than the usual Taylor, which we’re supposed to expect on this album. It’s really about people’s perception of her and coming to terms with it while also mixing in her own self-image. She also references the “receipts” that Kim and Kanye kept of her when she approved lyrics referencing her in Kanye’s ‘Famous’.
Don’t Blame Me
Something we can notice about ‘Reputation’ is a more mature use of metaphors. In this sultrier, pop song, Taylor compares this love to a drug, a trip. She also talks about how her relationships could’ve been toxic and made her crazy, but that this is a different time. We can feel the transition of cute, young love to more romantic and mature songs.
Delicate
This song is about the beginning of Taylor’s current relationship. She is still hesitant and nervous about how he feels about her, considering all of the drama that followed her at the time. Her dating scene and criteria have changed, but she is still talking about the crushes on a boy. This is definitely my favorite song on the album because it has the old Taylor roots mixed in with new lyrics and tones.
Look What You Made Me Do
This was Taylor’s first single from the album. It didn’t give many people hope for a hot record and gained some controversy, but definitely a lot of attention. It isn’t the strongest song on the record, but actually got everyone talking about what the album could potentially be.
So It Goes…
A slower song, it’s one of the more passionate ones. Taylor is almost always in the public eye, and so are her relationships. Her song expresses how it’s even better in private and how it has affected her.
Gorgeous
Gorgeous goes back to Taylor’s school girl crush roots. It’s definitely catchy and can get anyone bopping to it. You can notice how much her current relationship plays a part in her life and that it really means more to her than the others.
Getaway Car
This song has the strongest metaphors on the album. Taylor is running away from a relationship that isn’t working, and there wasn’t a solid foundation for them. It’s an exciting song with lots of emotion, sort of like the equivalent to 1989’s “Are We Out of the Woods” and the disasters of being in the wrong relationship.
King of My Heart
Taylor has found a relationship that makes her happy. There’s more to them than going to fancy dinner parties and awards shows. She’s become more down-to-earth since she’s been affected by her public persona.
Dancing With Our Hands Tied
Another song about a failing relationship, Taylor again uses strong metaphors. This is another pop song you can bop to, but a little on the darker side. The lyrics emphasize being stuck in a relationship with a lot of pressure.
Dress
‘Dress’ is a more mature song about the intimacy of loving someone. The excitement and anticipation of being someone makes the relationship more fun. It’s one of the stronger songs on the album, it’s a ballad worth dedicating to a significant other.
This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
A fun pop song, Taylor uses this as a time to address Kim and Kanye’s shadiness. Despite forgiving Kanye for the VMA’s, he and Kim called her out for lying about approving Kanye’s lyrics about her in ‘Famous’. This song totally makes you feel like a badass when singing it.
Call It What You Want
One of the more honest songs on the album, along with ‘This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things’, Taylor sings about all the lies and drama she has had to go through so far, and how she got over it and found someone loyal. She references some of her old songs, and how she is no longer that person and did not need what she thought she did at the time.
New Year’s Day
The most emotional and real song on the album, and it’s a great closer. It’s about never wanting your story with someone to end, never reading the “last page”. She thinks talks about sharing New Year’s Days together and being by each other’s sides for the important things.
Taylor definitely grew up in this album, after all the relationships and drama coming in and out of her life. ‘Reputation’ is worth checking out, because it’s a different mix, hinting at new Taylor and old Taylor.