In 2017 Taylor Swift shocked the world with her risque and sultry album Reputation. In this album, Swift sheds her skin in 15 tracks that prove that the old Taylor is, in fact, dead. Fans clearly supported the new Taylor as she sold 4.5 million copies—making her album the second best-selling in 2017.
In her new album Lover, Swift has brought back some of the soft hearted vibes fans love, but has kept the same kick-ass attitude she adopted for Reputation. In the months leading up to the debut of her album, Swift released the songs “Me!,” “You Need to Calm Down,” “The Archer,” and last but certainly not least, “Lover.” Both “Me!” and ‘You Need to Calm Down” have high energy, bright colored music videos that feature her A-List posse. Stars like Ryan Reynolds, Katy Perry, and Ellen Degeneres are featured in her music video for her LGBT pride anthem “You Need to Calm Down,” making it a must-see for many fan bases. “Lover” and “The Archer” assure fans that this album will not be entirely upbeat pop hits and that Swift is still as sensitive and sweet as always.
It is no secret that Swift was in love during the Reputation era as she sings of forgetting all other lovers, being crazy in love and finding the one. Lover continues this narrative as Swift highlights the struggles she has in relationships, but ultimately appears to be deeply in love.
Unlike with her other amores, Swift has kept her relationship with Joe Awlyn pretty private; however, fans can catch a glimpse of exactly the kind of love they have in her music. In her song “Lover,” she sings “I’ve loved you three summers not honey/ but I want them all/ [C]an I go where you go?/[C]an we always be this close.”
She also conspicuously refers to her British beau in the light hearted song “London Boy,” where she explains her newfound appreciation for British culture including watching rugby, high tea, and gray skies. Despite the many lovey-dovey lyrics, Swift keeps it real with details of her struggles. In her dreamy song “Afterglow” Swift sings “Fighting with a true love is like boxing with no gloves.” She sings about taking the blame and the regret of hurting the person she loves by asking him to stay despite the issues.
Love is not the only topic Swift covers on this album. In a popular song from the album titled “The Man,” Swift calls out the media for discriminating against her for being a woman. She sings “They’d say I hustled/ put in the work/ [T]hey wouldn’t shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve.” In the chorus she states that if she were a man she would be THE man (appealing to every woman in every profession ever).
In the tear jerking song “Soon You’ll Get Better,” Swift painfully sings about her mother’s struggle with cancer. As beautiful as the song is, it is unlikely it will be performed live. Swift admitted in a Youtube livestream that it is just too hard on her emotionally to sing the song.
Despite the success of the album, Swift was met with some familiar clapback after some felt she was queerbaiting with the song “You Need to Calm Down.”
But was she? As a woman with a voice in 2019, Swift is using her platform to not only show her support for the LGBTQ+ community verbally, but put her money where her mouth is with donations to GLAAD, among other things. Swift has always been an ally to the LGBTQ+ community and has even taken political action by writing a letter to Tennessee senator Lamar Alexander urging him to support the Equality Act.
Swift has once again enchanted the music industry with another beautiful album packed with creative lyrics and depth. Her vulnerability, honesty, and new found edge has kept her relevant and intriguing to fans. With more albums like Lover, Swift will have no problem doing what she does best: breaking records, selling out stadiums and raking in the cash.