Ashley: I didn’t join the Taylor Swift bandwagon until her folksy quarantine album “evermore” surprised everyone in December 2020. This is particularly impressive considering I grew up with her; I had just entered middle school when “Teardrops On My Guitar” hit every radio station known to man, and I was freshly 18 when the famous “Red” released.
But rather than embrace these albums, I cherry picked a few songs I liked — who doesn’t sing along to “Love Story”? — and largely ignored Swift’s ascent.
The emotional stories in “evermore” changed my mind. While “Midnights” doesn’t embrace the same folk spin, it maintains the introspective lyricism that won me over two years ago.
Swift intended “Midnights” to depict sleepless nights in her life, imbued with a return to the autobiographical lyrics that she’s infamous for. What results is a look back at the highs and lows of the last decade of her life.
AnahÃ: I was eight years old, in the backseat of my mom’s green grand caravan, when I heard Taylor Swift’s “White Horse” for the first time. I was raised around all kinds of music, including country, so when Swift started to make her rise, I begged for my parents to keep the radio on the country station in hopes that I would hear another one of her songs.
Although I claim myself as a fellow “Swiftie,” her newest album “Midnights” is not a personal favorite. Instead, it was a bit of an underwhelming album when I heard it the first time through.
With every album Swift released in the past, she created a new sound that helped influence the direction that music was potentially going to go. However, “Midnights” can be drowned in the sea of what music people are creating today, and her latest songs could closely be compared to Billie Eilish or Lana Del Rey’s indie sound. It makes me long for the strong sense of individualism in her music from the past.
As a kid, my love for her was not only sparked from how she shaped her lyrics to be exactly what I needed to hear or how she explained how my tween heart felt. A large part of it was her being a female singer in country music, something I rarely listened to yet felt seen when listening thanks to female singers like her, Carrie Underwood and many others.
As I grew older listening to her songs from “Teardrops On My Guitar” to “Fearless” and even to “Reputation,” I’ve found that newfound love in the music and the lyrics. It’s been special to see Swift completely change her entire persona and create a new version of herself with every album she wrote.
Even now she continues to change the music industry by re-releasing her music because of the laws placed on musicians and her conflict with Scooter Braun. “Midnights” is Swift’s first album since “evermore,” a personal favorite, since she started re-recording.
With each album, she continues to show her resiliency and what she is capable of in continuing to release new music while still respecting her old songs.
Although “Midnights” is not a personal favorite of mine, it definitely doesn’t sit last on my list either.
Ashley: I’ll admit that my favorite songs from “Midnights” weren’t the early fan favorites or Swift’s chosen singles.
“Snow on the Beach” with Lana Del Rey barely even features the latter, with a metaphor at the root that Swift’s description of is almost laughable. I support her relatability, but “weird but f***ing beautiful” is the kind of thing Del Rey could have gotten away with easier if she’d been able to speak.
“Anti-Hero’s” ambiguous “sexy baby” line is similarly bewildering, with the rest of the lyrics toeing the line between self-deprecation and lack of accountability.
It’s where Swift double downs on her emotions, in triumphant turns like “Vigilante Sh*t” and “Karma” or melancholy melodies like “Maroon” and “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” that the album shines.
Swift’s musing of her relationship with actor Joe Alwyn (who the Internet has since dubbed “a walking green flag”) in songs “Sweet Nothing” and “Lavender Haze” are a mature take on her infamous love songs, with lyrics swooning over Alwyn complimenting her intelligence or humming in the kitchen over the sound of paparazzi outside.
“High Infidelity,” which I hope is a swipe at ex-boyfriend Calvin Harris (his song with Swift, “This Is What You Came For,” released on April 29, 2016, which is a date the lyrics reference) is one of my favorites on the tracklist, being the closest to resemble the feel of “evermore.”
AnahÃ: Yet, despite the musicality of the album not meeting prime-Swift standards, I can’t say that about the storytelling. It’s still no surprise how Swift chooses specific words for her lyrics to create a beautiful compilation of love notes and, as the album was marketed, a collection of midnight thoughts over the years.
This album felt personal, as if Swift was reading from her diary, sharing late night thoughts many fans can relate to.
Her lyrics remain something that cannot go unnoticed, from her playful way of teasing her fans to leaving them guessing which ex-boyfriend she might be writing about.
Ashley: I’d like to conclude by emphasizing the impact Swift’s album has already had. She’s obviously no stranger to breaking records, but her domination of the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 10 has been empowering.
Swift isn’t just the first artist in history to claim the entire top 10. Her accolades mark the first time in history a male artist hasn’t held at least one of those spots, reported the LA Times.
“Midnights” cements Swift’s status as a pop culture icon while acknowledging the nights that kept her up along the way. The public’s welcome reception of it proves that she’s here to stay.
AnahÃ: As Swift approaches 300 written songs, she continues to pave the wave for so many young musicians and has inspired rising stars like Olivia Rodrigo and Conan Grey.
Swift was at a creative peak when releasing her new songs on this album. The way she chooses to tease and have fun with her fans with these releases creates anticipation for even her so-called “haters.”
Even now, Swift continues to receive criticism from people. Shortly after the release of her music video “Anti-Hero,” she was deemed fatphobic for a clip where her “anti-hero” persona called her real persona “fat.”
But fans who have seen Swift’s documentary, “Miss Americana,” on Netflix are aware of the eating disorder Swift endured in her early years of fame.
Every album comes with different opinions on songs, but “Midnights” will still be embraced by the masses. The way TikTok has recently adopted clips from the album has made it hard to not enjoy Swift’s latest songs.
Written by Ashley Flowers & Estela Anahà Jaramillo
