Taylor Swift is playing games with us, her new album is sick! She released “Reputation” on the 11th November. No wonder, if you haven’t or couldn’t listen to it yet. She did it again, the whole album is not available on Spotify. So, I had to buy it like I bought her last album “1989”. I won’t be surprised if she breaks selling records with this album too. The entire week I was listening to “Reputation”. And I admit Taylor Swift must be the best songwriter of our time. I love her new album. Almost all the 15 songs are made to be a hit. And they hit you like Miley’s “Wrecking Ball”. If you think she is singing love songs the way she did in “1989”, then you’re completely wrong. The concept of her reputation is represented in all songs. Yes, they seem like love songs about the men she dated, but in her lyrics, she also talks about her reputation and enemies. What! You don’t know her enemies!? You’re lucky you have me. I know that she has at least three enemies, they are naturally since “Bad Blood” Katy Perry, then since 2009 Kanye West and his wife Kim Kardashian. Yes, they are BIG enemies, how Taylor likes to call them in her lyrics. I don’t know if her ex-boyfriend Calvin Harris is also now an enemy. I hope not! I’ll stop gossiping about her and instead I will present to you her 15 masterpieces. I won’t try to guess which ex-boyfriend is hidden in the lyrics, I just want to interpret the lyrics in a general way and try to find out more about this reputation concept.
…Ready For It?
“Ready for it?” was released as her second single on 3rd September. In the first verse, she is like singing about a playboy, probably one of her ex’s, who is younger than her other ex-boyfriends. The chorus reminds me of “Wildest Dream”. During the 2nd verse, she admits that she is a playgirl too. In the bridge she sings “Let the games begin”, I finally understand what she means with that. She uses game as a metaphor for their relationship because both are players. It is like a battle between a playboy and a playgirl. This song is a great choice to be the first song on the album. I love the chorus but I can’t enjoy the other parts, they are too hard and dark for me. The title also could mean: if you are ready for this album, for “Reputation”! A very nice opening. So, are you ready?
End Game (feat. Ed Sheeran and Future)
First, look at the names on this song, we have two features Ed Sheeran and the rapper Future. “End Game” is written like the second part of “..Ready For It” because Taylor Swift sings that she wants to end this game: “I wanna be your end game”. This is contrary to the first song where she wanted to start the games. She must have changed her mind now. Future pretends to be her lover in his rap lines and Ed is just telling the story of him and Taylor being friends. “End Game” is the 3rd single of the album. The post-chorus and the third verse sung by Taylor include for the first time on the album the theme of her reputation. She claims that her reputation precedes her. I love this song, it’s just perfect. These two lines are my favorites: “I swear I don’t love the drama, it loves me” & “So here’s the truth from my red lips”.
I Did Something Bad
This song is a response to all the rumors that call her a playgirl because she dated to many men. In the chorus, she sings that she doesn’t regret her breakups. In the verses, she explains the problems she had with her ex-boyfriends in her relationships. The title “I Did Something Bad” is ironical, this is just what the media says about her. In the bridge, she presents herself as innocent with the lines: “They’re burning all the witches even if you aren’t one”. I could listen to this song on repeat.
Don’t Blame Me
In this song, love made Taylor blind and crazy. She admits that she is crazy in love and that her lover is her drug. She would do anything for her lover. She thinks that this is how real love should feel like. The bridge gets sexy, Taylor says that every time he loves her, she gets high. We all know what she means by this line. This track is an anthem for real love.
Delicate
In “Delicate” Taylor has struggled to start a new serious relationship because of her reputation; “This ain’t for the best, my reputation’s never been worse, so you must like me for me”. Therefore, she is just enjoying the time with her new man. In the lyrics, she is insecure if she can expect more of him. This song is a nice mellow ballad, not dark as the others, also one of my favorites. I just don’t like the filter in her voice during pre-chorus. With delicate, she describes her love life, which is not easy for her.
Look What You Made Me Do
I don’t think that I must introduce this legendary song, do I? This was the lead single of her upcoming album “Reputation”, released on 25th August 2017. With this song, she showed us the new Taylor, but I don’t think that she has changed much, for me she is still the same. “LWYMMD” is so different and original, it presents us Taylor’s new dark sound and vibes. This track is all about the drama with Kanye West, Kim Kardashian and Katy Perry. If you want to know more about it, you can find enough videos on YouTube explaining the lyrics and the video to you. So, I’ll skip this part.
So It Goes…
This track is another dark song on the album. Taylor uses magician as a metaphor for her lover. During the entire song, we have these mysterious and magic vibes. Thy lyrics are not easy to interpret, in which she describes their relationship. Probably it involves a message that I’m missing, especially the bridge could be about Kanye. This song doesn’t seem to be original, it will remind you of another song that you already have heard.
Gorgeous
“Gorgeous” was released as a promotional single on 20th October 2017. This one is a typical old Taylor song, she is singing about a man, who is gorgeous. Taylor describes how attracted she is by this man. In the first verse, she states to already have an older boyfriend. Because of this gorgeous man, she even would cheat on him. This gets clear on the bridge, where she would like to take him home. It’s a catchy song and perfect for the radio.
Getaway Car
This song has its own theme and story. Taylor tells a story how she and her partner escape probably from the prison and drive with their getaway car away. They have stolen money, but at the end, Taylor is the traitor, who takes all the money and leaves her partner in the motel and drives away with the car. I can imagine that she will shoot an action film as her music video for this song, the way Zayn did with “Dusk Till Dawn”.
King Of My Heart
In “King Of My Heart” Taylor finds suddenly the ruler of her heart. This song must be about her current boyfriend Joe Alwyn, a British actor. I hope this time Taylor has finally found her husband and the father of her children. Taylor also throws some shade to her two ex-boyfriends, Calvin Harris and Tom Hiddleston, in the pre-chorus with the lines: “Cause all the boys and their expensive cars with their Range Rovers and their Jaguars never took me quite where you do”. Let’s all hope their love will last forever. But wait, Taylor couldn’t be able to write new songs if she doesn’t change her boyfriend every season.
Dancing With Our Hands Tied
This song has a completely new style. Taylor uses house music vibes and hits her highest notes of her career during the last chorus. The lyrics describe a new relationship, in which Taylor has a bad feeling. However, she keeps “dancing” with this man. I suppose that she is singing about having sex with this man. She refers that she was 25 back then. She also explains in the lyrics how difficult it is for her lovers to be with her because of the media and the spotlight. This song seems more original for Taylor, but it still reminds of other songs by other artists.
Dress
This song is on fire. It is the sexiest track on the album. Taylor sings about a secret carry-on. She is almost moaning in the chorus and pre-chorus. This line explains the whole concept perfectly: “Only bought this dress so you could take it off”. The theme of this song reminds me of Demi Lovato’s “Body Say”, which is much more better than this track, sorry Taylor. Demi sings the line: “Show you all the red lace underneath this dress”. Let me know which one do you like more Demi’s or Taylor’s song!
This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
OMG!! More shade and disses appear in this song. If you thought “LWYMMD” is the only song about Kanye West, then please listen to this masterpiece. Taylor takes her revenge on Kanye with this track and it is bittersweet. You will love it. With “nice things” she means friendship and trust. She has written this song in a fun way but is still in a serious frame. You must listen to it!
Call It What You Want
Taylor explains her current situation in her life, why she disappeared for months and how happy she is with her current lover. So, she doesn’t care anymore about the media, explained in the lines: “So call it what you want, yeah. Call it what you want to”. This song is very emotional, it almost makes me cry, even Taylor sings it in a happy way, but the lyrics explain the truth about her. This song is not the last track of te record, but Taylor wrote this song like a summary of the entire album “Reputation”. At the end, she doesn’t care about her reputation anymore. I love this song, it’s amazing.
New Year’s Day
The last song is a contrast to the other songs on “Reputation”. It is an acoustic ballad about someone you love and have nice memories with, and you just want this person forever in your life. Two lines of this song are very special to Taylor, so I’d like to mention them: “Please don’t ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere” & “Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you”. It is a nice way to end this dark album. This track is also the 4th single of the album.
“Reputation” must be one of the best album released by an artist in the 2010s. We all know Taylor doesn’t have an amazing voice like Demi or Adele, but she really knows how to make the best of her vocal range and her lyrics. Taylor actually co-wrote in all songs. She is a legend in the music industry and I am proud of her. I hope she will produce music for a long time in her life. If you haven’t listened to the album because you couldn’t stream it. Please go and buy it, you won’t regret it, it’s worth it. I can’t wait for the Grammy Awards in February 2018. There will be a big competition between Taylor and Sam Smth, whoever wins the awards they both deserved it. I hope Taylor will come finally to Switzerland with her world tour, so I can see this legend life. There will be no further explanation. There will just be “Reputation”.
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