16/06/2026: "Mr. Perfectly Fine
morning post, baby!
My history with this song:
Now this one hit so good on release, the late 00s sound made me super nostalgic. It's still very fun, but I haven't come back to it a ton since the initial high of its release.
Thoughts:
"Mr. Perfectly Fine" is an uptempo heartbreaker, which neatly matches its main motif: Taylor's ex easily moving on from her while she is left reeling. The lyrics are petty and cynical, but the melodies, especially the chorus, are some of the most joyous of Taylor's recent releases.
Throughout the song, Taylor labels the you with different titles which tell the full story on their own: Mr. "Perfect Face", Mr. "Change Of Heart", Mr. "Insincere Apology So He Doesn't Look Like The Bad Guy", Mr. "Always Wins", Mr. "Too Late". Just before the final chorus Taylor summarizes her side as "I was Miss 'Here To Stay' / Now I'm Miss 'Gonna be all right some day'." It's charmingly corny.
The track is very "Forever & Always" with its pop-rock righteous anger and also in the way it subtly evokes the memory delta. "Mr. 'Looked me in the eye and told me you would never go away'" is pretty much identical to "I was there when you said 'forever & always'", though this track doesn't directly ask the subject if the reason for his cool demeanour is an inability to remember.
Instead, the song focuses on the subject's lack of emotion: "So far above me in every sense / So far above feeling anything," Taylor sardonically observes. In essence, she is asserting the value of her passion. Yet, she closes the song saying "I've been Miss Misery for the last time / And you're Mr. Perfectly Fine" which seems to say that it's only through letting youself feel emotions that you can eventually get past them and grow.
Favourite lyric: "It takes everything in me just to get up each day / But it's wonderful to see that you're okay." is just such a Taylor line in a way that puts a smile on my face.
Favourite melodic line: "Mr. 'I've been waiting for you all my life'" but I also like how she says "You're perfectly fine" just before the end
Favourite production element: There's a fun little bass going on in the little instrumental before
