It’s officially here! “Midnights,” Taylor Swift’s 10th studio album, was released on Friday, Oct. 24, which is when many of her fans stayed up to listen to it right away. The album comes with 13 songs, which she had revealed the names earlier. However, what took everyone by surprise was Swift announcing “Midnights (3am Edition)” that same day!
When she announced her album during the Video Music Awards back in August, fans were taken by surprise. We knew she was re-recording her past albums, but we didn’t expect a new album. After the releases of “Folklore” and “Evermore,” many fans, myself included, believed this new album would have a similar vibe. However, “Midnights” is very different from her most recent albums.
I started listening more to Taylor Swift back when “Folklore” was released. Since then, I’ve listened to several of her other albums. I wouldn’t call myself a Swiftie since I know there are Swifties out there who’ve listened to everything she’s ever put out and have extensive knowledge on her music. However, I do love a lot of what I have listened to so far. But since “Folklore” was the first album I listened to, I was excited for the new album to have a similar sound. After listening to it, I have to say that it reminds me more of her past pop albums.
While it was not the type of album I was expecting, I liked it overall. Despite the change in sound, her lyrics are still as impactful as ever. There are a few songs that stand out to me the most that I love and some that have grown on me the more I’ve listened to it. It’s hard not to when nearly every TikTok I come across has at least one of the new songs on the album. However, I do have to listen to the album as a whole a few more times to better decide which ones are my definite favorites.
Swift opens the album with “Lavender Haze,” which I think was a great choice. Swift talked about how “Lavender Haze” is a phrase that means falling in love and was used in the 1950s. I really like this song, and it’s one of the songs that I’ve been listening to the most since the album dropped. As soon as I heard it, I knew it sounded familiar. It reminds me a lot of “I Think He Knows” from her other album, “Lover,” which is another album that I loved. Someone did a mashup of the two songs on TikTok, and I definitely recommend checking it out!
The second song on the album is also one that I think deserves a lot of love: “Maroon.” The chorus in this song stands out to me so much, and she consistently names things that are different shades of red throughout the song. I think that after I listen to the album again, it will be a part of my top five. Another song that I think deserves a spot there is “Anti-Hero,” which is the third song listed on the album. The chorus is so easy to sing along to and it’s very relatable. I’ve been seeing people lip sync to the chorus all over my TikTok, connecting it with moments in their life where the thought crossed their mind that they were the problem. The song perfectly captures Swift’s fears and how she views herself late at night when all these thoughts have more room to take over.
“Midnight Rain” is the sixth track on the album, and I’ve seen it used for so many edits of fictional couples already. This song captures what it is like to love someone but want different things in life. That is why she sings about how “He was sunshine, I was midnight rain.” There was nothing wrong with her partner, but he wanted to build a future around the place they were in while she wanted to go out into the world and make a name for herself. Meanwhile, “Labyrinth,” which is the 10th track, is about the fear of falling in love again. I really love the chorus for this song as well and how it captures the anxieties of falling in love so fast.
“Sweet Nothing” is very soft, making me think this is the song to sing to the person who is home. The person Swift sings to is someone who is a safe haven from the outside chaos. This is a person she can be vulnerable with. I love the line, “Outside they’re push and shoving / You’re in the kitchen humming.” The person she is singing to is her peace in this chaotic world. What makes this song even better is that Swift’s longtime partner, Joe Alwyn, wrote it with her!
The next song, “Mastermind,” is very different, showcasing Swift’s fear of her partner wanting to leave her once they find out that she orchestrated the start of their relationship. It delves further into how she felt the need to always plan everything, including the relationships in her life. She feared they would not happen naturally. As she confesses all of this, it is revealed that the person knew all along, and he still wanted to be hers.
“Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” is a heartbreaking song. Swift sings to a person who hurt her immensely and how much she wishes things had gone differently. What happened still haunts her, and she misses the person she once was. Many fans theorize that this song, which is the 19th track, is about Swift’s past relationship with John Mayer; they dated when she was 19 years old and he was 32 years old. They believe that this being put as the 19th track is no coincidence.
The songs I listed are some of the ones that stand out to me the most, but there are 20 songs overall, so there is a lot to choose from as your favorite! One thing that I’ve always loved about Swift’s music is the lyricism in her songs. They always hold so much meaning and have an impact. I’ve seen everyone give their opinions about this album. I have seen people who loved it and others who were disappointed. Personally, I do like it overall, and I’m going to go listen to it again!