The album that broke the internet in both genius and scandal: Taylor Swift’s Midnights

The facts:

On October 21, 2022 at Midnight Taylor Swift released the 13 song album Midnights. At 3am, she released 7 more songs because she insists on keeping fans on their toes at all times. 2 weeks later, on November 1, 2022, she announced her tour dates.

The scandal:

In Taylor Swift’s Antihero music video, at one point she steps on a scale and when she looks down the word fat is displayed instead of numbers. A disappointed looking Taylor views the Taylor on the scale in disgust. While Taylor meant to portray her struggles with body image, the execution was considered to be insensitive and fatphobic to some viewers. A teen vogue writer wrote that she “made a choice to explicitly name her demon, the fear of being called fat, which is fatphobia in its most literal sense’. Other critics said that while Taylor probably meant well, her intentions did not matter, and as a thin woman, she should not have used the word fat to portray her disgust with herself. For those who use fat as a neutral descriptor, the video reinforced the idea that fat was something scary and undesirable. Other fans felt like they could relate and were disappointed when she ultimately decided to edit the video in response to the feedback. 

The genius:

Lilly: The first time I listened to it at midnight, I’m not going to lie, I was too tired to understand anything but the beat. I guess that’s what I get for going to a release party and plus, I needed to wait for the lyrics to come out. I loved the beat of Lavender Haze though. When I listened to it fully conscious for the first time, Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve was an immediate favorite. It’s fast, catchy, and I didn’t get annoyed when I listened to it for 20 minutes straight. It’s like the song Dear John but instead of grieving her relationship she’s grieving the person she used to be. 

Katherine: I went to bed early the night of Midnights’ release so I was well rested and prepared to be changed by the album. I immediately liked Lavender Haze and Snow On The Beach was my favorite on first listen. I know some people were upset that Lana Del Rey wasn’t more prominent but I didn’t really care and personally I think the song is the best instrumentally. My favorite in the whole album would also have to be Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve. The lyrics were really powerful and the song was an immediate playlist addition.

Track five thoughts: Taylor Swift is known for putting her most devastating track as track five on her albums, so this song had the most to live up to. It ended up being You’re on Your Own, Kid, a song about her reflection of her teenage years. Once again, this song proves that maybe being famous  super young isn’t the best for your mental health, but is still somehow universally relatable for someone who tries to change themselves only to realize “your dreams aren’t rare” and “you never cared”. However, it seems that the internet is divided on the exact meaning of the song and what each lyric represents. At first I (Lilly) liked the song but only viewed it as sad until, true story, my friend sent me a instagram reel video compilation of fun videos to the bridge and last singing of the chorus: “‘Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned, Everything you lose is a step you take, So, make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it, You’ve got no reason to be afraid, You’re on your own, kid, Yeah, you can face this” and now I think it’s super sweet. As a senior who will have to be a real(ish) adult soon, or at least self-sufficient, I view it as Taylor Swift personally comforting me telling me it’s all going to be ok. I (Katherine) LOVED this song. It would be my number 1 in the album if Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve wasn’t so perfect. I took the song to mean that you should cherish the people around you and friendships even if they are temporary because in the end you’re all you have. I think it’s a great addition to the strong album five line up and have already streamed it over 20 times. 

Album hot takes:

Lilly: Carolyn and Molly don’t agree, but I think Vigilante Sh*t is a fun song. Good lyrically? No. Would Gabbie Hanna get absolutely destroyed for the same lyrics ? Yes. However, it’s still Taylor Swift, and I think somehow she pulls it off. It’s better than Me at least (which I legitimately thought was made for the trolls movie for years). I also don’t love Bejeweled, maybe it just needs to grow on me or I need to watch the music videos, but it just isn’t my favorite. 

Katherine: While the sexy baby line in Anti-Hero is wack but the song is still really good. I know people were hating and I can’t defend that one lyric but I will fight for the song. I am also not a fan of Question…?. I’m just not in love with lyrics and found it too repetitive even for pop. 

Thoughts compared to other albums:

Personally, I (Lilly) feel like the album is a mix of her other albums. Vigilante Sh*t fits with Reputation, Lavender Haze is reminiscent of Lover,  Labyrinth of Folklore, The Great War of Evermore, and Question…? of Speak Now. My favorite album is still Red, but Midnights was solid. For me (Katherine), I really liked the album. It’s not my favorite but it’s definitely a great album and it’s breaking all these records for a reason. Can we talk about the Billboard’s Hot 100 top ten all being Taylor Swift?

Tour thoughts:

Lilly: I would literally skip graduation to see Taylor in concert. I’m not joking. I already went ahead and bought insanely expensive seats off of Vivid seats because after waiting in a 4 hour queue to simply have the chance to become a verified fan, I really didn’t think I had a chance at scoring them at face value (And Dr. Zerbst don’t worry, they aren’t on graduation). Not being able to get tickets to her tour has been a legitimate fear of mine for months, and the fact that she chose to include Phoebe Bridgers and Gracie Abrams on her tour really did not help. Also why is no one talking about the fact that she hinted at Speak Now Rerecording in her announcement?? 

Katherine: To be honest I would sell my little brother for tour tickets (sorry Thomas). I don’t know if I’m going to be able to get tickets because I’ve never bought tickets from this big of an artist. I have watched a lot of tik tok guides on how to buy tickets and am prepared for battle. Seconding what Lilly said possible Speak Now Taylors Version?!?! 

The album as a whole is really strong. Not every song is amazing but majority of is really good and some song transcend perfection. The people who are hating because it’s not a repeat of Folklore should remember Taylor Swift is a pop artist and you don’t have to buy tour tickets (more for me!) If you haven’t yet, you should really give it a listen!