By BREANNA BOLLE/Staff Writer, PAULINA MATA/Staff Writer
Taylor Swift makes a lasting legacy with the release of her 10th studio album, “Midnights.”
The album, released on Oct. 21, broke several streaming and sales records within the first day and continues to top the charts.
In an Instagram post, Swift reveals “Midnights” as “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.” Swift surprised listeners with seven bonus tracks at 3 a.m. and two music videos the following week.
Fans began streaming and posting their reactions on social media immediately after its release, with many hosting “Midnight streaming parties.”
The release of “Midnights” is Swift’s most successful album success yet.
According to reporting by several outlets, data from Luminate (which supplies figures for Billboard’s charts), shows that Midnight sold more than 1.2 million album units in the US during its first three days of release alone. This marks the first time an artist has sold more than one million records in its opening week since Swift’s own Reputation did so in 2017.
Claire Valentine of Nylon Entertainment
Midnights Dives into Swift’s Past
“Midnights” featured refreshing pop songs referencing Swift’s older works. Many fans have already tied her “sleepless nights” to past relationships or known conflicts.
Swift’s dive into personal reflections is a new beat from her last two studio albums “folklore” and “evermore,” which explored her fictional storytelling through music.
The two albums mainly comprised slow and folk-sounding songs, allowing a spotlight on Swift’s lyricism. Many fans were expecting a similar sound for “Midnights,” so it’s no surprise that not every listener was delighted with her comeback to pop music.
However, if there is one thing Swift does not do, it’s disappoint.
Upon a second listen, fans will find a little bit of everything in “Midnights”.
From the fun and empowering “Karma” to the soul-crushing sadness of “Bigger Than the Whole Sky,” fans of Swift are guaranteed a new favorite song from the 20-track album.
Swift’s Lyricism
“Lavender Haze”
Starting off with the first track, “Lavender Haze,” Swift confirms her six-year relationship with actor Joe Alwyn and the struggles of publicity they’ve faced.
“If the world finds out you’re in love with somebody they’re gonna weigh in on it,” Swift said. “Like my relationship for six years – we’ve had to dodge weird rumors, tabloid stuff and we just ignore it. And so this song is sort of about the act of ignoring that stuff to protect the real stuff.”
“Anti-Hero”
Swift explores her anxieties and insecurities in her third track, “Anti-Hero.”
“This song really is a real guided tour throughout all the things I tend to hate about myself. We all hate things about ourselves,” Swift said. “So yeah, I like ‘Anti-Hero’ a lot because I think it’s really honest.”
“Bejeweled”
“Bejeweled,” the ninth track on the album, describes “the narrator’s frustration with her lover, who does not value her as she deserves,” Evan Buckley of Genius Lyrics said. “Despite her lover no longer being enchanted by her, she knows well that she can dazzle any room that she steps into.”
“Bigger than the Whole Sky”
Swift shifts to a solemn tone in “Bigger Than The Whole Sky,” the 15th track of the “3am edition.”
The song is about “losing someone important to you despite only spending a short time with them and wondering what it would have been like if things had turned out differently,” Genius Lyrics contributor LyricMelody said.
Though Swift has left the song of loss to interpretation, many listeners have related the lyrics to their personal instances of miscarriage, Kelsie Gibson of “People” magazine said.
“Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve”
“Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve,” reminisces a relationship Swift deeply regrets, wondering what would’ve, could’ve or should’ve been if she’d just looked the other way.
The 19th track “draws on themes such as those in previous songs “A Perfectly Good Heart” and “Dear John”, where the singer’s naivete was similarly trampled on,” said DoubleVisionRoseBlush of Genius Lyrics.
“The Eras Tour”
Following the theme of revisiting her past, Swift announced “The Eras Tour” Nov. 1.
The national tour starts Mar. 17, 2023. Tickets go on sale Nov. 18, 2022.
Swift’s tour dates can be found on her site here.
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