I consider myself to be a Swiftie, however, after this Encore, I might have to take a step back. When I say that I was ecstatic for new Taylor Swift songs, I mean it. I am a moth to a flame when it comes to her music. Every time she announces something new, I can’t help but be excited. I have been listening to her religiously for 13 years and there is definitely a bit of a parasocial connection there. I grew up listening to her; her music and concerts got me through so much. I love her, even if she is a billionaire that has no idea who I am.Â
The Life of a Showgirl came out a year ago. I was disappointed and that was the general consensus. Most Swifties were disappointed with this album, her sound had changed and her lyrics had definitely lost some of the wit and skill they once possessed. But we moved on, I let the album fade into the background and I hadn’t really thought about it until the Encore was announced. Now my issue with the Encore started even before I heard the songs. When Taylor announced The Life of a Showgirl on the New Heights podcast, she said “there would not be any surprise songs, only 12 songs”. Yet she just dropped four more?Â
It just felt off to me, but who was I to judge? The songs hadn’t even come out yet. Welp, I stayed up until midnight, as I do anytime an artist I like drops new music to hear these four new songs. I started “Patient Zero” and honestly liked it until the bridge. I didn’t think it was her best song, but when I heard the words “So let’s get into it,” I was immediately taken out of the song. Let’s not get into it.Â
But I didn’t lose faith. Up next we had “Cleveland!” I did not have high hopes for this given I knew it was going to be about Travis Kelce. Now, Taylor has been writing songs since she was a literal child. Her first album came out when she was 16, so of course her writing skills are going to improve as she ages. Welp, when I heard “Cleveland!,” I genuinely felt like I was listening to a 12-year-old trying to write a song. I think it is the worst song she has ever written and I 100% believe it is because Travis Kelce is a bad muse. Yes that is harsh, but genuinely why did she think that it was a good idea to release the song?Â
After sitting in shock during “Cleveland!” I almost didn’t listen to the next two, but I am glad I did. “Pink Clouding” sounds like something that would be on the “Lover” album and I thought it was cute. Honestly, that is all I have to say. It was fine, sounded like it would in the end credits for an Amazon Prime movie.Â
Lastly we have “Babylon.” The intro was a lot slower compared to the other songs and it gave me hope. Then when she started singing I got excited. Her voice and lyrics sounded so good in this song! They were actually good! This song sounded like old Taylor, Taylor before Travis. Am I just hating Travis for his impact on her song writing? Yes, and I do not care. Also I might have been a tad biased because I thought she was singing “in Virginia” not “Aunt Virginia” so as a Virginian I just got a little happy there.Â
So, the ranking for the songs goes something like this:
- Babylon – 7/10
- Pink Clouding – 5/10
- Patient Zero – 3.5/10
- Cleveland! – 0/10, wish that one had stayed in the studio.
In the end, my growing problem with the new songs that she has been releasing is that they all feel rushed. She is cranking out music and selling a million different editions of every song, and it is starting to feel like a money grab, which makes me the most mad. I would rather have five good songs than 20 bad ones. It just seems like she is trading quality for quantity and that is upsetting to see as a long-term fan.Â