On October 21, 2022, the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift released her tenth album “Midnights.” Swift’s fans have been anxiously waiting for the album to be released for about two months after she announced the new album during the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards and by the looks of it, “Midnights” was a success. After just two weeks, the Billboard Top 10 consisted of only ten songs from the album, the other three following close behind. Within these two weeks, it also hit number one top-selling album in 2022 in a single day, breaking Spotify’s record for most streams in a day. 

This album wasn’t what I was expecting to hear. I was expecting something more pop and upbeat, but instead, I got thirteen tracks that were the opposite. Most were slow or had more of an electropop vibe that I wasn’t sure if I liked. But after listening to it a couple more times, I started to like a few of the songs, though I can’t say that I liked them enough that I would put them on my playlist or listen to them on repeat. Instead, they’re songs that I would listen to occasionally or songs that I would put on in the background while doing chores or homework. The three songs that I liked are the first and second tracks, “Lavender Haze” and “Maroon,” and the seventh track “Question…?”

Swift announced that Lavender Haze, which was number two in the Top 10, is about the relationship between her and her past lover, actor Joe Alwyn. While in the relationship, Swift and Alwyn tried their best to keep as much as possible private, but it was a struggle considering Swift has been an idol for many for quite some time. She opened up during a video posted on her Instagram about how many people on the internet who have any size of following are constantly being asked questions about their personal romantic relationships and throwing out rumors and being forced to talk about them publicly online. 

“I think that a lot of people have to deal with this now, not just like ‘public figures,’ because we live in the era of social media, and if the world finds out if 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. So this song is about the act of ignoring that stuff to protect the real stuff,” Swift said.

If I’m being honest, I was not a fan of this one at first. It had a more electropop vibe to it, which I did not care for. However, the more I listened to it, the more I started to like it. I enjoyed some of her vocals, especially in the first and second verses and the pre-chorus. I also really liked the message behind the song because not many people stand up and say that the media’s influence on their private relationships was rough.I love that Swift is doing what others are too scared to do.

“Maroon” is one song off of the “Midnights” album that Swift has not yet spoken about the meaning of, but many “Swifties” have analyzed the lyrics and come up with theories about what, or who, it might be about. Everyone believes that the song is about a failed relationship, hence the lyrics, “I feel you no matter what / The rubies that I gave up / And I lost you / The one I was dancing with in New York / No shoes.” Though, the theorists are not sure who the song is about, or if it is about anyone. One popular belief is that it’s about Swift’s old romance with Jake Gyllenhaal which is being backed up with the 2012 Taylor Swift album “Red.” The album was about her relationship with Gyllenhaal, and associating him with the color red, so the Swifties are stating that maroon is a shade of red and they are connecting the similarities with the album and the new song “Maroon.”

This one was very catchy and I honestly did like the chorus. The way she broke up the lyrics was something that I found very unique. I wasn’t a big fan of the music itself, but her vocals were, once again, something that I liked. I did like this song more than “Lavender Haze.” I think I would even go as far as to say that it was my favorite song off of the album.

“Question…?” is another song from the new album that Swift left her fans to interpret on their own. One theory that pops up often is that the song is about her past relationship with the well-known singer-songwriter, Harry Styles. One post on Twitter that seems to be circulating around the internet that advertises the Styles theory restates the line “did you ever have someone kiss you in a crowded room” with a video attached that shows Swift and Styles sharing a kiss in a crowded room. Another fan pointed out that in the second verse Swift brings up her and an ex-lover talking about gender roles, which is a concept that Styles is often trying to “break” and overcome.

This song was one that I was surprised to see leave the Billboard Hot 10 so quickly. During the week it came out, it was already number 7, but when the next week came around it was already ranked as the 32nd most popular song in the United States. Personally, this song was one of my favorites so I was so surprised to see it leave the Top 10 so soon. 

“I’m feeling very overwhelmed by the fans’ love for the record,” Swift says on the Tonight Show. “I’m also feeling very soft and fragile.”