Midnights: An album of everything Taylor Swift is

Taylor Swift’s new album Midnights is a blend of pop and disco vibes, making you feel like you’re stepping out of a nightclub in New York City to contemplate life. 

Taylor Swift released her 10th studio album on Oct. 21. However, at 3 a.m. that same night, a surprise drop of seven more songs was added to her discography, becoming known as Midnights (3 am edition). Later that morning, she surprised her fans once again with a music video for her single “Anti-Hero”. 

This pop album was quite a contrast from her recently released albums of Folklore and Evermore. Swift released both those albums during the Covid-19 pandemic. These albums were much slower and had more of a folk/alternative feel. 

This shift in tone surprised and even angered some of the fans hoping for more indie tracks like her last two albums. Many fans said that she strayed from her original tone and was trying to be something that she wasn’t. 

“I think it’s just the vibes honestly. I just feel like Evermore and Folklore have this raw feeling and I feel like I can relate to them more than her other albums, honestly, just a personal preference. I just like the sad slow song Taylor better,” said junior Ella Myers. 

However, I feel like the album is taking her back to her roots. The album is a fusion and reflection on all the sleepless nights that she’s had throughout her career. Some fans have even pointed out lyrics that take you back to her debut album Taylor Swift which was released in 2006. These tracks go back to fallouts between friends, and lovers, and some lyrics even point out the infamous drama between her and Kayne West (now known as Ye), Kim Kardashian and even the betrayal of Scooter Bruan, who bought the masters of her songs.  

Every single song has a deep meaning, which makes it hard to rank solely based on significance. So, instead, I will be ranking them by my personal top five and how I feel about the overall approach, theme and execution. I will be ranking songs off of both the Midnights and the Midnights 3 a.m. editions.

1. “Mastermind”

Tugging at my heartstrings, “Mastermind” depicts someone who’s afraid that the world will never love them for who they are. It’s about someone who has to fake who they are for each group of friends and for someone who always has their guard up in case people realize that they aren’t who they say they are. This song comes from a place of raw fear and the yearning that we all have to just fit in. But in the end, the person (I’m assuming Swift) finds someone who sees past all of that and still decides to stay even though she felt that she had schemed her way into their heart. 

2. “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” 

This is one of her darkest songs to date and talks about the alleged grooming that she experienced when she was only 19 years old by the 32-year-old John Mayor. Buzzfeed News posted just days after Midnight’s release date. This song is full of illustrations of lost faith and hard choices. This song is physically painful and something that I don’t/ can’t listen to a lot. 

3. “Maroon”

 I think that this is one of the best smoke out the window, riding in the car with the sunset in the background song that she has ever had. A song about how much she misses a past relationship and how much that person has affected her. Though you expect the song to be a sad ballad of lost feelings and regret, it feels like a song you have playing on a chill quiet sunset evening. It makes you truly sit down and think about how much past relationships have affected you and how much those people leave a mark on you even when they are long gone. 

4. “You’re on your own kid”

This song is a painful ballad, to say the least. It’s all about how before you leave town, graduate, go to college, or even move on to new things you need to fully experience the life that you have for that moment and cherish every moment. As someone who will be graduating next year and am terrified, this song comes as absolutely no surprise as a song I would cry to after a get my diploma or on the last day of school. 

5. “Anti-Hero”

 Not gonna lie to all of you, I love Anti-Hero because I think that’s how I feel about myself. This song is about doomed relationships and friends due in part to no one’s fault but yourself. A blend of pop that sounds straight out of her iconic album 1989. I think that it’s a good overall feel about how you reflect on your own demise in the relationships that you’ve had. This is a personal anthem for everyone who decided to look back in time and said “It’s me – hi, I’m the problem it’s me.”-Taylor Swift.