I'm not gonna lie, I was skeptical about Taylor Swift's sixth studio album "Reputation." After hearing "Look What You Made Me Do," I wasn't so sure that I was going to like this new album. But being the huge Taylor Swift fan I am I obviously bought it anyways. Ever since she dropped the first single people have been bashing on the album. My friends and family just couldn't stop talking about how much they liked the old Taylor better.
Despite my worries and their comments, I wanted to give "Reputation" a fair chance. So on a rainy Sunday night as I waited for my plane to take off I pressed play and started listening to the album. Here were my thoughts.
1. Does she say the word "reputation" in every song?
I swear to god she said the word reputation in most every song. I started listening for it after awhile.
2. Oh my god there was a reference to sex/drinking in this song.
I was shook. Taylor is 27 years old, so she is allowed to drink. In fact, I was pretty positive that she did, but it still came as a shock to hear her referencing it so casually in so many of her songs. But the real shock was that a ton of her songs mentioned sex in one way or another.
3. Don't laugh in the middle of the plane.
"This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things" was the funniest song I have ever heard. It also has to be one of my favorites on the album. Just the way she sings as if talking to a 4-year-old is so hilarious when you know she's talking about adults. I had to remind myself I was in a public place and couldn't laugh.
4. I'm actually really enjoying this album.
After the second song, I was pretty sure I was going to like this album. Listening with an open mind and actually just listening instead of doing anything else at the same time really helped.
5. Who is this song about?
In her liner notes, Taylor says that we shouldn't try and figure out who each song is about, but that didn't stop me. Of course, I don't think I got very far with most songs.
6. She really does not care what people think anymore.
There was no holding her back. She wrote about new topics, wrote edgier lyrics and didn't care what people had to say about it.
7. Not a fan of the autotune on this song.
I hate autotune especially when people have such pretty voices without it. A couple of songs started off either really autotuned or with her voice manipulated and I just don't like that. Luckily, by the chorus, the autotune was dropped most of the time.
8. Why didn't she sing more with Ed Sheeran in "End Game?"
Seriously though. Her, Ed and Future all had their own parts of the song, but they barely ever sang all together, which would've been a cool addition to the track.
9. Why were there no bonus tracks or secret liner notes?????
Taylor is known for including extra songs on the CD's sold at Target and putting secret notes in the liners of her cd's by capitalizing random letters in the song lyrics. Neither of those things were done with "Reputation" and it made me really sad.
10. I'm loving all these allusions.
She makes allusions to the Salem Witch Trials, Bonnie and Clyde, and so much more. I'm such a sucker for allusions and references that I couldn't help but enjoy each and every one of them.
11. I still don't understand why there is that weird baby voice that says "gorgeous" at the beginning of "Gorgeous."
Yeah, I hated that weird baby voice. "Gorgeous" is one of my other favorite songs on the album, but I could do without that intro.
12. This song is gonna get stuck in my head.
Literally thought that after each song.
13. This isn't so different from 1989.
I thought it was going to be completely different from "1989," but in reality, it wasn't. Especially when you look at "Blank Space." In "Blank Space" she makes fun of her reputation and the way media portrays her. In "Reputation" she does the same thing making sure we never forget who the media says she is and who she thinks she is.
14. I like the piano in this song.
In "New Year's Day," the final song on the album, there is some nice piano. It was probably the most stripped down song on the album and I really appreciated it.
15. I can't wait to listen to this again.
