Taylor Swift recently released four more songs to add to her most recent album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” which she collectively titled “The Encore.” Although the name is enticing, don’t be fooled. The name is the best part about these songs. They continue the energetic pop vibe she’s going for, but in all the wrong ways.
Patient Zero
The beginning raised my hopes. The violin, the vocals, it all excited me. Then the song changed when the backtrack began, and I was let down.
While it’s true that it’s classified as a pop album, it’s too similar to other pop songs. Swift is known for singing all genres while adding a unique twist to them, which makes her albums so memorable. In this instance, nothing about the song sticks out besides the violin in the background, which is by far my favorite part of the song.
I was even more let down when I noticed the similarity between the beginning of this song and the main chorus of “Wait for Me” from the popular musical Hadestown. That’s when I realized why I liked the beginning so much.
Overall, this is my second favorite of the four new tracks.
Cleveland!
I knew by the title that this song would be bad, and I was right to judge the book by its cover. Again, the start was promising with the piano. But then Swift started speaking. Not singing. Speaking.
When done right, speaking in a song — typically only in the bridge — can add so much uniqueness and emphasize the artist’s lyrics. Unfortunately, I find the lyrics of this song to be superficial, braggy, and leave the listener feeling worse than when they began the song.
The bridge is a perfect example of this when she says, “I have an important announcement to make” (2:34), then just sings that she’s found her person. It sounds arrogant and unsupportive of others who want to find their person.
Her description of love has changed drastically from previous albums. Swift has written some beautiful and memorable lyrics about love, such as “now you hang from my lips like the Gardens of Babylon” (3:18) from Cowboy Like Me and the entirety of You Are In Love.
That makes these songs even more shocking. I’m not sure if Swift is uninspired or was told what to write, but I’m still waiting for an album that will bring me back to when her lyrics were captivating. This song was by far my least favorite of the four.
Pink Clouding
I think for this song, Swift Googled every synonym for pink and incorporated it in somehow. On my first listen, I was confused about what it was about, but now I can see that she’s looking back on a relationship, rumored to be about Tom Hiddleston.
This is simply another classic pop song. It was fine — nothing stuck out to me. I enjoyed that the bridge had a faster tempo than the rest of the song, but that was the only thing I observed and remembered after my listen.
Babylon
This was my favorite of the new four songs and the only one I’ve listened to by choice after the first time around. The lyrics seemed more sincere and emotional, the chorus was catchy but not annoying, and the storytelling aspect of the song was compelling.
It had the same vibe as the album, so it didn’t feel out of place, but it stood out because it felt more personal. It felt like Swift’s style and words.
My only main complaint was that the lyrics in the bridge didn’t rhyme, which took me out of the flow and story. With that being said, this was my clear favorite of the four songs.
Overall, I was left disappointed by these four songs, which is significant because my expectations began low.
The main issue with these songs and this album in general is that it felt like Swift was trying to be someone she isn’t. She’s trying to force this upbeat, pop, showgirl vibe, when in reality, her best songs are the ones where the lyrics are heartbreaking, and the songs are simply with guitar or piano.
That’s what made her surprise songs at the Eras Tour captivating. She stripped down all these popular songs to just her and an instrument. The acoustic versions were vulnerable. They connected with her audience on a deeper level.
These pop songs are shallow and don’t have any emotional depth, which is what Swift’s audience looks for. As a lifelong Swiftie, I’m disappointed with this album, but hopeful that her music can only go up from here.
If you’re going to start listening to Taylor Swift, don’t judge her by this one bad album. Start with Folklore or Midnights.
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