Once again, Ms. Taylor Alison Swift has released another groundbreaking album that calls back to her earlier pop albums such as 2014’s “1989” and 2017’s “Reputation.” Although the album was teased by Swift in late August, she decided to change her approach when releasing new projects. Instead of the typical single being released to the public to give audiences a hint at what “Midnights” would feel like, Swift opted to use her TikTok platform to announce track names one by one. “Midnights” became an enigma to Swift’s fans and others on the internet until she finally released the 13-track album at midnight on Oct. 21 of 2022.
Swift’s 10th album, “Midnights,” was released to thousands of streams and even broke Spotify for a short period. However, that wasn’t the only thing the artist managed to break. The album broke the record for the most-streamed album on Spotify in 24 hours on the day of its release. Additionally, she broke the record for most day-one streams on Spotify as well.
The track “Lavender Haze” is the first on the album, opening with the tagline “Meet me at midnight” which has become the main line of the album since the moment she announced it back in August. “Lavender Haze” like other songs on the album utilizes synths and constant beats throughout its playtime. The song itself is mellow in its tone.
The second track on the album titled “Maroon” tells a strong love story and how the individuals in the relationship ended up falling out of love with each other. “Maroon” is the type of song people sing in the shower after a bad breakup. Some critics have even compared the track to Swift’s 2012 song “Red” from the album of the same name as a continuation of the song but from the perspective of what happened after “Red.”
Despite releasing to critical levels of success, some fans have expressed doubts about certain aspects of the tracklist. In “Anti-Hero,” the third song of the album and probably the most introspective track, Swift reflects on how she isn’t the villain but also isn’t the hero of the story. Swift lays out her vulnerabilities and doubts for the world to see while simultaneously admitting that she would do anything other than confront herself. “Anti-Hero” is overall a good song but some of the lyrics fall short in the long term. One line that sticks out from this track is from the chorus where Swift says “It’s me / Hi! / I’m the problem, it’s me” The line hasn’t resonated too well with certain audiences but the message it conveys is a powerful one that no one can deny. Despite audiences not liking this line, the song has made it to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 list. Swift’s album has made waves in the music industry for its ability to grasp tightly to listeners and not let go, holding us captive in her web.
From the moment Swift’s auto-tuned voice starts singing, you become trapped in the song “Midnight Rain.” It tells the story of a young love that ended years ago and still haunts you well into adulthood. Lovers who went separate ways to find what they wanted in life outside of each other. It’s a slow song that will have you clapping along with the beat. “Midnight Rain’s” chorus is Swift’s voice with deep auto-tunes attached to it that somehow works marvelously with the rest of the song. She eventually switches to her unedited voice, becoming the best part that’s sure to wow listeners.
There were speculations that both “Karma” and “Vigilante Sh—” would see Swift’s return to her “Reputation” era from 2017, and they were correct. Both songs plot revenge on the singer’s enemies but while “Vigilante Sh—” is the idea of actually planning, “Karma” is Swift living her life to the fullest and watching her enemies crash and burn around her. In “Karma” Swift claims Karma saying “‘Cause Karma is my boyfriend / Karma is a god.”
Verdict: Taylor Swift is a brilliant lyricist who deserves every award she has received. Her 10th album “Midnights” is a pop album with melancholy undertones that help add to the “late-night overthinking” vibe. From her genius hidden lyrics and double meanings, everyone will find something to love on “Midnights.”
