I bought Taylor Swift’s “Reputation” around 9pm on Friday November 10th, 2017. It had dropped around midnight, but my friend and I waited to get the physical album in one of the exclusive Target magazines (well worth the buy). We drove back to our dorm, slide the disk into my computer, plugged in the speaker, and promptly died.
Ready For It?
Since it dropped as a single a little while ago, my friend and I already knew all of the words. With our speaker blaring the familiar song, we danced around our dorm and baked cookies, our other friends watching us skeptically. It didn’t matter, though, because we were having fun jamming out to the best first song for an album I’ve ever heard. Was I ready for the rest of the album? Absolutely not.
End Game
I have no idea who Future is and I couldn’t really tell what he was saying, but did that matter? No. What mattered was the incredible beat of the song and the lyrics that expressed what most girls want: to be a guy’s end game. Not another ex, but the last love. And then Ed Sheeran rapped and everyone in the room lost their mind. So the song is done, right? A great, mind-blowing song, onto the next one. Wrong. Suddenly Taylor herself is rapping about “I bury hatchets/but I keep maps to where I put ‘em” and I was so shook. There were no words.
I Did Something Bad
Taylor Swift is liberated. She doesn’t care about the witch burning or the receipts or anything anymore, as obvious by the lyrics. What’s even better is the incredible beat of this song. I’ve heard people call it pop, I’ve heard people call it EDM, but I don’t care what genre it is. All that matters is that you can dance to this beat and the bass drop is like nothing else.
Don’t Blame Me
It’s a slow, beautiful song about love that peels your skin off and penetrates your bones. And when the chorus with the background hits you, you are gone.
Delicate
This song is so sweet. The opening lyrics are “this ain’t for the best/my reputation’s never been worse so/you must like me for me” and everyone’s heart breaks at the idea that Taylor Swift, a person just like the rest of us, has been used, but is still cautiously emerging into a relationship again. We’ve all been there and I’m so grateful she put this into a song.
Look What You Made Me Do
My friend and I didn’t like this one at first. We nodded at the idea of Taylor creating new music, then decided it wasn’t that great. But as we played it more and more and as the incredibly symbolic music video dropped, we warmed up to it. Now we dance to it all the time!
So It Goes
Again, the break of a slow song that is the call of every person as they fall into a relationship complicated by outsiders but simple when it’s just two people. It’s honestly beautiful and quite simple, just like love is (at times).
Gorgeous
This was my least favorite single. While So It Goes is simple and good, Gorgeous is too repetitive and simple, although it is not bad. In the context of the album, it’s pretty good, especially if you catch the hint about blue eyes that’s mentioned in other songs. I also love the little ding thing.
Getaway Car
I’m always a sucker for songs that really tell a story, and this one does too. Although there’s speculation that this was inspired by everything that happened with Calvin Harris and Tom Hiddleston, I’d rather just focus on the fact that this song is great. When it comes on the radio, it will make you want to speed, and the ending will make you want to cheer because Taylor recognizes that she was in a bad situation and leaves. You go girl!
King of My Heart
First, this is the name of a worship song that I love. Second, it’s my least favorite song on the album. The beat of the pre-chorus was confusing and threw a wrench into the slow parts of the song that are beautiful, like the chorus. Although her lyrics “is this the end of all the endings” is a question everyone asks when they get in a good relationship, it doesn’t completely save the song.
Dancing With Our Hands Tied
This song was made to dance to, especially the chorus. Not to mention the lyric about dancing together like it was the first time is a reminder of what every girl who’s been heartbroken wants- to dance with a guy and love him as if it is the first time, letting all the worries fade because this is good (just like the song).
Dress
The beat for this song is fantastic, although the lyrics are a surprise. Maybe it’s just me, but part of me still sees Taylor Swift as the girl in her first album, sweet and innocent, but this song blows that old lens away. It’s a great slow song in between two songs that make you want to dance until you can’t breathe.
This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
All I can say is: tea spilled, Kanye REKT, Taylor free.
Call It What You Want
A nice love song after all of the drama of the previous song. The chorus isn’t my absolute favorite as the rhyme scheme could’ve been better, but I love a lot of the verses. “You don’t need to save me,/but could you run away with me” shows such development. Remember White Horse? The guy betrayed her when he was supposed to save her. The world wasn’t a fairy tale anymore. And although her castle in this fairy tale has crumbled, it’s okay because she has a prince who really knows her. Isn’t that what we all want?
New Year’s Day
If I had to pick my favorite song from this album, it would be this one. It’s just so beautiful. Listening to it wraps everything up. The drama is done. She’s staying no matter what because she is completely and totally in love in the best way possible. I remember seeing an interview with her years ago (at least five years ago, probably more) and Barbara Walters asked Taylor if she’d ever get married.
Taylor affirmed that she wanted to, but all of the albums since then have proved otherwise. But now that I’ve heard this song, I have no doubt that Taylor found the love she’d been holding out for. It was an honor listening to this song conclude this amazing album.
The only true way to react to this album is playing it again. The beginning will have you screaming, the middle will have you dancing, and the end will have you crying. It is a masterpiece that will no doubt win many awards. And even if it doesn’t, Taylor has truly risen from the dead as her best self, inspiring the rest of us to do the same. Thank you.
