Though I often can’t tell you what I ate for breakfast, I can tell you, in vivid detail, where I was at midnight sharp on October 21–in my dorm room, my shaking hands illuminated only by my fairy lights, trying desperately to avoid waking my roommate as I refreshed Spotify desperately, trying to get the latest entry in Taylor Swift’s lengthy discography to play as I frantically texted new and old friends alike for updates on their listening experiences. Listening to Midnights is something I can only describe as an out of body experience–from the “I Think He Knows”–esque sound of “Lavender Haze” to the vivid Reputation vibe of “Karma.” What I was not expecting, however, was to wake up the next morning, sun filtering through my window as I gathered my things for a packed day of classes and practice, to find multiple texts from my friends informing me of not one, not two, but seven more songs. To the shock of, well, probably no one who has ever spent any time trying to figure out Miss Swift’s next move, she managed to outpace people’s already obscene theories once again–thus, we are here, with seven 3am tracks in addition to what we knew we were getting.
The first of the seven, “The Great War,” is reminiscent of a track that might be found on 1989–with a strong, consistent beat, and lyrics riddled with heavy imagery very typical of a Taylor Swift song. Though it is neither lyrically nor sonically the most interesting, it is still very worth listening to, and the parallels between war and relationship hardships are certainly intriguing.
In stark contrast to the upbeat tempo of its predecessor, “Bigger Than The Whole Sky” strongly resembles Folklore’s thirteenth track, “Epiphany.” With heart-wrenching lyrics that take listeners through various stages of grief, it is understandable that this track would be left to the 3am edition of the album—not because it is not worthy of the main portion, but because the lyrics are so perfectly that–3am. They are the late night periods in which loss hits harder than perhaps any other, and sandwiched between two positive, upbeat tracks, they entrap listeners in the best and worst way.
Beginning with frank, shrug– or– Shake- it off lyrics, “Paris” is a far cry from the raw, breathtaking lyrics of “Bigger than the Whole Sky.” Though it is by no means her most lyrically interesting song, it is undoubtedly fun. It is a song to make memories to, even though the song is not necessarily the most memorable in itself.
“High Infidelity,” again, carries over themes common in Swift’s music, with the closest cry to it perhaps being “Getaway Car” off of Reputation. Despite this, though, it really is an entity all its own, with several lyrics that are very difficult to forget–“there’s many different ways that you can kill the one you love, the slowest way is never loving them enough,” comes to mind. With several questions of morality left ambiguous, it is a fun song to attempt to decipher, which, paired with a catchy beat, is easy to spend a significant portion of time trying to do.
“Glitch,” with a slower, almost sultry energy, is definitely a memorable one. Though I admit I did not love this one at first, it is now one of my favorites, with the tasteful use of autotune and off-beats making the backing pair perfectly with the theme of the track without becoming overwhelming. A far cry, lyrically, from “Mastermind,” it provides a very interesting alternate perspective on falling for another individual.
Though I never thought “Dear John,” of Speak Now, would get a sequel, it seems I was wrong, and it is heart-wrenching in all the same ways as its predecessor, along with new ways coming naturally with maturity. Lyrically, it cuts like glass, with stark professions of regret paired with the anger of someone else’s exploitation just specific enough to understand the specific story of the speaker and yet general enough to be personally biting, forming both one of the best and most memorable tracks in the bonus saga.
Finally, “Dear Reader” provides a near-perfect close to the album, both in its original form and in solely the expanded songs. Returning to a softer sound, it captures perfectly all of the elements prevalent in Midnights–from the idea of being trapped and taken advantage of, to taking control of one’s own destiny, to moving on from what is past. Though this piece certainly reflects my feelings and thoughts after several listens through the bonus seven tracks on Midnights, I think it is very worth noting that I certainly do have biases based on what themes did or did not resonate with me as a person and what I personally like to see in a song and in lyrics. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to enjoy this album or interpret what is on it. That said, I absolutely do encourage readers to give Midnights, including the bonus tracks, a listen–there is much to like!