“I’m sorry, the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh.. because she’s dead.”
Wait, she rose up from the dead… as she does all the time. But, are we “… Ready For It?” On November 10th, we welcomed the new reborn Taylor into the music industry with the release of her 6th studio album, “Reputation.”
Here is the truth from her red lips:
Taylor took control of her vision and made a completely different album from before. Each song has a different story and sound. It gives hints of electro-pop and a nighttime feel. Reputation features songs like “I Did Something Bad”, “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things”, “ So It Goes…” and “Dancing With Our Hands Tied”, which have a certain edge and dancehall beat them. “Getaway Car”, “Delicate” and “King Of My Heart” give “old” Taylor vibes and reminds us that Taylor is and will always be herself. She is grown up now and confident with her sound. “Dress” is definitely her most “scandalous” love song to date. These songs are soft but give listeners a feeling reminiscent of a wild ride. A different, complicated, grown up kind of story about love.
With the release of “Look What You Made Me Do”, people were not here for the new Taylor. After giving the album a full listen, it sounds like the reason this song was chosen at the lead was the send a message to the media and give a teaser of what is to come. There is no other song like this on the album. The media is known to create reputations about celebrities and try to find the bad in them rather than the good. Taylor has been the centre of media attention for years. For example: the #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty, being called a snake, having a phone call exposed, and having her heartbreaks being used as entertainment. But there she is playing the victim, again, right?
She took what the media had to say and morphed it into her inspiration for this album. Songs like “Don’t Blame Me” reflect how she is basically saying “hey, l’ove made me crazy’, don’t blame me.” She is not ashamed of her music. Reputation broke records that were previously held by her fifth album, 1989…..
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Selling 700k copies on the first day it was out
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Fastest album to hit #1 on U.S. iTunes (6 minutes)
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2017’s best-selling album
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Surpassed 1.29 million copies sold after a week
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2017’s best-selling album
Those statistics alone are part of the reason “reputation” is to be considered the best album of her career.
With the release of “reputation”, Taylor has not given the media anything to make articles about and is still making headlines. This album has the type of experience where people can either look at it one way or another. It is interesting to hear the different opinions about it being a call out album and those who think this is an album about finding true love. Meanwhile, between the media storms brewing, Taylor is spending time on social media platforms interacting with her fans.
Along with the album, she released two magazines filled with lyrics, poems, and pictures she put together for her fans to enjoy and show what she has been up to during the 3 year album break. She also held her “reputation secret sessions” where she invited 500 fans from all over the world to her home and to listen to the album before it was public. Fun fact: the baby voice in the beginning of “Gorgeous” is Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds daughter, James!
Since Taylor was gone for quite some time and she released an album totally different from the past, I started to wonder how her Swifties were reacting. I interviewed two of Taylor’s most supportive fans, Liz and Paw, who I have been following on Twitter for about a year now about what their thoughts on this album was.
I interviewed them via Twitter DM’s and this is what they had to say:
Liz:
E: What are your thoughts on this album?
L: This album is literally so differently compared to all of her other albums.I feel like with the rest of the albums you could find common bits and pieces, but this is a whole new level!!!
E: What is your favourite song or songs on this album?
L: “Delicate” is one of the favourites in this record. I expected something different but I was pleasantly surprised.
E: Why do you think this is considered to be her best album?
L: It’s hard for me to choose a best album of hers, when all of them are so incredible for different reasons. I honestly can’t choose it’s like picking a favorite child.
Paw:
E: What are your thoughts on this album?
P: I feel like this album is her best album when it comes to combining her lyrical and sonic abilities. There is cohesion and she truly finessed on this album. For me personally though, Red will forever be one of my favourites.
E: What is your favourite song or songs on this album?
P: My favourite song is “End Game” featuring Future and Ed Sheeran. It is such a jam. I was so skeptic about it at first but I can’t help but start jamming every time I hear it. I am not a big fan of Future so I was worried about what them collaborating would be like. But I actually love it so much. Such a vibe.
E: Why do you think this is considered to be her best album?
P: I would consider Reputation her best album in the sense that she worked so hard on it and maximized the expansion of her writing and sound.
No matter the outcome of the album, the rumours, or what happens next, Taylor Swift’s fans are ride or die. Which is all that matters. If you think this is an article written by an “obsessed” Taylor Swift fan defending her every move, you are correct and wrong. In this album, we hear a story about a 17 year old girl with a guitar who joined the music industry at a young age and began to be torn apart by the media and is finally standing up for herself. Taylor was unapologetically herself throughout this entire album and that is all that should matter. Being the truest form of yourself and following your passion is something that is very important. “New Year’s Day” and “Call It What You Want” are the two songs that close the album. It feels like the storm is ending and we are experiencing the sunrise. Showcasing Taylor’s true happiness and her best self.
At the end of the day, there will be no further explanation,
There will just be reputation.
* Header image from GQ magazine