photo Courtesy Of Genius
After months of leaving small clues for her fans to speculate over, Taylor Swift released her seventh studio album,
Lover
, on Aug. 23. Leading up to the album’s release, Swift left hints on her social media, dropped visual clues in the music videos for
Lover
’s first two singles, and gave nods to collaborations and themes on the album in interviews throughout the summer.
These “easter eggs” began in February, when Swift posted a picture of seven palm trees on her Instagram, signifying that her seventh album was coming soon. However, the lead up to
Lover
dragged on for months, with the first single, “ME!” (featuring Panic! At The Disco’s Brendon Urie), dropping on April 26 and the next three singles coming once a month in June (“You Need to Calm Down”), July (“The Archer”), and August (“Lover”).
Lover
has had significant commercial success over the past three weeks. All eighteen of the album’s songs have charted on Billboard’s Hot 100, breaking the record for most simultaneous entries by a female artist on the chart.
Lover
also holds the record for the most pre-added pop album on Apple Music to date.
Lover
’s songs explore the ups and downs of relationships but primarily focus on the positives of finding love. Swift’s happiness in her current relationship with British actor Joe Alwyn is evident throughout the album, most notably so in the title track, “Lover,” which includes wedding imagery and vows in its lyrics. The album is refreshingly uplifting compared to Swift’s last album, Reputation, which explored darker themes. Lover is also sonically more reminiscent of 1989, Swift’s fifth studio album, with a similar sounding bright pop production quality.
With eighteen songs,
Lover
is Swift’s longest album yet. As a devoted ‘Swiftie’ since “Our Song” was released in 2006, I am drawn to certain qualities of Swift’s music that have been consistent throughout her career: her captivating lyrics, catchy melodic hooks, and ability to make her specific experiences universal to all listeners. With these attributes in mind, I ranked all eighteen songs on
Lover
from my least favorite to favorite.
18. “ME!” (feat. Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco): The album’s first single, “ME!,” left me feeling nervous about the musicality of the rest of the album. While the song is catchy, it borders on annoying, and with lines like “Girl there ain’t no ‘I’ in team / But you know there is a ‘me,’” its lyrics feel childish. The aesthetically exciting music video is the best thing about the song, making it
Lover
’s weakest track.
17. “It’s Nice to Have a Friend”: The album’s penultimate track is a sweet story about young school friends who end up getting married. While there is nothing off-putting about this song, it is one of the album’s most forgettable moments, with no strong musical or lyrical stand-out moments.
16. “False God”: A slow jam, “False God” is one of the weaker songs in this category. The saxophone in the background is perhaps more memorable than Swift’s vocal melodies. However, Swift’s strength as a lyricist does shine through with lines like “I can’t talk to you when you’re like this / Staring out the window like I’m not your favorite town / I’m New York City.”
15. “You Need To Calm Down”: The album’s second single is Swift’s call out to homophobia and a message in support of the LGBTQ+ community. In fact, Swift used the song to help spread her petition to pass the Equality Act. The song’s music video features a star-studded cast of LGBTQ+ celebrities including Ellen Degeneres, Todrick Hall, and the cast of Queer Eye. It is refreshing to see Swift showing her support for topics that she was not so vocal about prior to the 2018 midterm elections. However, while the song has a great message and some cool harmonies in the chorus, the music borders on annoying, in a similar manner to “ME!”
14. “Death By A Thousand Cuts”: Swift penned this song after Netflix’s film Someone Great inspired her. The track tells the story of a broken relationship, comparing it to a painful death. The intricate lyrics highlight Swift’s strengths as a songwriter, but the upbeat and joyful sounding melody that contrasts with the dark lyrics confuses me as a listener.
13. “Daylight”: The last track on the album, “Daylight,” is one of three of Swift’s solo-written songs on
Lover
. The lyrics acknowledge Swift’s self-growth and changing thoughts on relationships. She sings, “I once believed love would be burnin’ red, but it’s golden.” This line references the titular track from her fourth studio album, Red, where Swift sings, “Loving him was red…burning red.” The song is a nice, uplifting end to the album, but is not quite as memorable as other tracks on
Lover
.
12. “The Man”: “The Man” is another moment on
Lover
where Swift makes a political statement. She ponders how her life, career, and reputation would be different if she were a man. The song’s lyrical content is uncharted territory for Swift, and she does it well. However, although the song has potential to be a catchy bop, it doesn’t stick quite as much as the songs on top half of this list.
11. “Soon You’ll Get Better” (feat. the Dixie Chicks): The album’s biggest tear-jerker tells Swift’s story of supporting her mother throughout her battle with cancer. The song is beautiful, emotional, and shows immense vulnerability. Perhaps not the best reason to mark down a song, but I am placing it in the second half of these rankings because I have only fully listened to it once, as I broke down in tears upon hearing it. Also, I was hoping that the Dixie Chicks would have a stronger presence on the track, perhaps a verse to themselves, instead of just singing harmonies.
10. “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince”: This song focuses on a forbidden high school romance with political undertones. Its lyrics are cinematic, and the musical arc of the song flows well. The lyrics in the bridge, “And I don’t want you to (Go) / I don’t really wanna (Fight) / ’Cause nobody’s gonna (Win)” play on the song’s high school theme, emphasizing “Go/Fight/Win” like a cheerleader chant.
9. “I Forgot That You Existed”: Breaking into the top of the rankings, “I Forgot That You Existed” is
Lover
’s opener which sets a joyous tone for the album. Discussing what it’s like to finally move on from a broken relationship, the song is a celebratory bop.
8. “I Think He Knows”: “I Think He Knows” is a fun song with a chorus that you won’t be able to get out of your head. This playful track highlights the mystery and excitement of a crush and potential relationship.
7. “Paper Rings”: Another uptempo track, “Paper Rings” exudes joy and positive energy about commiting to a relationship. In addition to its catchy melodies, the track highlights Swift’s strengths as a lyricist, as she puts a modern young-adult twist on a love story. She sings, “The moon is high / Like your friends were the night that we first met / Went home and tried to stalk you on the internet.”
6. “London Boy”: “London Boy” is a nod to Swift’s boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. Happiness rings throughout the track, and it is easy to imagine a crowd in London going crazy over the song’s geographic references, though Swift perhaps tries to pack in a few too many London-specific lines for a non-local. Despite this, the song is a bop, with a rhyme scheme that make the lyrics stick in your head and a drumbeat that keeps it moving nicely.
5. “The Archer”: “The Archer” is
Lover
’s fifth track, a spot that Swift has historically reserved for the most vulnerable and emotional song on her albums (though one could argue that “Soon You’ll Get Better” takes that title on
Lover
). Swift’s vocals on “The Archer” are exposed and beautiful, layered over just a soft synth in the background that builds throughout the song. With lines like, “Who could ever leave me, darling? / But who could stay?,” the lyrics are poetic and reflective.
4. “Cornelia Street”: Another solo-written song, “Cornelia Street” explores complex feelings about the fear of losing a significant other, using specific images of a street in New York City to capture broader emotions. Swift’s vocals on the chorus are ethereal.
3. “Cruel Summer”: This track is a jam that makes me want to sing and dance along. It explores the excitement and nerves at the start of a relationship, and checks off all the boxes of what you want from a Taylor Swift song: beautiful harmonies, an exciting story, and pure fun!
2. “Afterglow”: In “Afterglow,” Swift blames herself for harming a relationship, and asks for forgiveness. The melody in the latter half of the chorus stays primarily on one note as Swift sings, “I don’t wanna do I don’t wanna do this to you,” an effective technique to show her pleading for forgiveness. Swift’s vocals are perhaps the strongest she has ever sounded, and the instrumental beat is so strong that you can’t help but nod back and forth to the music.
1. “Lover”: The album’s title track takes the top spot on my rankings. Upon first hearing this song, I almost cried tears of joy, which is rare for me, because of the song’s lyrical and melodic beauty. As a longtime fan, I have heard a lot of sad and angry music from Swift, but this is the happiest she has ever sounded. The lyrics are so specific that you can’t help but visualize a wedding as Swift sings her vows in the bridge. Her use of traditional wedding band instruments, along with chords reminiscent of Pachelbell’s Canon, which often plays at weddings ceremonies, fit with the vocal melody and lyrics like a perfect puzzle.
In these rankings, even the songs towards the bottom of the list are still worth listening to.
Lover
is Swift at her finest and is a highlight of the year for pop music.
