I want to preface this by saying that I am a fan of all of Taylor's previous work, and I purchased this album for that reason and also to due to my curiosity about it as an all-around pop culture enthusiast.
I admit that coming into the album, I was nervous. The singles have, by and large, not been received very well, (LWYMMD being the most critically panned). On top of that, the rollout has been clunky and marred by controversy and outrage.
But I told myself I would reserve judgment until I heard the album in full. So, how did it turn out?
Here's the track by track review.
1. ...Ready for It?
After months of hype, the album opens with the clearing of Swift's throat and buzzy sinister synths. Here, the track serves the same purpose as it did as a single, in that it warns listeners to be perpetually on their toes from here on out. The old Taylor is dead, and in her place is woman who knows what she wants, Let the games begin, indeed.
Key lyric: He can be my jailer/Burton to this Taylor/ Every love I've known in comparision is a failure
2. End Game (ft Ed Sheeran and Future)
This is a dud of a track filled with odd choices, (Future? Auto Tune?) and lyrics so straightforward they earn eyerolls. We know the drama loves you, Taylor. But, I digress. It will probably be fast-tracked to pop radio and absolutely blow up.
Key lyric: I bury hatchets, but I keep maps of where I put 'em
3. I Did Something Bad
Undoubtedly the most contradictory track on the album. She knows what people say about her and is indignant but resigned to it. "Light me up" she chants on the bridge. They're "burning all the witches," and she's accepted her fate.
Key lyric:
This is how the world works/You gotta leave before you get left
4. Don't Blame Me
Just as End Game was the first on record mention of alcohol and I Did Something Bad contained Swift's first recorded expletive, Don't Blame Me is Swift's first recorded "sex song" for lack of better terms. And while the lyrics are cliche in places, I am powerless against her low,sultury delivery of the huge, gospel infused hook. Take me to church, Tay.
Key lyric Don't blame me, love made me crazy/If it doesn't, you ain't doin' it right/Lord, save me, my drug is my baby/I'll be usin' for the rest of my life
5. Delicate
After four tracks of uncompromising snark and hard edge, this is breath of fresh air, showcasing Swift's soft, vulnerable side over looping synth and the storytelling ability on which she built her career.
Key lyric: This ain't for the best/My reputation's never been worse, so/You must like me for me…
6. Look What You Made Me Do
For me, it's a toss-up between this and Gorgeous for the weakest song on the album, but this is spared from the bottom rung because the lyrics are at least trying.
Key lyric: I'm sorry, the old Taylor can't come to the phone right now/Why?/ Oh, 'cause she's dead!"
7. ...So It Goes
Where Don't Blame Me described sex and love through a series of cliches, this is almost uncomfortable in the details, with references to the "scratches on (his) back" and her want to "wear (him) like a necklace. It sounds like it belongs on the 50 Shades soundtrack.
Key lyric:I'm yours to keep/And I'm yours to lose
8. Gorgeous
See number 6. This one wins the worst of the worst contest for me because Swift, ever the competent lyricist, rhymes "face" with "face" and ends a verse with "I hate you so much."
Key lyric:If you've got a girlfriend, I'm jealous of her/But if you're single that's honestly worse
9. Getway Car
If Delicate was the first hint that she still had songwriting chops beyond petty feuds, this is where she proves it beyond the shadow of a doubt. Sure, the song is probably about Calvin Harris, but I wanted to leave him/I needed a reason is probably one of the most relatable things she's ever written.
Key lyric: X marks the spot where we fell apart/
He poisoned the well/ I was lying to myself
10. King of My Heart
As madly in love as we've seen her, both on this album and albums past, this is the first time we hear her ready to declare that she's in it for life.
Key lyric: Is this the end of all the endings?
11. Dancing with Our Hands Tied
This feels like a deep cut off 1989 in the vein of I Know Places, and by the end the Robyn-esque groove will have you dancing too.
Key lyric: I loved you in spite of /Deep fears that the world would divide us
12. Dress
The most forgettable song of the bunch, as it is built entirely around one lyric. I don't even have much in my notes. Sex Sex Sex.
Key lyric: Carve my name into your bedpost / ’Cause I don’t want you like a best friend / Only bought this dress so you could take it off
13. This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things
Petty, vengeful Taylor back for a last hurrah. She invokes Gatsby in the process of eviscerating a fake friend, and certainly it reminds this reviewer of Gatsby by way of Baz Luhrmann- it's loud and over the top, but you're having so much fun, who cares?
Key lyric: But I'm not the only friend you've lost lately/If only you weren't so shady
14. Call It What You Want
This is what many are calling Love Story 2.0. Taylor is still in love, but instead of begging someone else to take her away, she's doing the asking. Her contentment is palpable, and the resulting tone is one of quiet liberation.
Key lyric: Nobody's heard from me for months/I'm doin' better than I ever was
15. New Year's Day
This sparse piano ballad proves that the Old Taylor isn't dead after all. This is a sweeping song, made of lyrical details and quiet and powerful moments. Heads up: you might need tissues.
Key lyric: Please don't ever become a stranger/Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere
In summary, this is an album at odds with itself: one half concerned with her reputation in the media and all its attendant gossip, and the other absolutely smitten with the one who is an escape from it all. It's undeniably her messiest work to date, but in many ways it is also her most exhilarating.
