Are you ready for it…? I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.
If you are a Taylor Swift fan like I am, you know her new album, Reputation, was released on November 9th at 11:30 PM. The whole album has a theme centered around her reputation and how the media portrays her, affecting her life. She really outdid herself with this album. I have been listening to it on repeat from the moment it was dropped. From what I can tell, here are the main ideas behind each of Taylor’s new hits.
Ready for It:
Like many songs on the album, this song discusses the reputation she has in the media. It seems as though she’s talking about a relationship in which the guy she likes is a “player.” She uses her reputation to intimidate him more so than he intimidates her. She really does like the guy, she’s even been dreaming about him, and she knows their connection to one another will be what makes the relationship last in the end. She wants him to know that she is ready for this serious relationship and she’s making sure he is, too.
End Game:
This song acknowledges the fact that she has a reputation for causing feuds between her and other celebrities. She wants a relationship in which the other person can look past her reputation and love her despite what the media says about her.
I Did Something Bad:
This song is referring to how the media always tries to paint Taylor in a bad light, but she is just going to enjoy her life and not let it bother her. She accepts that this is just the way things are in Hollywood and she cannot change it.
Don’t Blame Me:
This one discusses a very serious relationship and how it is not her fault that she is so completely in love with him. It shows the difference between her past relationships and this new, more intense (and real) one.
Delicate:
This song is about Taylor being in a new, serious relationship. She feels like she doesn’t have a lot of room to make mistakes because she knows that he can hold it against her. Every relationship she’s in, she has to be very cautious or people will believe she is “back to her old ways.”
Look What You Made Me Do:
There are plenty of articles decoding the video (how it is indirectly mentioning Calvin Harris, Katy Perry, etc.). The song overall is just Taylor making fun of herself for all the things the media mocks her for already (playing victim, being the “nice girl” who really isn’t that nice, etc.).
So It Goes:
This song solidifies that Taylor has changed with this album. She isn’t the good girl, country star like when she first started in Hollywood. She’s grown and she’s still as amazing as ever. It connects to two other songs on the album (Gorgeous and Call It What You Want) when she references the relationship. She talks about falling in love with someone and how their relationship is absolutely magical.
Gorgeous:
This is all about being attracted to someone who you are not sure if they share the same attraction for you. She sings about being nervous to talk to this guy, especially if he is single. Upbeat and relatable, Taylor had dropped this one as a single a couple weeks ago to increase the hype about Reputation, which it surely did.
Getaway Car:
This one sounds more like Taylor during her 1989 era. It talks about a relationship that Taylor knew was doomed from the start, but she tried it anyway. She isn’t terribly disappointed when it ends because she enjoyed the ride.
King of My Heart:
After living through heartbreak after heartbreak, Taylor is singing about finding the one who is perfect for her and “all [she’s] been waiting for.”
Dancing With Our Hands Tied:
Taylor is worried that the media is going to ruin another relationship for her, but she basically says to ignore them. She believes their love is greater than the assumptions the media makes about her.
Dress:
This is a very intimate song, certainly different from anything we have ever heard from Taylor. Amazing beat with a seductive message, all about buying a dress to take it off for her special someone.
This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things:
This is a shout out to the backstabbers and how they pretend to be your friends. The audience can imagine her singing this to Kanye West. It calls him and Kim out for leaking the phone conversation discussing Kanye’s song where he calls Taylor a b*tch. Honestly such a shady song, but it’s amazing (and probably my favorite on the album). You go Tay.
Call it What You Want:
This song refers to someone still loving her, even though her reputation is not as great as it was in the past. She is appreciating the fact that her current boyfriend stays out of the drama the media causes.
New Year’s Day:
This one is all about the hope at the end of the tunnel. The rest of the album focuses on the reputation the media gives her, and this song just shows that she knows everything will be okay, both reputation wise and in her love life. She will find someone who is not scared of the media’s portrayal of her.
Taylor Swift has been my favorite artist since the fourth grade and this new album just solidified that for me. Even after everything she has been through, she is able to laugh at herself and remind everyone to forget the haters. She is truly an inspiration and I can’t wait what she has in store for us. Are you ready for it?