Taylor Swift’s “reputation” on full display

Ryan Nguyen, Copy Chief
November 20, 2017

Taylor Swift released her highly anticipated album, reputation, on Nov. 10, 2017. Preorders for Swift’s sixth album rose up to 400,00 copies while about 700,000 copies were purchased in the U. S. on the first day of its release. reputation has already broken the fastest time for an album to go to #1 for the year (6 minutes!!!) and is predicted to sell over a million records in its first week.

“There will be no further explanation. There will just be reputation.”

– reputation prologue 

With singles like “Look What You Made Me Do,” “…Ready for It,” “Gorgeous,” and “Call It What You Want” being released throughout the two months prior to reputation, Swiftie fans and non-fans have been able to catch a tiny glimpse of the three-year production. At first glance, a “darker” Swift rises from her ashes with “Look What You Made Me Do” but little did we know what was coming.

With “…Ready for It[‘s]” heavy bass synth opening the album, Swift’s sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek response to haters and lovers alike shatters the long drought of Swift’s disappearance. Swift’s subtle remarks about ‘what’s coming’ preps the theme of the album—not “playing the victim” anymore, rather now owning it. The subtle change from heavy bass to a soft chorus in the song symbolizes Swift’s harder exterior shell that masks her “old Taylor” side.

Notable songs on reputation include “End Game,” ” I Did Something Bad,” “Don’t Blame Me,” “Delicate,” and “New Year’s Day.”

“End Game (feat. Ed Sheeran & Future)” is a collaboration where Future, Sheeran, and Swift remark the lyrics: “Big reputation, big reputation/Ooh, you and me, we got big reputations…/I got some big enemies.” Swift’s reputation is on full display and “[she] swear[s she doesn’t] love the drama, it loves [her].” “End Game” is “Ready for It[‘s]” version 2.0 because of its similar theme—an introduction to an album where Swift exposes her enemies, herself, and her growth. It’s the “truth from [Swift’s] red lips.”

“I Did Something Bad” is Swift at her most scatching moment. Although “I Did Something Bad” is very different from Swift’s overall repertoire, the lyrics and the cool beat really make it stand out. Only the third song on the album, Swift does not disappoint with lyrics like “I never trust a playboy, but they love me. So I fly ’em around the world and I let them think they save me” and “[y]ou gotta leave before you get left.” Swift’s sarcastic repetition of “[t]hey’re burning all the witches even if you aren’t one,” emphasizes her response to her own infamous witch hunt—hsssss, watch out!

According to Vox, “[t]he song itself sounds like a mean-girl imperial march wrapped around a churning beat, with thunderous stomps and synths that zip and zag, threatening to rip the song at the seams” Alex Abad-Santos and Constance Grady said. “It’s the best pop song on the album — which is why it’s so surprising that Swift has managed to weave so much juicy personal gossip into it. I Did Something Bad’ is as petty as it is catchy.”

“Don’t Blame Me” is by far my favorite song on the album because of its moody and heavily gospel music inspiration— think Hozier’s “Take Me To Church” and Lorde’s “Tennis Court” combined. With lyrics, “”I’ve been breakin’ hearts a long time/And toyin’ with them older guys” and “[d]on’t blame me, love made me crazy,” “Don’t Blame Me” is the older sister of “Blank Space” and I am all for it. Swift changes the narrative again: a middle ground of the media’s representation of Swift and actual behind-the-scenes Swift.

“Delicate” continues the theme of reputation. However, it’s the first song on the album where Swift sheds her tough side and reveals her vulnerability: “[t]his ain’t for the best/My reputation’s never been worse, so you must like me for me.” Swift’s romance is delicate and she’s afraid it might crumble due to the uncertainty of love because she’s afraid of getting hurt again. Despite being scorned and ridiculed by her haters, Swift remains true to her roots of writing enchanting and memorable love songs. During her iHeartRadio “reputation” interview, Swift introduces “Delicate” as a song that is vulnerable and emotional.

“But, like, then it hits this point in Track 5 where it’s like what happens when you meet someone who you really want in your life and then you start worrying about what they’ve heard before they met you?” Swift said. “This is the first point of vulnerability in the record.”

“New Year’s Day,” the last song on the album, is a glimpse into a mundane moment between a couple. Ultimately, “New Year’s Day” evokes the reality of love with sharpness. With a lyric of “I want your midnights/But I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year’s Day,” the song is a reminisce of her past albums but this time with grown-up lyrics. “Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you,” is evidence that the “old Taylor” never really left.

Overall, Swift’s reputation is reclaimed…and it’s here to stay.

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