Album Review: Midnights, by Taylor Swift

Photo+courtesy+of+Alexandra+Vicol+at+Unsplash.com

Photo courtesy of Alexandra Vicol at Unsplash.com

Hope Hahn, Staff Writer

Whether it was staying up until midnight for her album drop, anxiously counting down the hours until 3 a.m. for the “special very chaotic surprise,” or just waking up and listening to the 20 songs in total in the waking hours, millions of people were engaging with Taylor Swift’s new, highly anticipated album, ‘Midnights’ on the night of its release. And so was I. 

As a huge fan of Taylor, I have been waiting for this album since it was announced on August 28th at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.  And after listening to it about 10 times over the course of the day, I am pleased to say that my expectations were met. 

The album as a whole, split into the 13 original tracks and 7 bonus tracks on the 3 a.m. edition of the album, was beautifully written, sung, and produced. With writers like Taylor Swift (of course), Jack Antonoff, Lana Del Rey, Zoë Kravitz, Jahaan Sweet, Sam Dew, Mark Anthony Spears, Keanu Torres, and even William Bowery (a.k.a. Swift’s long-term boyfriend Joe Alwyn), the album flows together wonderfully. 

Each song has its own unique qualities to it that leave you wanting more. Whether it was a happy, upbeat song that made you dance around your room or a slow, sad song that made you feel as if you just got your heart broken, each song was a joy to listen to over and over and over again. 

The only song that left me feeling a little let down was ‘Snow on the Beach (feat. Lana Del Rey).’ I was, along with many others, really looking forward to the song as a big fan of both Taylor and Lana Del Rey. But, sadly, I was not a huge fan of the song. The lyrics are beautiful and the tune is catchy, but with Del Rey only featured on background vocals, it was a huge let down. 

The rest of the songs, however, were absolutely not let downs. I could go on and on about the ever relatable and sad lyrics of ‘Anti-Hero’ set to a beat you just couldn’t help but dance to. Or the beautifully crafted bridge to the highly anticipated track 5 ‘You’re On Your Own, Kid’ that left me, and many others, in tears. 

The 7 extra tracks in the 3 a.m. edition were just as wonderful, if not more so than the original 13 album tracks. The song that had my jaw on the floor was, shockingly, ‘Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve’. The song details the heartbreak young Taylor experienced at age 19. With lyrics like “I would’ve stayed on my knees. And I damn sure never would’ve danced with the devil at nineteen” and “living for the thrill of hitting you where it hurts. Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first,” I was left wanting to punch the person the song was written about.

All of the songs get you thinking about Taylor’s past relationships with the album detailing 20 sleepless nights throughout her life. The catchy songs walk you through the history of Taylor’s career, something that many fans were extremely excited about. ‘Midnights’ is already breaking records on the first day of its release becoming the most streamed album in a single day in Spotify history.  

‘Midnights’ is Taylor Swift’s tenth studio album and one of her best. Beautiful songs, spectacular lyrics, wonderful tunes: ‘Midnights’ has it all. Something for everyone. Taylor Swift has never let us down before and most certainly did not this time.