When Swift released the first single off her fourth album, Red, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” many true fans, endearingly known as Swifties, were upset. Albeit catchy, the song is filled with awkward monologues of talking and too much sass. It’s just not Taylor.
What is Taylor, however, are the boy-hating and love-struck songs, that fill the rest of the album, satisfying loyal Swift fans with both the content and sound of the record.
But, if you aren’t one of the 1.3 million T-Swift fans who purchased Red in the first week of sales, Taylor Swift’s new album is worth immediately purchasing and driving around singing as loudly as possible in your car.
For Red, a new single was released every Monday for four weeks prior to the album release date. These songs included “State of Grace,” “Red,” “I Knew You Were Trouble,” and “Begin Again,” and are all classic Taylor Swift songs with lyrics about love and hating boys when they ruin her perfect fairy tale.
Although Swift is known for repeating melodies and writing songs so similar they blend together, that is not the case for this album. On Swift’s previous album, Speak Now, many fans felt like Swift’s music did not evolve and seemed very repetitive and similar to other tracks. Red, unlike Swift’s past two albums, is very experimental.
On this album, while Swift has strayed from her supposed country roots, she is exploring the cross over between pop and country. While some songs sound very country, others sound like straight bubble-gum pop. Because she attempts to appeal to both country and pop fans, it is inevitable that the country fans will find the album a little too pop, and her pop fans will cringe at the songs for being too country.
That being said, Red is truly eclectic. From catchy pop anthems with hints of dub-step beats like “I Knew You Were Trouble” to mellow, country ballads like “All Too Well” each song has a different feeling and message.
One of the attributes of Swift’s success is her ability to share her personal stories through song with her fans. Although many listeners speculate about the subjects of her songs, Swift keeps their identities anonymous, allowing fans to participate in a world-wide guessing game.
Swift does drop us a few clues. In her lyric booklet, she highlights certain letters to spell out hints. For instance, because of the hint in “Starlight” a song about falling in love in the “Summer of ’45,” the clue “For Ethel” tells listeners that the song is about Ethel Kennedy.
Some hints, however, are not so obvious. On the song “Holy Ground” the hint is “that time you came to the show in sd.” Is SD code for San Diego or South Dakota? The speculations are numerous, as Swift has had many high profile relationships with stars, including Harry Styles of One Direction, Jake Gyllenhall, John Mayer and Conner Kennedy.
Personally, the only two songs that should be skipped on your iPod are “Stay Stay Stay” and “Sad Beautiful Tragic.” Both seem out of place on the record. “Stay Stay Stay” is too peppy and annoying, discussing how a boy chose to “stay stay stay” instead of leaving, while “Sad Beautiful Tragic” is too slow, whiny, and depressing.
A standout is “The Lucky One.” Unlike most of Swift’s go-to subject matter, the song describes a celebrity who has chosen to be out of the spotlight and has traded “the rose garden over Madison Square.” The honest approach and raw emotion of this song are perfect, and a change of pace from songs of heartbreak or love.
Another song worth listening to due to its melody and lyrics is “Everything Has Changed.” Co-written by a certain red-head from Britain, the song is the perfect mix of mellow and not-too-sappy happiness. Ed Sheeran, who also sings on the record, will be joining Swift on her upcoming tour as well. His raspy voice meshes well with Swift’s sweet and soft harmonies on the track.
Now, while I admit I have been a avid Swiftie for a long time, I was worried that when the curly hair was gone, so too was the old Taylor. Yet, while the hair might be straighter than before, the songs are still of the same quality and are just as relatable to young fans.
