The first CD I ever remember buying was Red by Taylor Swift when it came out in 2012.
Flash forward 7 years, a couple of heartbreaks and albums later, and I am more obsessed than ever. August 23rd was Official Lover Lockdown day. That’s why I am exactly the right person to tell you why Lover is such an amazing album.
Lover kicks off with ‘I Forgot That You Existed’. As Swift states in her voice memo on the deluxe editions of Lover, the song is about “kind of shrugging off” her past experiences. She has truly moved on from the dark days of reputation.
You have never experienced an emotional whiplash until you have listened to the songs ‘Cruel Summer’, ‘Lover’, ‘The Man’ and ‘The Archer’ right after each other. Swift’s ability to gracefully go from one emotion to another truly showcases her talent as not only a songwriter but as a storyteller. This element of storytelling comes to a climax in ‘Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince’, which paints a picture of high school, complete with bullies, prom, and a high school sweetheart.
It would be a crime not to praise Swift for her song ‘The Man’. Over the past few years, Swift has become more open about her political stance, such as encouraging her fans to sign up to vote and supporting the LGBT+ community with her support of The Equality Act. This continues in ‘The Man’. Here, Swift talks about her experiences of being judged because she is a woman, wondering how things would be different if she were a man. It is truly a feminist anthem, and I have my fingers crossed that it will be a single. It is what we all deserve.
While Lover is an album full of love songs, one of the most personal songs on it is ‘Soon You’ll Get Better’ featuring the Dixie Chicks. Reminiscent of ‘The Best Day’ from Fearless (2008), this song is about Swift’s mother’s struggle with cancer. Swift has stated she will not perform this song live, but I still admire her for opening up about a topic that is so close to her heart. It is nothing short of beautiful.
Swift ends her album by saying “I wanna be defined by the things I love […] You are what you love.” Lover truly shows this. Taylor Swift is filled with love – romantic love, platonic love, familial love, self-love… She truly has stepped into the daylight, and I look forward to seeing what she does next.
Sources:
https://www.change.org/p/support-the-equality-act