Deep Dive: Taylor Swift Part Seven (Lover)
We love Lover. It did not get its flowers in 2019. But that's okay because it came back like karma this year. *wink* I do have to admit though that after its first two lead singles I dismissed this album in places until around 2021. The first time I truly listened to it and let it be what it is I came to love *wink* it as one of my favorite Swift albums. We love to deep dive, so let's do it!
"I Forgot That You Existed" sounds like it's from the opening scene of a campy movie. It's slightly unconventional for Swift who, from Fearless onwards, opened an album with a banging welcoming of an opening. Lover changes the pace for Swift in many ways, but it starts right off the bat here with "Existed." The production here is poppy and the vocal performance is just as delightfully condescending as the lyrics. It's shady. And we throw shade at those we love.
"Cruel Summer" needs no explanation. We have seen what it is capable of. I still wonder what it could have been if it had been this album's lead single. Would Swift have changed her whole trajectory and gave us Folklore if Lover had been like 1989 or even reputation? So many questions. What revenge for Lover though when this song hit number one on the Hot 100 this year. Lover got its justice and can no longer be called a flop after this year like it was dubbed in 2019. But of course, Swift is the comeback queen.
Following the summer anthem, we get a autumn/winter ballad in the title track, "Lover." My one petty gripe with this song is the opening line, "we could leave the Christmas lights up till January." Yeah, we all do that. February would have been much better, Taylor! Come on! Otherwise, this song is 60s inspired perfection. It's a real wedding song with a realistic relationship portrayed in it. Swift's vocal performance is magical here.
"The Man" is one of Swift's long-awaited political statements that debuted on this album. Taking shots at a patriarchal society is cool as hell, and it diversifies the themes of this album which is very welcoming. I'm a dude, but I still dance and sing along with this song. Though sometimes I think about how this song fits in with the album's main theme of love. I'm going to guess society's love of men? Like how men can evade controversies that women can't? Though the first verse alludes to how society views the love affairs of men over women. I'm going to go with these explanations.
"The Archer" best displays the overall motif of dream pop. Because that's what it is. It's not your standard pop song. The verses and chorus kinda blend together to make it seem like it's a race on a flat surface from the start to the end instead of a valley for verses and a mountain for choruses. It leaves the song with a haunting feeling. The whole album's tracks are pastel colored, and "The Archer" is no exception.
"I Think He Knows" brings us back to the summery fun feeling from "Cruel Summer." It's a dancing-in-the-street pop song. Dramatic vocal performance. It's a fan favorite.
"Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince" is like a dystopian film. It's dramatic. It's romantic. It's symbolic. The high school lyrics work so well, and the cheerleader shouts in the chorus are pure sugar. This song is such a standout and one of the best from the set.
TikTok loves "Paper Rings," and I can see why. It's such a sweet, romantic, springy song. Also another marriage song with a great message that in a relationship material things aren't important. By this point, I can say that Lover is a no skip album for me. Even with its staggering 18 tracks. Each song has its own pastel color and fits a variety of moods.
"Cornelia Street" continues Lover's whimsicality and is pretty much a snapshot of a moment of Swift's life. Fans still go to the house she lived in on Cornelia street and get their photos taken. Someone even had an AMA on Reddit because they stayed there either before or after Swift did.
"Death By A Thousand Cuts" has some of Swift's best lines on the record. "I dress to kill my time/I take the long way home/I ask the traffic lights if it will be alright." It also sounds like a scene out of movie. Like a romcom. Like when the girl realizes she can't do without the guy she let go and get married to the rich, stuffy guy with a John Wayne toilet paper mother. "London Boy" is funny at times. Especially when Swift declares her love for the English. I think this is one of several tracks on this album where Swift displays her personality the most which previous records lacked at times.
So I can't listen to "Soon You'll Get Better" without crying, so I'm just not even going to say much. It's heartbreaking. A ballad that evokes emotion. The Chicks feature seems so random and yet makes such sense.
"False God" takes some inspiration from city pop which pairs like cheese and wine with the dream pop. This is one of my favorites from this album. It's sexy. It's cool. It's chic. Above all it's intimate. The lyrics are Swift at her most Swiftspeare.
We finally made it to another single from the album! The second single, "You Need to Calm Down." I'm kinda divided about this one. One one hand, it's fun and upbeat. On the other hand, lyrically it's kind of a let down. Feels like she's pandering to an audience for the sake of pandering to an audience. Like an obligation. It feels cheesy, and I think "Calm Down" will age the worst from this album. That said, Swift does take a stance here and let's people know where she's at. And it is fun.
"Afterglow" feels like the night. It's an interesting composition and feels like the love letter to love's best paragraph. Lyrically, it's about compromise in a relationship which is a great take from Swift and new ground for her. The vocal effect here is also cool and dreamy.
Perhaps the hottest take of my life is that I love "ME!" I never got the hate for the song. I loved it from the first listen. It's SO FUN. Not every song has to be a deep, introspective, lyrical masterpiece. Sometimes it can be fun just for the sake of being fun. It opened the Lover era by being the best representation for its biggest theme: love. The horns on the chorus are my favorite part for being so jovial. And Brendon Urie sounds fantastic(!) here as he usually does. Their voices blend well. They kill it. The music definitely carries the song here though.
Which brings us to the final song, "Daylight." "Daylight" showcases Swift's change in stance on love as she has finally experienced it as a full-fledged adult without the rose-colored glasses. We get a reference to "Red" here which is a treat and a reflection on growth. But also the album, Red, and its themes in general. The narrator has let go of past qualms and hang ups and is focused on the best love she has found in the here and now.
Something I feel that detracted from Lover during its initial roll out was Swift's intent to make political statements that didn't seem to pull strongly one way or another and seemed a little insincere. "Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince" is the best political stance here, and it was pretty much glossed over. It should've been a single. The less graphic "You Need To Calm Down" and "The Man" were released instead. Not that they're bad songs, but they lacked the punch that Swift needed. This album is a love letter to love. Through and through. Not a political statement. Trying to pull this material in that direction makes it seem like PR move.
Overall, there's a lot to love about Lover. It's great elevated pop music, and a convincing concept album. It's dreamy. It's a pastel-colored hipster town. And it does a great job of not being about one kind of love or a single kind of situation that deals with love. I'm glad it's getting all the love it deserves now.
Rating: S Rank. This album is my, my, my Lover.
Recommendation: If you also want to see "Daylight," you too, will listen to Lover.
Standouts:
Cruel Summer 💣
Lover ⭐
The Man
The Archer 💖
Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince
Death By A Thousand Cuts
False God
Afterglow
ME!
Daylight
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