Taylor Swift’s new album Midnights has broken many records just days after its release. All 10 top spots on the Billboard Hot 100 are songs from her new album, making her the first artist in history to complete this goal.
I, along with many, many others, have been listening to this album on repeat since it came out. To me, the sound is a combination of her two older albums, “1989” and “Reputation.” Those are two of my favorite albums of hers, so when I first listened to “Midnights,” I was incredibly excited! This album is so cool to me since it is a 13-song collection of the terrors, nightmares, and sweet dreams that haunt her during the night.
Here are some of my favorite songs from “Midnights”:
- Lavender Haze
This album flings open the door to Taylor’s midnight world with this opening track. This song does a great job of setting the stage for the rest of the album with its emotional pop lyrics filled with defiance and rumination about the past. In this song, Taylor is addressing her boyfriend of many years and how he admires the criticism that she faces. She also brings up the theme of marriage, which is later talked about again in “Midnight Rain.” Even though Taylor is known to write songs about fairytale endings like “Love Story,” the singer wants to make it known in “Lavender Haze” that she lives outside of the restrictive binary of “one night or a bride.”
- Maroon
This song is unusual to me since it feels so ominous and unlike anything else, Taylor has ever written. It is the second song on the track, and it is basically about a hot relationship from her past. It’s a catchy pop song, but there is something underneath the surface that makes it seem unsettling and nervy. Throughout the lyrics, Taylor remembers their time together, but there is a sense of dread underneath.
- Anti-Hero
This song is the most relatable to me since it is about being alone with your thoughts and spiraling into a pit of self-loathing. This is the lead single of the album, in which Taylor touches on anxiety, paranoia, trust issues, body image issues, and unhealthy coping mechanisms. I also have a lot of respect for her since she is so bold and willing to share such personal feelings with the world. The music video includes a lot of comedic parts to balance out the intense subject matter within the song. This makes Taylor seem more normal and real…one of the many reasons why I genuinely admire her.
Taylor Swift – Anti-Hero (Official Music Video)
- Snow on the Beach (feat. Lana Del Rey)
This collaboration of Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey is out of this world. It is slower than most of the other songs on the album, but its beautiful chorus stands out on its own. It is psychedelic and Christmasy in a way, making it completely mesmerizing to listen to. Fans have complained that Lana didn’t have a big enough part in the song, but I think that the combination of their voices in the chorus completely made the entire song. I hope to see more collaborations like this in the future.
- Midnight Rain
This song has some strange vocals that take some getting used to, but the overall meaning of the song is the best part. It is about Taylor leaving behind a past love in order to make a name for herself instead of being tied down to marriage at that particular moment. It’s reminiscent of who she used to be when she was younger and the life that she gave away in order to achieve her dreams. She states in the song that she never thinks about that past version of herself “except on midnights like this.”
You can stream Midnights now on Apple Music or Spotify. You can also subscribe to Taylor Swift’s YouTube channel and watch her music videos for this album as they are released.
