🤎 unfortunately the sunday post I wanted to post today didn't save to my substack drafts so I looked through the ones I do have and thought this was a good, casual post for a sunday. I think I might use this format to do more deep dives into artists that have stuck with me throughout the years (my chemical romance, usher, lady gaga are a few that come to mind). well, I hope you enjoy and, as always, feel free to comment below. 💐
I'm a casual fan of swift. more specifically, I love her as an artist, respect her as a businesswoman, and respect her privacy as another human being with a private life. it’s a shame that she as an artist has become so synonymous with her dating life. I try my best to avoid any celebrity gossip whenever I jump on social media; but, this can only goes so far. when her tortured poets department release date got closer and closer, it became harder and harder to share my excitement with others without having to filter through all the personal attacks and gossip. I won’t repeat any of the things I read, but looking at the album itself: it’s solid with some incredible songs, some good songs, and some ok songs.
❤️ to begin, her album red was released in 2012 during my senior year of high school; I loved all of it. there were some songs from fearless and speak now that I liked listening to on the radio, but as far as listening to these albums start to finish: I did not. I did the same with 1989 and reputation. I was in college then and didn't listen much to any music. I was just so swamped with coursework and mentally tired all the time from having to talk to new people everyday. everyone always says college is where you find your best friends, but my introverted self hasn’t talked to anyone in college since I graduated in 2016, including the roommates I actually had fairly good friendships with. oops. 🖊️
🏳️🌈 so lover came along in 2019 just as I was entering my mfa. her music and songwriting completely sucked me back into those red days of just putting in my headphones, relaxing on my bed, and listening. "the archer" and "lover" are my favorites from the albums. they're so poignant and relatable and a little bit whimsical in terms of rhythm and melody. and, of course, "you need to calm down" and "cruel summer" are classic pop hits that deserve their popularity. does anyone remember the “backlash” from this music video? oh my god I totally remember the weirdos crying over this. I think this might’ve been the point of obsession for those hateful people? 🩵
🌲 moving on: folklore and evermore. instant favorites for me. while I enjoy most of taylor's music, I enjoy more the soft and acoustic songs where her voice is the main focus rather than the instruments in the background. this is probably why “the archer” and “lover” are favorites. also, the older I've grown, I've listened to less and less pop and loud music, and more to that soft, acoustic music. there's nothing on these two albums that I don't like or skip over. however, I will say folklore is a little bit more put together and has more of a consistent feel and listen. 🧾
➡️ moving past fearless (tv): I never listened to the original album other than the album titled song "fearless." it has that country vibe to it and I don't care much for the rhythms and sounds of country. ☹️
😯 red (tv): this one I did not skip over. close to ten years between red and red (tv), and the original being an album I loved, I had to listen to this. and I'm glad I did because it's almost as perfect as its original. her mature voice, her vault songs, "all too well," "state of grace (acoustic version)" were always on repeat. it's just such a great album that means so much to me because of how young I was when listening to the original. ❤️
🕛 midnights: yes to all of this! ok, so after red (tv) and folklore and evermore, I wanted to keep current with taylor's music and try whatever thing she released next. midnights, like these other albums, was one to listen to start to finish. I loved how smooth and emotional the pop songs were; not overly loud nor dancy but simple and soft in all the best ways. my favorites: "would've, could've, should've," "the great war," and "bigger than the whole sky" I always listen to whenever I can. the acoustic version of "anti-hero" is also a favorite of mine but isn't technically on the album. 💜
➡️ speak now (tv) and 1989 (tv) were both skipped. I listened to the most popular songs when shuffling through the numerous taylor swift playlists on youtube music, but as far as listening to the entirety of each album: not really something I feel a need to do. 💁🏽♀️
⌨️ and now the tortured poets department. I had high hopes for this album because of the poets aspect of it. having studied english literature in college and poetry during my mfa program, anything poetry or literature related automatically grabs my attention. for the most part, like I said above, the album is solid. I’ve plucked my most favorites and added them to my t.s. playlist, but, as for the rest, the next time I’ll listen to them will probably be on a long trip. red (tv), midnights, and folklore are the only albums I can actually listen over and over. unfortunately, poets is not an album I can do this with. I have my fingers crossed that over the course of the rest of this year, taylor will release some acoustic versions. but if not, I’m still happy with what this album has to offer; it definitely falls right behind evermore. good, not great. so, after listening a few times to the entire album, here are my favorites from poets:
the tortured poets department // the alchemy // clara bow // the albatross // I look in people's windows // cassandra // peter // the manuscript
I hope you enjoyed this post. let me know what artists have stayed with you since your teenage years. 🤎
until next time,
mere