#something in this style would have been fun for folklore or evermore

[chosetherose]

Updated as of 6/30

The Eras Tour *Surprise Songs*

Taylor said her goal is to not repeat each show’s surprise songs so I thought it would be fun to track them as the tour goes on! Black strikethrough is included in the main set list. Purple strikethrough are included in the main set list but have been switched up at some show/s. Blue songs Taylor played but might be repeated due to messing up.

Taylor Swift

Tim McGraw (3/17) • Picture to Burn • Teardrops on My Guitar (5/5) • A Place in This World (4/22) • Cold as You (4/23) • The Outside • Tied Together with a Smile • Stay Beautiful• Should’ve Said No (5/19) • Mary’s Song (Oh My My My) • Our Song (3/24) • I’m Only Me When I’m with You (6/30) • Invisible (5/20) • A Perfectly Good Heart

Fearless

Fearless • Fifteen (5/6) • Love Story • Hey Stephen (5/14) • White Horse (3/25) • You Belong With Me • Breathe• Tell Me Why• You’re Not Sorry (4/21) • The Way I Loved You • Forever & Always (5/13) • The Best Day (5/14) • Change • Jump Then Fall (4/2) • Untouchable • Come In With The Rain • Superstar • The Other Side Of The Door (4/28) • You All Over Me (6/3) • Mr. Perfectly Fine (6/16) • We Were Happy • That’s When • Don’t You • Bye Bye Baby • Today was a fairytale (4/22)

Speak Now

Mine (5/7) • Sparks Fly (5/5) • Back To December • Speak Now (4/13, Taylor restarted part of the song but did not confirm it could be played again) • Dear John (6/24) • Mean (4/15) • The Story Of Us (6/17) • Never Grow Up • Enchanted • Better Than Revenge • Innocent• Haunted (6/9) • Last Kiss • Long Live • Ours (3/31) • If This Was A Movie (6/23) • Superman

Red

State Of Grace (3/18) • Red (5/21) • Treacherous (4/13) • I Knew You Were Trouble • All Too Well • 22 • I Almost Do (6/9) • We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together • Stay Stay Stay • The Last Time (6/16) • Holy Ground (5/27) • Sad Beautiful Tragic (3/31) • The Lucky One (4/2) • Everything Has Changed • Starlight • Begin Again (4/23) • The Moment I Knew (6/4) • Come Back… Be Here (5/12) • Girl At Home • Ronan • Better Man (5/19) • Nothing New • Babe • Message In A Bottle • I Bet You Think About Me (4/30) • Forever Winter • Run • The Very First Night • All Too Well – 10 Minute Version

1989

Welcome To New York (5/28) • Blank Space • Style • Out Of The Woods (5/6, Taylor confirmed it might be played again) • All You Had To Do Was Stay • Shake It Off • I Wish You Would (6/2) • Bad Blood • Wildest Dreams • How You Get The Girl (4/30) • This Love (5/13) • I Know Places • Clean (4/1, Taylor confirmed it might be played again, 5/28) • Wonderland (4/21) • You Are In Love • New Romantics

Reputation

…Ready For It? • End Game • I Did Something Bad • Don’t Blame Me • Delicate • Look What You Made Me Do • So It Goes… • Gorgeous (4/29) • Getaway Car (5/26) • King Of My Heart • Dancing With Our Hands Tied • Dress • This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things • Call It What You Want • New Year’s Day

Lover

I Forgot That You Existed • Cruel Summer • Lover • The Man • The Archer • I Think He Knows (5/21) • Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince • Paper Rings (6/23) • Cornelia Street • Death By A Thousand Cuts (4/1, Taylor confirmed it might be played again) • London Boy • Soon You’ll Get Better • False God (5/27) • You Need To Calm Down • Afterglow • Me! • It’s Nice To Have A Friend • Daylight (6/24) • All of the Girls You’ve Loved Before

Folklore

The 1 (replaced IS multiple shows) • Cardigan • The Last Great American Dynasty • Exile with Bon Iver • My Tears Ricochet • Mirrorball (3/17) • Seven (spoken, 6/17) • August • This Is Me Trying (3/18) • Illicit Affairs • Invisible String (replaced by T1 multiple shows) • Mad Woman (4/15) • Epiphany • Betty • Peace • Hoax • The Lakes (6/2)

Evermore

Willow • Champagne Problems • Gold Rush (5/12) • Tis The Damn Season • Tolerate It • No Body, No Crime • Happiness • Dorothea • Coney Island (4/28) • Ivy • Cowboy Like Me (3/25) • Long Story Short • Marjorie • Closure • Evermore (6/30) • Right Where You Left Me •It’s Time To Go

Midnights

On 4/14 Taylor changed the rule: ALL SONGS ON MIDNIGHTS MAY BE REPEATED. I’m adding the dates to the midnights surprise songs but they will remain in black text since they can be repeated.

Lavender Haze • Maroon (5/26) • Anti-Hero • Snow on the Beach (3/24) • You’re on Your Own, Kid (4/14) • Midnight Rain • Question…? (5/20) • Vigilante Shit • Bejeweled • Labyrinth • Karma • Sweet Nothing • Mastermind • The Great War (4/14) • Bigger Than the Whole Sky • Paris • High Infidelity (4/29) • Glitch • Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve (5/7) • Dear Reader • Hits Different (6/4)

Other

I don’t wanna live forever (6/3)

#reach out if I’m missing anything #eras tour #eras tour set list #surprise song #Taylor swift #taylor nation

[silawastaken]

it’s me again. new Taylor swift album. ssk thoughts?

first, i woke up at 4:30 in the morning to listen to this album the moment it came out. And I WAS going through it thinking about skk when I wasn't bawling my eyes out over certain lyrics that were personal attacks

I do want to take a moment to talk about the actual album itself on its own for a moment just because omfg i love it, and something I really liked with tpd in comparison to more of her recent albums, is the music seems very simple, with a focus on lyricism, which had always been a theme with her music, that the lyrics are more important, but it just. It's so well done here.

Also, there's a very nice mix between the synth pop of midnights, and the more acoustic vibes from folklore and evermore in this album, when i listened to the first song i thought the whole album was going to have that same vibe, and was very pleasantly surprised at the first piano track.

Also a lot of the lyrics are very reminiscent of her earlier albums, thinking speak now and fearless. it feels most obvious with i can do it with a broken heart and who's afraid of little old me- which by the way, based off the title I thought i would HATE whos afraid of little old me, but i actually really like it??? like it's a very 'cringe' phrase, it's made fun of mercilessly, but it works surprisingly well.

The songs all seem to have an earlier album they could tie back to, with the same vibes or styles of lyrics, and it's so nice to listen to while thinking of what it could possibly tie back to.

This definitely isn't my favourite album, i was expecting something different i think, but it's still really good, and there are quite a few really good songs on it. guilty as sin? and clara bow are my personal favourites i think :3

But I would like to direct your attention to the second song on the album, 'The Tortured Poets Department'

I LOVE a title drop in a song, it drives me insane for real, and i actually screamed. But more importantly, in reference to this, it is VERY skk to me, like I listened to it and instantly was thinking of how i was going to reference this song in an au some day.

But imo, this song is 100% Chuuya pov skk and well the autism is working overtime so I will be doing an analysis I'm so sorry this is what I'm using my time for but AUGH brainrot im sorry i have interests

'You left your typewriter at my apartment' - starting off by mentioning that this is what i thought of when considering references, because im a sucker for writer skk, and i thought a really cool thing would be Dazai leaving a typewriter behind when he left for some reason, and then Chuuya picking it up and eventually using it, especially with one of the following lines being 'who uses a typewriter anyway?', something he used to judge Dazai for then becoming something he does himself is just *polite clapping* i love it and I will be giving dazai a typewriter at somepoint

'But you're in self sabotage mode, throwing spikes down on the road' - Dazai is very mentally ill, and likely does self sabotage, ESPECIALLY if it were to be his relationship with Chuuya, his bandages are an allegory for the fact that he doesn't let anyone see below the surface of his personality, and that does go for Chuuya as well. He doesn't allow for that kind of vulnerability and in all likelihood, if he were to end up in a situation where he did need to be vulnerable, he'd self sabotage and try and fuck it up just to get out of that situation. However, there's also the next lines;

'But I've seen this episode and still love the show, who else decodes you?' - which is to say that regardless of the 'episode' dazai would be having in that moment, chuuya would still love him, and can decode him to understand what he is doing, which is a VERY skk thing, being able to decode what the other is thinking when they do things, and their intentions. He would be able to work out what was going on, and be able to work things out.

'And who's gonna hold you like me? And who's going to know you, if not me?' - skk have that insane bond that they don't have with anyone else, they know each other better than anyone else, and they both probably know it, regardless of whether they admit it or not, and (don't attack me im a multishipper) they're genuinely unmatched as a duo, there's not another team with either of them that are stronger than the two of them together. Nobody is going to know them the way that they know each other, it's just impossible given how close they had to be, and the environment they were in. The entire Dazai makes Chuuya feel human and Chuuya makes Dazai feel alive thing. As the post chorus says, nobody will do it the same.

'I scratch your head, you fall asleep, like a tattooed golden retriever' - rare moments of vulnerability my beloved, but my specific picking of this line is Dazai's constant insistence that Chuuya is his dog, while frequently behaving in a way(esp ada dazai) that would be more suited to a golden retriever. There's also something I want to say here about the comparison to a dog, by a person he loves. But it is canon that Dazai at the very least does not like dogs, and in fanon he is frequently portrayed as afraid of them.

Here, this could be translated as it being a metaphor, Dazai being vulnerable like a dog, something he is scared of/hates. He isn't just scared of dogs, he's scared of vulnerability in any form, and comparing him to a dog when he is like that would be to emphasise that point, that he hates them both. This also opens the implication that Chuuya is aware of both of these fears.

But he is like a dog, and being vulnerable, and in that moment, he would be exactly what he hates most, his is everything he hates. And Chuuya loves him anyway, despite knowing how much he hates himself. And he makes himself vulnerable around Chuuya, regardless of how much he's scared of it.

'Sometimes i wonder if you're gonna screw this up with me' - this lyric makes me think of concerns about Dazai leaving again after they reunite at 22, perhaps Chuuya's own concerns of getting too comfortable only for one of their many issues to come and blow everything up in their faces, like how in a earlier lyric the relationship in the song is referred to as a cyclone, the fear is that it gets out of control, even if they know what they're doing, or trying to do.

'But you had told Lucy you'd kys if i ever leave, and i said the same to jack so i felt seen' - oh boy toxic co-dependency time. skk are so co-dependent it's literally insane, their lives often genuinely rest in each others hands, not even mentioning whatever the fuck went on in mersault. From Chuuya relying on Dazai to nullify corruption, to Chuuya being the reason Dazai decided to try living a little in 15, there have been multiple instances in which if it wasn't for the other they would be dead. They trust each other with their lives, and could very easily end up in a state where if one were to leave, the other would make an attempt on their own life (moreso dazai than chuuya, but it really could go either way).

'Everyone we know understands why it's meant to be, cause we're crazy, so tell me, who else is gonna know me?' - Anything else aside, skk are fucking insane. they deserve each other just so they don't bring danger to literally anyone else they interact with. They're insane, especially around/about each other, and again, they're the only ones who fully understand each other. Dazai is the only one left from during stormbringer as well, which is think is important to mention. Dazai was there during sb and the dragons head conflict, both times that Chuuya's friends were killed, if anyone was going to understand how he might have felt after that experience, or what happened, it would be Dazai. They understand each other in ways others would never manage.

'At dinner, you take my ring off my middle finger, and put it on the one people put wedding rings on, and that's the closest I've come to my heart exploding' - skk are literally married guys. dating six years, married four years, divorced eight times and broken up 52, but also never stopped dating and are best friends who plan how to kill the other for fun. They're married, but they're also not, but also their souls are tied together in ways not made for the human brain to comprehend. This feels very much like domestic skk fic interactions and i'm 100% here for it.

Anyway, this song is very skk coded and I love it so much, tell me why i spent an hour on this. I don't think this was what you were looking for but... this is what you got. If you want me to go through any other songs like this then i'll do it. I love skk and taylor swift so much i can't even think like im afaifiegbi im pretty sure taylor has a tumblr account so there is like a 0.0000001% she would see this and that has me... panicking but anyway :D i have lots of thoughts all the time and thank you for indulging me with this ask i NEEDED to get this out of my system before i exploded!!!

#this is ... new level of obsessed i fear #20 paragraphs of skk x taylor swift content #niche content maybe #at least at this depth #anyway #i should be revising not doing this but i am anyway #thanks for the opportunity #silas yaps #bsd #ao3 fanfic #soukoku #soukoku fanfiction #bsd fanfic #bsd dazai #bsd chuuya #bungou stray dogs #skk au #dazai osamu #chuuya nakahara #taylor swift #the tortured poets department #tortured poets department #tpd

[catgirlforkaeya]

ARE THEY A SWIFTIE ?

various characters

headcanons of genshin characters i believe would listen to taylor swift along with their favorite songs and/or album

modern au

disclaimer: some of these may not be 100% accurate, it’s just for fun don’t get mad if your fav isn’t on here. i didn’t include every single character, so if ppl want i will do a part 2. also sorry if i picked the more “known”-songs, i’m drained from today and just going off the top of my head rn

a/n: in honor of me getting tickets to the eras tour today i decided to do this!! :D god bless my mom for sitting in the queue for 6 hours, i’ve been a taylor fan since red came out this is huge for me

kaeya

• starting off w my fav, of COURSE he would be a taylor swift stan. would be very vocal about it and not ashamed whatsoever. was def in the top 1% to listen to midnights upon its release

fav song: you’re on your own, kid + no body, no crime + wonderland

fav album: reputation + midnights

—

childe

• i can definitely see him being one. he wouldn’t be as open about it like kaeya but he enjoys the music. his little siblings probably introduced him to it 😭😭

fav song: anti hero + innocent

fav album: midnights

—

thoma

• absolutely 100% a swiftie, not a doubt about it. when he’s doing chores around the house he’d definitely have a playlist of her songs for it

fav song: message in a bottle

fav album: red + 1989 + lover (he can’t pick)

—

itto

• something about this man just SCREAMS swiftie. idk how to explain it but i’m right idc. he wouldn’t be a hardcore stan but wouldn’t just be a normal fan. he’s somewhere in the middle. he’d also def be a fan of her more up-beat albums, so like red, 1989, lover, those genres

fav song: all you had to do was stay + style

fav album: 1989

—

al-haitham

• this is probably ooc but idc he would be a swiftie, argue with a wall. kaveh yells at him to turn the music down but does he listen? no. and honestly good for him (he slowly turns kaveh into one too)

fav song: i did something bad + out of the woods

fav album: reputation + midnights

—

lisa

• lisa is a powerful woman so of course she’d love taylor. probably grew up with the music and fought for her life back in 2015-2017 when the world suddenly turned on taylor

fav song: last great american dynasty + tolerate it

fav album: folklore + evermore

—

mona

• i don’t have much to say about my reasoning behind mona, she just fits the vibe y’know? probably also fought for her life alongside lisa

fav song: starlight + enchanted + the lakes

fav album: speak now

—

amber

• same as mona, she just fits the energy. i can see her being like itto where she’s kinda in the middle of how much of a swiftie

fav song: wonderland + cornelia street

fav album: 1989 + lover

—

barbara

• a swiftie but she prefers the more country music albums over the pop ones

fav song: should’ve said no + the best day

fav album: debut + fearless

—

rosaria

• at first she was iffy about the music because let’s be honest, rosaria probably isn’t a huge pop music fan. but kaeya and/or barbara probably played it enough to the point she made herself listen and liked it

fav song: i did something bad + look what you made me do

fav album: reputation

—

keqing

• a swiftie but she’s very quiet about it bc she doesn’t wanna get judged even though everyone around her probably also is a fan

fav song: lavender haze + karma

fav album: midnights

—

ganyu

• same as keqing she’s quiet about it. definitely also listens to it whilst she’s doing whatever work she has though

fav song: paper rings + mad woman

fav album: lover

—

xinyan

• how could i not include the music queen herself?? xinyan probably wouldn’t have any preference as to what type of genre she likes, so she’s happy to listen to any taylor song

fav song: the way i loved you + coney island + wildest dreams

fav album: any and all

—

yae miko

• i love yae but she’d be one of those long-time swifties who are honestly scary. not in a bad way, she’s just the type to have been there through every era so she’s considered ancient in terms of stan wise

fav song: midnight rain + the man + don’t blame me

fav album: lover + midnights

—

kokomi

• also like yae, a long-time swiftie but not as intimidating. she probably bought extra tickets to give people who couldn’t get in because she just seems nice like that

fav song: all you had to do was stay + the great war

fav album: 1989 + evermore + lover

—

nilou

• in a modern au nilou would 100% create dances to taylor songs, probably posts them on tiktok and the dance goes viral too

fav song: dancing with our hands tied + this is me trying

fav album: speak now + red + midnights

—

layla

• mona probably introduced her to the music and she fell down a rabbit hole and became a major swiftie. fought for her life to get into the presale for eras tour too

fav song: snow on the beach + never grow up + tolerate it

fav album: 1989 + lover + folklore

© all rights reserved to catgirlforkaeya. reposting, plagiarizing, modifying, and translating is NOT allowed.

#genshin #genshin impact #genshin impact headcanons #genshin headcanons #genshin x reader #genshin impact x reader #kaeya alberich #kaeya x reader #tartaglia #childe genshin #childe x reader #genshin impact thoma #thoma x reader #arataki itto #arataki itto x reader #alhaitham #alhaitham x reader #lisa minci #mona megistus #rosaria genshin impact #amber genshin impact #yae miko #sagonomiya kokomi #nilou genshin #layla genshin impact #taylor swift #swiftie #catgirlforkaeya

[masthya]

I only know taylor swift as someone who sucks ass at writing lyrics, what are the banger lyrics im missing??

lmao i totally get that. I think it will always be a bit of a personal preference thing, just like some ppl love some writing styles which others cant stand, same with lyrics.

I personally love the lyric writing that tells a good story i can see in my head, and the song creates an atmosphere which you can touch and even smell. I think Taylor's strength is in her storytelling, which shines through especially in folklore and evermore. I personally love "seven" ("Please picture me/In the weeds/Before I learned civility/I used to scream ferociously"), august ("To live for the hope of it all/Cancel plans just in case you'd call"), peace ("Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?"), "illicit affairs" ("Leave the perfume on the shelf/That you picked out just for him/So you leave no trace behind/Like you don't even exist"), "champagne problems" ("Sometimes you just don't know the answer/'Til someone's on their knees and asks you"), "cowboy like me" ("Perched in the dark/Telling all the rich folks anything they wanna hear/Like it could be love/I could be the way forward/Only if they pay for it"), "'tis the damn season" ("We could call it even/You could call me babe for the weekend/'Tis the damn season, write this down/I'm stayin' at my parents' house/And the road not taken looks real good now"), "ivy" ("Oh, goddamn/My pain fits in the palm of your freezing hand/Taking mine, but it's been promised to another/Oh, I can't/Stop you putting roots in my dreamland/My house of stone, your ivy grows/And now I'm covered in you").

Now every album she releases has its misses and its hits. I don't love "Lover" that much bc it's a bit too happy poppy for me, though the song "Lover" itself tells a very palpable feeling. Other songs I like are "All Too Well" ("And you call me up again just to break me like a promise/So casually cruel in the name of being honest"), "Dear John" ("Long were the nights when/My days once revolved around you/Counting my footsteps/Praying the floor won't fall through again"), "Back to December" ("It turns out freedom ain't nothin' but missin' you/Wishin' I'd realized what I had when you were mine"), "The Story of Us" ("I'd tell you I miss you, but I don't know how/I never heard silence quite this loud"), "Clean" ("Ten months sober, I must admit/Just because you're clean don't mean you don't miss it"), "Begin Again" ("And you throw your head back laughing like a little kid/I think it's strange that you think I'm funny 'cause he never did"), "Don't Blame Me" ("Don't blame me, love made me crazy/If it doesn't, you ain't doin' it right/Lord, save me, my drug is my baby/I'll be usin' for the rest of my life"), "Delicate" ("We can't make any promises/Now can we, babe?/But you can make me a drink").

Now many people have been dissing the latest album's cringey lyrics for a while, and while I hate them too (god the vigilante one is such a skip its unreal), i actually like some songs with cringey lyrics. "Anti-hero" really grew on me bc it's Taylor self-analising and talking about how she is her own worst critic, which is something we all experience, and I think she made it in a fun self-deprecating way in the song that still delivers the message. other songs in the album which i love and dont have those kinds of cringe lines are "you're on your own, kid" ("'Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned/Everything you lose is a step you take"), "Lavander Haze" ("The only kind of girl they see (only kind of girl they see)/Is a one-night or a wife"), "High Infidelity" ("Do you really want to know where I was April 29th?/Do I really have to chart the constellations in his eyes?"), "Would've, Could've, Should've" ("If I was some paint, did it splatter/On a promising grown man?/And if I was a child, did it matter/If you got to wash your hands?") (tbh I love all the lyrics in this song it's my fave atm).

Sorry for the long post! I really feel like Taylor's best lyrics are hidden away in her albums many times, but I do get how she gets called a good lyricist, because she is good at telling stories in them. I believe many people look at her stuff from a biased perspective most of the time bc of the way the media has portrayed her in part, and also bc she got a lot of hate from misogynists when she was young and it stayed around as mindless hate/disregard. She isnt the greatest ever but she's earned her reputation as a lyricist imo.

#my asks

[rue-bennett]

I dont always skip those songs except maybe cowboy like me. I like sad songs or even slow ones, but it just feels like a slog to get through that one in particular. I dont really love the chorus of happiness so I think that might be it lol. I do like evermore, I just dont love bon iver's verse. I liked the background vocals but I didnt like the switch up between her part and his, it takes me out of the song so I think I got used to skipping it. my most listened to rn I think is no body no crime, it's just such a vibe and has that narrative element that I like and could just picture it being a movie.

yeah I was hoping for gothic romance, or dark academia vibes just based off of the name of the album so I think thats why I was a little ehhhh. I would have loved her indie style applied to those aesthetics and subject matters, especially because evermore and folklore had more interconnected storytelling aspects and you can do so much with that applied those aesthetics. Focusing on something like dead poets society or a secret history would have also been something new for her and if it veered more into gothic romance I think something crimson peak/horror like would have been interesting.

OOooh okay interesting and tbh I've heard that complaint too so I get it. I skip various ones really just depending on my mood, if I don't want something slow I definitely don't listen to "cowboy like me" but that song just hits when I'm in the mood, phew. That's all fair critique tbh and interesting. I'm realizing I don't listen to evermore all that often but most recently I've mostly been listening to "dorothea," "tis the damn season," "cowboy like me," and "coney island." omg "no body no crime" is seriously great and I've definitely had it on repeat before, it definitely has that narrative element and such an idk attitude that I love. It's very fun and clever. I also adore "right where you left me," can't remember if I mentioned it before, but that's an all-timer for me. I had it on repeat a LOT in the past it's... I love it.

Mmmm oh yes absolutely! I honestly didn't expect this toooo much because I knew it was gonna be like, well, a breakup album, but also you can have hope because I know she freaking loves Crimson Peak and Guillermo Del Toro's movies generally. So I could see her leaning into that at some point, but I also feel like there's a chance that reputation is as "intense" (or however you wanna put it lmao) she's gonna get in that sense. But you never know? But I do definitely hope she continues that type of writing style from folklore and evermore. I really wonder whether Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver) or Aarson Dessner (of The National) are involved in the production, because they were both pretty heavily involved in both folklore and evermore. She gets the credit, of course, but their influence is undeniable. (And you can tell from her collabs w them on their other projects -- Big Red Machine is Bon Iver x The National and co, essentially. "Renegade" and "Birch" by BRM and "The Alcott" on The National's recent album.) SO there's that. There's hope? Lmao. She's also gonna have a song on Poets with Post Malone who's apparently making country/rock now (I haven't listened ngl) and Florence and the Machine which... love. There's hope for your dreams! Maybe isfdlkmsifdnlk

#asks #anonymous #ts asks #ts talk

[bananaofswifts]

Taylor Swift Turns on a Facsimile Machine for the Ingenious Recreations of ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’: Album Review

Swift recreates her entire 2008 album literally down to the last note, then gives herself room for stylistic latitude on six never-before-recorded "vault" tracks.

By Chris Willman

Swift recreates her entire 2008 album literally down to the last note, then gives herself room for stylistic latitude on six never-before-recorded "vault" tracks.

There is no “best actress” award at the Grammys, perhaps for obvious reasons, but maybe there should be this coming year. And the Grammy would go to… Taylor Swift, for so persuasively playing her 18-year-old self in “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” her beyond-meticulous recreation of the 2008 recording that did win her her first album of the year trophy back in the day. It’s impossible to overstate just how thoroughly the new version is intended as an exact replica of the old — all the way down to her startling ability to recapture an untrained teen singing voice she’s long matured and moved on from. It’s a stunt, to be sure, but a stunt for the ages — mastering the guile it takes to go back to sounding this guileless.

There are two different, very solid reasons to pick up or stream “Taylor’s Version,” regardless of whether you share her ire for the Big Machine label, whose loose ways with her nine-figure catalog precipitated this, the first in a six-album series of remakes where she’ll be turning on the facsimile machine. One is to marvel at her gift for self-mimicry on the album’s original tracks, where she sounds as possessed by her younger self as Regan ever was by Pazuzu. The other reason is, of course, to check out the six “vault” numbers that Swift wrote during that time frame but has never released before in any form, which dispenses with stylistic fealty to the late 2000s and frames her “Fearless”-era discards in production and arrangements closer to “Folklore.” Those half-dozen (kind of) new tracks really do sound like modern Taylor Swift covering her old stuff.

But those original lucky 13? It’s the same damn record… which is kind of hilarious and marvelous and the kind of meta-ness that will inspire a thousand more think-pieces than it already has, along with possibly efforts at forensic analysis to figure out how she did it.

It would not be surprising if, as we speak, Big Machine was putting a combined team of scientists and lawyers on the case of the new album’s waveform readouts, to make sure it’s not just the original album, remixed. Honestly, it’s that close. The timings of the songs are all within a few seconds of the original tracks, if not coming in at exactly the same length. The duplication effort doesn’t allow any detours. If “Forever and Always” had a cold open then, it’s going to have a cold open now. If the 2008 “That’s the Way I Love You” had slamming rock guitars with an almost subliminal banjo being plucked beneath the racket, so will the 2021 “That’s the Way I Loved You.” A drum roll to end the old “Change”? A drum roll to end its body-snatcher doppelganger. And if she chuckled before the final chorus of “Hey Stephen” 13 years ago, so will that moment be cause for a delighted giggle now.

Of course, much analysis will be put into whether the new laugh is a more knowing-sounding laugh. And that will be part of the fun for a certain segment of audiophile Swifties who will go looking for the slightest change as evidence of something meaningful. When “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” first came out weeks back to preview the album, there were reviews written that swore she’d subtly changed up her phrasing to put a contemporary spin on the song. And maybe they were right, but, having done a fair amount of A/B testing of the two versions of the album, I found myself feeling like I do when vinyl buffs insist there are significant sonic differences between the first stamper version of an LP and one that was pressed a year later. If you can spot those very, very, very modest tweaks, go for it.

But my suspicion is that if Swift has decided to turn a phrase a little differently here or there on this album, or done anything too differently aside from brighten the sound, she’s doing it more as an Easter egg, for the people who are on that kind of hunt, than anything really designed as reinterpretation. Because the last thing Swift wants most of her fans doing is A/B-ing the two versions, the way I did. The whole point is to have folks retire the OG “Fearless” from their Spotify playlists, right? The Swift faithful were already threatening to rain down damnation on anyone caught sneaking an audio peek at the old version after midnight. What she intended was to come up with a rendering so faithful that you would never have a need to spin the vintage album again. In that, she has succeeded beyond what could have been imagined even in the dreams of the few self-forgers who’ve tried this before, like a Jeff Lynne.

Is there any reason to find value in the new versions if you couldn’t care less about the issues of masters and contracts and respect in business deals that made all this strangely possible? Yes, with the first one being that the new album just sounds like a terrific remastering of the old — the same notes, and you’d swear the same performances, but sounding brighter and punchier just on a surface level. But on a more philosophical one, it’s not just a case of Swift playing with her back catalog like Andy Warhol played with his soup can. It’s really a triumph of self-knowledge and self-awareness, in the way that Swift is so hyper-conscious of the ways she’s matured that she has the ability to un-mature before our very ears. With her vocals, it’s virtuosic, in a way, how she’s made herself return to her unvirtuosic upstart self.

On Swift’s earliest albums and in those seminal live shows — at the time when she was famously being told she “can’t sing,” to quote a song from the follow-up album — there was a slight shrillness around the edges of her voice that, if you lacked faith, you might’ve imaged would be there forever. It wasn’t. That was partly youth, and partly just the sheer earnestness with which she wanted to convey the honesty of the songs. She’s advanced so much since then — into one of pop’s most gifted modern singers, really — that the woman of “Folklore” and “Evermore” seems like a completely different human being than the one who made the self-titled debut and “Fearless,” never mind just a woman versus girl. It wouldn’t have seemed possible that she could go back to her old way of singing at the accomplished age of 31, but she found and recreated that nervous, sincere, pleading voice of yesteryear. And maybe it was just a technical feat, of temporarily unlearning what she’s learned since then, but you can sense that maybe she had to go there internally, too, to the place where she was counseling other girls to guard their sexual virtue in “Fifteen,” or wondering whether to believe the fairy tale of “Love Story” or the wakeup call of “White Horse,” or proving with “Forever & Always” that writing a song telling off Joe Jonas for his 27-second breakup call was better than revenge.

If at first you’re not inclined to notice that Swift has re-adopted a completely different singing voice for the “Fearless” remakes, the realization may kick in when those “vault” tracks start appearing in the later stretch of this hour-and-50-minute album. The writing on the six songs that have been pulled up from the 2008 cutting room floor seems primitive, even a little bit by the standards of the “Fearless” album; there are great lines and couplets throughout the rescued tracks, but you can see why she left them as works-in-progress. But she doesn’t use her youthful voice on these resurrections, nor does she employ the actual style of “Fearless” very strictly. Of course, she feels more freedom on these, because there are no predecessors in the Big Machine catalog she’s asking you to leave behind. Her current collaborators of choice, Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, divided the co-producing work on these fresher songs, as they did for the two all-new albums she released in the last year. (The “Fearless” recreations are co-produced by Swift with Christopher Rowe, someone who worked on remixes for Swift back in that era.) They co-produce the vault songs in a style that sounds somewhere between “Fearless” and Folklore”… a more spectral brand of country-pop, with flutes and synths and ringing 12-string guitars and a modicum of drum programming replacing some (but not all) of the acoustic stringed instruments you’d expect to be carried over from “Fearless” proper.

Of the previously unheard tracks, Swift was right — she’s always been her own best self-editor — in putting out “You All Over Me” first, in advance of the album. With its imagery of half-muddy stones being upturned on the road, this song has advanced lyrical conceits more of a piece with the level of writing she’s doing now than some of the slightly less precocious songs that follow. Still, there’s something to be said for the sheer zippiness with which Swift conveys teen heartbreak in “Mr. Perfectly Fine,” which has a lyric that shows Swift had long since absorbed the lessons Nashville had to offer about how to come up with a high-concept song — the concept, in this case, being just to stick the word “mister” in front of a lot of phrases relating to her shallow ex, as if they were honorary titles to be conferred for being a shit, while she employs the “miss” for herself more sparingly.

Some of the remaining outtake songs go back more toward the sedate side of “Fearless”-style material; she didn’t leave any real bangers in the can. “We Were Happy,” the first of two successive tracks to bring in Keith Urban (but only for backgrounds on this one), employs fake strings and real cello as Swift waxes nostalgic for a time when “you threw your arms around my neck, back when I deserved it.” It’s funny, in a good way, to hear Swift at 31 recreating a song she wrote at 17 or 18 that pined for long-past better times. The next song, “That’s When,” brings Urban in for a proper duet where he gets a whole second verse and featured status on half a chorus, and it’s lovely to hear them together. But, as a make-up song, it doesn’t feel as real or lived-in as the more personal things she was writing at the time — and the fact that its chords are pretty close to a slightly more balladic version of the superior “You Belong With Me” was probably a pretty good reason for dropping it at the time.

the 18-year-old Taylor Swift is a great place to visit, but “Folklore” and “Evermore” are the place you’ll want to return to and live, unless you have an especially strong sentimental attachment to “Fearless”… which, sure, half of young America does. It’s not irreconcilable to say that the two albums she issued in the last year represent a daring pinnacle of her career, but that “Fearless” deserved to win album of the year in 2008. Has there been a greater pop single in the 20th century than “You Belong With Me”? Probably not. Did the album also have lesser moments you probably haven’t thought about in a while, like the just-okay “Breathe”? Yes. (I looked up to see whether Swift had ever played that little remarked upon number in concert, and according to setlists.fm, she did, exactly once… in 2018. Because she’s Taylor Swift, and of course she did.) It’s not certain that her duet with Colbie Caillat really needed to be resurrected, except it’s fun, because hey, she even roped former duet partners back into her time warp. But there are so many number that have stood the test of time, like “The Way I Love You,” an early song that really got at the complicated feelings about passion and fidelity that she would come to explore more as she grew into her 20s… and just kind of a headbanger, too, on an album that does love its fiddles and mandolins.

It doesn’t take much to wonder why Swift put up “Fearless” first in this six-album exercise; it’s one of her two biggest albums, along with “1989,” and it’s 13 years old, which does mean something superstitious in the Taylor-verse. In a way, it’ll be more interesting to see what happens when she gets to more complicated productions, like “1989” or “Reputation.” But maybe “Fearless” did present the opportunity for the grandest experiment out of the gate: to recreate something that pure and heartfelt, with all the meticulousness a studio master like Swift can put to that process now, without having it seem like she’s faking sincerity. Let the think-pieces proceed — because this is about six hundred different shades of meta. But, all craftiness and calculation aside, there’s a sweetness to the regression that’s not inconsequential. It harks back to a time when she only wondered if she could be fearless, before she learned it the harder way for sure. What they say about actors “disappearing into the role”? That really applies to Taylor Swift, playing herself.

#taylor swift #fearless #review

[uglypastels]

SPOTIFY WRAPPED Prompts (2021 edition)

Hi everyone!! I know I've been a bit MIA with my writing lately, but since Spotify Wrapped finally came out, and I know I had so much fun last year, I thought this would be a great way to get back into it :)

Rules are simple as always and song list is below cut.

You don’t have to be following me, but it would be nice of course haha

Please reblog this post to spread the word. I don’t want it to flop

Send in an ask with the song (from the list) and person you want me to write about

be as specific in your request as you like

can be just (person x reader + song) or you can send in an entire plot that you want me to include.

it can be smut (18+!!), angst or fluff

any au goes i think

amount of asks per person is unlimited

I will use my right of denying to write something if it makes me uncomfortable <3

Don't judge me for my music taste <3

MASTERLIST - INBOX + GUIDELINES

disclaimer, Red (Taylor's Version) came out a few weeks ago and chances are the data is not accounted in the wrap up- but it is probably the only thing I've listened to since it came out, so I will also allow requests for any Red (tv) songs + Folklore and Evermore songs that aren't on this list cause I've also been listening to that a lot the past few days :)

Suzie by Jojo Macari

ZITTI E BUONI by Måneskin

I WANNA BE YOUR SLAVE by Måneskin

Chosen by Måneskin

Murder on the Dancefloor by Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Back It Up by Caro Emerald

no body, no crime by Taylor Swift

Weapon of Choice by Fatboy Slim

The One Who Cares by Jojo Macari

4 Minutes by Madonna ft. Justin Timberlake

The Wrong Place by Hooverphonic

The Chain by Fleetwood Mac

good 4 u by Olivia Rodrigo

Wildest Dreams by Taylor Swift, HAIM

Rise_dive by Jojo Macari

Can't Get You out of My Head by Kylie Minogue

Dark Side by Blind Channel

I Think We're Alone Now by Tiffany

Internet Friends Jojo Macari

Cold Cold Cold by Cage the Elephant

The Walker by Fitz and The Tantrums

Little Lies by Fleetwood Mac

Space and Time and Halloween and Paracetamol by Jojo Macari

Everybody Talks by Neon Trees

Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers

Think About Things by Daði Freyr

Kiss You by One Direction

Womanizer by Britney Spears

Dancing in the Moonlight by Toploader

Teenage Dirtbag by Wheatus

Promiscuous by Nelly Furtado, Timbaland

Waterloo by ABBA

Do It All The Time by I DONT KNOW HOW BUT...

Echoes by The Rapture

brutal by Olivia Rodrigo

HUMUHUMUNUKUAPUA'A from High School Musical 2

10 Years by Daði Freyr

Kiss My (Uh Oh) by Anne-Marie, Little Mix

Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz

We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel

exile by Taylor Swift, Bon Iver

Escape (the Pina Colada Song) by Rupert Holmes

Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry

Love Story (Taylor's Version)

Pumped up Kicks by Foster The People

Rock the Boat by Hues Corporation

One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks) by One Direction

These Boots Are Made For Walkin' by Nancy Sinatra

Die Young by Kesha

Ain't No Rest for the Wicked by Cage the Elephant

Sign of the Times by Harry Styles

Paper Rings by Taylor Swift

Rock DJ by Robbie Williams

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

Flashdance... What a Feeling by Irene Cara

Jump Around by House Of Pain

Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice

Sound of The Underground by Girls Aloud

How You Like Me Now by The Heavy

Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles

august by Taylor Swift

traitor by Olivia Rodrigo

She Wolf by Shakira

You're The One That I Want from Grease

Me Too by Meghan Trainor

Jump by Girls Aloud

Runaway Baby by Bruno Mars

Believe by Cher

Mama Do The Hump by Rizzle Kicks

What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction

You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift

The Shoop Shoop Song by Cher

Left Hand Free by alt-J

Ready or Not by Bridgit Mendler

Year 3000 by Busted

Stolen Dance by Milky Chance

Who Do You Think You Are by Spice Girls

Love Shack by The B-52's

Don't Stop Believin' by Journey

Kiss From a Rose by Seal

Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds

Livin' La Vida Loca by Ricky Martin

Torn by Natalie Imbruglia

invisible string by Taylor Swift

Golden Brown by The Stranglers

Mrs. Robinson from The Graduate

Call My Name by Cheryl

Poker Face by Lady Gaga

Love Runs Out by OneRepublic

Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations

Gold by Spandau Ballet

Mamma Mia from Mamma Mia!

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da by the Beatles

Kiwi by harry Styles

Killer Queen by Queen

Nice To Meet Ya by Niall Horan

WandaVision! from WandaVision (episode 2)

Feel by Robbie Williams

Juice by Lizzo

Bills by LunchMoney Lewis

tagging: @duskholland @spiderrrling @tomhollanders2013 @justasmisunderstoodasloki @hotforharrison @saintlavrents @peeterparkr @ethereal-beauty-p @gen-tlehoe @lilbeatlebear @angellissy @worldoftom @wazzupmrstark @spidey-sophie @tomhollandsgirlfriend @farfromharry @greenorangevioletgrass @loverholland @venomsilk @lonelyavenger @sinisterspidey @hollandbaby @evermoreholland @spideyspeaches

#fanfiction #fanfic #fic #imagines #fluff #smut #angst #stpotify wrapped blurbs

[path-of-my-childhood]

Aaron Dessner on the 'Weird Avalanche' That Resulted in Taylor Swift's “Evermore”

By: Lyndsey Havens for Billboard Date: December 18th 2020

One day this fall, Taylor Swift walked into Aaron Dessner’s home to wish his daughter a happy 9th birthday - but that wasn't the only reason Swift was there.

She was mostly there to film the Disney+ special, Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, in which she was meeting up with her primary Folklore collaborators - The National’s Dessner and Jack Antonoff. They had all gathered for the first time at Dessner’s upstate New York studio to play her record-breaking album live.

On the last night of filming the special (a process that was done while following CDC guidelines, with a limited crew and COVID-19 testing), Dessner recalls how he, Antonoff and Swift stayed up until 4:00 or 5:00 a.m. - drinking and celebrating the more-than-warm embrace Folklore had received. But in the days that followed, Swift ended up staying, and she and Dessner unexpectedly continued working. Eventually, they had 17 more songs, all of which became the sister album, Evermore, released on Dec. 11.

“Folklore almost immediately was treated as a classic or a masterpiece,” says Dessner. “It was elevated fairly quickly and had been commercially really successful, so obviously it’s hard to follow something like that up. But one of the things I love about Evermore is the ways in which Taylor was jumping off different cliffs. The ability she has to tell these stories, but also push what she’s doing musically, is really kind of astonishing. It’s like I went to some crash course, some masters program, for six months.”

Below, Dessner tells Billboard all about the work that went into his second album in five months with one of the world's biggest pop stars.

With Folklore a lot of the production and arrangements came from a folder you had sent Taylor. Did you continue to pull from there, or was Evermore made from scratch?

A lot more of it was made from scratch. After Folklore came out, I think Taylor had written two songs early on that we both thought were for Big Red Machine, “Closure” and “Dorothea.” But the more I listened to them, not that they couldn’t be Big Red Machine songs, but they felt like interesting, exciting Taylor songs. “Closure” is very experimental and in this weird time signature, but still lyrically felt like some evolution of Folklore, and “Dorothea” definitely felt like it was reflecting on some character.

And I, sort of in celebration of Folklore, had written a piece of music that I titled “Westerly,” that’s where she has the house that she wrote “Last Great American Dynasty” about. I’ll do that sometimes, just make things for friends or write music just to write it, but I didn’t at all think it would become a song. And she, like an hour later, sent back “Willow” written to that song, and that sort of set [things in motion] and we just started filling this Dropbox again. It was kind of like, “What’s happening?”

And then it just kept going. She wrote "Gold Rush” with Jack [Antonoff] and by the end there were 17 songs, and it was only a couple months after Folklore came out, so it’s pretty wild. Each time we would just be in disbelief and kind of like, “How is this possible?” Especially because we didn’t need to talk much about structure or ideas or anything - it was just this weird avalanche.

Considering how industry-shaking Folklore was, what pressure did that introduce this time around?

I think because of how we made it, it really wasn’t like producing some giant record or something, it still had this very homespun feeling to it. There may have been a moment or two when I think Taylor was wondering when and how to put out Evermore, but I think the stronger it became, and as each song came together, it just started to feel like, "This is a sister record - it’s part of the same current of creativity and collaboration and the stories feel inter-related."

And aesthetically, to me, Evermore is wilder and has more of a band dynamic at times. You can feel her songwriting sharpen even more on it, in terms of storytelling, and also just this freedom to make the kinds of songs that were coming. When she started to write in a less diaristic way and tell these stories, I think she found she had this incredible wealth of experience and depth to her storytelling that was quite natural. She could easily make these songs more reflective or blur the lines of what’s autobiographical and what's not in interesting ways. It felt like the most natural thing in the world.

Folklore was made entirely remotely, how did that process change for Evermore?

This was both. Some of it was remote, but then after the Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, Taylor stayed for quite a while and we recorded a lot. She actually wrote “‘Tis the Damn Season” when she arrived for the first day of rehearsal. We played all night and drank a lot of wine after the fireside chat - and we were all pretty drunk, to be honest - and then I thought she went to bed. But the next morning, at 9:00 a.m. or something, she showed up and was like, “I have to sing you this song,” and she had written it in the middle of the night. That was definitely another moment [where] my brain exploded, because she sang it to me in my kitchen, and it was just surreal.

That music is actually older - it’s something I wrote many years ago, and hid away because I loved it so much. It meant something to me, and it felt like the perfect song finally found it. There was a feeling in it, and she identified that feeling: That feeling of... “The ache in you, put there by the ache in me.” I think everyone can relate to that. It’s one of my favorites.

Did you watch the Disney+ special?

I’m not a big fan of watching myself - but I did watch it, and I thought it was beautiful. It’s funny, because it was very DIY in a sense; a tight little small crew was there to do it, nobody was styling us or fixing our hair or anything like that, it’s very authentic. I rehearsed a little bit before, but both of us - Jack and I - were pretty much figuring it out as we went.

And I think the nice thing is that all of the songs could work like that, and that’s partly a testament to the strength of the album. Without big production tricks or backing vocals or anything like that, the songs stand up, and Taylor just sang the crap out of them. And hanging out with them was so much fun. They’re kind of like siblings almost; they’ve known each other a long time, there’s this quick humor between them.

Would you like to do something like that again with Evermore?

I don’t know if you can recreate exactly what we did with Folklore. I haven’t actually talked to anyone about that. But to me, the songs of Evermore would be even more fun to play, because more of them feel like band songs. But, that being said, I won’t be disappointed if we don’t - there is no plan afoot right now to do that.

During an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Jimmy asked Taylor about the rumors behind Woodvale and if there’s a third album coming, to which she said she’s exhausted. How are you feeling energy wise?

I think we both feel like it was Mission: Impossible - and we pulled it off. I imagine that we’ll make music together in some ways forever, because it was that sort of chemistry, and I’m so thankful and grateful for what happened, but I think there’s a lot there. It’s not just the two albums, there’s also bonus tracks, and two of my favorite songs aren’t even on this record. We’re not pouring into another one now.

I’m going to finish the Big Red Machine album - I was really very close to finishing it when all of a sudden the Folklore and Evermore vortex opened up, and actually Taylor has been really helpful and involved with that as well - and The National is starting to talk about making music, and I think she’ll probably take a break. But I’m so excited for any future things we might do -- it’s definitely a lifelong relationship. And I’d say the same for all the people who worked on these records, including my brother and everybody who contributed. It’s a really special legacy.

#lmao #I love that she just sends him on a press tour while she chills somewhere #honestly - I'd do that too if I was her #=) #billboard #interview #Aaron Dessner #taylor swift #folklore album #evermore album #evermore era #folklore era #songwriting

[newmusickarl]

Album & EP Recommendations

If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power by Halsey

Halsey’s evolution across her career has been quite something to witness. Having begun her career in pure pop territory, her artistry has developed over time with each new record seeing the American singer-songwriter up the ambition and scope of her music. Now with this her fourth album, Halsey has gone bigger than ever, teaming up with Nine Inch Nails members and Oscar-winning composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for her boldest work to date.

Produced entirely by Reznor and Ross, Halsey describes this new record as “a concept album about the joys and horrors of pregnancy and childbirth.” Naturally with any concept record there is going to be a cinematic feel, however Halsey has gone one step further and even delivered a full theatrical film to accompany the album, the trailer for which you can watch above. Although I am yet to see the film, there is no doubt that the musical portion is a mightily ambitious and accomplished project, with each song seamlessly segueing into the next despite the array of styles and genres across each track.

It may still be a pop record at the heart, but with the masterful touch of Reznor and Ross, Halsey also brings in some industrial rock elements, as well as a bit of pop punk in places too. However, it is not just sonically that Halsey pushes the boundaries but also thematically as well, using the album’s concept to press the issue of feminism and misogyny within the lyrics. Arguably what’s most striking about this record though is how tightly constructed everything is here – under the watchful eye of Reznor and Ross, the dramatic production is inch-perfect.

Most importantly, the songs here are just fantastic, from the religious imagery and glistening synths that lace the wonderful melody of Bells of Santa Fe, to the raw, grungy guitars of You asked for this. There’s also the atmospheric piano ballad 1121, where Halsey really flexes her impressive vocal cords. Pulsating, stylish electro-pop single I am not a woman, I’m a god is another standout. Once you have been amazed by all of this, the gentle plucking and raindrop like xylophone of stunning closer Ya’aburnee arrives to really blow things away.

In a year packed full of outstanding pop records, Halsey has delivered, for my money, one of the best of the lot. With Reznor and Ross holding the reigns, they help Halsey deliver on her epic vision with both style and control. It’s one thing to attempt a record like this, it’s another thing to pull it off as expertly and vibrantly as this – hats off for this one!

Listen here

Screen Violence by CHVRCHES

Also delivering their fourth album this week was Scottish synth-pop group CHVRCHES who, whilst predominantly maintaining their vintage sound, have lyrically pushed themselves into darker territory on this new record. Probably their finest work since their debut, frontwoman Lauren Mayberry takes no prisoners as she tackles sexism and misogyny, calling upon her own experiences within the industry to really illustrate the issues being put front and centre.  

This is highlighted best on electric single Good Girls, a track Mayberry wrote “after listening to some friends arguing about the present-day implications of loving certain problematic male artists – I was struck by the lengths that people would go to in order to excuse their heroes and how that was so juxtaposed to my own experiences in the world.”

Other highlights include He Said She Said, a glistening synth-driven pop banger that’s contrasted against razor-sharp lyrics with a defiant message at its core – catchy, but also powerful and thought-provoking. There’s also the superb collaboration with The Cure legend Robert Smith, How Not to Drown, which is a moody, atmospheric, and synth-soaked belter of a track. Although it is incredible right the way through, the real spine-tingling moment comes during the song’s outro thanks to the ghostly vocals of Smith being cast over some hauntingly melodic guitars. Outside of the singles, the rawness of heartbreaking closer Better If You Don’t leaves the biggest impression.

All in all, this album ranks amongst their best work and although it may not be quite as dramatic or impressionable as Halsey’s album, there’s still plenty to which you’ll want to digest and ultimately keep returning.

Listen here

How Long Do You Think It’s Gonna Last? By Big Red Machine

The National’s Aaron Dessner and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon have certainly kept themselves busy over lockdown. It seems they weren’t satisfied with just taking Taylor Swift’s music to incredible new heights on 2020’s folklore and evermore, as they have now also released their second album under their Big Red Machine guise. The most noticeable thing about this second record is that the duo have extended their collaboration further this time around, bringing in renowned artists such as Ben Howard, Sharon Van Etten, Lisa Hannigan and Fleet Foxes, as well as two more collaborations with Miss Swift herself.

Given the talent involved, it is no surprise that this makes for a really special and stunning collection of songs. There’s wonderful electro-folk track Mimi, which sees singer-songwriter Ilsey Juber join Justin Vernon on lead vocal duties. Phoenix sees Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes and Anaïs Mitchell join in for a wonderful, horn-backed number. This track in fact isn’t the only time Anaïs Mitchell steals the show, as her beautiful, soothing vocal performances on opener Latter Days and closer New Auburn arguably provide the two best moments of the entire album.

The two tracks with Taylor Swift are also fantastic, with Renegade offering a sweet, pop cut that wouldn’t be out of place on either of Swift’s last two records. The better of the two though is Birch, a piano-driven, string-tinged ballad which sees Swift simply providing back-up vocals to Vernon’s haunting folky croons. It’s stunning and possibly my new favourite collaboration between the three artists.

Ultimately this is just a superb album, with Dessner and Vernon thriving alongside their chosen collaborators for a collection of songs that will frequently both move and astound you.

Listen here

Donda by Kanye West

Easily the most talked about album of the week, after several launch events and many, many delays, Kanye West finally released his long-awaited tenth studio album, Donda. Now anyone who knows me knows that I am not a fan of excessive, bloated albums, so with Donda clocking in at almost 2 hours long it was always going to struggle to win me over.

As expected, this is another West project that struggles with inconsistency, with moments of brilliance balanced out with plenty of moments that ultimately underwhelm. Although it has more high points than Ye and the production is more polished than Jesus Is King, there is no track as good as Ghost Town and sonically I found it less inspired than Jesus Is King in many ways. I’m not sure just yet if this is indeed the worst West album, but it is certainly down there in the bottom half for me.

That said, there are still some great moments to be found here. Once you get passed the massively irritating Donda Chant opener (honestly, so painful!), the Jay-Z featuring Jail offers an anthemic rock-influenced gem to get the album started properly. From there The Weeknd featuring Hurricane, the Lauryn Hill sampling Believe What I Say, the heavenly melody of Kid Cudi feature Moon and the organ-backed closer No Child Left Behind provide some of the other highlights. However possibly the finest moment comes in the form of Jesus Lord, a 9-minute epic that sees West deliver some of his best bars in years, returning to the social-consciousness that made him a star in the first place.

If you are a fan of West’s recent gospel-influenced work, then this album will reward you for your patience if you stick with it. For me, although there are some moments I enjoyed, the length was just too much, with this album having the same inconsistency problem that The Life of Pablo had but without reaching the same heights as that album did when it was at its best. Disappointing, but still somewhat worthwhile.

Listen here

The Awesome Album by Mouse Rat

And finally on the albums front, if like me you are a big Parks & Recreation fan, you’ll be pleased to hear that Chris Pratt’s fictional band from the show, Mouse Rat, have finally released their debut album this week. Featuring classics such as 5,000 Candle In The Wind and The Pit, this one is a lot of fun for fans of the show.

Listen here

Tracks of the Week

Good Ones by Charli XCX

Coming off the back of the definitive lockdown album How I’m Feeling Now that earned her both a Mercury Prize nomination and a place in my Top 5 albums of 2020, Charli XCX has returned with a new synth-driven banger that packs in an insanely catchy hook and wonderful 80s vibes.

Listen here

Family Ties by Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar

Also making his return this week was King Kendrick who delivered a fantastic new collaboration with his cousin Baby Keem. Over a brilliant horn-driven beat, the two family members go toe-to-toe and bar-to-bar across this concise hip-hop banger.

Listen here

Alone by Rag N Bone Man & Nothing But Thieves

A remix of a track from Rory Graham’s latest album Life By Misadventure, this version sees Conor Mason of Nothing But Thieves join in on vocals, along with some triumphant rock production that replaces the stripped back nature of the album cut.

Listen here

Spirit Power & Soul by Johnny Marr

The brilliant first track from his forthcoming new EP, Spirit Power & Soul finds legendary guitarist Johnny Marr in fine form, sonically calling back to his days with Bernard Sumner in Electronic. Built on a masterful central riff, pulsating synths and a big anthemic chorus, it’s a belter!

Listen here

Nothing Else Matters by Chris Stapleton

And finally this week, we’ve had plenty of great, unique covers of Nothing Else Matters by Metallica already this year, with Miley Cyrus and Phoebe Bridgers already offering their own take on the classic song. However, I’ve always got time for another and this 8-minute epic from country singer Chris Stapleton is just as dazzling, thanks to some amazing bluesy guitars and his textured vocal performance.

Listen here

#halsey #if i cant have love i want power #trent reznor #atticus ross #nine inch nails #kanye west #donda #chvrches #screen violence #big red machine #justin vernon #aaron dessner #taylor swift #johnny marr #rag n bone man #nothing but thieves #mouse rat #parks and recreation #kendrick lamar #baby keem #chris stapleton #metallica #new music #best new music #album of the week #tracks of the week #album recommendation

[anamericansinger]

playlist: ts album titles referenced in ts albums

This is a playlist of album titles being referenced in Taylor’s discography, based off of this gifset I made. Some of these are stretches, I’ll admit, but it’s still a lot of fun to see these references! The gifset was dedicated to album titles being referenced in other albums, but I included references from the same album in this playlist as well (i.e. reputation references on reputation). I left out other versions of an album title, for example I stuck to “speak” rather than “speaking,” and “red” instead of “redneck” BUT I did include “rep” for “reputation” since that is an abbreviation Taylor uses frequently, and “forevermore” for “evermore” because it’s just such a pretty word and it’s my playlist! Enjoy! Let me know if you’d like other playlists as well - I love studying parallels in Taylor’s music.

Link: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/14oEgPQAdaluiKd7JviZLJ?si=f_-3sGXDQVOtXbk0okoKMA

Lyric Breakdown below the cut!

Note: Some songs have multiple references to an album title, so the lyric you see may not be the only reference in the song!

Taylor Swift

22 - Who’s Taylor Swift anyway? Ew.

Begin Again - You said you never met one girl who had as many James Taylor records as you, but I do.

Ready for It? - And he can be my jailer, Burton to this Taylor.

Look What You Made Me Do - I'm sorry, the old Taylor can't come to the phone right now.

Fearless

Fearless - You take my hand and drag me head first fearless

The Man - I'd be a fearless leader, I'd be an alpha type

Speak Now

Forever & Always - We almost never speak, I don't feel welcome anymore

Speak Now - You need to hear me out and they said, "Speak now."

Innocent - Did some things you can't speak of but at night you live it all again

Ours - And I love the riddles that you speak

Illicit Affairs - You taught me a secret language I can't speak with anyone else

Epiphany - And some things you just can't speak about

Red

Red- But loving him was red

All Too Well - You almost ran the red 'cause you were looking over at me

The Moment I Knew - Standing there in my party dress, in red lipstick

Style - And I got that red lip classic thing that you like

Wildest Dreams - Red lips and rosy cheeks

End Game - So here's the truth from my red lips

I Did Something Bad - Crimson-red paint on my lips

Look What You Made Me Do - I've got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined

Daylight - I once believed love would be (Burning red)

Only The Young - Their hands are stained with red

The Lakes - A red rose grew up out of ice frozen ground

Gold Rush - I don't like anticipating my face in a red flush

1989

Mary’s Song - I'll be eighty-seven; you'll be eighty-nine

Reputation

Superman - He's not all bad like his reputation

End Game - Reputation precedes me, they told you I'm crazy

Delicate - My reputation's never been worse, so you must like me for me

I Forgot That You Existed - Got out some popcorn as soon as my rep started going down

Lover

The Lucky One - And your lover in the foyer doesn't even know you

Blank Space - Got a long list of ex-lovers, they'll tell you I'm insane

Call It What You Want - I'm laughing with my lover

Lover - Swear to be over-dramatic and true to my lover

ME! - Baby doll, when it comes to a lover

Folklore

Gold Rush - My mind turns your life into folklore

Evermore

Welcome To New York - I could dance to this beat, forevermore

New Year’s Day - You and me forevermore

Long Story Short - And my waves meet your shore ever and evermore

Evermore - This pain wouldn't be for evermore

#taylor swift #tswiftedit #tscreators #creations #fearless #speak now #red #1989 #reputation #lover #folklore #evermore #candyswift #taylor swift edit

[septembersghost]

do you think Taylor will announce something on Thursday? I'm anxious!

I think there is a very good chance, especially if the glaringly obvious clues from her Colbert skit mean anything! my guess is that it will be the 1989 re-recording announcement and whatever the first single may be, which is fun to speculate about! I personally don’t think it will be SIO, as ubiquitous as the song still is, it feels like she’ll mix it up a little and won’t release the original leads from every album (Love Story made the most sense for Fearless and the launch of the re-record projects in general, but she may surprise us from here on out!). I would love for it to be Wildest Dreams, since we’ve already had the teases of that one and have known about it for a while, and it would follow really beautifully sonically, especially if she wants to allure not only long-standing fans, but the newer ones who came in with folklore/evermore - cardigan -> willow -> Love Story -> Wildest Dreams is a lovely progression. (when Red comes, I wouldn’t be shocked at all if she gives us All Too Well, despite it never being a single, since it so often tops fans’ and critics’ “best of Taylor” songs lists, so she may lean into romanticism and storytelling for all the leads? like I could definitely foresee, when the time comes, reputation’s lead being Delicate rather than LWYMMD again. I also suspect she may not necessarily want to revisit the “clapback” songs like SIO/WANEGBT/LWYMMD as leads). all that said, the hook for 1989 could also easily be Blank Space (because it’s iconic) or Style (because it’s pop perfection), all depending on the mood she wants to set and how she wants to bring us in! we shall see! even with as much clowning as has gone on in the fanbase lately, I still don’t think it’s unreasonable to dust off your highest hopes for this upcoming thirteenth. 💕

edit: hindsight two weeks later and this was completely wrong lol, and now I have no idea what all that silliness on Colbert was about, but as wholly off-base as this was, I'm leaving it up because I'm a circus clown who hasn't been sent home 🤡🤡🤡

#anonymous #letterbox

[francisp0rter]

The Grammy Awards are Decadent and Depraved

By Blunted

Before writing anything about the Grammy Awards, it should be duly noted that nobody really gives a shit. Everyone knows that the nominated artists are nowhere near the best the industry has to offer, but at the end of the day (8PM EST, to be specific) we all tune in to watch the big train wreck in the hopes that at least a couple of shining moments will come through. 

The whole thing was off to a bleak start when, in an astoundingly bone-headed move, the Grammys decided to relegate the Rap Album of the Year awards to the pre-show, forcing one of the greatest emcees who ever lived to accept his first Grammy nomination in complete silence. The argument in the Grammys favour is that none of the nominees are popular enough to warrant a spot on the main show, but that doesn’t seem to matter so much to the Grammys when they drag out H.E.R, who elicits a collective “who the fuck is that?” anytime she appears on screen. 

And even if it’s a case of the nominees not being popular enough, why nominate them in the first place? Freddie Gibbs and Royce Da 5’9 don’t need the Grammys, we already know that they’re two of the best poets this great genre has to offer. And Nas CERTAINLY doesn’t need the Grammys, as he’s gone his whole illustrious career without even receiving one. How are you gonna make him accept his first ever Grammy award off-air like he’s winning Best Classical Compendium or some shit? 

For the Grammys to nominate these incredible talents and then stick them in the pre-show is not only an insult but just downright fucking dumb. Letting Nas on the Grammy stage to accept his first ever award would have done a hell of a lot more to remedy the Weeknd boycott situation than having Harvey Mason Jr. come on screen and beg everyone not to be mad at him.

With that being said, the 63rd Grammy Awards were pretty god-damn weird. You could probably chalk the strange vibes up to the lack of a real audience and the battle-of-the-bands style layout the Grammys opted for, but that’s not entirely it. Something else was off, something nearly intangible. After about an hour of this uncanny-valley feeling, I realized where it was coming from: Trevor Noah. 

Possibly the least funny person on the entire planet Earth, Trevor Noah bumbled his way through over three hours of jokes that would have bombed even if they were performed at an open mic night in Tacoma, Washington. The only funny thing that left his mouth was, 

“Gobble me, swallow me, drip down the side of me. We’re back at the 63rd Grammy Awards,” and it was only funny because it didn’t make any fucking sense. 

Worst host of all time aside, the show ranged from pretty good to downright cringe-inducing, with some moments of greatness sprinkled in. Billie Eilish kicked the show off with a sleepy performance of her Record of the Year nominated track “Everything I Wanted,” in which she sang on top of a luxury car submerged in a cloud of smoke. Eilish, as always, left little to be desired and delivered her performance with the precision of a well-trained theatre kid. There’s an inherent starry-eyed quality to Eilish’s music, but her talents make it easy to look past. 

Haim’s blistering performance of “The Steps” was stellar. The group’s musicality was on full display as Danielle Haim led the track on drums and vocals, before quietly switching out with her sister Alana to take centre stage, proving once again that the best way to make a splash at the Grammys is simply by playing music and playing it well. 

Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak also gave two incredible performances as Silk Sonic. The first was a Soul Train-inspired rendition of their brand new track “Leave the Door Open” that looked like it was equally as fun to perform as it was to watch. Later, the duo took the stage and set the place on fire with a tribute to Little Richard. Anderson’s drumming was the highlight of the performance, and whoever was running the sound seemed to know this too, centring the rhythm section in the most prominent part of the mix. 

There were plenty of moments that were good, but not overly special that I’m gonna run through really quick here. Harry Styles came through and did his cool gender-bending thing. I really like “Watermelon Sugar,” I think it’s a perfect pop song, and I think Harry Styles is way too good to have ever been in One Direction. I’m excited for his next album and that’s all I really have to say about him.

Taylor Swift’s performance was excellent, and it was great to see her bring out Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff and give them the credit they deserve for helping her expand her sound on her stellar 2020 offerings “Folklore” and “Evermore.” 

Meg Thee Stallion, Cardi B, and Dua Lipa banged out some hyper-sexual performances that didn’t really seem to have a point other than being shocking. But the songs are nice and at least Meg can rap.

Oh, and Beyonce broke the record for most Grammys ever. Does anyone really give a shit about that? I thought it would be a bigger deal. 

The rap performances left something to be desired, which is an absolute fucking shame considering the emcees they had nominated in the Rap Album of the Year category. DaBaby came out and did his one flow, and then Roddy Ricch joined him, which was nice. Roddy’s solo performance was actually really great. He’s one of the first rappers I’ve seen play an instrument while rapping. Scarface is the only other one to my memory. Maybe Mac Miller, too. 

Lil Baby’s performance was, at first, captivating and powerful, but upon further inspection feels kind of weak, especially considering the weird diatribe from neoliberal grifter Tamika Mallory that he placed halfway through the performance. Re-enacting a police killing with paid actors was also a little tasteless in retrospect. Baby rapped his ass off though, and hopefully his performance will show clueless rap fans that trap music isn’t just a genre meant to soundtrack frat parties.

The worst performance of the night belonged to Post Malone, as it so often does. The Texas troglodyte appeared on stage in the worst Blade costume I’ve ever seen to deliver a dead-in-the-water rendition of his abysmally bad single “Hollywood’s Bleeding.” I remember there was a time when Post Malone’s whole thing was being this pop-crossover Bob Dylan type with rap aesthetics. I didn’t like it, but it was infinitely better than whatever weird gothic thing he’s doing now. 

All things considered, the Grammys were the Grammys. You can’t really expect too much from them. While the highs were really high, the lows were so unbelievably low that it was almost embarrassing. Before I sign off, I just wanna give another quick “fuck you” to Harvey Mason Jr. You’re the worst, man. 

#features

[happymeishappylife]

Favorite Albums and Music of 2020

Since we’re nearing the end of the year, I thought it would be good to reflect on my end of the years goals and also the things I took pleasure in this year seeing as crazy and emotional as this year has been. So over the next few days I plan to share how my goals went, what I’m proud of and how to continue, and what I enjoyed in this year of 2020. Beginning with my favorite music from this year.

Here’s my top albums:

1. Superbloom by Misterwives

Favorite Songs: superbloom, running in place, muse, 3 small words, coming up for air, decide to be happy, the end, whywhywhy, and it’s my turn

This album was such a lifesaver for me this year. While no I didn’t go through a gut wrenching breakup romantically, many of the songs were the heartache I felt after the falling out I had with the company I left and the despair I felt during the chaos. But then superbloom the single came out just after it all had passed and like the song said, I felt better. I had come out the other side and I deserved congratulations because I didn’t think I could survive. The happier songs then made me smile and feel better as 2020 got worse and mental health was a trial. I will forever be grateful for a gift of an album that this was.

2. Manic by Halsey

Favorite Songs: I’m Still Learning, 929, Graveyard, You Should Be Sad, Without You

I still listen to many of these songs daily even though this was one of the first albums of the year. Halsey’s voice and lifestory are reflected so authentically through the music and it’s just a wonderfully put together album. Can’t wait to hear more from her. I was supposed to see Halsey live this year, but that didn’t happen. She rescheduled to 2021, but I have a feeling June won’t be doable just yet.

3. No One Else Can Wear Your Crown by Oh Wonder

Favorite Songs: Hallelujah, Dust, Better Now, Happy, I Wish I Never Met You

Hallelujah was originally going to be my theme song this year, but when 2020 took its turn that changed. Still the third album is a treasure and a lot the music’s lyrics still bring comfort and catharsis for me throughout the year. I was supposed to seem them live, but whenever the virus clears I can’t wait to them perform these songs.

4. evermore by Taylor Swift

Favorite Songs: Majorie, Willow, Ivy, Coney Island, No Body No Crime, Closure

5. folklore by Taylor Swift

Favorite Songs: Illicit Affairs, The 1, peace, this is me trying, betty, cardigan

Taylor, the very fact you put out two huge albums this year is mind blowing enough, but they are wondeful and the alternative style suits you very much. These have been wonderful albums to relax and work to and the stories behind the lyrics are great for the imagination to run away with. And while it just came out, I’ve been listening to evermore almost on repeat since it came out because not only is a great sister album, but the storytelling just feels deeper. So thank you!

6. Under My Influence by the Aces

Favorite Songs: Going Home, My Phone is Trying to Kill Me, Lost Angeles, Daydream, Kelly, 801

I loved that these girls continue to put out solid albums and this one was not only another elevation of their style, but by letting the songs reflect the sexuality of its members, it brought it to another level. This is only the second album from them, but its clear they are bringing more exciting music and perspective onto the scene. Can’t wait for more.

7. Post Human Survival Horror by Bring Me The Horizon

Favorite Songs: Kingslayer, Ludgens, Parasite Eve, Obey, Teardrops

I never could picture myself saying I was a fan of harder metal or a fan of Bring Me the Horizon, but this album changed that and I have Babymetal to thank for that. Their collab on Kingslayer is not only the pure chaos and fun that is Babymetal, but hearing the reason behind the lyrics and meaning of the song gives me a great perspective on what BMTH was trying to achieve not only with this song but the whole album, which is you do fight back, you do what you can to end corruption, you don’t give up no matter the cost.

8. Conversations with Myself About You by lovelytheband

Favorite Songs: waste, loneliness for love, flowers (on my grave), I should be happy

During the times where it was harder to put up a front of being okay or being positive on what’s going on, I felt this album carried that perfect feeling of dejected, hating on yourself, and feeling empty which is why it became a favorite. Not that you ever want to wallow in those feelings, but when you need a moment to just sit with them, this album hit the right feelings.

9. Strange Days by The Struts

Favorite Songs: Strange Days, All Dressed Up (With Nowhere to Go), Burn It Down, Wild Child

The anthem album for 2020. It takes you through the emotions of feelings of being in quarantine, wanting to have fun when you can’t go out, and wondering when or if this will end anytime soon. I loved the way the band encapsulated this in this album and also still made it sound like a solid Struts album. I can’t wait to party with them again some days, but it was nice that they could capture their own feelings of this year into such a solid album.

10. High Road by Kesha

Favorite Songs: Chasing Thunder, High Road, Birthday Suit, Potato Song (Because I Want To)

This was another great album by Kesha. It had its fun and silly songs and lyrics which you come to just enjoy with her, the fun party dance songs to just have a good time, but the surprise hit was Chasing Thunder. Again, it felt like this was a song that called to me and reverberated inside me as a way to describe who I am and what my life goals were and its something that whenever it came on gave me hope, when hope was hard to find.

Notable Mentions:

1. Carry On by The Score

2. Alicia by Alicia Keys

3. A Letter to My Younger Self by Quinn XCII

4. Colour Vision by Max

5. Rare by Selena Gomez

6. The Original Motion Picture Show Part 2 by Saint Motel

7. This is Our Life EP by Des Rocs

8. Goosebumps EP by Bastille

And some of my favorite songs this year that didn’t come from albums or I didn’t get the full album to enjoy (or in OneRepublic’s case: didn’t actually release the album and pushed it back until March 2021...):

1. Bang! by AJR

2. Bummerland by AJR

3. Level of Concern by twenty one pilots

4. Didn’t I by One Republic

5. Lasting Lover by Sigala

6. Not in the Same Way by 5 Seconds of Summer

7. Bored by Tessa Violet ft. Mandy Lee

8. Happy Face by Jagwar Twin

9. Be Kind by Marshmello ft. Halsey

10. Blinding Lights by The Weeknd

11. BxMxC by Babymetal

12. Dynamite by BTS

13. Head Up High by FITZ

14. OK Not to Be Okay by Marshmello ft. Demi Lovato

15. Only the Young by Taylor Swift

16. Perfecta by Luis Fonsi ft. Farruko

17. Still Have Me by Demi Lovato

18. Turning Up (R3HAB Remix) by Arashi

19. Wanted by OneRepublic

20. Wayne by Des Rocs

21. Brick by Brick by American Authors

22. Microphone by American Authors

#reflecting on 2020 #favorite albums #favorite music