After creating a near-frenzy on social media for her highly anticipated album “Midnights,” Taylor Swift finally released the 13 track album at exactly midnight on Oct. 21.
It is nostalgic to look back on how much Swift has changed and grown since her first album release at 16 years old. This album seems to hold more meaningful lyrics than ever before. Many of the songs have lines that urge one to pause the song and rewind just to hear and digest it again.
The song “Anti-Hero” is an example of Swift’s extremely relatable and self-aware lyrics. It addresses topics of self-loathing and the feeling that everyone around you agrees with all the imperfections you see about yourself. It is an incredibly interesting song because it comes across on your first listen as a light-hearted and a fun tune to sing, but it is so raw and real when you listen closely.
While “Anti-Hero” has been a hit, especially on social media, the song “Snow on the Beach” was a bit of a let down for many fans. The track, which promised a collaboration with Lana Del Rey, didn’t feature much, if any, of Del Rey’s voice. Del Rey harmonizes lightly with Swift throughout the song, but she does not have any solo lyrics. This confused a lot of fans who were looking forward to the legendary pairing. Most people wanted to hear two lyrical geniuses come together and create a masterpiece, but it seemed rather one-sided.
“You’re On Your Own, Kid” also seems to be a rising star of the album. Swift talks about growing up in a life filled with so many people, but still feeling so alone. One may think that that is a considerably sad thing to sing about, but it ends with a line that changes the whole meaning.
“You may be on your own, but you always have been, so there’s nothing to be afraid of,” Swift sings.
These lyrics alone change the tone of the song. Taylor is validating feeling alone and saying that you don’t always need people to feel whole. You have the power to achieve your goals all on your own, need be.
“Midnights” is an album that has very important messages intertwined with its catchy beats. It is yet another reason that Swift has stayed relevant in the music industry – she is unafraid to share the deepest parts of herself through her music.
