Taylor Swift has done it again!!
The singer released her 10th studio album, Midnights, at the stroke of midnight on Friday! To the surprise of fans, the 13-track album was accompanied by seven bonus songs released at 3 a.m. today. So it’s been a busy morning for Swifties!! With 20 new songs comes lots of cryptic lyrics about Taylor’s life, love, and enemies — so, let’s break down exactly what the pop star revealed (below)!
Contents
Lavender Haze
The first song of the album was as sweet as it can be! Leading up to the release, Taylor actually told fans on Instagram the track Lavender Haze is all about her six-year relationship with her boyfriend Joe Alwyn! Awww! She shared:
“I happened on the phrase ‘lavender haze’ when I was watching Mad Men, and I looked it up because I thought it sounded cool, and it turns out that it’s a common phrase used in the ’50s where they would just describe being in love. If you were in the lavender haze that meant you were in that all-encompassing love glow. I thought that was really beautiful.
I guess, theoretically, when you’re in the lavender haze you’ll do anything to stay there and not let people bring you down off of that cloud. I think a lot of people have to deal with this now, not just ‘public figures,’ because we live in the era of social media, and if the world finds out that you’re in love with somebody they’re going to weigh in on it. Like my relationship for six years, we’ve had to dodge weird rumors, tabloid stuff and we just ignore it. This song is sort of about the act of ignoring that stuff to protect the real stuff.”
The songwriter made reference to the media and online scrutiny the couple faces with lyrics like:
“Talk your talk and go viral / I just need this love spiral / Get it off your chest / Get it off my desk.”
Also, this song was co-written by Zoë Kravitz, who is seemingly in her own Lavender Haze with Channing Tatum!
Maroon
Things quickly turned more serious with Maroon. The heartbreaking song naturally draws connections to Red — though seemingly more mature with these lyrics with Taylor singing:
“How the hell did we lose sight of us again? / Sobbing with your head in your hands / Ain’t that the way s**t always ends.”
She continues:
“The rust that grew between telephones / The lips I used to call home / So scarlet, it was maroon.”
It seems unlikely that this track was inspired by her beau. But it could be referencing the time she infamously danced with ex Tom Hiddleston at the 2016 Met Gala in NYC since lyrics continued:
“And I lost you / The one I was dancing with / In New York, no shoes / Looked up at the sky and it was, maroon.”
Hmmm…
Anti-Hero
This is one of the performer’s favorite songs — and it already has an iconic music video (above)! In this track, Taylor gets very personal about her insecurities, saying during the Anti-Hero chorus:
“I’m the problem, it’s me / At tea time everybody agrees / I’ll stare directly at the sun, but never in the mirror / It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero.”
Speaking to fans on IG last week, the star revealed:
“I really don’t think I’ve delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before. You know, I struggle a lot with the idea that my life has been unmanageably-sized. And not to sound too dark, but I just struggle with the idea of not feeling like a person.”
“This song is real guided tour throughout all the things I tend to hate about myself. We all hate things about ourselves and it’s all of those aspects of the things we dislike and like about ourselves that we have to come to terms with if we’re gonna be this person.”
Snow On The Beach (Ft. Lana Del Rey)
The first and only collab on Midnights features none other than the Lana Del Rey! The dreamy track titled Snow On The Beach chronicles the “weird but f**king beautiful” feelings of falling in love while comparing romance to the unusual sight of snow falling at the beach. The Grammy winner sings with the help of Lana’s background vocals:
“And it’s like snow at the beach / Weird, but f**king beautiful / Flying in a dream / Stars by the pocketful/You wanting me / Tonight feels impossible / But it’s coming down / No sound, it’s all around.”
Taylor elaborated on IG:
“It’s about falling in love with someone at the same time as they’re falling in love with you in this sort of cataclysmic, fated moment, where you realize someone feels exactly the same way that you feel at the same moment. You’re kind of looking around going, ‘Wait is this real? Is this a dream? Is this for real? Is it really happening?’ Kind of like it would be if you were to see snow falling on a beach.”
You’re On Your Own, Kid
Oof. Grab your tissues for this one! Track five is known for being an emotional one — think Dear John and All Too Well — and this latest addition to the list is no different. The song discusses Taylor’s childhood as she discovered her passion for songwriting and the sacrifices she’s made to get to where she is today. She shares in You’re On Your Own, Kid:
“Something different bloomed / Writing in my room / I played my songs in the parking lot.”
It goes on to address Taylor’s rise to fame, even referencing her struggles with an eating disorder:
“I gave my blood, sweat and tears for this / I hosted parties / And starved my body / Like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss / The jokes weren’t funny, I took the money / My friends from home don’t know what to say / I looked around in a blood-soaked gown / And I saw something they can’t take away.”
She adds:
“You can face this / You’re on your own, kid / You always have been.”
In her Netflix documentary Miss Americana, Taylor opened up about struggling with ED after constantly seeing photos of herself or hearing comments about her body.
Midnight Rain
Back with some cryptic references to her love life! In Midnight Rain, the 32-year-old reflects on a past relationship when the romance didn’t work out because of her career. The former country star muses:
“He wanted a bride / I was making my own name / Chasing that fame.”
She then wonders if she made the right choice to walk away:
“Sometimes we all get / Some kind of haunted / And I never think of him / Except for midnights like this.”
Some fans believe Swift is singing about her short-lived relationship with Hiddleston — thoughts??
Question…?
Taylor’s got a Q for one of her exes in Question…? Singing to a former flame, the vocalist wonders how things are going now that he’s moved on, saying:
“Does it feel like everything’s just like second best after that meteor strike? / And what’s that that I heard / That you’re still with her? / That’s nice / I’m sure that’s what’s suitable.”
Fun fact: she also samples her own hit Out of the Woods in this song! So, if something sounds familiar, that’s why!
Vigilante S**t
The new Bad Blood! If there’s one thing TayTay knows how to do, it’s writing a damn good revenge anthem! And she’s coming for blood with this one! In Vigilante S**t, Swift belts:
“Draw the cat eye sharp enough to kill a man / You did some bad things, but I’m the worst of them.”
She goes on to hint at who she’s singing to, adding:
“She gets the house, gets the kids, gets the pride / Picture me, thick as thieves with your ex-wife.”
Oh!
Now, the “ex-wife” reference could mean a lot of things, but it seems likely this track is calling out one of her enemies — AKA Scooter Braun or Kanye West since they’re both divorced! Also, the new album was released on Kim Kardashian‘s 42nd birthday (happy b-day, girl!). Seems like Taylor’s trying to send a signal. After all, the reality TV star did end up with “the house,” “the kids,” and many would say, “the pride.” Scooter got the house in his divorce from Yael Cohen Braun.
Bejeweled
Taylor might be in love, but she’s never going to let a man dull her sparkle! She makes that clear with these Bejeweled lyrics:
“Baby love, I think I’ve been a little too kind / Didn’t notice you walking all over my peace of mind / You can try to change my mind, but you might have to wait in line / What’s a girl gonna do / A diamond’s gotta shine.”
Cute! Just so her man understands how serious she is, she continues:
“Best believe I’m still bejeweled / When I walk in the room / I can still make the whole place shimmer / And when I meet the band, they ask, ‘Do you have a man?’ / I could still say, ‘I don’t remember.’”
Hah!
Labyrinth
Once again, Taylor Swift remains the queen of clues! Turns out she was teasing the track Labyrinth all the way back in May when she delivered a graduation speech at NYU! Yes, really! Both at the event and in the song, she says:
“Breathe in, breathe through, breathe deep, breathe out.”
In terms of the song, though, it’s actually a bit tragic! She notes:
“I’ll be gettin’ over you my whole life.”
She also acknowledged how the world expects her to just “bounce back” after a heartbreak, adding:
“You know how much I hate that everybody expects me to just bounce back / Just like that.”
Karma
OK, OK. Fans were ready for this one! Most people believed it was going to be a clap back at Kanye following their ongoing feud. But it actually sounds way more like she’s taking aim at Scooter, whom she’s been feuding with ever since he bought her master recordings! Taylor sings in Karma:
“You’re talking s**t for the hell of it / Addicted to betrayal, but you’re relevant / You’re terrified to look down / ‘Cause if you dare you’ll see the glare of everyone you burned just to get there.”
Making it pretty obvious she’s probably talking about Justin Bieber‘s manager, she notes her “pennies made your crown,” stating:
“Spider boy, king of thieves / Weave your little webs of opacity / My pennies made your crown / Trick me once, trick me twice / Don’t you know that cash ain’t the only price? It’s coming back around.”
And:
“Ask me what I learned from all those years / Ask me what I earned from all those tears / Ask me why so many fade, while I’m still here.”
Oop! That last line!
Sweet Nothing
Here’s an inneresting one! Sweet Nothing was written with the help of her boyfriend, who uses the now-famous pseudonym, William Bowery. But it also could be a reference to her ex Calvin Harris since he has a song with the SAME name that was released in October 2012. So many similarities!
TBH, judging from the co-writer and the lyrics, it seems like a slice of life ballad about Taylor and Joe’s romance. Take a look:
“They said the end is coming / Everyone’s up to something / I found myself a-running home to your sweet nothings / Outside they’re push and shoving / You’re in the kitchen humming / All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothing.”
AW!
Mastermind
Another one all about Joe! Turns out Taylor had her sights set on the actor from the moment they met, she revealed in the album closer, Mastermind:
‘”What if I told you none of it was accidental? And the first night that you saw me / Nothing was gonna stop me / I laid the groundwork, and then / Just like clockwork / The dominoes cascaded in the line / What if I told you I’m a mastermind? And now you’re minе / It was all by design / ‘Cause I’m a mastermind.”
Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve
The most noteworthy bonus track seems to discuss one of her most infamous relationships… with John Mayer!!
Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve, which was released as part of the special Midnights (3am Edition), makes a very clear reference to a significant age gap amid a former relationship. Taylor and John dated when she was just 19 and he was 32, so, most Swifties are convinced this is a dig about him!
In a similar vein to Demi Lovato‘s 29, she calls out the older man for getting into a relationship with a “child,” singing:
“If you would’ve blinked then I would’ve looked away at the first glance / If you tasted poison you could’ve spit me out at the first chance / And 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?”
She even dramatically asks:
“Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first.”
OOOOF. Not a good look for John!
Taylor never fails to give us some cryptic tea about her life in her music and we’re sure this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to decoding these new songs. Since Midnights is set to be a visual album, we just now fans are going to have so much more to pick apart from the upcoming videos! Thoughts so far? Are you digging these new songs? SOUND OFF (below)!!
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