By Kayla Harper

 

Taylor Swift first announced her highly-anticipated, tenth-studio album, Midnights, back in August 2022 at the MTV Music Video Awards.  The standard edition of the album dropped at midnight on Friday, October 21, 2022.  Only three hours after the album’s release, at three am, Swift surprised fans with a deluxe version of the album called, Midnights (3am Edition), containing seven additional tracks, not including the remixes and bonus track, “Hits Different,” which at the time only appeared on the Target exclusive version of the album.  In 2023, Swift went on to release another extended version of the album titled Midnights (The Til Dawn Edition) and the CD exclusive (Late Night Edition), which feature an additional track titled, “You’re Losing Me” as well as two remixes, “Karma (feat. Ice Spice)” and “Snow On The Beach (feat. More Lana Del Rey)”.

 

The album contains a new sound from Swift, with experimental vocal effects and synth beats, something different from anything we’ve heard from her before.  It almost sounds as if Lover and Reputation had a baby and named it Midnights.  Swift finds herself working with longtime collaborator and best friend, Jack Antonoff, on the majority of the album. There are far too many concepts on the album to simply review it as a whole, so this is fans’ interpretations and reactions to all 22 songs featured on all renditions of Swift’s Midnights album.

 

1. Lavender Haze

Opening the album with what has become an iconic line in the Taylor Swift universe, “meet me at midnight” is the first lyric we hear from this album.  The song proceeds to deep-dive into both the complications and beauties of being in a relationship.  Swift took to Instagram when announcing the track titles in her Tik Tok series, “Midnights Mayhem With Me,” to explain how she discovered the term ‘Lavender Haze,’ while watching “Madmen”.  She went on to explain how she related the term to how she ignores and avoids some of the downsides of having a relationship in some sort of relativity to the public eye.  Although Swift and her former boyfriend of six years had kept their relationship relatively private, they still found themselves dodging weird rumours and speculations. Overall, “Lavender Haze” sets the mood for the rest of the album perfectly with it’s upbeat synth instrumentals and catchy melodies.

 

2. Maroon

Featuring a complex storyline told over slick sounding synth beats, “Maroon” tells the story of a relationship from the beginning to the end.  Fans quickly pointed out the similarities to Swift’s song “Red”, which also uses colours to describe the emotions experienced from a relationship.  “Maroon” could be a more mature version of “Red”, as it not only talks about the feelings being red, but rather multiple different shades: “maroon”, “burgundy” and “scarlet”, all different shades of red, which could signify all the depths and complexities of the relationship.  It wasn’t just “red”, but rather all of these different shades, “the burgundy on my t-shirt when you splashed your wine into me, and how the blood rushed into my cheeks, so scarlet it was maroon.”

 

3. Anti-Hero

“Anti-Hero” is the lead single from Midnights.  In an Instagram post, Swift describes the song as one of her favourites because she feels she has “never delved this far into [her] insecurities in this detail before.”  On top of its catchy pop beats, the song’s lyrics definitely explore some of Swift’s insecurities and fears, many of which are only amplified by her fame.  Swift describes that she feels her “life has become unmanageably sized” which is represented visually in the song’s music video, written and directed by the singer herself.  In a scene where Swift appears as a giant, crashing a dinner party, it represents how her level of fame can make it hard to go unnoticed, with everything she does being watched and debated.  “Anti-Hero” is a song that everybody can probably relate to in one way or another as we are all our own worst enemy.  Despite the scrutinising lyrics, the song is upbeat and brings almost some sort of positive vibe to the negative emotions it discusses.

 

4. Snow On The Beach (feat. Lana Del Rey)

A highly anticipated track on the album as this was Swift’s first, and long-awaited collaboration with music sensation, Lana Del Rey.  The song itself did not disappoint, with its festive-sounding instrumental and harmonious vocals. However, many fans were disappointed to learn that Del Rey did not have her own verse on the song, but rather just sang backup vocals and helped out with the song’s production.  This does not take away from the song’s main theme about falling in love, Swift describes it as the feeling of “realising you’re falling in love with somebody at the same time they are falling in love with you”, which she then compares to snow falling on the beach, something that is weird and out of place, but can be beautiful.  On the later released “Til Dawn” edition of Midnights, Swift released a remix of the song titled, “Snow On The Beach (feat. More Lana Del Rey)”, in which Del Rey had her own verse.  However, in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar Del Rey reveals that she is “all over” the first version of the song, but it’s not as noticeable because “[she] can layer and match [Taylor’s] vocals perfectly.”  Del Rey further explains that “[Taylor] wanted [her] to sing the whole thing, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”  This is why Del Rey acted as a producer on the song, more than anything.

 

5. You’re On Your Own, Kid

Swifites learn that Swift first hinted at the song, “You’re on Your Own, Kid” in her speech when she received her honorary doctorate degree in the fine arts at NYU months before Midnights release.  In her commencement speech she explains, “the scary news is, you’re on your own now, but the cool news is, you’re on your own now!”  The song conveys this feeling perfectly, with its progression from the first verse to the last chorus, it discusses the fears and changes one experiences throughout life, as they get older.  However, despite the scary feeling of being on your own in this big world, the song ends on a positive note with an uplifting bridge and outro  lyrics: “you’re on your own kid / you can face this.”  Further the song seems to detail significant moments in Swift’s lifetime that not only impacted her career, but her personal development:  the 2016 incident that started in 2009 when Kanye West interrupted 19-year-old Swift’s acceptance speech of her first VMA, insisting that Beyonce should have won the award instead; her struggle with body image in the public eye which led to her unhealthy eating disorder as disclosed in the singer’s Netflix documentary, Miss Americana; Swift’s struggle with friendship during school and adulthood; the very public, sexual assault trial; and finally, Swift’s battle to regain the rights to her first six masters, which she is doing so by re-recording those albums.  All of these moments leading to what can only be courage to keep moving forward despite these setbacks is evident in the lyrics of the song’s bridge: “From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes I gave my blood, sweat and tears for this /  I hosted parties and starved my body like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss / the jokes weren’t funny I took the money my friends from home don’t know what to say / I looked around in a blood-soaked gown and I found something they can’t take away / ‘cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned / everything you lose is a step you take.”  The song’s lyric, “so make the friendship bracelets / take the moment and taste it / you’ve got no reason to be afraid”,  sparked a new Swifite tradition of making and trading friendship bracelets with other fans whether it be at themed events or simply in passing.

 

6. Midnight Rain

“Midnight Rain” could be considered one of the more experimental sounding songs on the album.  Swift experiments with layered, pitched-down vocals in the hook and returns to her regular pitch for the verses and bridge.  Many fans speculate that the song is referring to Swift’s short-lived romance with actor Taylor Lautner, best known for his role as Jacob Black in the Twilight saga.  Swift last sang about this relationship in “Back To December ” on her third album, Speak Now.  “Midnight Rain” talks about how two lovers go their own ways due to wanting different things in life, represented in the main hook, “he was sunshine I was midnight rain / he wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain.”  The song also seems to talk about how at a young age, Swift dreamed of pursuing her music career, something that took precedence over her relationship at the time.

 

7. Question…?

“Question…?” almost immediately caught fans attention as it starts with the line, “I remember”, sampled directly from Swift’s own song, “Out Of The Woods,” from her breakthrough pop album, 1989.  Throughout the song, more backing vocals from “Out Of The Woods” are sampled, which has fans speculating that the two songs have something in common.  The song seems to find Swift addressing an old lover, over a simplistic synth-esqu beat, asking questions she seems to already know the answer to: “Did you leave her house in the middle of the night? Oh. Did you wish you put up more of a fight? Oh. When you said it was too much do you wish you could still touch her? It’s just a question.” Experimental and stylistic vocal effects are used in the bridge to enhance the final lines before Swift returns to the final chorus, where the drums and backing vocals of the song explode into an energetic finale!

 

8. Vigilante Shit

“Vigilante Shit” is arguably the most experimental song on Midnights.  Swift sings the lyrics with a simple, yet vengeful tone over a consistent bassline and drums, a sound that cannot be found on many other songs by the singer.  The song is almost reminiscent of Billie Eilish’s When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go?  Fans speculate the song is about Scooter Braun, who bought and resold Swift’s masters without her consent in 2019.  She starts off discussing her own vengeful feelings towards the situation, “You did some bad things, but I’m the worst of them.” In the second verse she moves on to talk about what is speculated to be Braun’s ex-wife, “picture me thick as thieves with your ex-wife / and she looks so pretty driving in your benz / lately she’s been dressing for revenge.”  The singer last referenced Braun’s infidelity to his now ex-wife in “Mad Woman” off her 2020 album, folklore.  In “Vigilante Shit,” Swift makes her stance clear, “I don’t dress for villains or for innocents / I’m on my vigilante shit again.” 

 

9. Bejewelled

“Bejewelled” is the second single from Midnights.  Swift stars in a Cinderella-inspired music video along with the Haim sisters, Laura Dern, Dita Von Teese and producer Jack Antonoff.  Swift explained in an interview with Jimmy Fallon, that the song was reminiscent of her feelings relative to returning to pop music after her past two albums being folk.  Swift explains that despite being away from the mainstream pop realm of the industry, she is “still bejewelled.”  However, in the song, Swift compares this feeling to a relationship where one isn’t getting the attention they deserve.  “Familiarity breeds contempt, don’t put me in the basement when I want the penthouse of your heart.” She sings over synth-pop beats and effects with lyrics that fans may refer to as ‘glitter gel pen’ lyrics, a theme she discussed in her interview at TIFF.

10. Labyrinth

An angelic-sounding instrumental reminiscent of that on “epiphany,” from “folklore”, Swift seems to discuss how past relationships and experiences can impact the feelings of falling in love again after being hurt. The song perfectly conveys the feelings of fear and excitement when falling in love.  In the chorus when Swift repeats the lines, “I’m falling in love,” three times, she seems to portray a different emotion each time: denial and fear, realisation and worry, and finally, acceptance of these new feelings that many experience when falling in love.  The song demonstrates the hesitant feelings of falling in-love after heartbreak especially well in the lyrics, “I thought the plane was going down, how’d you turn it right around?” The song maintains the same simple, but effective instrumental as Swift experiments with the same vocal effects heard on “Midnight Rain”  as the song fades out at the end.

 

11. Karma

“Karma” is one of the most anticipated songs on the album, due to years of fan speculation of “Karma” being the name of the ‘lost Taylor Swift album’ between the 1989 and Reputation album eras.  Although none of this has been confirmed, Swift’s smile when she announced the track says it all.   Rather than having a dark vengeful feel that many expected, “Karma” takes on a positive and grateful approach to the situation.  This is evident when Swift sings, “Karma’s a relaxing thought, aren’t you envious that for you it’s not?”  Throughout the song Swift sings about how karma has been on her side because she “keeps her side of the street clean.”  All in all, “Karma” is a great track to listen to when you’re feeling vengeful, but want to remain civil and mature OR when you’re feeling grateful for all of life’s lessons that only made you stronger.

 

12. Sweet Nothing

“Sweet Nothing” is the only track on the album Swift co-writes with her former boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, under the pseudonym ‘William Bowery.’  Swift confirmed that ‘Bowery’ was Alwyn in the folklore Long Pond Studio Sessions on Disney Plus.  They had collaborated on a few of the songs from folklore and evermore together prior to this one, usually with Alwyn writing the lead piano line.   In “Sweet Nothing” we find Swift talking about how a relationship with somebody can bring peace in the chaotic world.  Especially in a celebrity like Swift’s life, the world can seem to be asking a lot of her all the time,  but coming home to each other is like an escape because they expect nothing of each other, “they said the end is coming / everyone’s up to something / I find myself running home to your sweet nothings.”   It’s a cute love song, led by a simple yet effective piano progression and describes the comfort a healthy relationship can bring perfectly, “the voices that implore, ‘you should be doing more’ to you I can admit, that I’m just too soft for all of it.” 

 

13. Mastermind

The closing track on the standard edition of Midnights, “Mastermind”, finds Swift discussing how nothing about her current relationship or career was accidental; how she meticulously planned how everything would play out in order to get her desired outcome, “What if I told you none of it was accidental, and the first time that you saw me, nothing was gonna stop me?” During the bridge Swift opens up about her lack of childhood friends, and seems to allude to her enjoyment of leaving cryptic easter egg hunts throughout her posts, outfits, songs and music videos for her fans to decipher, eventually stating this is because she cares and got her to where she is:  “No one wanted to play with me as a little kid / so I’ve been scheming like a criminal ever since / to make them love me and make it seem effortless / this is the first time I’ve felt the need to confess / and I swear / I’m only cryptic and machiavellian ‘cause I care.” “Mastermind” is a clever song in the way that it seems to capture Swift’s entire career in three minutes and how everything led to this current era.

 

14. The Great War

The first of the seven 3am bonus tracks, “The Great War” seems to use war as a metaphor for a tumultuous time in a relationship, or even just life in general.  Swift goes from singing, “if we survived the Great War,” to “‘cause we survived the Great War”, inferring that they successfully made it through the difficult time, giving the lyrics a sense of hope.  “The Great War” suggests trust issues, past trauma and differentiating views as motive for this emotional turmoil, however, throughout its contemplative lyrics, is an upbeat, melodic rhythm one can’t help, but dance to.  This is the first time on the album where Aaron Dessner appears as the co-writer and producer of the track.  Dessner previously worked on Swift’s folklore and evermore, as well as provided assistance on some of the vault tracks on her two re-recorded albums, Red (Taylor’s Version) and Fearless (Taylor’s Version).

 

15. Bigger Than The Whole Sky 

Led by slow piano synth and strings, “Bigger Than The Whole Sky,” is arguably one of the saddest songs on the album.  With themes that many have related to the loss of a loved one.  Swift does a good job of conveying the feelings of wondering what could’ve been, if someone was still a part of your life in the way they once were. “I’m never gonna meet, what could’ve been, would’ve been, what should’ve been you.”  She also perfectly encapsulates the confusion following such a devastating loss, wondering what caused the chain reaction for this event to happen, “did some force take you because I didn’t pray?” 

 

16. Paris

Reminiscent of the classic pop sound heard on Swift’s 1989, “Paris”, is full of simple, catchy lyrics, over a bubblegum pop type-beat.  The song seems to discuss how being in-love can make you blind to what else is going on, or distract you from it, “no I didn’t hear the news ‘cause we were somewhere else.”  This could also be a direct reference to Swift’s former relationship with Alwyn.  The two had attempted to keep their relationship very private from the public eye, so similar to what Swift sings about in the first track, “Lavender Haze”, the song could also be referencing how they do not pay attention to the rumours spread around their relationship because they are in their own little world.

 

17. High Infidelity

The concept of the song is fairly self-explanatory given the title.  “High Infidelity” seems to talk about Swift’s infidelity to a past partner and reasoning for it. “There’s many different ways that you can kill the one you love / the slowest way is never loving them enough / do you really want to know where I was April 29th? / Do I really have to chart the constellations in his eyes?”  Fans speculate the song has ties to the Reputation track, “Getaway Car,” where the singer also seems to be discussing her means of getting out of a certain relationship, possibly the same one talked about in “High Infidelity.” Another song featuring simple pop synth-beats underneath Swift’s harmonious vocals, one you can dance and cry to.

 

18. Glitch

Starting off with the lyrics, “we were supposed to be just friends” and going on to say, “I think there’s been a glitch, five seconds later I’m fastening myself to you with a stitch,” It’s clear that “Glitch” is telling the story of an unexpected romance.  Maybe a ‘friends with benefits’ situation that turns into true romance.  Either way, “Glitch” is the perfect pop song with it’s catchy chorus, and it’s signature Jack Antonoff pop production.  Fans believe the song is referring to Swift’s last relationship with Alwyn, confirmed with the lyric “it’s been 2190 days of our love black out,” going back to when this song was written, that would’ve been six years since the couple made it official.

 

19. Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve

“Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” has themes reminiscent of that on “Dear John” from Swift’s third album, Speak Now.  In fact, many fans believe the song is referencing Swift’s whirlwind, but devastating relationship with the man who at the time, was 32 years old.  This theory is mainly confirmed when Swift mentions being 19 years-old in the lyrics of both songs, the age she was when this rather manipulative relationship, which in the end turned out to be based on fame rather than real love, happened.  In “Dear John” she sings, “Don’t you think nineteen’s too young to be messed with” and in “Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve” she sings, “I damn sure never would’ve danced with the devil at nineteen.” The song’s haunting instrumental and Swift’s powerful, desperate and emotional vocals and lyrics, especially in the bridge, make it one of the strongest and most meaningful songs in the album. The way she belts, “living for the thrill of hitting you where it hurts, give me back my girlhood, it was mine first” breaks hearts everytime.

 

20. Dear Reader 

The last track on the 3am edition of “Midnights”, “Dear Reader” finds Swift giving the listener, or reader, life advice.  However, throughout the song she advices, “never take advice from someone who’s falling apart”, as she herself sounds like she’s falling apart, especially in the bridge where she sings, “spilling out to you for free, but darling, darling please, you wouldn’t take my word for it if you knew who was talking.” The song perfectly summarises the feel of the whole album, with the production and lyrics sounding exactly like what one’s mind might sound like in the late hours of the night, including themes of self-loathing, longing, depression, love, etc.

 

21. Hits Different

Initially, “Hits Different”  was only available on the Target deluxe edition of the album as a bonus track, until Swift later released the track to streaming services on the “Til Dawn Edition” of Midnights.  “Hits Different” finds Swift putting the feelings of getting over (or not getting over) a breakup into an upbeat pop track.  Something Swift does often, especially on Midnights, is write devastatingly sad lyrics over happy-sounding production, which is captured perfectly in this song, as she sings in the chorus, “oh my love is a lie, shit my friends say to get me by.”  Despite being one of the happiest sounding songs that makes you want to get up and dance, the lyrics truly demonstrate some of the most difficult feelings endured during a breakup, “dreams of your hair and your stare and sense of belief, in the good in the world you once believed in me.”  

 

22. You’re Losing Me

Nobody knew “You’re Losing Me” existed until Swift released it on the CD exclusive, Midnights (Late Night Edition).  Reminiscent of 1989’s “Wildest Dreams”, the song features Swift’s heartbeat.  “You’re Losing Me” tells the story of a relationship running dry when one party stops putting in effort and carries with it the fear of having to walk away even though this relationship no longer serves you: “stop, you’re losing me, I can’t find a pulse / my heart won’t start anymore for you.”  In the bridge Swift seems to allude to other songs on the Midnights album such as “Bejewelled” and “The Great War”:  “I tried to be the bravest soldier fighting in only your army frontlines don’t you ignore me / I’m the best thing at this party.” But perhaps the most devastating lyrics allude to Lover’s “Paper Rings” as  follows: “and I wouldn’t marry me either / a pathological people pleaser / who only wanted you to see her.”  Swift finally released “You’re Losing Me” to streaming platforms in late 2023 after being announced Spotify’s most streamed artist of the year.

In its first year, Midnights, has already broken multiple records, many of which were already held by Swift’s previous albums, including becoming the most streamed album in a single day, in its first day on Spotify, a record previously held by Swift’s Red (Taylor’s Version).   It’s safe to say that Midnights is an album that will stand out in Swift’s discography, with callbacks to previous albums and eras, it interlaces all the different themes of life, both negative and positive into one beautiful body of defining work.