Midnights (3am)
We have been blessed with Taylor Swift’s new music in the past couple of days and honestly it has been the best 72 hours since because I have done nothing but listen to the album (3am version) on repeat. Not only are we gifted with 20 new songs, but the entire process of the release is a spectacle that Swift has built, priming everyone for the kill.
I didn’t even participate in all the mania beforehand (the midnight tracklist reveals) or whatever else surrounding it. But boy am I glad I took Friday off (not for this reason but it kind of made sense in the end), because at noon (Singapore time), I was primed and ready to dive in.
Initial favorites would be Vigilante Shit and then I realise I also liked I Did Something Bad so maybe there’s a bad!Taylor thing going on with me, but upon repeat listens, it still holds up. I also really enjoyed the vibe of Lavender Haze and of course the Lana Del Ray-less Snow on the Beach.
But then I also really enjoyed Glitch and Bigger than the Whole Sky on the 3am versions. And upon repeat listens, Maroon, Question…?, Bejeweled and Labyrinth were also fun. So though there’s a lot of hate for the Jack Antonoff of it all, I realise because of my appreciation for The Bleachers, I really enjoyed it. Did I miss Dressner? I do as well, but this is a fun pop romp.
Then there’s all the memes on Twitter and wherever else surrounding the launch and everyone’s hot takes. There’s a lot of fun memes. Honestly, my Future Media Empire gals and I were swapping memes as we listened to the album and that’s honestly the part of it. The fangirling with the community as we enjoyed the music.
I also listened to this podcast commentary on it and though I’ve only heard Sam Sanders’ Vulture podcast, Into It. And he talked to Ann Powers and they did a great conversation about her without pandering or being hyper critical — which I find is the standard when it comes to critics and Taylor’s work.
Here’s something Taylor might not admit to or might not like but I’m gonna say: There was a reason why she wanted to work with Max Martin back in the day. I bet she was aiming for something Britney-ish. That’s something that maybe Taylor ultimately couldn’t do. I don’t think it’s about her talent, but maybe she couldn’t drain herself from the work in the way that, for whatever reason positive or negative, Britney could. She couldn’t become just a vessel for technology; she always had to reassert her personality.
The way they compared all these popstars oeuvres and what they stood for and the legacies they were going to leave was not just a fun listen (things I learned about All too Well’s symbolism!!!). I hope there’s more interesting content like this that comes out in the aftermath of the album release.
I love that Taylor came in the fourth quarter of 2022 and reignited my quest for finding the best albums of 2022 because the end of year is coming and clearly I need to start working on that list. Thanks, Taylor. As always.
