Midnights: My thoughts
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last week, I’m sure you’ve heard Taylor Swift just released her 10th studio album. Her latest work is titled Midnights and was released on October 21st. The album quickly and unsurprisingly topped the charts and even breaking Spotify’s record for most streamed album in a single day.
I have been a Taylor Swift fan since Fearless came out in 2009 and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. You might think I’m biased when I say that Midnights is a no skip album (and yes, that does include the 3 a.m edition and the target bonus tracks). Just hear me out.
Listening to this album felt like time traveling to me. It brought me back to a time when I was younger and less experienced, but this time I understood her metaphors and references. It felt comforting and nostalgic. Like when you were a kid, and you came home on a random Tuesday in December and all the Christmas lights were lit and there was the fresh smell of cookies in the oven. I know that was specific, but you can see it, right?
Midnights: The album
In true Taylor fashion she wasn’t about to just drop Midnights and call it a night. At 3 o’clock in the morning on October 21st she released Midnights (3am Edition) as well as having a special Target edition that included three bonus tracks. She opened the album with a poppy, dance song “Lavender Haze” inspired by longtime love, Joe Alwyn.
She continues the pop theme with more upbeat songs like ‘Anti-hero’, ‘Karma’, and ‘Bejeweled’. The first two songs seem to be very autobiographical to Swift’s feelings about herself as well as the drama she has had in recent years. With songs like ‘Labyrinth’, ‘Sweet Nothing’, and ‘Snow On The Beach (feat. Lana Del Rey)’ Swift showcases a more slow and melodic side of the album.
3am Edition + Target Edition
The un-skip-ability of this album does not end at song 13. The 7 bonus tracks on the 3 a.m edition include a 1989-esque pop song called ‘Paris’, a revealing and personal song called ‘Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve’ about Swift’s relationship with then 32 year-old John Mayer when she was 19. The album wraps with another self-reflecting ballad titled ‘Dear Reader’. The Target edition comes with a brand-new pop song called ‘Hits Different’ which gives similar vibes to ‘New Romantics’ from 1989.
This is the first truly autobiographical album that Swift has released since her 2019 release Lover. She said as much on Jimmy Fallon on October 24th, “It’s my first directly autobiographical record in a while,” said Swift. As a fan of hers listening to songs that talk about such personal moments in Swift’s life are similar to the feeling of sharing secrets with your best friend. Some of her lyrics only make sense if you’ve been a fan for a long time. It’s like a secret club that she trusts you enough to give you the password.
Midnights: Closing thoughts
I was not the only one blown away by Swift’s 10th album. The Guardian gave it 5 stars, while Pitchfork gave it a 7/10 and Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone called it “a total Taylor classic.” Fans across all social media including Tik-Tok and Twitter were overjoyed to have a new album to relate to. Twitter user Ellie Schnitt wrote, “the wild thing about midnights is I assumed it would be an album that absolutely broke me but oddly? it sort of put me back together? made me believe in love again? who would have thought.” I never doubted that I would love this album but I had no idea it would come to be my all time favorite Taylor Swift album. What’s yours?
