Okay, going in I honestly donāt have high hopes for this album. ME! was a fun, poppy song, but in my opinion (Iām sorry Taylor) forgettable. I got bored listening to You Need To Calm DoneĀ which led me to completely ignore the other singles. I really hopeĀ Lover will pleasantly surprise me, but to be honest, I have my doubts.Ā
1) I Forgot That You Existed ***
Since I only started listening to Taylor Swift after she switched to pop-music. I Forgot That You ExistedĀ is exactly the sound I expect from her. That said, I actually enjoy the song. Itās not the most memorable song Iāve ever heard, but Iām definitely adding it to my playlist.
-->Ā āLived in the shade you were throwing /Ā āTill all of my sunshine was gone, gone, gone
2) Cruel Summer **** (after second listen)
If Iām completely honest with you, this isnāt exactly a first reaction of this particular song. Yesterday (when I didnāt know I was going to do a review of this album yet) something drew me to this song. Even though the song started promising, I quickly got bored as the chorus took over. Listening to it a second time I actually really enjoy the vibe of the chorus, which made me appreciate the overall song a lot more than on the first listen.Ā
-->Ā āBad, bad boy, shiny toy with a price / You know that I bought it (I just love sassy Taylor)
3) Lover ***
Okay, so maybe itās the fact that Iām bitterly single right now, or the fact that Iāve been so for a long time, but LoverĀ doesnāt really speak to me like other slow, meaningfulĀ songs usually do. I do like the way the verses are really descriptive, but the chorus is just kind of boring. However, I really enjoyed the bridge. It was exactly what a bridge is supposed to be in my opinion: a break from the overall song.Ā
-->Ā āMy heartās been borrowed and yours has been blueā
4) The Man ***
A song that tackles double standards and gender inequality? Count me in! Something Iāve always respected Taylor for is speaking her mind when it comes to her criticized love life and the double standards the world holds when it comes to it. That said, I also really appreciate the fact she uses her music to bring this issue to light. However, musically I sadly didnāt think the song was special in anyway so I wonāt be adding this one to my playlist
-->Ā āEvery conquest I had made would make me more of a boss to youā
5) The Archer *****
Honestly, I freaking love this song. The intimacy of the first verse, the deep chorus with hidden meanings and the steady beat that appears at the beginning of the second verse to give the song a bit more variety. Like I said beforehand, I stopped listening to the singles after ME! and You Need To Calm Down, but honestly after listening to The ArcherĀ I wish I hadnāt.Ā
-->Ā āIāve got a hundred thrown-out speeches I almost said to youā
6) I Think He Knows ****
This one is interesting, and to be honest with you. Iām conflicted. I honestly donāt know what to think. The song starts interesting with this beat I just love and the lyrics really speak to me (got to love those f-boys and their charm), but the chorus... Just didnāt do it for me. It was bland and forgettable. I give it four stars, because I believe itās wrong to judge a song by its chorus when all the other components are right, but Iām really disappointed because I thought this would become my new jam.Ā
-->Ā āHeās so obsessed with my and ,boy, I understand / Boy, I understandāĀ
7) Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince ****
Going in I didnāt have high expectations for this one, but it pleasantly surprised me. I enjoy the overall theme and the beat of the song. I will add it to my playlist, because I can already imagine myself listening to this song while on the train in the morning.
-->Ā āBoys will be boys then, where are the wise men?ā
8) Paper Rings *****
Okay, usually write my review after Iāve listened to the whole song, but Iām like one line in and Iām already obsessed. I really hope this is going to be a high tempo song, because I really could use one right now! And does this song remind anyone else of Bruno Marsā Runaway Baby?Ā
Iām listening to the second verse right now and Iāve come to notice the color blue is a returning theme on this album. Does anyone know whatās up with this?
-->Ā āI like shiny things, butĀ I'd marry with paper ringsāĀ
9) Cornelia Street ****
I think Cornelia StreetĀ is a good follow-up to Paper Rings. That being sad, I love the personal vibe of the song. I love it when artists engulf their personal life in their work and thatās exactly whatās going on here.Ā
-->Ā āWe were a fresh page on the desk / Filling in the blanks as we goā
10) Death by aĀ Thousand Cuts *****
OMG the beginning is so dramatic I love it. It somehow gives me Mad Hatter vibes (and I freaking love the Mad Hatter).Ā
This is really interesting. The first verse has this sing and songwriter vibe which I didnāt expect after the beginning, but Iām really into it. Does anyone else get Ed Sheeran vibes from this?Ā
Okay, Iām going to say it. This is my favorite song on the album thus far.
-->Ā āMy heart, my hips, my body, my love / Tryna find a part of me that you didnāt touchāĀ
11)Ā London Boy *****
Okay, no, I was wrong. This is my favorite song on the album thus far! This honestly is a certified bop. Lyrically I enjoy the references to London/England and the rhyme schemes (mostly of the first to lines of the bridge).Ā
--->Ā āThey say home is where the heart is / But God, I love the Englishā
12)Ā Soon Youāll Get better *****
Like I said before, Iāve only ever started listening to Taylorās music after she made the switch to pop and going by the songs Iāve heard from here I never expected a song from her to make me cry, but here I am. This is such an emotional and scattering song I canāt be anything but positive about it. Iām sending my love and prayers to Taylor, Andrea and their whole family.
-->Ā āDesperate people find faith, so now I pray to Jesus tooā
13) False God **
I was really intrigued by the concept of this song. To use heavy religious imagery to compare a relationship to something all-powerful. Thereās just something magical and romantic about it, no? The song however? In my opinion, just underwhelming. Which sucks, because I really really really wanted to like it as much as Iāve liked the album thus far (and especially the last three songs).
-->Ā āStaring out the window like Iām not your favorite town / Iām New York Cityā
14) You Need To Calm Down ***
Okay, Iāve said it. First listen I got too bored listening to this song to even reach the second verse. Cruel Summer, however, had taught me that a second listen and open mind can do wonders so Iām going in without any expectations and negative prejudices.Ā
Again Iām conflicted. I definitely like the song a lot better than on the first listen, but still, Iām not obsessed or anything (although the pre-chorus might just get me). It was okay.Ā
-->Ā āSay it in the street thatās a knock-out / But you say it in a Tweet, thatās a cop-outāĀ
15) Afterglow ***
āI blew things out of proportion, now youāre blueā Again. Whatās up with the whole blue-theme? I apologize if itās annoyingly obvious, but I honestly canāt figure it out. That being said. Iām not really vibing to this song in general. Donāt get me wrong. The vocals on the chorus are just angelic, but the rest of the song was kind of average (in my opinion!!).
-->Ā āWhyād I have to break what I love so much?āĀ
16) ME! ****
This song has grown on me and Iāve gotten bored of it. Like I said before, this definitely isnāt my first listen. In my opinion ME!Ā isnāt more than another up-beat poppy song, but I guess thatās itsā charm. I find myself putting this song on whenever Iām getting ready because it just gets me hyped up for the day ahead.Ā
-->Ā āLivinā in winter, I am your summerā
17) Itās Nice to Have a Friend ****
A short dreamy ballad near the end of the album. When will I ever not be up for a short dreamy ballad near the end? I love the storytelling on this song, the way de verses just melt into the chorus and the way the bridge is instrumental with a third verse following.Ā
-->Ā āHave my back, yeah, everydayā
18) Daylight *****
The production of this closing song is just amazing And for me to notice something like production must mean it is extraordinary because I hardly ever notice the production of a song. I just loved this song. I wish I could say more but I feel that would just be me making stuff up for filler.Ā
-->Ā āI wounded the good and trusted the wickedā