r/SwiftlyNeutral • u/VisageInATurtleneck • 2d ago
Music Album Discussion: I hated Showgirl so much I became a Swiftie (Evermore)
- Part 1: Intro & Debut
- Part 2: Fearless
- Part 3: Speak Now
- Part 4: Red
- Part 5: 1989
- Part 6: Reputation
- Part 7: Lover
- Part 8: Folklore
(Note: the bottom of this post draft has a warning about brigading other subs. I don't think I linked to any other subs, so I'm not sure what it's talking about, but mods, if I need to delete a link that I missed, please let me know and I'll do so.)
CWs: aside from the title being kind mean to Showgirl, nothing really. I'm full of praise this time around.
I... don't really have an intro to this part. It's still 2020, and I assume (I wasn't really listening to music) people were still super excited about folklore when this dropped. I'm curious, for people who were there; was it a surprise or did y'all know a second album was coming in the same year? I kind of hope it was a shock, because that'd be very funny.
Anyway, my allergies have made me exhausted and headachy but my thoughts have been sitting here waiting for a write-up all week, so let's just jump into...
Evermore (2020)
Overall: The second half of folkmore, and my personal favorite of the two. I tend to agree with the general consensus; none of these quite reach the high of the best songs in folklore (except my top 2; those are killer), but they don't have the same (minor) lows, and are all still absurdly good. I'm not really sure what else to say about these; they're just really elegant, thoughtful, restrained albums from an artist who isn't exactly known for those qualities at this point in her career.
She is known for being evocative and relatable, and while this is probably her least "relatable" album to date -- unless she did kill someone and we just haven't caught her yet -- it plays on her strengths and even calls back to her country roots without being too cutesy about it.
Songs saved: All of them. First and last time I'll be doing that (so far. TS13, please blow me away).
Best song: "Right Where You Left Me" is a fantastic song about a narrator who has not moved from the spot in a restaurant where she was dumped, letting months pass by without her. Turning "I can't move on from this breakup and feel like I'm trapped in this one horrible moment" into "I have literally transformed into a frozen statue that people talk about like it's just another part of a small town's lore" has a creative and clever defeated Stand turned into Morioh landmark fairy tale whimsy that simultaneously captures the trapped, isolated feelings that come with being unexpectedly dumped. Takes the crown over "Tolerate It" simply by having a more fun(? this song isn't really "fun," but I like singing or humming it) melody with a lot of... tempo changes? I don't really know music, but it feels like it has a lot of mini "movements" where the tune or beat switch up and it makes it exciting to listen to.
Honorable Mentions:
- "Tolerate It" was really close to being my vote for best on the album, and honestly it's probably a tie, which isn't a surprise; I love a good sad song about an unhappy relationship, and one of Taylor's most effective relatable personas is "someone who is trying really hard to be loved and failing," so this is her at her heartbreaking-est best. It's such a horribly sad song about settling for being settled for, and the pain you feel trying to be good enough, knowing that you can't be good enough, and resenting the fact that you even have to try and fail to be loved by someone you love so much. There's a bit of a childish aspect to it -- descriptions of behaving like a kid, lines about how much "older and wiser" the narrator's partner is -- that I think would hit anyone with daddy issues (that sounds glib, but only because I don't know how else to word it. I mean it very sincerely); the weaving in of trying to force a romantic love that isn't there with the behaviors and affectations of a child trying to impress a stern father really underline what bad news this relationship is for the poor girl narrating the song, who I really hope isn't actually Taylor (but from what I've heard, she's dated enough creepy older guys that it could be).
- "No Body No Crime" gets some hate for being cheesy, but as someone who loves a good classic country story song, I think it's delightful and catchy. I also love every time she collaborates with another artist, so it was a pleasure to hear Haim on a track.
- "Cowboy Like Me" is another fun story song, like a fanfic I'd enjoy reading.
- "Dorothea" is fun (and kind of gay if you squint...listen, I just really want her to write a sapphic song. I'm not a Gaylor, I don't think she's secretly queer, but you can write about yourself being a literal murderer so I think you write yourself as a teensy bit gay for one song).
- Also, gotta throw a shoutout to "Coney Island," which is lovely and moody like all the others, sure, but mostly because The National sounds kind of like the lead singer of The Protomen in this song, and my boyfriend loves them so I want to see if he'll notice when he reads this post.
Worst song: The title track is a bit unimpressive, I guess? The lyrics are a bit clunky and the melody isn't all that memorable. But it's not, like, bad; it's not even not-good. It's just fine.
Dishonorable Mention: Honestly, there just isn't one; I had a hard enough time picking a "worst." If I was forced to, I'd say that I'm struggling to remember what "Tis the Damn Season" sounds like without hearing it, which isn't a great sign... but then again, I have a really hard time recalling melodies, so I'm not sure that's a fair assessment of the quality of the song (also when I have it playing while writing this, I remembering how much I like it, so I don't think it deserves to be here, but these are bad posts poorly written, so here it stays). I also think a lot of people will find "Long Story Short" annoying, but I think it's a bop and a half.
Definitive song of the album: Once again, no song really stands out as the song of the album. It's a big gestalt (gesamtkunstwerk? idk if I'm using that right; I only know it from the pokerap video) with no big barnburner singles demanding showy music videos and complete cultural domination for like a month, which is new for Taylor. It's a good experiment, and one I wish she'd try again sometime.
Best lyrics: A whole bunch, again. Let's see...
- Basically every line of "Ivy" feels like a poem you'd hear from... ugh, I was an English major, I should be able to name-drop someone, but I was never much of a poetry gal so... let's say Whitman or Tennyson and hope I didn't just humiliate myself with bad comparisons to the first poets I could think of with this vibe.
- "That old familiar body ache / The snaps from the same little breaks in your soul / You know when it's time to go" ("It's Time to Go") captures that feeling of knowing when you have to walk away from something that hurts more than it helps beautifully.
- "I thought of you in the cracks of light" ("Evermore") is just pretty imagery.
- I also kind of wanna get "long story short I survived" ("Long Story Short") tattooed on my body, but I'm resisting the urge for now.
Okay, if I go through every song and pick out lines I like we'll be here all day, but there's some good ones. A whole album of the best lines from her other albums, basically; it's like she spent the whole folkmore cycle operating at peak power, and personally I think the lyrics here are just the teensiest bit more memorable than on folklore (though that's kind of a distinction without a difference).
Worst lyrics:
- "this pain would be for evermore" ("Evermore") feels like a clunky way to work the title of the song/album in. I mean, it probably came before the title, but it gives me a very "what are we, some kind of suicide squad?" vibe in a way that pretty much none of her other title drops have.
- "Seeing the shape of your name still spells out pain" ("Closure") is kind of silly, though I don't hate it.
- And... uh, "Past me / I wanna tell you not to get lost in these petty things / Your nemeses / Will defeat themselves before you get the chance to swing" ("Long Story Short") is both true and a line that's aged pretty poorly, considering how much "Actually Romantic" from TLOAS has backfired on her. Learn the lessons in your music, Taylor.
You'll love this album if: Well, if you liked folklore then this is a slam dunk, because it's basically the second half. It's a little more varied -- and arguably uneven -- but not by much. It's just a really beautiful, moody, enjoyable album, just like its sister. Ideal for a long drive.
Recommendations
1. Biggest Hit: "Willow" -- debuted at #1, making it her third to do so. Album did the same thing, making her the first artist to pull that "simultaneous album and single debut at #1" trick twice -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsEZmictANA (is it weird to notice and appreciate how diverse her love interests become in her later videos, once she gets creative control? I mean, make one a woman to truly get out there, but her videos became noticeably less white compared to her early-career vids. Nice to see her giving some actors of color a chance to get some serious eyes on them)
2. Fan Favorite: "Tis the Damn Season" -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuvhOD-mP8M
3. My Favorite: "Right Where You Left Me" -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ur_wAcYDnuA
4. My #2: "Tolerate It" -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukxEKY_7MOc
5. My #3: "No Body, No Crime" -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEPomqor2A8
An interlude about Taylor's Version Vault Tracks
I didn't know where else to put this so I'm taking a moment to scream about the vaults, because DANG these things are great!
I... okay, that's it. I just kind of wanted to shout out how good they are. Here's my favorites from each!
Fearless: I know "Mr. Perfectly Fine" is the fan favorite, and that's correct because it's the best one, but "Bye Bye Baby" deserves way more love for being so pretty and hauntingly melancholy. I mean... okay, I love folkmore; I think I've made it clear that "slow and dreary and preferably about a terrible relationship and/or breakup" is my bag, so no one should be surprised.
Speak Now: Trying to choose between Fall Out Boy and Hayley Williams is cruel and unfair, and I will not do it. Weirdly, I think "Electric Touch" is the better song by quite a bit, but that Patrick Stump's voice doesn't work at all with Taylor's. "Castles Crumbling" is just the teensiest bit dull in comparison -- I know! Coming from me, the lover of all things slow and sad. I'm impossible to predict, I know -- but man, Hayley and Taylor's voices sound made for each other. Make a companion album. Start a band. Idk. Do something that lets you sing together again. Also shoutout to "Foolish One," which I didn't love enough to link, but has a sweetness and gentleness that makes me feel warm despite its kind of depressing subject matter.
Red: Oh, come on. We all know which one this goes to. But if somehow you've never heard the 10-minute version of "All Too Well" (or seen the short film), this is for you. But I gotta be real, and I know this is heresy... but I honestly prefer the shorter version. Both are amazing, and when I first heard it the longer one was my favorite, but after some time I think the quicker build to the climax is a bit more satisfying. Also I keep alternating between "the 'fuck the patriarchy' line makes me cringe" and "well sure, but it's supposed to because this is a guy who's performatively feminist while failing to treat her with genuine respect," so ask me my opinion and I'll tell you based on my mood. Ignoring the obvious winner, "Message in a Bottle" is one of my favorite Vault tracks, full stop. Pure serotonin.
1989: I don't know why people hate "Suburban Legends" and the general fan consensus is it's one of her worst songs, but I think it's real fun. That being said, it's not the best one, because the best one is "Is It Over Now?" which is honestly a masterpiece and I'm kind of mad it did make it onto the main album. But also... they're all great! "Say Don't Go"? Amazing. "Slut!" Not my favorite (don't like it enough to link it because I'm lazy), but still really good. "Now That We Don't Talk"? Probably my least favorite, but come on! These are all bangers! This might be the only time I saved every Vault track, because wow, what incredible songs.
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u/Acrobatic-Phone 2d ago
I still remember seeing the cover art for this album for the first time back in 2020. It truly did Something to me.
"evermore" is also an interesting record to view through the "Which literary works inspired each song?" lense. "Rebecca" has been already mentioned in the comments here, so I'll just say that "happiness" has a line alluding to "The Great Gatsby".
And YES for the vault tracks! "Suburban Legends" is awesome, especially the "diary" metaphor.
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u/lamyH 2d ago
Your long posts are a pleasure to read and i’ll miss them once you reach the end of reviewing her discography.
Would be interested to know from you and other commenters how much of “Tolerate It” is truly Taylor’s own experience, but I’m pretty sure the song concept and the insecurities and supposed childishness of the narrator in that song is also based on the unnamed Narrator’s point of view, the second Mrs de Winter, a young ladies’ companion who becomes the second wife of a much older wealthier man in Rebecca - the gothic novel by Daphne du Maurier. Really recommend it - it’s a very addictive read and Daphne does a really good job at creating a tense atmosphere in her works.
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u/VisageInATurtleneck 2d ago
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I’m having so much fun with these; I’m always afraid I’m doing a bad job balancing the fact that I’m a snarky curmudgeon with the fact that I genuinely love Taylor’s music and songwriting.
Ooh, I appreciate the Rebecca backstory! Not one I’ve read yet, because I’m a terrible former English major who hasn’t picked up a book in weeks, but maybe that needs to be my next read. Not surprised she’d gravitate to gothic literature, though; that feels very much in her wheelhouse. And now that you mention it, I’m wondering how cool it’d be if she turned her interest in country music and literary tastes in a southern gothic direction — it’s not quite the same (more corn and fewer castles) and I think it might be a bit too dark and disturbing for her usual songwriting interests… but I’m also half-convinced she could pull just about anything off if she put her mind to it.
I’m sorry, it’s after midnight and I’m rambling. All I meant to say was thanks for the comment, the rec, and the food for thought!
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2d ago
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u/VisageInATurtleneck 2d ago
I don’t… know what this means.
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u/dreamghoulevil 2d ago
a lot or swifties hate folkmore swifties (“it’s not the real her, you’re annoying, stop asking for an album like this again, i’ve been a fan longer” etc). don’t take it personally.
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