“I want your midnights…” and Taylor Swift has selected the midnight of October 21st to release her new album Midnights. You’re either really annoyed, losing your mind, or both. If you are worried about my credibility, I can assure I have been blasting Taylor Swift’s music since I was little. At the same time, I am of the belief that we should separate the art from the artist and I consider myself a harsh critic. Therefore,  I thought I would rank her latest albums to prepare for where all those sleepless nights of hers will fit in. Is this part of our Wildest Dreams or is it Bad Blood, like all those CO2 emissions Mrs. Swift’s private jets creates? That is the real question.

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9. Debut (Taylor Swift)                 

It may seem kind of sad that her first album is at the bottom, but it only makes sense. She was figuring out music for the first time! While her unique lyricism still shines through, there are too many weak parts that cannot be ignored. It could easily disappear into the slew of country music we already have. It could serve as nostalgia for those who grew up listening to it, but other than Teardrops on My Guitar and Picture to Burn, I haven’t heard anyone even mention songs from this album. 

However, this album is perfect for someone who loves country music, cowboy boots, nature, and skinny jeans. They may also be innocent, kind, shy, a little pretentious. It is the feeling of jumping into the first pool of the summer, or the feeling of seeing a cute otter picture. Personally, it is not my favorite, but there are swifties (Taylor Swift fans) of all different types and opinions.

8. Lover

This could definitely get me canceled because people who like Lover don’t just like it, they love it. This album just takes a certain sugary-sweet type of person. People who are actually fans of glitter, tie-dye, and the sugary icing on cupcakes. might also make pink their personality, or will strike you down if you say anything bad about the things they love, including Lover. 

I would say hit songs like Lover, The Archer, Cruel Summer and London Boy make it better than Taylor Swift and worth the time, but overall, I think it can read very cheesy. Melodies that are catchy and memorable paired with lyrics written specifically for the hopeless romantic make it perfect for putting on playlists like “Dating Timothee Chalamet <3” or listening to if you are actually in a healthy relationship. The musicality is not unbearably over-produced on the standout songs, but it is too poppy and fake for me to enjoy listening all the way through the track list.

7. Reputation

Once again, this is a very controversial album, one that is either hated or defended fiercely. What makes this album memorable for me is the story behind it. I mean, her taking on a snake theme after Kim K’s infamous, shady tweet that was projected to be about Taylor? It is the type of cleverness you see often in the celebrity realm, but still makes you say “good for her.”

The issue with this album is that it encourages  “pick-me,” needlessly attention-hogging kind of behavior. We cannot all have our vengeful, villain moment or the world will crumble. The songs also have the tendency to seem too artificial at times, becoming monotonous with each song containing some strange auto-tune or sound effect. The era itself might suit you if you dye your hair at every inconvenience, never leave without sharp eyeliner, take photos crying, follow the Met Gala obsessively, or love sunglasses, and statement earrings. Even based on who this album might be best for, it is clear this album’s connotation is what makes it special. Even if Don’t Blame Me is the perfect confident-boosting song, it cannot make up for the fact that, out of context, this album is very mid-level.

6. Evermore

This album’s poetic nature is beautiful, but it seems like she is rapping the lyrics, just trying to whisper the words without pitch to make sure we notice her clever word crafting. While her skill is still present, I cannot seem to remember the tune of any of the songs other than the ones I have seen on TikTok. In the album’s favor, I think the fact that its release came after folklore hurt its chances to shine. For me,  it will always seem like an emptier, less heartbreaking version of the 2020 summer album.

Still, while it is not my favorite, songs like champagne problems, right where you left me, and no body, no crime remind me that the people who like Jo March, plaid trench coats, open fields, black coffee, claw clips, gold lockets, classical music, and living like any century but the 2000s just might have life figured out.

5. 1989

As you can tell, I seem to have a problem with overproduced music, but this is one album that seems to do it right. Clean, Wildest Dreams, I Know Places, Style are all songs that are perfect to help with pumping you up, making you feel like the main character, and daydreaming. You also can’t forget about Out of the Woods, the song that started the historic rumor that Harry Styles and Taylor Swift crashed a car. Rumors and mainstream songs like Shake It Off can cause this one to disappear, but the deeper, more sullen songs mixed with upbeat rhythms and distinct, unforgettable melodies create a concoction perfectly made for listening to when you are driving or having a bad day. 

1989 creates a ‘vibe’ most people can relate to on some levels because everyone at one point has big dreams of New York City, and go through a phase of loving any shade of blue, sunglasses with colored rims, sequins, not paying on dates, etc. More fanatic listeners might take Polaroids of everything, be naive, and the type to get in a taxi and when the driver says “Where am I taking you?” they just say “Home” like the driver knows where that is. It takes a certain type of mindset, but one that is easily accessible to enjoy these songs.

4. Fearless

This is warm nostalgia and dreams of romance wrapped in a sparkly golden dress. With hits like You Belong With Me, Love Story, White Horse, The Way I Loved You it is frankly exceptional and will go down in history. It would also be a crime to not mention the way the (taylor’s version) of this album completely shifted my opinion. The Vault track of Mr. Perfectly Fine and her mature voice on songs like The Best Day, Forever & Always (both the piano and standard version), and all the classics mentioned earlier have been updated to fit today’s music trends with swelling, romantic sounds that evoke strong emotions whether it is anger, love, nostalgia, whatever you feel, as long as it is strong.

Those who grew up with Fearless as their staple TSwift songs probably are rom-coms lovers, Jonas brother’s fans, and people who own at least one fringe jacket, have their wedding planned, still want to believe in magic, and have their head too far in the clouds, and be trying to learn the guitar. The peaceful aura of this album would make anyone want to frolic in a field, singing along to the words we have known since we were young. 

 3. Speak Now

 Maybe my love of purple and my birthday in October  makes me biased, but talk about nostalgia! What separates this from Fearless memories is the fact that Fearless is naive, innocent. If Fearless just had her 15th birthday, Speak Now is 17 and angry. Speak Now actually grows up with you because while it probably was most popular when we were in elementary school, jamming to songs like The Story of Us, Sparks Fly, Back to December, Haunted, Enchanted, Last Kiss, Better Than Revenge, and even Mean every once in a while comes naturally even now. All of these feelings surrounding growing up come perfectly wrapped up in Never Grow Up, my personal favorite song from this album and one I have had to restrict listening to for my senior year.

 Speak Now is beautiful, teary anger, a 1D fan, someone who loves and hates rom-coms, is a little too angsty, wears tennis shoes with dresses, and especially knows that Romeo and Juliet were destined to fail. While this stance may anger all the Fearless fans, but you have to commend Taylor on the sheer extreme of the emotions displayed in contrast to the previous album.

2. Red

Talk about anger and break-ups, this one is difficult to put in second after it single-handedly ensured I only needed one week to heal from a relationship coming to an end. Red came out when we were old enough to remember it vividly, but especially with the transformation it went through with (taylor’s version), she proved that this album is timeless. Even some of the more mainstream, pop songs are less cheesy because they still ring true. I Knew You Were Trouble, Never Getting Back Together, and Stay, Stay, Stay might seem like the Shake It Offs of the album, but who doesn’t need to bump those every once in a while? These pair perfectly with THE break-up anthem All Too Well, and with the 10 minute version, it remains unbeatable as one of her best songs. All of these classics paired with more soft, sullen songs like Come Back, Be Here and expert vault tracks like Nothing New and Forever Winter reiterate this album’s placement as a very close second.

Red is angry but NOT in a cute Speak Now way. It is wearing a sophisticated, black turtleneck, red lipstick, just like Sadie Sink in the historic All Too Well Short Film. Religious listeners of Re could kill someone with a look, drive with the windows down at night and singing, practice the fall/winter girl lifestyle, and, when they are upset, they either sob uncontrollably or are dangerously silent. It is for the well-rounded people who simply feel what they feel and can satisfy almost everyone in some way.

1. Folklore

Coming in at number #1 we have the quarantine album that none of us expected and reeled in a good amount of us into her music. Whether it was the first time you would really listened to her or it sparked a memory of childhood, it was undoubtedly an album up-to-date with the popular music style, her best lyricism, and perfect for that summer we pretty much spent alone. The standout songs of this album are the love triangle story she creates with august, betty, and cardigan. Each song is a different kind of pain, perfectly curated for when you feel what the characters she has created are feeling. With her narrative of a heartbroken Betty, a cheating James who wants Betty back, and an equally heartbroken Augustine who was just used for the summer by James, we are drawn into the characters and can apply them to our own lives. Not to mention, meaningful hits like mirrorball, this is me trying, and seven, proof that there is a song for everyone in folklore.

This album is the transition of summer into fall, a necklace you never want to take off, being sentimental, worn-out cardigans, parties that feel like someone is missing, cicadas in the summer air, growing up, loving the movie Peter Pan, and daydreaming of better times. Mixing somber undertones into a numbly content feel, Taylor Swift achieved an album that would not be forgotten.

Midnights Release!