Everything You Need to Know About Taylor Swift's New Album: Reputation

Well, I'm back with another Taylor Swift post. Many of you who read my last Taylor Swift review wanted me to do an album breakdown, and here I am.

Taylor Swift released her highly anticipated sixth album on November 10. I have to tell you: I wanted more than anything to hate this album. In all seriousness. I was not a fan of her first single "Look What You Made Me Do," and I definitely didn't keep my distaste for it a secret. However, with each single that she released prior to the album, I was starting to warm up to her new hip-hop influenced pop vibe. When she performed "New Years Day" during Scandal on Thursday night, hours before the album's midnight release, I was hooked. I finally recognized the Taylor Swift that I had stanned, once upon a time. She is able to weave in personal, and "wow-we-are-the-same-person" lyrics within plot thickening, dramatic take-down pop songs. Reputation is sharp commentary on the internal conflicts that plague a celebrity in today's society.

1. "...Ready For It?"

This song sets the tone for the whole album. I like starting the album off with this song. It's a strong choice. "...Ready For It?" is dramatic, sexy, and shows listeners that this album is like nothing they have ever heard from Swift before. The song is about a budding relationship, and the chase that often happens at the beginning of a relationship. This song really gave me some 1989 vibes. She sings, "younger than my exes, but he act like such a man though," which is obviously about her new bae Joe Alwyn.

Favorite Lyrics:

"In the middle of the night, in my dreams / You should see the things we do, baby"

2. "End Game" [Feat. Ed Sheeran and Future]

Obviously people were pumped for this track before the release because fans love when Taylor collaborates with Ed Sheeran. Having Future on the track really helps add more hip-hop credibility to her album. To be honest, I didn't know if I'd like this track. Specifically because I didn't think Taylor would be able to hold her own alongside Ed and Future. But she pulls it off. First time listening to the album, this wasn't one of my favorites. Now? I'm kinda into it.

I don't think this song is about Joe Alwyn though. I think it's about Hiddleston or Harris. My reasoning: because Joe Alwyn isn't as popular as the other two and she says: "you and me we got big reputations...you and me would be a big conversation." I think it's about Calvin Harris, who has a string of famous exes. Plus, she even sings: "I don't wanna be just another ex-love you don't want to see."

Favorite Lyrics:

"I don't wanna hurt you / I just wanna be / Drinking on the beach / With you all over me."

"I swear I don't like the drama / it likes me."

3. "I Did Something Bad"

This is a standout song on the album. It's a very "he had it coming" dramatic, power track. "I Did Something Bad" is one of my favorite songs on the album. There's a very bluesy element to the chorus. A track that taps into the persona she created for herself in the standout single from 1989: "Blank Space."

You'd have to literally be living on a deserted island to not realize this song is about Calvin Harris and their summer of 2016 feud. "I never trust a play boy, but they love me / So I fly them all around the world, and let them think they saved me."

Lets all remember when Swift's reps told the media that she wrote Calvin & Rhianna's hit "This is What You Came For" under a pseudo name. Harris then publicly stated: "trying to tear your ex bf down for something to do because she needed someone else to bury like Katy." Now, I am actually team Harris on this one. Sorry, Tay. However, I like that she is upfront in this one and admits that she did a bad thing, but it felt good. Finally, not playing the victim. Swift sings, "He says don't throw away a good thing / But if he drops my name then I owe him nothing / And if he spends my change then he had it coming."

I mean, how can you not relate? Sometimes it feels good to be the Sandy at the end of Grease and not Sandra Dee.

Notable Lyrics:

"They're burning all the witches even if you aren't one / They got their pitchforks and proof, their receipts and reasons...so light me up"

"If a man talks shit, then I owe him nothing"

4. "Don't Blame Me"

"Don't blame me, my love made me crazy / If it doesn't you ain't doing it right / Lord save me, my drug is my baby / I'll be using for the rest of my life." Anyone who has ever had a semi-dysfunctional relationship that drives them crazy, but that they're addicted to, will understand this song.

I love this track because it has a lot of bluesy influences, with some sexy nuances. It also builds into a very EDM influenced gospel tone. She continues to point out the public's opinion of her, however this time she is unapologetic. FINALLY. I like Tay when she's not playing the victim, and this song got me back on her team. Taylor plays into her reputation with getting kind of crazy about the guys she dates, but she kind of explains that the real loves are the crazy ones.

Relatable Lyrics:

"Echoes of your name inside my mind / Halo, hiding my obsession / I once was Poison Ivy, but now I'm your Daisy."

"And baby, for you, I would fall from grace / Just to touch your face."

5. "Delicate"

We've all been there. We start to crush really hard on someone, but we're having fun and don't want to ruin a good thing. That is the conflict that Swift explores in this track. "We can't make any promises now, can we, babe? But you can make me a drink."

We often question ourselves over, and over again. "Is it cool that I said all that / Is it chill that you're in my head / Cause I know that it's delicate." She taps into the doubt and insecurity we often all face when we have a major crush on someone.

Lets be real: we don't want to show off too much of our crazy side, and we try extra hard to act cool. This is her first track on the album that shows real vulnerability. She meets someone that she wants in her life, but she doesn't want her reputation to affect them getting to know each other. "This ain't for the best / My reputation's never been worse, so / He must like me for me." This helps listeners really understand why her and Joe Alwyn work as a couple. She figures out that he likes her for her and not for her reputation-- which makes her really like him, but she wants to take things slow.

OH MY GOD THOUGH, no truer lyrics have never been more relatable than: "Sometimes I wonder when you sleep / If you're dreaming of me / Sometimes when I look into your eyes / I pretend you're mine, all the damn time / 'Cause I like you."

She also gets vulnerable and real about the life of a celebrity. Taylor sings, "Stay here, honey, I don't want to share." This shows how when you're dating someone in the public eye, you're always kind of sharing them with the public.

Wow-She-Read-My-Mind Lyrics:

"Sometimes I wonder when you sleep / If you're dreaming of me / Sometimes when I look into your eyes / I pretend you're mine, all the damn time / 'Cause I like you."

6. "Look What You Made Me Do"

I still hate this song. She legit has moments where she's not playing the victim and she's actually getting vulnerable, but this song just doesn't connect with me. This is one that I skip over. The video is pretty damn smart though, and there's little hidden clues throughout it.

7. "So It Goes..."

Swift brings it back to romance with this track, which is about how a new love interest can often distract you from all the other drama. Who's it about? Joe Alwyn, 100%. "You make everyone disappear, and / Cut me into pieces / Gold cage, hostage to my feelings."

There's a very behind closed doors feeling to this relationship. She likes being able to keep the relationship a secret, but she's so into him that a part of her wants to "wear him like a necklace." (Note: she references a necklace multiple times throughout the album.)

Favorite Lyrics:

"You know know I'm not a bad girl, but I'll do bad things with you."

8. "Gorgeous"

You know the baby voice and laugh that opens up the track? Yeah, thats Blake Lively and Ryan Reynold's daughter James. How cute!

"You should take it as a compliment that I got drunk and made fun of the way you talk." This is for sure about Joe, since he's British. The song deals with meeting someone so gorgeous that it physically hurts.

"You're so cool, it makes me hate you so much." Tay has a thing for cool guys. After all in Fearless she sang, "But you're just so cool, run your hands through your hair, absentmindedly making me want you."

Love this song but I could do without her wanting to wear his initials like a chain around her neck.

Favorite Lyrics:

"You make me so happy it turns back to sad / There's nothing I hate more than what I can't have / And you are so gorgeous it makes me so mad / You make me so happy it turns back to sad."

9. "Getaway Car"

It was the tank top heard round the world. Everyone remembers when Taylor left Calvin Harris for Tom Hiddleston, and then they spent Fourth of July together-- where Tom sported an "I heart T.S." tank top.

For one: I love this song. Taylor comes clean about the whole Harris and Hiddleston drama instead of acting like a heartbroken victim. She instead embraces her dark side, and I am all about it. Swift has always been known to write a good revenge song. This is none other than about Tom Hiddleston and how she used him to get out of her relationship with Calvin Harris (aka. he was her getaway car). But the song is about how "nothing good starts in a getaway car," which explains how she knew that Tom wasn't end game.

The tune opens at the Met Ball, where Swift was first seen dancing with Hiddleston... even though her and Harris were still a couple. "The ties were black / The lies were white / In shades of gray in the candlelight / I wanted to leave him, I needed a reason."

She really takes advantage of Hiddleston. Swift sings, "It was the great escape, the prison break / The light of freedom on my face /But you weren't thinkin' / And I was just drinkin.'"

With a shimmering 80's esque melody, she tells a dramatic ill-fated love story.

Favorite Lyrics:

"I knew it from the first old fashioned, we were cursed / We never had a shotgun shot in the dark."

10. "King of My Heart"

Not my favorite off the album, but there's lyrics I like. This one is definitely about Joe Alwyn-- she even sings, "Salute to me, I'm your American Queen."

Swift has always been good at writing a love song, but she is still able to throw in a Calvin Harris and Tom Hiddleston diss. Tay sings, "Cause all the boys and their expensive cars / With their Range Rovers and their Jaguars / Never took me quite where you do." You better believe that Calvin Harris indeed drives a Range Rover (pictured above) and Hiddleston owns a Jaguar F-Type.

Favorite Lyrics:

"And all at once, you are the one I have been waiting for / King of my heart / body and soul."

"Late in the night, the city's asleep / Your love is a secret I'm hoping, dreaming, dying to keep / Change my priorities / The taste of your lips is my idea of luxury."

11. "Dancing With Our Hands Tied"

It begins with her singing: "I, I love you in secret." I think this is about Joe, because she kept the relationship on the down low.

"I could've spent forever with your hands in my pockets / Picture of your face in an invisible locket / You said there was nothing in the world that could stop it / I had a bad feeling" Once again, Swift references a necklace as a symbol of a relationship.

To me the song is about being in love, yet there is still some reservation that it could all come crumbling down because of outside influences. Hence, "dancing with our hands tied." This really explores the complications that often plague celebrity relationships. The song deals with feeling like you can't be your true self because your life is under a microscope.

Favorite Lyrics:

"I'm a mess, but I'm the mess that you wanted."

"I loved you in spite of, deep fears that the world would divide us."

12. "Dress"

This is straight sex. Hands down, thee sexiest song Taylor Swift has ever written. I think this is the most sexual Taylor has ever gotten with her music. Honestly, this is one of my favorites. It's a steamy and soulful track. "I only bought this dress so you could take it off." Fun fact: I read that during her secret sessions that her mom had to leave the room when this song came on.

Favorite Lyrics:

"Carve your name into my bedpost, cause I don't want you like a best friend."

"I'm spilling wine in the bathtub / You kiss my face and we're both drunk / Everyone thinks that they know us / But they don't know us."

13. "This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things"

Starting with a siren, she clearly alerts listeners that this song goes out to all the haters. Also known as, Kanye and Kim. I'm not big on this track. I like the beginning part, which references what life was like before Kim Kardashian West blasted Taylor on her SnapChat and caught her in a lie. Personally, I think her spoken words and laugh in the song are cheesy.

Favorite Lyrics:

"It was so nice throwing big parties / Jump into the pool from the balcony / Everyone swimming in a champagne sea / And there are no rules when you show up here / Bass beat rattling the chandelier/ Feeling so Gatsby for that whole year."

14. "Call It What You Want"

Okay, this is the single that made me come around to the new Taylor. Its a cutesy track about Joe Alwyn. The song depicts how her new relationship has emotionally changed her and has moved her into a new season of life.

She sings, "my babys fit like a day dream." Whats cool about this lyric is the fact that "fit" is British slang for someone who is deeply attractive-- and Joe is British.

Does anyone remember how in the song "Love Story" Swift sings, "Romeo save me, they're trying to tell me how to feel." I think it shows how Swift has learned a lot the past year and how she's learned that she needs to be more independent. With these new lessons, she applies them to her relationship. We see this when she sings, "You don't need to save me, but would you run away with me?" It shows how much she has learned from all of her relationships, and that she is ready for the next season of life.

15. "New Year's Day"

Hands down one of my favorite songs on the album, "New Year's Day" might even rank as one of my top favorite Taylor Swift songs. I think the reason I fell in love with Taylor Swift was her simple vulnerability that she showcased through song. A mellow, piano only track that made for the perfect ending to a very intense album. Artistically speaking, its a strong choice to end with this song because it shows how throughout all of the different events this past year, she's lost herself but found herself once again. This is the song thats the truest to who she's always been as an artist, which shows how she has grown and changed-- but she's still the same Taylor underneath it all.

"I want your midnights, but I'll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day." Its about how you want all of those romantic moments with the person you love, like kisses at midnight, but that you also want to do the simple things too. This lyric reminds me of "New Romantics" off of the 1989 album because she says: "leave me stranded, its so romantic," which is a reference to Cinderella. In this song, she references Cinderella again by saying-- "I want your midnights."

On her album Speak Now, there is a song called "Enchanted" where she sings, "Please don't be in love with someone else, Please don't have some body waiting on you." When she repeats the lyric, "Please don't ever become a stranger who's laugh I would recognize anywhere," on this song it reminds me of her song "Enchanted."

She talks about there being polaroids on the hard wood floors, which is almost a reference to her 1989 album. Thus, she's showing us that through seasons of change, you eventually find yourself again.

Favorite Lyrics:

"Hold on to the memories they will hold on to"

"Don't read the last page / But I stay when its hard, or its wrong / Or we're making mistakes."

"Please don't ever become a stranger who's laugh I would recognize anywhere."

Overall, I really like the album. I still prefer some of the old Taylor stuff, however-- I'm not against this new album like I thought I was going to be. Do I still agree with all of her PR choices? No, but that doesn't really matter. I'm not Taylor Swift and I have no idea what its like to walk in her shoes. This album helped me understand her side of things and how hard it is to be a celebrity and receive constant scrutiny. A beautiful story is told through this album, and that is a story of terrible events changing you emotionally. I related to it because thats what I'm going through right now: a new season of life. A new season that can be terrifying, awkward, scary, exciting, spontaneous, and filled with more life lessons than you could ever even imagine. However, you have to embrace the change, learn from it, and then eventually find yourself again. That is the journey that is told through this album.

#music #branding #TaylorSwift #Review #Album