On October 21st at 3am EST, Taylor Swift surprised fans by dropping seven additional tracks to go with the original 13 Midnights tracks and form Midnights: 3am Edition. One of the most notable details about these tracks is the return of Aaron Dessner of The National, who worked with Taylor on folklore and evermore. He’s credited as a writer and producer on three of the seven songs. While it is clear why these songs didn’t make it on the regular album, with their sound being quite different than many of the original tracks, they still demonstrate Taylor’s impeccable lyricism and have easily become some of my favorites of the 20 released. Here is my ranking of the seven surprise tracks:
7. “Glitch”
Best lyric: “But it’s been two-thousand one-hundred ninety days of our love blackout”Â
“Glitch” feels most like a song that could’ve been on the regular version of Midnights, mostly due to its instrumental. In the background you can hear static-like sounds and other effects that would be correlated to glitches. While the individual lyrics of this song feel like some of the most basic of the seven, the overall concept of this song is creative and intriguing, with Swift comparing a relationship to a glitch because the narrator wants to stay in this relationship long-term, which is unexpected and not the usual for them.Â
6. “Dear Reader”
Best lyric: “Never take advice from someone who’s falling apart”Â
“Dear Reader” is the last song on Midnights: 3am Edition. As the title implies, Taylor is giving advice to listeners but at the same time, she doesn’t think she should be looked to as a “guiding light”. It is the perfect outro because it continues with the personal themes of self-doubt and introspection that are threaded through the album, but also turns the attention to the people listening as the album ends.Â
5. “Bigger Than the Whole Sky”Â
Best lyric: “Every single thing I touch becomes sick with sadness” Â
“Bigger Than the Whole Sky” is filled with peaceful airy sounds but is arguably the saddest of the surprise tracks. Taylor sings about some sort of loss, whether that be a relationship or a death. She also references another one of the surprise tracks, “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”. While that song focuses more on regret, “Bigger Than the Whole Sky” changes that phrase into something heart-breaking. Taylor has always been excellent at painting even the most devastating images and she masterfully does that again with this song.Â
4. “Paris”
Best lyric: “Cheap wine, make believe it’s champagne”Â
Even though “Paris” is just a fun pop song, Taylor Swift once again proves she is excellent at writing catchy pop music. Many of the lines are humorous with references to Z-listers, unbearable 2003 fashion, and shade (“not the kind that’s thrown / I mean, the kind under where a tree has grown”). She also rhymes “Paris” with “somewhere else”, which is equally hilarious and clever. Overall, even if this song isn’t one of the deepest and beautifully written songs on the album, it’s very enjoyable and fun.  Â
3. “The Great War”
Best lyric: “But diesel is desire, you were playing with fire”Â
“The Great War” compares a tumultuous time in a relationship with World War I. This metaphor allows Taylor to depict many powerful images, showcasing the struggle that occurred early on in her relationship. As the first of the seven new tracks, the dark imagery creates a perfect transition between the darkness on some of the tracks on the regular album and the different sound that comes with the surprise tracks.Â
2. “High Infidelity”
Best lyric: “You know there’s many different ways that you can kill the one you love / The slowest way is never loving them enough”
“High Infidelity” is my personal favorite of these seven tracks, which may be confusing because this is number two (I couldn’t deny the immaculate lyricism of the next track on the list). Many lyrics from this song won’t leave my head, such as the one listed above and “put on your records and regret me”. Aaron Dessner’s involvement on this song is evident, with it having a similar sound to Taylor’s previous folklore and evermore era. Overall, this song paints an incredible picture and is so catchy it is bound to get stuck in your head.
1. “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”Â
Best lyric: “Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first”
Picking the best lyric from this song is nearly impossible, because there are just too many to choose from. As, arguably, the best song on the album, “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” demonstrates why Taylor Swift and Aaron Dessner writing songs together are a force to be reckoned with. They paint a picture reminiscent of Speak Now’s “Dear John”, with lyrics that will leave you reeling coming one after the other. The bridge all the way through the end of the song is perfect for singing at the top of your lungs. In this song, Taylor once again proves why she is one of the best songwriters of this generation.
Overall, the seven surprise tracks are excellent examples of Taylor’s talent and are, at the very least, equally as impressive as the original 13 songs from Midnights.Â