Taylor Swift Midnights Review: Dear Reader, A Diamond’s Gotta Shine
This past October, Taylor Swift returned with a new body of work, “Midnights.” Reminiscent of her past albums, “Midnights” sounds like the older sister of “1989” and “Reputation.” Swift’s tenth album is introspective, vulnerable, and mature. She reflects on the ghosts of her past and present in her new record. The “Midnights” album has become one of Swift’s most successful album releases. After experimenting with folk and alternative sound, fans were thrilled to hear her moving back into the pop genre.
Prolific artist, Jack Antonoff, produced the record. Having worked with Swift for a decade, Antonoff has been a significant asset to numerous fan favorite tracks. Aaron Dessner, founding member of the alternative rock band, The National, also worked alongside the duo to produce “Midnights.” Dessner previously collaborated with Swift to produce her eighth studio album, “folklore.”
The ”Midnights” album carries an eclectic roster of songwriters as well, including actress Zoë Kravitz, singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey, and actor Joe Alwin, Swift’s long term romantic partner. After spending a few years creating folk and alternative music, Swift returned to the pop genre with Antonoff and Dessner. In classic Swift fashion, she created an online game, “Midnights Mayhem with Me,” to give fans insights into the 13 new tracks through a series of TikTok videos. However, no explanation or bingo ball machine could have prepared fans for what she had in store for them on the new record.
The opening track, “Lavender Haze,” is everything one could want from a Taylor Swift song. The song explores two sides of a coin. On one side, she focuses on savoring love while protecting it from the outside world. On the other, she describes how the external world critiques and influences her relationships. Swift told the album opener as “an all-encompassing love glow” in one of her famous ‘Midnights Mayhem with Me’ TikToks. “Lavender Haze” was the first song from “Midnights” that Taylor introduced to the public. According to online speculation, this track could be the third single for her upcoming tour this year. The second track, “Maroon,” is a bittersweet and retrospective song about a waning relationship. The music is similar instrumentally to tracks on her previous album, “Reputation,” such as “King of My Heart.” “Maroon” tells the story of a fading love that was once so intense and fiery that it burned bright red, but now rusts into a dull maroon. In this track, the love affair no longer carries the same initial spark, representing a faded memory.
Jack Antonoff’s involvement is evident in the album’s first single, “Anti-Hero.” The track has taken social media by storm, kickstarting a trend in which influencers and TikTok creators use the catchy and self-deprecating song to share relatable experiences. Here, Swift admits grappling with narcissistic, depressive, and anxious thoughts, which many listeners empathize with. Another song that favors Antonoff’s influence is “Midnight Rain.” The pitched vocals remind fans of “Cruel Summer,” a track from Taylor’s seventh album, “Lover.” “Midnight Rain” would have been an excellent single for the album. I interpreted it as Swift’s struggle to balance a successful career and a relationship.
The soft ballad “Snow on the Beach” contains the only feature on the album by Tumblr icon Lana Del Rey. Swift co-wrote the second ballad, “Sweet Nothing,” with William Bowery, an alias for partner Joe Alwyn. Alwyn has used the pseudonym since his first collaboration with Taylor on her “folklore” album in 2020. The third beautiful ballad, “Labyrinth,” reminds me a lot of the song “The Archer” from Swift’s “Lover” album. The song represents the anxiety of falling for someone and the fear of a relationship ending. The lyrics of the song are thought-provoking. The narrator is skeptical of new love but finds optimism in the last few lines of the song: “Oh, I’m falling in love / I thought the plane was going down / How’d you turn it right around?”
One of the album’s most beloved, relatable, and bittersweet tracks is “You’re On Your Own Kid.” Listeners can hear about Swift’s insecurities as she addresses issues such as past relationships, friendships, and inner struggles. With vulnerable lyrics such as, “I hosted parties and starved my body / Like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss,” the narrator urges that she is enough, an affirmation that fans connect with. The next track, “Question…?” pays homage to “Out of The Woods” from Taylor’s album “1989,” with the verse “I remember” echoing in the background. Fans were thrilled to dissect and interpret this track, which seems to describe a miscommunication, a failing relationship, and the questionable motives of a significant other.
“Vigilante Shit,” “Bejeweled,” and “Karma” reflect a version of Swift that is confident, unapologetic, and unafraid of flexing her independence and thrill for revenge. These tracks serve as an homage to Taylor’s rebellious “Reputation” era. The track “Karma” has explicitly dominated social media as a girl boss anthem. The song is about finding peace through the idea of fate and no longer worrying about justice occurring because, well, karma is real.
The final track on Midnights is “Mastermind.” In true fashion, Taylor Swift closes out the record explaining her sense of determination and intentionality, demonstrating that every one of her actions has a purpose. The song also seems celebratory of her relationship with Joe Alwyn. “Mastermind” is a fitting closer for the album.
However, being the mastermind she is, Taylor Swift would never release an album without a secret surprise, now would she?! On the evening of the album release, Swift dropped seven additional “3AM tracks,” highlighting some of her best songwriting yet. “Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve” is one of her darkest and most vulnerable songs, in which she condemns a man who took advantage of her as a teenager, holding him accountable for grooming and emotionally abusing her at the age of 19. Fans have connected the story with the song “Dear John,” a track from Taylor’s third album “Speak Now.” The song describes dancing with the devil, implying that John Mayer was 32 years old when he was in a relationship with the then 19 year old singer.
The six other tracks featured on the deluxe 3 AM Edition of Midnights include “Bigger Than the Whole Sky,” “Paris,” “Dear Reader,” “The Great War,” “High Infidelity,” and “Glitch.”
Following the release of Midnights came the announcement of her sixth tour, “The Eras Tour,” which fans have been itching for since the pandemic. The long-awaited tour will feature artists beloved by Swift’s fanbase, including Paramore, Beabadoobee, Phoebe Bridgers, Girl in Red, Muna, Haim, Gayle, Gracie Abrams, and Owenn.
Edited by Claire McHugh
