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my official ranking of midnights by taylor swift

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Millersville chapter.

I’m sure that we’ve all heard that Taylor Swift has recently released her tenth studio album, Midnights. I personally have been listening nonstop, and have decided to share with you my current album ranking! I did use this sorter from Jessie Pinkman on Tumblr to loosely sort my favorites, but I did make a few changes!

https://jesseepinkman.tumblr.com/midnightssort

You’re Own Your Own, Kid

I’m a Track Five girly, what can I say. This song is a perfect definition of nostalgia and living in the moment, and I think that it is going to be an anthem for a lot of people my age. I have also been seeing theories about the bridge talking about each era Taylor has been through, and I love that theory. 

Favorite Lyric: “Everything you lose is a step you take, So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it, You’ve got no reason to be afraid”

Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve

Speak Now will forever and always be my favorite album, and this song is straight out of that era. The emotion that comes out of this song takes me right back to 2010, and I’m sorry but a certain singer definitely should be in hiding after this one.

Favorite Lyric: “Give me back my girlhood it was mine first” or “God rest my soul I miss who I used to be”

Labyrinth

This was my instant favorite the night the album came out. The song is so romantic and flows so well, and it felt magical the first time I listened to it!

Favorite Lyric: “Uh oh, I’m falling in love, Oh no, I’m falling in love again”

Mastermind

This song was also so romantic, and also felt a little personal since Taylor acts as a mastermind for her fans in creating her music and sharing Easter Eggs for us to guess. It also felt like the perfect closer to the initial album prior to the 3:00 A.M. tracks.

Favorite Lyric: “The dominos cascaded in a line, What if I told you I’m a mastermind” or “On your face, you knew the entire time, You knew that I’m a mastermind”

Hits Different

This is one of the Target exclusive tracks, but the energy from it is just so fun and kind of gives me You Belong With Me vibes for some reason. It seems like a great scream in the car song, and I can’t wait until it hits streaming services.

Favorite Lyric: “Oh my, love is a lie, S**t my friends say to get me by”

Anti-Hero

This song immediately became a fan favorite and a trending song on TikTok, with its catchy lyrics though darker subject matter. I can certainly relate to my fair share of lyrics from this one.

Favorite Lyric: “When my depression works the graveyard shift, All of the people I’ve ghosted stand there in the room”

Maroon

This one is giving Red as TikTok theorists have also stated (can you tell I’m on SwiftTok?), but it is so catchy and I was enthralled right away. 

Favorite Lyric: “And I chose you, The one I was dancing with in New York”

Midnight Rain

I didn’t love this one during the first listen, but it is quickly skyrocketing up my list. I love the beginning, and the rest of it is equally as interesting and exciting. The way her voice rises at the end of certain lines in the chorus is so nice to hear!

Favorite Lyric: “He was sunshine, I was midnight rain”

Dear Reader

I loved this song right away, and I can’t even fully resonate why. It felt again like a good closure (for the second time), and I overall just really enjoy listening to this one!

Favorite Lyric: “Never take advice from someone who’s falling apart”

The Great War

This was a great opener to the 3:00 a.m. tracks. It is again catchy but a little calmer than some of the other songs on the earlier part of the album, and I really enjoyed it!

Favorite Lyric: “Uh huh, sweet dream was over, My hand was the one you reached for, all throughout the Great War”

Question…?

Another one that has grown on me throughout the past few days! Her voice sounds angelic in this song, and I am super excited to continue to listen to it!

Favorite Lyric: “Painted all my nights, A color I’ve search for since”

Bigger Than The Whole Sky

I think this song is one of the most emotional on the album. I have been seeing a lot of people resonate with it for a lot of different reasons, and I think songs that do that are really important and allow for audiences to find comfort.

Favorite Lyric: “You were more than just a short time”

Lavender Haze

This is a great album opener, especially with the opening of “Meet me at midnight”. It is catchy but also calls out the people calling her out in a classier way.

Favorite Lyric: “Talk your talk and go viral, I just need this love spiral”

Karma

What was bound to be a fan favorite based on our past Karma knowledge, is. It wasn’t the song I expected it to be, but it is one of my favorites to dance around my room to!

Favorite Lyric: “Ask me what I learned from all those years, ask me what I earned from all those tears”

High Infidelity

I like the rhythm of this song, and it certainly, like many of the others, is catchy. It is also another good one to kinda vibe around the room with!

Favorite Lyric: “Put on your records and regret me, I bent the truth too far tonight, I was dancing around, Dancing around it”

Bejeweled

The music video is very exciting for this one. I am loving all the Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) hints that were hidden in the video! I love the vibe of this one too!

Favorite Lyric: “I can still make the whole place shimmer”

Sweet Nothing

This one is so cute, and the writing credits to William Bowery are always nice to see.

Favorite Lyric: “To you I can admit, That I’m just too soft for all of it”

Paris

One word. CATCHY! This song is full of energy and just makes me picture myself in Paris.

Favorite Lyric: “No, I didn’t see the news, Cause we were somewhere else”

Snow on the Beach ft. Lana Del Rey

I love the visuals here in this song, and I love the way her voice rises at the end of each line in the verses.

Favorite Lyric: “Flying in a dream, stars by the pocketful”

Vigilante S***

Another fan favorite, but not one of mine. I still like it, and it is one heck of an epic revenge song, and it is catchy.

Favorite Lyric: “And I don’t dress for villains, or for innocents”

Glitch

I love love love that the Spotify video for this song is the Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version) glitch. This song is good as well, but one has to be at the bottom, and this one just didn’t stand out to me in the ways some others did!

Favorite Lyric: “But it’s been 2,190 days of our love blackout”

So, there we have it! My official ranking of Midnights, as of less than a week after the album was released. I hope you all are enjoying this album as much as I am!

HCXO,

Katie

References:

https://jesseepinkman.tumblr.com/midnightssort

Taylor Swift. (2022). Midnights.

Katherine McLaughlin

Millersville '23

Katie is currently completing her last semester at Millersville University, with a major in Digital Communication and Cultural Studies and a minor in Creative Writing and Publishing. Katie loves listening to music, traveling, riding rollercoasters, reading, hanging out with friends, family, and her dog, and writing for fun!