On October 21, worldwide pop sensation Taylor Swift released her much awaited album, Midnights. She explained how she wrote these songs on thirteen sleepless nights, and from listening to them, it’s not hard to believe that. All I can say is that Taylor Swift needs to get some sleep!
With rising artists stealing the spotlight by having music breakthroughs—especially in pop—it’s not a surprise that Taylor Swift might have felt the need to step up her game for the fans. This means she may have taken Midnights as an opportunity to try something new.
Unlike her past colorful pop and catchy country music, Midnights has a lower, more-electronic sound with a tempo that will always keep you guessing. The lyrics are surprisingly depressing and dull; it’s not intended to be blasted full-volume on a sunny day when things are going right.
Oftentimes, the art industry will pressure the most famous celebrities into coming up with another big idea because it makes the studio good money. At first, future stars like Taylor Swift aren’t pushed into continuing to make new albums at lightning speed, and that’s what made them so good. Swift’s songs have always been deeply personal and carefully made, having relatable lyrics that can be uplifting or heart wrenching—either way, her music always creates an effect on everyone in the room when it’s turned on.
But now—with Taylor Swift being easily in the top singers of all time—she can’t afford to stop making songs when she wants to. To me, Midnights just doesn’t sound genuine or willing. It sounds more like Taylor Swift had to put something together because she’s not allowed to simply disappear from the spotlight.
I think that the most crucial reason why Midnights just doesn’t live up to expectations is because the music isn’t as good as previous songs by Swift—for example, “Love Story”, “Blank Space”, and “I Knew You Were Trouble” have all smashed records because of the amazing songwriting and music. But songs like “Glitch” and “Labyrinth” dont have much of a sound, and when there is one, the tempo is all over the place. I didn’t find any of these songs remotely catchy.
As for the two music videos—“Anti-Hero” and “Bejeweled”—they were well-done. For “Anti-Hero”, it was interesting to see three different versions of Taylor helping each other out; it looked like they represented different sides of her. The first Taylor is struggling with what looks to be stress and confusion. The second Taylor knocks on her door and is more careless, enthusiastic. She doesn’t mind saying the truth, which is that she’s the problem. They become friends, and the second Taylor teaches the first one to have fun. Then, there’s the third Taylor, who is giant and represents the lyrics: “And I’m a monster on the hill. Too big to hang out, slowly lurching toward your favorite city. Pierced through the heart, but never killed.” She may feel left out and alone.
As for “Bejeweled”; the entire video was stunning. From the classic plot of Cinderella in the beginning to the beautiful jeweled gowns, the video definitely pulled me in. It was refreshing to see not just a music video, but one that told the viewers a clear story.
Many different reviews were posted online regarding Midnights. Some call Taylor Swift a “mastermind” and others call her a “hot mess.” The important thing to realize is that this widely acclaimed pop star has set the bar very high, and needs to keep it there. Maybe Midnights wasn’t badly done, but it also wasn’t done well enough to surpass her previous albums, which was the whole purpose.
Luckily, Taylor Swift has spent years building up her reputation (she even has an album called Reputation), and I believe that her recent album will succeed because of this (it’s already broken Spotify records). She won’t lose the admiration of the world. All I can say is that Taylor Swift has done an amazing job with her songwriting career, and hopefully she can continue to do so in the future, even with the pressure to constantly be releasing new and exciting things.
