A new Taylor Swift album is always cause for rejoicing, meme-ifying and hot takes from every corner of the internet. Her latest, Lover, released last Friday, will certainly be no exception.
I haven’t spent enough time with the album yet to offer my own in-depth assessment, but after a listen and a half I can make a few early observations.
Taylor Swift blew up YouTube last week with the release of her latest song and video, a candy-colored pop duet (with Brendon Urie of Panic! At the Disco) called ‘ME!’
I don’t know if this is the first single from an as-yet-unannounced album, or just a one-off, but what it most resembles is the end credits song from a second-tier animated film (think ‘Can’t Stop the Feeling’ or ‘Happy’). Light, fun, forgettable.
In the 13th and 14th spots on Billboard’s Hot 100 we have two songs I featured the last time I looked at the charts — ‘The Middle‘ by Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey; and ‘Meant to Be‘ by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line. These two country-flavored hits were back to back in the top five in late May and they’ve stuck together lower on the chart.
At #15 is another (one-time) country artist, though it’s been awhile since Taylor Swift got her twang on. In fact, I think the best unexpected career move for Swift right now would be to put out another bona fide country pop album.
As with Big Star’s ‘Thirteen,’ I knew exactly which song I’d feature for today’s number before I even started looking. Taylor Swift’s ‘Fifteen’ is lovely and iconic and certainly the best song ever written with this title.
Swift is also in contention for slot #22 with, you guessed it, ’22,’ but I have decided to go with only one song per artist, so somebody else will get the nod in a week.
I’m pressing pause on the Random Weekend in progress to peck out a few thoughts on the new Taylor Swift album, which I received in the mail Friday and have given a few listens.
Reputation is pretty much what I expected based on the mostly disappointing pre-release singles. The good news is the rest of the album is a step up in quality, even if the subject matter is disappointingly more of the same. Dis tracks, love songs and meditations on what it’s like to be as famous as Taylor Swift.
Meet Me In Montauk 