The past month has been an exciting time for Swifties. On August 23rd, Taylor Swift released her much-anticipated album Lover. Many fans did not know what to expect after Reputation, which took many fans by surprise. Reputation had an angry, revenge-oriented theme centered around Swift’s past relationship’s with ex-boyfriends and her feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. For those who do not know, Kardashian indirectly called Swift a snake on Twitter after Swift got upset about West calling her a b***h in his song. Lover has an opposite theme, instead focusing on Swift being both in love with herself, her life, and the British actor Joe Alwyn. Swift appears to have come full circle with Lover, going back to the dreamy, love songs of her past with a pop twist. Below, I am going to decipher the meanings of Swift’s new songs.
1. I Forgot That You Existed – I think this song is about Swift’s ex-boyfriend Calvin Harris. This is her way of saying that although he may have hurt her, she has moved on and is in love with Alwyn.
2. Cruel Summer – I think this song describes the summer that Swift met Alwyn. I believe Swift is describing how she fell for Alwyn instantly but felt unlikely that he felt the same way or that it would last as long as it has, explaining why Swift called the summer “cruel” and referred to Alwyn has the “devil.” However, this song could also be about past relationships where Swift gave more love than she received.
3. Lover – This song is a representation of how strongly in love Swift is with Alwyn. The music video for this song portrays Taylor and her “lover” telling their love story through the gift of a snow-globe to their future child, suggesting Swift plans on building a life with Alwyn.
4. The Man – In this song, Swift expresses her feminist views and stands up for herself against all the people who do not believe she deserves her fame and success. Swift says that if she were a man, her success would not be questioned. Go Taylor!
5. The Archer – The fifth song of Swift’s past albums tend to be her most vulnerable, and “The Archer” is no exception. Throughout the song, Swift uses a simile to compare love to a predator/prey relationship, describing how deeply both her past and current relationships have affected her.
6. I Think He Knows – In this song, Swift sings about being in love in a high school-crush sort of way. The title brings about the image of a young girl thinking she is in love and that her crush possibly knows, a concept she is both excited and nervous about. Here, I think Swift is saying that Alwyn makes her feel like she’s experiencing her first love again.
7. Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince – I think this song expresses Swift’s democratic political views. Using the metaphor of high school, she calls herself and fellow democrats Miss Americana and President Trump “The Heartbreak Prince.” The usage of the words “blue” many times throughout the song suggests her democratic beliefs, and the usage of the word “voted” multiple times in the chorus suggests the underlying political meaning. Additionally, the song says, “American stories burning before me, I’m feeling helpless…Boys will be boys then, where are the wise men?” These lyrics reflect President Trump “winning” because he is passing many policies people with democratic views are not pleased with, and the phrase “boys will be boys” calls out Trump’s troubled past with women.
8. Paper Rings – I think this song represents the strong commitment Swift feels towards Alwyn. Swift suggests a potential lifelong commitment between the two saying, “I like fancy things, but I’d marry you with paper rings.” Perhaps Swift has finally found the one.
9. Cornelia Street – In this song, Swift sings about wonderful memories she’s had with someone she loves on Cornelia street and how she would never be able to go back there again if things changed. Swift once rented an apartment on Cornelia Street in Manhattan and Karlie Kloss was once photographed outside of it, so this song may have something to do with a fallout in their friendship. However, there is also a Cornelia Street in London, so this song could also be describing Swift’s fear of losing Alwyn. Either way, this is one of the more emotional songs on the album.
10. Death by A Thousand Cuts – I think this song refers to all of Swift’s past relationships at once. Essentially, she is saying she has moved on, but they will always still leave a thousand cuts on her.
11. London Boy – This song is about Alwyn because London is his home city.
12. Soon You’ll Get Better – This song is about Swift’s mother, who has been struggling with cancer for a while now. It is heartbreaking and will leave you in tears.
13. False God – I think this song is Swift’s way of telling Alwyn how important of a figure he is in her life. By comparing her relationship to religion and God, Swift is suggesting it is her most powerful relationship yet.
14. You Need to Calm Down – Swift released this song during pride month to show her support for the LGBTQ community.
15. Afterglow – I think this song is about Taylor Swift acknowledging her own mistakes leading to failures in her past relationships, specifically with the lines “I’m the one who burned us down, but it’s not what I meant. Sorry that I hurt you.” This reflects Swift’s self-growth, which seems to be a big part of this album.
16. ME! – This song is about how proud Swift is to be herself. Again, this shows the amount of self-growth Swift has undergone.
17. It’s Nice to Have a Friend – I think this song is describing the comfort Swift feels with Alwyn. When people are in love, they are also each other’s best friends. Here, Swift is distinguishing how different her relationship with Alwyn is compared to her past relationships by referring to him both as her lover and her friend.
18. Daylight – I think this song is about Swift seeing a promising future for herself. The chorus repeats “I only see daylight,” suggesting that Swift sees positive things coming her way, whether that be with Alwyn, her own life, self-growth, or a combination of the three. This was a strong ending to Swift’s album.
It comes as no surprise that Lover is Swift’s longest album yet. She appears to be feeling more inspired than she has in years, or maybe ever, likely due to both her strong relationship with Joe Alwyn and her own self-growth. Swift just announced a few of the locations on her summer tour, and fans can’t wait to see what else she has in store.