Say what you want about Taylor Swift. She’s a washed up country girl who lost her sound in the world of mainstream pop. She’s a whiny super star who capitalizes on white privilege to victimize herself and deny responsibility. We’ve heard it ALL. And we agree with it ALL.
But if you’re like me, you grew up with Taylor Swift. She was there when you suffered through middle school. She was there when you had cystic acne. She was there when Ben Holmes stood you up at the homecoming dance because he was “busy with soccer tryouts” and it had “nothing to do with your cystic acne.” Tay held your hand through it all.
So, yes, I’ll admit, I have a soft spot for Taylor Swift. And when her new album, Lover, dropped on August 23rd, I stayed up until one a.m. listening to every song.
And my conclusion: Tay’s new album is everything. She gives us country. She gives us sultry. She gives us autumn air. But I couldn’t help but ask: was I being delusional? Or did Taylor Swift truly make a come back?
So I did what any Tswift fan would do: I asked my friends.
Last week, I took to Instagram to ask Colby students what they thought of Tay’s new tunes. I requested that my followers describe the album in one word or phrase, and the responses were #facts.
First, @willooooww responded, “Comeback.” Willow has a point. The album is riddled with #bops (“I Forgot That You Existed” anyone?).
Next, @avacolarusso wrote, “Nostalgic.” Ava made an astute observation with this one. Many of Taylor’s new tracks are reminiscent of her first few albums. Her new song, “Afterglow,” gives us serious “Wild” vibes, and the new track, “I Think He Knows,” is the love child of “Welcome to New York” and “Blank Space” (um…yes please).
Similarly, @marthabout commented, “Touching.” There’s no doubt that some of Tay’s new songs are total tearjerkers. In “Soon You’ll Get Better” the Dixie Chicks appear for a total of 3 minutes just to make everyone cry before promptly leaving. Thanks, ladies.
So there you have it! We love Taylor’s new album, and I’m really proud of Tay for releasing some total head bangers. She finally re-found her place in the world of pop, and I couldn’t be happier. Yes, of course, some of her songs are boring, and I will probably avoid them. But overall, this album revamped my love for Taylor Swift. Catch me re-following her on Instagram. Catch me Googling Joe Alwyn. Catch me scouting tickets to her next concert tour and reliving my glory days that were otherwise known as 2009. In the words of Tswift herself, “long live.”