After a few years of releasing sounds of folk and alternative tracks, Taylor Swift returns with a new body of work, Midnights. Reminiscent of her past albums, Midnights sounds like older sister 1989 and Reputation. As a big Reputation stan myself, I was thrilled with the production and lyricism of this record. Swift’s tenth album is introspective, vulnerable, and mature.
The record’s producer is the prolific Jack Antonoff, who gave us songs such as “Getaway Car,” “Cruel Summer,” and “august.” After a few years of folklike and alternative music, it was comforting to hear his influence once again.
In classic Swift fashion, she created an online game, “Midnights Mayhem With Me,” to give fans insight into each track, and what the album ultimately means to her. However, no explanation or bingo ball machine could have prepared us for what she had in store for us.
“Lavender Haze”
“Lavender Haze” is everything one could want in a Taylor Swift song. Swift described the opening track as “an all-encompassing love glow.” The song seems to exhibit two sides of the coin, one in which she wants to focus on savoring a love while protecting it from the outside world (very much “Call It What You Want” energy), and the other being how the outside world tends to critique and influence her personal relationships. Sonically, the piece is romantic and glossy, which I love. It has a similar production style to “I Think He Knows,” a track off of her seventh studio album, Lover. I rate it a 10/10, and I cannot wait to hear this song live.
“Maroon”
The second track, “Maroon,” is most definitely one of my favorites on the album. Immediately at first listen I was hooked by the production, as it sounded similar to Reputation tracks such as “Dress” and “King of My Heart.” In the song’s lyrics, we learn how a love that was once so strong and fiery fades, no longer burning red but rusting into maroon – dull and doesn’t carry the same initial spark, representing a faded memory. This is an extremely bittersweet song about looking at a relationship retrospectively. Another 10/10.
“Anti-Hero”
Song three on the album, being one of the most relatable in my opinion, is the album’s first single, “Anti-Hero.” The song appears to reflect Swift’s insecurities. “It’s me, hi / I’m the problem, it’s me” is an extremely relatable line that many Swifties have been relating to via TikTok and Twitter. The track is catchy and self-deprecating, which is the perfect mixture for a Gen-Z TikTok audio.
“Snow On The Beach”
If you had told 13-year-old Lucy back in 2014 that her favorite artist would be collaborating on a song with the queen of Tumblr and sad girl music, she wouldn’t have believed you. “Snow On The Beach,” featuring Lana Del Rey, is a soft ballad. Lana doesn’t carry a lot of weight in the song, with the exception of adlibs and harmonization in the chorus. In my personal opinion, I believe a verse or bridge from Lana would have added more dimension to the song. Beautifully written, but I think this track is a bit low in my ranking.
“You’re On Your Own, Kid”
If Jess Mariano from Gilmore Girls was a song, “You’re On Your Own, Kid” would be him. Listeners are able to hear about Swift’s insecurities, as she addresses her own personal issues, such as past relationships, friendships, and inner struggles. The lyric I believe was the most vulnerable was “I hosted parties and starved my body / Like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss.” Not only is this lyric quite relatable and honest to me, but I have seen many fans discussing the lyric online and how often we romanticize relationships in our lives for a chance of “being saved” or “feeling complete.”
“Midnight Rain”
From the first listen, “Midnight Rain” was not my favorite simply due to the production. This song is very much Jack Antonoff, and the pitched vocals remind me a lot of “Cruel Summer.” After about 48 hours of having the record playing over and over again, it’s one of the most touching. I interpreted it as the struggle of balancing a successful career and a relationship, and Taylor seems to take responsibility for this.
“Question…?”
This song had me internally screaming as the first few seconds pay homage to “Out of The Woods,” from Taylor’s album 1989, with the lyric “I remember” echoing in the background. Though fans online speculate who the song is about, I loved listening to Taylor’s lyricism and trying to understand the story she tells in the piece. The song seems to be about miscommunication, a failing relationship, and asking a significant other about the motives of their poor actions.
“Vigilante Shit”
Track eight is “Vigilante Shit.” I believe this is probably the only song on the record that I’m not too fond of and I interpret it as being a bit cliche. Though Swifties adore the song due to the Reputation theme of getting revenge, I would rate this song a 5/10. However, I really appreciate how the main character of the song seems to have a plan on how to get even.
“Bejeweled”
A song I interpreted as Taylor not lowering her standards and standing up for herself when being treated as less than deserved. Swift appears to be living her best life, regardless of any unappreciative man. “Didn’t notice you walkin’ all over my peace of mind / In the shoes I gave you as a present.” Taylor is assertive in this track and makes the importance of setting boundaries in a relationship crystal clear.
“Labyrinth”
Probably my favorite song on the album, “Labyrinth” reminds me a lot of “The Archer.” Lyrically and sonically, the track is a beautiful ballad. I interpreted the piece as the anxiety of falling for someone and the fear of a relationship ending. The lyrics of the song are so thought-provoking. The narrator is skeptical of new love but is able to find optimism by the end of the song with the line “Oh, I’m falling in love / I thought the plane was going down / How’d you turn it right around?” This track is so engaging to me and deserves a Grammy in itself. 13/10.
“Karma”
Swifties have been waiting for “Karma” for years. Initially, back in 2016/2017, many of us believed Taylor’s sixth studio album was to be called “Karma.” Though Reputation gave us many lyrics and themes related to the idea of karma, this song does the idea justice. A girl boss anthem on social media, the song seems to be about finding peace through the idea of fate taking place due to one’s poor actions and no longer worrying about justice taking place because, well, karma is real.
“Sweet Nothing”
“Sweet Nothing” is an endearing ballad taking the place of track twelve on Midnights. Track twelve seems to be about enjoying the mundane parts of a relationship and appreciating someone for who they are, ignoring the gossip and drama outside of it. I love how the song seems to protect a relationship, regardless of the “industry disrupters and soul deconstructors / And smooth-talking hucksters.”
“Mastermind”
The final track on Midnights is “Mastermind.” Staying true to who we all know she is, mastermind Taylor Swift closes out the record explaining her determination and how none of her moves are accidental. Everything has a purpose, and the song seems to be celebratory of her relationship with Joe Alwyn. The song is a fitting closer.
Being the mastermind that she is, a Taylor Swift album release would never go on without a secret surprise now, would it?! The deluxe 3 AM Edition of Midnights includes seven bonus tracks, many of which made me question why they weren’t placed on the initial release due to the fact that they highlight some of her best songwriting yet.
I will be ranking my favorites of the seven additional songs in order!
- “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” Honorary mention – This song is extremely relatable, and the lyric “Give me back my girlhood / It was mine first” is the most heart-wrenching lyric I have ever heard.
- “Bigger Than The Whole Sky”
- “Paris”
- “Dear Reader”
- “The Great War”
- “High Infidelity”
- “Glitch”
With the potential of making it into my top three Taylor Swift albums, I cannot wait to hear this album live and see what else Swift has in store for fans. Clearly, she’s a mastermind.