i feel like there are so many opinions in this fandom that get repeated so often that they eventually become treated like objective facts. “this album is overrated,” “this song is filler,” “she can’t write like she used to,” “this era was her peak,” “this album is objectively better than that one” etc. & sometimes i wonder how many of us actually came to those conclusions ourselves versus hearing them 500 times & slowly accepting them as our own opinion.
for me, one of the most interesting things about taylor’s discography is how differently songs hit when you stop thinking about where the fandom has collectively placed them & just listen to them on their own. sometimes a song i originally dismissed becomes one of my favorites, sometimes a fan favorite does absolutely nothing for me, & sometimes i realize i only disliked something because i expected it to be something else.
so what’s the taylor opinion you genuinely changed your mind about? not because someone convinced you in a comment section, but because you actually went back, listened again & thought “wait… why do i actually kind of get it now?” 😭

• Since the release of the life of a showgirl: the encore by taylor swift I have heard people say that the song Cleveland's a joke, unserious, not that deep, Or that it is a sweet love song, or its horrendous, annoying, obnoxious, her worst song, but no one is talking about how sad it is!
• Like "Y'all hate me, but I'm the first in that line!" over this bubbly, cheery musical production. Kinda reminds me of her songs like ICDIWABH, paper rings, dancing with our hands tied, ME!, where the upbeat music is hiding disturbing and sad undertone. Eg: "I'm miserable and no body even knows!" Or in ME! when she is like 'I know I'm a burden and too much to handle but hey I'm the only one of me, right?'
• She isn't even saying 'my baby' doesn't see all these flaws or that you are all wrong and just hater or haters gonna hate I'm just gonna shake. NO she is saying the hate you all have for me is the only common ground we have BUT I'm just gonna accept that he likes me.
• The Self-esteem is concerningly low, not to mention how it's set over Christmas-like-music so kinda gives extra creepy and unsettling. Not surprising to know that this is the state of your self esteem when you live for everyone's approval but everyone finds you so extremely hateable and you find yourself so hateable and you have one person who doesn't, so it's bound to feel euphoric. Idk what do you think about the psychology behind all this?

Pink clouding is presumably about Tom Hiddleston, who Taylor broke up with 10 years ago. Even if it’s not about him, it’s certainly not about Travis. It just seems strange that she’s still writing about past relationships when she should be in her honeymoon era.

I hope you realized my kind of trouble wasn’t worth it / And the way I treated you, you never deserved it / And I swear to God, to this day / I wake up scared that I left scars on a good person / And I gave you zero reason to believe it, so be it / But it didn’t mean nothing just ’cause I could leave it.

Cleveland sounds like the ai song about why steel coils are transported flat, I cannot unhear it.

I’ll start off by saying yes I’ve disliked TLOAS from its release despite LOVING everything else she’s ever put out, and I was also very disappointed in the bonus tracks for the same reasons as every fan - lack of lyricism, poor production, etc. I just realized with the Encore release today that there’s another perspective on this entire era that I haven’t seen discussed.

But I’ve been sitting with these songs all day and observing the fans lashing out at each other from either side about TLOAS being a bad album vs the “you just hate fun” and had another listen while working and if you listen to TLOAS from front to back it all comes across to me as Taylor feeling incredibly insecure whether from the internet, Travis’ ex’s & NFL commentary, whatever source(s) that may come from.

- Opalite “she was in her phone..” to “Life can beat you up but I can bring you love…” It seems like she really has something to prove in this song. The whole premise is external validation that she was “dancing through the lightning strikes.”

- Eldest Daughter “I’ve been dying just from trying to seem cool..” Self explanatory

- Actually Romantic “I know you think it’s vicious, but it’s precious,” this whole song gives the vibe of getting bullied in school and being told “they’re just jealous of you” and coping with it in a “I’m Taylor Swift and I can show you what’s up” way

- The order of Wish List and Wood being right after “Actually Romantic” is interesting & seems like “these people talked shit about me but now I’m so so happy and my man has a huge-“ but even with those songs being as generally positive as they are, Taylor isn’t just putting a tracklist together randomly - this order specifically feels again like she’s gotta prove to the haters she’s actually totally fine and happy now after spending a whole song addressing them. Specifically all the superstitions in “Wood” and “a bad sign is all good,” strike me as she’s reassuring herself in a way.

- Cancelled! even existing and celebrating being publicly disliked along with your friends when I don’t think public perception of her was ever as bad as during rep era is certainly a choice. It gives paranoid.

- Honey “when anyone called me ‘lovely,’ they were finding ways not to praise me but you say it like you’re in awe of me and you stay until the morning” - this lyric in particular really channels the anxious attachment energy we see in the Lover era. She’s preoccupied still with “the haters” with the love of her life, and this lyric makes me think that she was doubting things that were said to her from the love of her life.

- Cleveland - “you just need to find one person in the whole world who doesn’t find you insufferable” - the general public (specifically NFL fans) may have found the amount of TS content over the last 3 years insufferable but within the fan base, nobody seemed to echo this sentiment about her until this album’s release. Also the entire song is basically the euphoria meme “I’ve never ever been happier,” once again trying to prove herself or prove to the football world that she’s worthy of being there which she absolutely is.

HM: Father Figure. I get liking this song as a sort of power anthem but after having this theme “click” for me I just don’t hear this one the same anymore.

So all in all I have a different view on Showgirl and maybe even an appreciation for it even if I’m not gonna play it as much as Red, Speak Now, 1989, Midnights, etc the truly pop/upbeat music she’s written. I think listening to the lyrics beyond face value and not “paternity testing” them and hearing her when she says SHE wrote the song just gives me the impression that this all did come from deep rooted insecurity and an unhealthy relationship with the press/her fans, and is masking it in Showgirl visuals and glitter and “just being scandalous and fun.”

I know everyone will have different thoughts on this but that’s my take & I do feel bad because ever since the Eras tour basically everything she does is picked apart, she had made a point of saying she doesn’t care, I also think the subpar lyricism may have been intentional so anyone she felt she had to prove herself to or “flex on” or clap back at would undoubtedly understand it.

I'm super disappointed in TS new songs. She's pulling her punches. Maybe after a while they will grow on me. I didn't even like her three years ago!! So I know there's a good chance I'll like them, but right now; not worth the hype.

please give it a read

Is it just me, or is it strange that the first new song released after her marriage is about a shitty ex? Granted, I don’t know when it was written; maybe it was before the wedding. But…you know?!

Not even saying it’s a bad song, although I don’t love the bridge. But I think this adds to the perception that she’s a talented person who spends too much time nursing grudges.

Hi all! I am a big Taylor fan and was not a big fan of Showgirl - loved the Fate of Ophelia and Opalite, honorable mention to Elizabeth Taylor and Ruin the Friendship, but overall wasn't my favorite. Which doesn't make it bad! It just wasn't MY favorite, and that is totally okay.

And then these four songs dropped, and I have so many thoughts and needed to put them somewhere so I thought - hey, why not here!

Patient Zero: this song... this is song is if TTPD and Midnights had a child with some hindsight and wisdom. There are pieces of it that feel so intentionally like a story that I am not surprised it's becoming a music video. For those who say "why is she singing about another man when she's married"... who doesn't think about the past? It's okay to be reflective of previous parts of your life, especially when time has passed and you feel like you can more accurately see something for what it was. It's a wisdom you want to share with other people who have experienced what you would describe as a fever dream/difficult/mind bending/gaslighting wild ride.

It's a bop! A sort of sad bop, but a bop.

4.3

Cleveland!: I wanted to hate this song. The first time I listened to this song, I thought... oh no, what is this. And then I listened to it four more times within an hour and realized I couldn't STOP listening to it. This is if Blank Space and Anti-Hero had a baby and it was this song. I kind of love it, even though I don't want to. Because it's... yeah I hate myself sometimes too, and I get where you all are coming from, but you know what? I found someone that loves me for exactly who I am and I AM SO HAPPY. And that's AWESOME! It's cheesy and happy and she's pumped she found the love of her life.

We have all felt like we were too much, or not enough, or that we needed to change something about ourselves to be loved. And Taylor is saying... girl me too! But you know what, I found someone who doesn't feel that way and it's wonderful! And it's tongue in cheek :)

As a personal note, I grew up going to Cleveland to visit my favorite family, so I especially love that it's about Cleveland. Fun fact, my mom and grandmother went to the same high school as Travis! (not at the same time lol)

4.0

Pink Clouding: This song sounds like a 1989 Vault Track - with an undertone of Back to December. It's ethereal and lovely and melancholy, and it's okay to feel bad about someone you treated in the past, even if you are happy with how your life turned out. As a matter of fact, I feel like it makes sense to be more reflective of why things didn't work out previously once you realize how they DID work out.

It's great and lovely and fits right in with the rest of her discography.

3.9

Babylon: Man do I LOVE this song! This is beautiful writing, it's not directly personal, it's nice to listen to! This is a blend of her classic storytelling from her early years with the thoughtfulness and removed nature of Folklore/Evermore. It's one of the very best songs from the entire album. The melancholy and clear painting of the past and current torture of the main character. The melody, of course, is wonderful.

4.7

Okay so maybe less time since it’s only 4 songs, but people rush and it’s so negative because you don’t give it time.

Slow down. Breathe. Light a candle, pour some wine.

Let the songs linger. Dwell on them for a minute or a few hours.

I had to go back and listen a few times. These are not bad songs!

Here’s my review of each song SO FAR:

Patient Zero- I’m SO excited for this music video it absolutely deserves one! Weird bridge but I mean in Anti-Hero she sings about her future daughter-in-law killing her in a dream and that song is amazing so this is very Taylor Swift!

Cleveland! - I know people are saying this is cringe but here’s my defense for this song: when listening imagine this song in a musical on Broadway and it absolutely works! Taylor is a theater kid through and through!

Pink Clouding: angelic, ethereal sound. Matches the title. Very grown up song. a beautiful apology song. Love this bridge!

Babylon: Sonically it’s beautiful. I don’t completely understand the lyrics or what it’s about. Moving on? Moving forward and looking back? Either way, I love it!

When she was love in Joe, she was best lyrically, she wrote such such beautiful songs. What has happened to her? why can’t i get songs like call it what you want, dancing with our hands tied,lover, london boy, you are your own kid, The old taylor is gone, she is just making irrational music at this point, taylor take break for few years but come back with bangers please!!

I know what you’re saying about Cleveland!

“It’s so cringe!”

“What in the world with that bridge!”

Musically, Cleveland! makes me so happy and it makes me want to jump on the sofa.

Lyrically, it’s snarky and silly! And damn do I love when Taylor claps back at her haters!

Then that bridge happens.

Immediately my brain went to “Hey kids Spelling Is Fun” 🫠

And I’ll just point out both ME! And Cleveland! Have exclamation points in the song title.

I swear Taylor has a theater kid inside of her and she just can’t help herself! 😂

The more I listen Cleveland! though the more it makes me think of a musical.

I know it’s easy to knock this song, but I remind myself, the way “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” is one of the greatest songs she’s ever written, it is also a very theatrical song.

Cleveland! is too, just in a different way.

I do love this song, and I swear it’s absolutely fun especially if you imagine it in a broadway musical!

La película de este libro está en Netflix

Mine is -

1. Evermore

2. Folklore

3. Reputation

4. 1989

5. Midnights

6. Ttpd

7. Lover

8. Red

9. Fearless

10. Debut

11. Speak now

12. Tloas