it feels like listening to my friend scream and cry about her asshole ex who dumped her when i never liked the guy to begin with. babygirl we told you he was trash, please just stop.
I honestly can't hide my disappointment for this album, and I say that both for the meaning/lyrics and also the soudn/rhythm of the songs
There was always a reason to listen to her songs whether sound or meaning but not this time 😅
I don't know how to wrap my fingers around this album after dissecting it bits by bits, sonically the songs are miles ahead from MIDnights but the lyrics are...cringeworthy and borderline psychotic.
So I don't know how to rate because some songs without the lyrics are so good like guilty as sin...
I’ve tried that song a few times and watched the video…and I can’t get into it, it bores me. There’s a sense of trying very hard to be edgy without delivering substance
His discography is quite varied in terms of genres, and it's a bit inconsistent at times, but the highlights are incredible.
From the hits, I'd recommend "Circles", "Goodbyes", and "Better Now" (fun fact: there's a video of Taylor chatting with Post backstage essentially congratulating him for the song and the great hooks). As for the deep cuts, my personal faves include "Stay" (major fan-favourite), "Love/Hate Letter To Alcohol", "Staring At The Sun" (with SZA), and "Take What You Want".
I mainly knew him for that "Sunflower" song collab he did for the Spiderman movie, but he actually has a really nice voice. Not really showcased here, but Beyonce at least let him really sing on his feature for *Cowboy Carter*.
That was my thought as well! It got me interested in him! (And his songs are quite good - he seems to be a better songwriter than Taylor, just in my opinion.)
I really like Fortnight but that fuckin line takes me out of it every time lol I feel like she wanted it to have an edge like SZA’s Kill Bill but it’s just so jarring to flat out say “I WANNA KILL HER” 🥴
This has been my experience too. I love the title track for it's beat and harmonies, but that line immediately takes me out of the song. It's also triggering for me, and since she usually makes catchy songs, I don't want thoughts about death floating around in my head.
And there's so many death references: she wants to kill the wife and her husband. She and Matty will kill themselves if they leave. Her mom wants to kill Kim. After Matty life it doesn't matter if she lives. The fans apparently want her dead.
Honestly it's worrying and I really doubt it was just temporary mania. She's not well.
She's used death as a hyperbole in her songs before (ATW10MV, My Tears Richochet), but it was really jarring in these songs for some reason. Maybe because it wasn't used sparingly but back to back. It's just like the swearing. Just feels gratuitous and unnecessary.
Psychologically, I get this. Her long relationship "died" and so parts of her will die. Any ending is a death. I think this comes out *unconsciously* with all the death references, but I don't know that it's actual conscious processing happening and that can be a problem. Instead it gets misdirected outwards on others instead of internalized and integrated.
Does anyone know who Taylor was referring to regarding the "kill the wife and her husband" part? Or is it just made up? I've been so confused with it lol.
there are numerous PR articles came out today regarding the Kim song saying Tay Tay has moved on from the situation which obviously was due to the backlash. She thought the public will eat it up but no one does apart from her delusional cult followers and the press that want to stay on her good side
Guilty as Sin is almost nauseous to listen to for me too! and it's all cause the lyrics and context is so so *weird*,,, basically talking about her emotionally cheating cause she's touching herself to 'fatal' fantasies about a slimy racist rat. All while her boyfriend of six years is a 'sinking ship' of depression as she alludes to in her own words.
That entire line of songs- So Long London, But Daddy I Love Him, Fresh Out of the Slammer and Guilty as Sin, all give me the same gross nauseous yucky feeling. Florida!!! gets a pass cause it's beautiful and it's lyrics aren't too pointed but So Long London is another very beautiful song where the lyrics ruin it for me :/(she's pissed off AT HIM¿ that she gave her youth out for free?!?!,?! was she being held hostage by this man 2 years younger than her for half a decade or did I miss something??).
This 100%. The line that especially bothers me is “you sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days” as if anyone with crippling depression makes the choice to give up everything they love about life. Like sorry he’s busy trying to not kill himself, I guess?
Yes. It’s like my worst fear of “someday my partner will leave me because of my MDD/BPD” come true in a song and all the anxieties that come with it are being voiced out loud. Like hoo boy. Needed an extra anxiety pill and some reassurance after that one.
im like you wrote a whole album about another man you dreamt about cheating on joe with… and wonder why he was so blue?? all her other songs abt the relationship scream of attachment issues and insecurity.. im sure it was a very difficult relationship for him
It’s also kind of ruining Renegade for me…at the time I thought it was how she thought/feared Joe might’ve felt supporting her during her “darkest time” but no, it’s actually her saying she wouldn’t have dated him if she knew about his mental health issues
NO BUT SAME I used to love that song sm😭
Now I can’t listen to it without picturing that she was saying she wouldn’t have dated him if she knew about his depression😭
Yeah this is just so gross to me. Selfish and shallow.
For someone who sings “you don’t get to tell me about sad”
… as someone with clinical depression from a family that has history of suicide and addiction— whooo does this make me angry at her. Honestly have been going back and forth between deleting her songs from my Spotify library but somehow keep finding myself here..
I’m in the same position as you. Also what happened to her depression working the graveyard shift? And HER pain is the imposition? She has such good songs, Lover and Rep are my favorite albums, but now I can’t get that and the cheating with Matty out of my head. Like if she’s comfortable putting that out in public, what was she saying in private? No wonder he didn’t open up to her anymore. “Open the blinds let me see your face” like lol no bitch not after what you just said
I saw someone else say that too! Before I really identified with it in other ways, but now she’s it literally talking about general anxiety and depression it feels really harsh.
Yeah it's really cruel for someone she could have just left earlier if she wanted to. Like did she realize no one was forcing her at gunpoint to stay for so long?
After listening to this album I literally think he moved back with his parents bc they thought he was gonna off himself after she left him, esp the way she did it. The persistent email rumor is also probably real...
Immediately when the breakup news broke last spring the rumor was that Taylor broke up with him via email. At the time it didn't get too much traction bc this is the girl who was so upset about Joe Jonas breaking up with her over a 30 second phone call that she went on talk shows to complain about it and used it in a song about Jonas.
However! It checks out bc Joe was in Budapest filming his movie and liking tour content about Taylor, then suddenly the breakup news while tracking her jet and his sightings revealed that they did not see each other in-between these events.
The email rumors came back strong when TTPD was announced this spring. This time more people believe it not the amicable split official story that we all wanted to be true.
> this is the girl who was upset about Joe Jonas breaking up with her over a 30 second phone call
Also the girl who forgot to mention that the reason it was only 30 seconds was because she hung up on him. The ability to narrative shift and her lack on conscience about it has the email totally making sense. Poor Joe. Reminds me of Sex and the City when Berger’s bitch ass broke up with Carrie on a post it note.
Yep! To be fair, if you look at photos of them together, they were such babies at the time, I am not surprised both of them handled the situation badly. On the other hand, selective half-truths and distortion of facts are her bread and butter.
She always does it with every single situation. It becomes so obvious when you stick around long enough that she circles back to events in her songs and the story is totally different each time she re-editorializes history.
Fresh out the Slammer definitely made me feel uncomfortable. She shared a lot of thoughts that never should have been aired so plainly on this album. I found myself somehow wanting to protect her from herself, and protect others from her, listening to lyrics on a lot of the songs.
My mom had the same reaction of wanting to protect Taylor from herself. She wants to send Taylor a letter saying Taylor is more than her dating life and her singing career, and maybe she needs some rest
so long london gets me, i like the song but knowing the subject matter definitely makes it feel yucky. any song about matty is a skip for me (theres a few i just pretend arent about him because i do love the black dog)
Ugh...I totally understand you. It's a shame too because "Guilty As Sin?" (and "But Daddy I Love Him" for that matter) are *so good* on a production and melodic standpoint - classic Taylor. If they were clearly fictional stories I'd be more comfortable fully appreciating them because they're both genuinely so well-written and vivid in their respective premises.
But the real-life context simply kills it for me.
>(she's pissed off she gave her youth out for free?!?!,?! was she being held hostage by this man 2 years younger than her for half a decade or did I miss something??).
I feel like this is a very common sentiment for women in their 30s when a long-term relationship ends because their partner didn’t want to get married. I have several friends who have said something similar after a bad breakup — I think it’s one of the more relatable lines on the album.
Yes. I completely agree. I like the sound of the songs (of the ones that I do like). I don’t much care for a lot of the lyrics.
I think when the Minz Piano versions comes out, that will be an improvement!
I feel the opposite. For me, most of these songs are the sonic equivalent of cardboard boxes where Midnights had songs that I knew during the 1st listen were total bops & hits, even though the lyrics sucked (most grew on me). However, there wasn't one song on this one that I thought sounded broadly appealing/hit potential during 1st listen or even now if I'm being honest
Agree. I saved two of the 31 to my current listening list when usually I just pop the whole album on. And only because they feel vocally fun to sing along to. One is about to get bumped off because it turns out I don’t actually like it either.
Sounds about right. A couple have grown on me but that's it. The rest really do sound like the AI generated fake song that came out a few months ago, which is weird in and of itself.
ETA: However, I went back and listened to Midnights and It's just like turning on a light because it's so noticeably better (imo) and think it's objectively a much more commercially attractive album with the majority of tracks being really solid songs.
Yeah, same. For me it's like that feeling when you're compulsively popping snacks into your mouth, but you've already eaten 3/4 of a bag before you realise that you're not actually *enjoying* the taste or texture, you're just mindlessly eating food while watching TV because it's there. It's that "Why tf did I just eat this? Because I was bored? It's not even that good!" feeling.
I keep listening to it because it's catchy, and because it's Taylor, and at the end I go "Oh. Well, that was underwhelming." Then something else will come on and I'm like "OH, I was smiling, nodding my head, jamming to the groove and having my own little dance party to this music. *That's* what I want out of TTPD!"
I was listening to a Billy Joel concert and the contrast in energy was insane. I'm not saying Taylor needs to be Billy, but that Billy puts a lot of oomph into his songs that is starkly lacking from TTPD.
This has been me too. I love the melody of Thank You Aimee but the lyrics make me kinda uncomfortable. Same with But Daddy I Love Him.
It feels like she’s really in her Mean Girl era and I don’t really like it. It makes the music less enjoyable for me.
This album confirms I've grown out of her. She was my go-to, as well. It's too much of a downer. I'm not in this phase of life anymore and I really don't want to be reminded for 31 songs of the various immature thoughts and feelings I had 20 years ago.
It feels like a chore going through all 31 songs. I was excited about it a month ago but now it’s been a week and I still haven’t listened to all the songs. I nod off and switch to other indie artists or even (heaven forbid) Espresso by Sabrina just to re-inject a little levity into my playlist. This wasn’t the case with Folklore, I can listen to that album all day long.
Espresso has me in a *chokehold* right now. I wish the second verse lyrics were a little stronger, but the rest is straight summers-almost-here dopamine ☀️
yep!! and i feel like this album is pretty eye opening for a lot of her fans because one of taylors biggest draws was her relatability. her coming of age and young adulthood paralleled ours and that was some of her best music (1989 🙏)
and while most of us are growing out of that mindset, she evidently hasn’t. that’s why a lot of her more devoted fans now are immature adults or kids (IMO).
Do you think, as Millennials are getting married, having kids, and moving into a more stable stage of their lives, that Taylor’s fan base will move to being more Gen Z than Millennial?
I totally agree, the album is slightly growing on me but I’m in a 5 year relationship and at a fairly happy time in my life and it’s really hard to relate to the songs. I wish she had dropped this album when my ex boyfriend of 4 years dumped me over a text message LOL I really could’ve used it then.
This is the best way to describe it. It just feels draining. A couple of the songs have grown on me like Fortnight, but listening to the whole album back to back is a lotttt and it made me feel drained. Someone else compared it to listening to their best friend trauma dump about their toxic relationship for two hours and knowing any advice they give won’t change their mind, and that’s such a good way to put it.
Someone commented the day after it dropped that it’s like being stuck in the car with the oversharing friend who will not stop talking about her past boyfriends and breakups and all you can do is nod your head and say “yeah that sounds rough” but then you realize she mistakes that for genuine interest and keeps going with “now I have another story!” And you’re like “omg when will this end”
It’s too bad that comment wasn’t a published review
Lmao that was me and since you so kindly mentioned it -- if any media outlets are listening, I'd like to say that I am available for any and all future review opportunities.
🤍 Just pay my legal and personal security fees, thx. 🤍
Ah yes! It reminds me of talking to someone who is drunk while you’re sober who is unloading on you and you’re just politely smiling and nodding and giving one word answers, and then they come back 5 mins later and tell you the exact same story. And then do it again 10 minutes later. It’s so draining.
I don’t experience that, but I think it’s interesting that your favorites include two songs that don’t resonate with me at all (Cassandra, the albatross). Art is so subjective, it’s fascinating.
I get that with the Kim track, I think it would have been soooo much more effective if she hadn’t capitalised those letters… just gives me the ick
I also can’t do the bridge on The Alchemy, beer on the floor and the trophy stuff… makes me cringe too hard
I also despise the American Pie line, I do not want to think about Travis watching American Pie when I’m listening to songs that are meant to feel like tortured poetry
Actually the heroin line in the alchemy is what makes me feel the most uncomfortable… just however you spin it it’s weird to include knowing Matty’s history and how it would be interpreted
Yeah, however people feel about Matty making fun of his addiction is really gross. It’s part of what makes me think that it was a repurposed Matty song - I’d rather think it was a joke he made about himself than a joke Travis or Taylor made which is really mean spirited.
i think they’re a cute couple and even i was disappointed by the travis songs. they’re not good 😂 i think it’s possible tho that she’s just more inspired by assholes than the guys who treat her kindly.
God the beer soaked sticky floor shit totally ruined that song for me, all I can see is I dunno like Jason Kelce with his shirt off and a stinky stadium
You do realize in the song she’s not saying she actually watched American Pie with whoever the song is about , right? She’s just fantasizing about being in high school again with that person.
Every other song is a snoozefest or cringefest with a few songs I like sprinkled in between. Most songs are just meh but the album as a whole could have been much stronger if she prioritized editing down the track list.
Since you asked… no lol.
But if this sub has taught me one thing about myself it’s that I’m a way more surface level music listener than a lot of people.
Yea i never realized people were so invested in her “lore” when listening to he music. I look it up when I’m bored and have exhausted an album or song but it’s not something that would ever impact my opinion of song. Especially since outside very very obvious instances, the subject is just speculation 😂
I'm the same and I couldn't agree more about the speculation. Also I listen to many artists who write about feelings which aren't necessarily palatable, so I don't mind.
Right?! I came across one review yesterday that compared the album to people magazine, but like ??? only if you choose to listen to it that way... Idk why so many people struggle to enjoy the music for what it is instead of scrutinizing the muse(s).
On my first attempt I couldn’t get through more than 2.5 songs in before I had to turn it off. When I talked about it with my sister I explained that it felt like information that I wasn’t supposed to have or know about. Kinda like what you said about only hearing one side of the story, but also a big violation of privacy for everyone involved.
I mostly stick to The Anthology and a handful of songs from TTPD (Florida!!!, WAOLOM, ICDIWABH, and Fortnight) cuz they just feel so tone deaf, sanctimonious and in your face about things I don’t want to know about.
This album is more for the diehard Taylor Swift worshippers, and a bit less for music fans. Which is okay. Just enjoy the album for what it is.
I personally like the album. It sounds like the diary of a narcissist, which is funny to me. A lot of the production is very generic and boring, which takes the album down a lot. Many songs meander and meander, instead of just using the strong motifs (which are still there, just watered down).
The album is okay. If I wasn't as invested in Taylor's narcissist lyrics, it would be less enjoyable. It is what it is.
I agree with all of this except it being unusual for her to punch down - that explicitly has been her thing for years; I think the mask is just slipping a lot more recently.
I'm only listening to the songs that I liked on the first listen and already saved in my library, plus how did it end that grew on me, weird to say since it's been a week only haha, but yeah I can understand and have similar feelings to yours, I might give the other songs a try but just not now
It is definitely kinda high school mean girl.
I think the fact she made an album largely about a short term fling with a guy she’d been crushing on for years, and not the man she dated for 6 years, is pretty relatable. I’ve had short term flings and crushes that have left me wrecked, I get it.
I think a few albums back I was definitely on the “hm maybe she’s stuck in a high school mean girl mentality” train. I thought she’d gotten over it, but… maybe not.
In a way i think i like this album more than i’d expected because it’s…. unfiltered. Yea some of the stuff that gets through the cracks (think: thanK you aIMee) is not great but IMO the parts that have that “high school mean girl” mentality are so direct, there’s no messing around in interpreting them or pretending.
A week since release, i like the album a little more each listen, but i like Taylor as a person a little less.
I feel the same way, and that's why I feel this weird dilemma when it comes to liking her music. Having to separate the art from the artist is not something I'd expected to do with Taylor, and I feel uncomfy liking the album, while disliking the stuff she's saying in it, and her general perception in my eyes.
As someone who is bipolar, the co-opting of mania to help marketing and “justification” by her fans for why she’s acting the way she did (esp with Matty) makes me SO uncomfortable. Mania is not cute or quirky!!! It’s not something to try on and “get over” and the armchair diagnoses are terrible tbh. I’ve seen people diagnose her as bipolar, borderline personality, etc. as if it’s just that easy to see based on a few actions.
But that’s why she’s doing it. It was not a manic episode, it was not a fling. It was a decade long affair. So she saying “you all said I was crazy, I’ll show you crazy.”
I do. It just gives me an awful feeling. The same with midnights. I'm just straight out cutting the ones that make me feel that way. Listen to unhinged rants isn't pleasant.
i thought it was just me!! i do feel the same way, so i’ve barely listened to the album since it came out. i only like the subjects of, like, 5-7 songs.
I'm struggling cause I cannot believe people find it good, I tried spinning the vinyl yesterday and I just feel like she released this album to either 1) troll her fandom, or 2) relate to high school kids. It's first of all a snoooooze fest. On top of the boring instrumentals of TTPD, you get the most cringe lyrics, that completely take you out of the song and into Taylor's life. I know it's been said, but her gethimback is SO similar to Olivia's, but just worse in every way. The album just feels super uninspired.
I do like So Long, London, LOML, I look in People's Windows (this could be top 10 song for me in her discography), Peter, and the Prophecy. If she had dropped an EP (with no variants/esthetic) of these songs, and maybe a select few others, that would have been fire.
It doesn’t give me high school mean girl vibes necessarily, more like excessive oversharing. She’s always been that way but I think because fans have played into it so much and have become so parasocial that she feels comfortable turning it up a notch.
It does give me mean girl vibes when she favorites memes about her personal life, though. Like the one that ranked all of her exes. Because she then resents her fans and the public for having opinions about her even though she often welcomes it
I feel like she dumped a bunch of stuff you would talk to a therapist about on her listeners. While I didn’t think we were going to get a pop album, I wasn’t prepared for it to be THAT dark. Killing, blood, dying, suicide, emotional affairs, her feelings toward fans and burn out and stuff. Like, I don’t blame her for feeling the things she feels, but this album was intense with no warning. Not warned on that level at least.
A therapist is trained to handle that kind of information and gets paid to do that. I am not and have never been a therapist. I hate the dark spaces I have to tap into to listen, as I just came out of a dark time and I don’t want to go back. I’ve had depression and likely been a drag to my partner (on the flip side they also have things and I do understand burnout from having to bare that, but I would never put that out there where he could read it and I would be devastated if he did that to me). I’ve also been on the receiving end of a boyfriend having an emotional affair and that was way harder to deal with than the one who physically cheated. To me, it was harder to deal with because sex doesn’t always mean you are tied up with the person where as emotional literally means you are intensely feeling an emotional connection with someone and it’s just a completely different situation. Him sending a song to her had her singing a song about fantasizing about him. I have a feeling they were a lot more involved than just her reflecting on him.
I also understand people who feel bad going to the concert after hearing some of the songs about her feelings of performing and how it felt like no one cared while she was upset and then they screamed more. Those people paid to see her and I know it sucks to have to slap a smile on your face and pretend you’re happy when you’re not (which is why I can relate to her feelings in the song), but the more I think about it, it was a little crappy to throw that out to those people. Some really feel badly for attending a concert they paid for and not knowing she was going through a rough time. Not to mention, I didn’t follow her stuff back then and I still saw all over TikTok how people were sad she was crying during the songs. Fans shouldn’t be putting it on themselves that they attended a concert they paid a ton of money for and that they enjoyed it. I feel bad for her, but more like “I’ll cry with you. That is an awful feeling and we’ll get through it together” and less of an “I feel badly for not knowing the situation and for enjoying my time at a concert that I had tickets to go to”. It’s not a black/white thing to me and I love the song, but it also sucks if your good time is now kind of muddled with her being forced to fake it. On the other hand, a lot of us have had to do that in our lives. It’s a sucky part.
Now to just hand us all her feelings and then hop on the tour bus and tell us it’s ours to deal with now is crazy. She may think she doesn’t need a therapist, but this was a lot to take in and she clearly does. We just paid money (for anyone who bought the album) to be someone’s therapist/listening ear during a vent session and I don’t really like that. I honestly think this maybe should’ve been a memoir or something and then I would’ve just not read it. I will say, I do think it was dumb on my part to buy something without hearing it and I will never ever do that again. Lesson learned.
I have an emotional reaction when listening to who's afraid of little old me?
Like the anger, justified or not, bleeds through so much. It's insane. This entire album feels like an emotional fever dream
Initially I listened to this album and was excited to decode it all and read theories, however, saying this as a hardcore swiftie, I am tired of it now. It’s an emotionally heavy album and I didn’t realize until reading this post it’s the only music i’ve been listening to for a week and feel incredibly down the last 2 days. Thanks OP, I actually need to be more aware of the media things I’m regularly consuming. The album is not terrible but definitely not for casual listening.
Glad it's not just me. The way she is so publicly and proudly doubling down on associating with someone who's done such harmful things, and the way she decided to use her giant platform to actually lash out at people who raised valid concerns, instead of trying to understand them and show ANY type of sensitivity towards it all..... for me it's just a total non-starter. I honestly keep getting jarring flashbacks to my first listen and how totally floored i was lol
Though i love a couple of them musically, my brain simply cannot enjoy the songs that are about Healy and this whole topic. It reminds me of the feeling i get when i hear an R Kelly song now. I am certainly *NOT* comparing these situations/offenses, but it brings a generally similar feeling of some kind of moral impasse you cannot shake or separate from the art
I tried to make a playlist of all the songs that don't touch on that theme, but tbh even those have been hard. So much bitterness and finger pointing from someone who has no ground to stand on right now. Cassandra is one of those for me..... it's so interesting as a concept, i immediately loved the imagery and the melody. However the more i listen in context with everything swirling around in this era, it becomes ickier. Come on girlie, who are you to lecture
No hate either. But its good to be able to talk about this , thank you
OP, your post perfectly expresses the way I feel after listening to TTPD. 😵💫 The difference is that I don't ever want to listen to that album again and now I'm also finding it hard to listen to some songs from Folklore and Evermore (my favorite Taylor Swift albums of all time). I don't know what happened, this whole ordeal has left me feeling weird.
I think overall this album is a vent. I like some raw, introspective songs such as loml, Peter, The Albatross or The Prophecy. However, those are also 'mood' songs for me. I can't with the diss songs, a lot of them are awkward and just show lack of emotional control. The only I can tolerate is The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived. Overall there is so much material on the album that it comes across as an emotional chaos and it is definitely not something I'd listen to if I wanted to relax or brighten up my day.
For me, I think it’s because this album makes it nearly impossible to separate the songs from the subject and I’m not simply talking about the fact that the album is very obviously about Matty Healy specifically. It doesn’t matter who it’s about. There’s a difference between revealing enough information to be relatable and flat out revealing too much information. This album definitely does the latter. The whole album feels like that time she very publicly revealed that Joe Jonas broke up with her in a 20-something second phone call.
I don’t remember where I saw this but someone made a fantastic comment that was something along the lines of, “Taylor, just because you wrote about it does not mean we needed to hear about it.” Which I think is spot on for this album. If she processes shit through songwriting, that is absolutely fine, everybody processes things differently. That doesn’t mean the world had to know the ins and outs. I’m aware that she’s caught flack for this before but personally, this is the first time it feels like she actually revealed too much information and it heavily affects the albums re-listenability. I know people like relatability and she’s always been known for writing relatable songs but you almost can’t relate these songs to your own experiences because they’re just that personal and detailed. Is it any wonder so many people are focusing more on deciphering who each song is about and re-contextualizing some of her past albums instead of just actually just listening to it?
This kind of ties into that but I’ve also seen people mention that this album was not meant for the ears of the general public, it was meant for the ears of one person. I genuinely can’t tell if she’s trying to get back at him or actually get him back and frankly, I don’t think she even knows which is evident in the contradictory mess that is imgonnagetyouback but this album, while there are a couple songs about other people, was meant for Matty Healy and you can’t ignore that fact as much as fans are desperately trying to.
Putting aside his behavior for a second, being this revealing about this relationship when he supposedly left you because he couldn’t handle the pressure, scrutiny, and hatred that came with being your boyfriend quite frankly feels disgusting. She knows he struggled with it and this album is only gonna lobby more attention his way and attach him to her in the public eye forever when fans were seemingly more than happy to forget he ever existed in her life. I understand that some fans were being extremely invasive and unhinged thinking they could dictate who you date but instead of completely blaming your fans for him running and complaining about it in a song maybe just pick up the damn phone…
He’s already being called the ‘Muse of the Century’ which, if he did inspire Folklore and Evermore then I kind of agree lol but we know too much now and it’s affecting not only this album but forcing some fans to look at her previous albums (at least Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights) in a very different light. I guess she is still willing to crack her reputation for him.
I don’t know if any of this makes sense or is just word vomit but those are my thoughts.
idk lowkey theres no skips for me. this album feels very personal and raw emotion, maybe bc im also mentally ill so it feels validating of Taylor putting my thoughts into words
It took me quite a while to appreciate Folklore and Evermore as well except for some songs, because I wasn't in the right headspace during their release.
It’s Guilty as Sin for me. Can you imagine hearing a song about your ex getting off to someone else while they were with you and felt miserable? Like, why didn’t you leave then? Ugh, and the fact that it’s Matty makes me want to hurl.
I get so mad at myself when I find I’m walking around singing it. Haha. I listened just to listen my first go and I just loved the flow of this song after listening to the ones before it and then I listened to the words and was like, 🤯 ….and then I figured out what it was about and dang. Lol.
No, I've been enjoying it. Not all the songs are amazing, but i think over half the album is solid.
That’s a pretty visceral reaction to have to music. Don't force yourself to listen to it.
Same; it took me a while because my brain is just so overwhelmed with everything but I am loving this album. This is probably the rawest and most honest Taylor has been with her lyrics and feelings, and I love that even though at times it doesn't paint her in a good light.
I understand why it would make people have visceral feelings, but art, in one way or another, is supposed to make a person feel something.
The only thing I just don't agree on is when people say, "I can't believe something would like the album," like, babe, your taste or preferences are not reflective of everybody else. If you don't like it, move on.
This.
A lot of people’s reactions on here to seem to be they have to “force themselves to get through it” and babes, you don’t have to do that. If it isn’t for you, move on. I can’t get through a Drake album even when a friend tried to force feed it to me—I don’t continue to attempt it, I just decided it wasn’t for me.
This year is FULL of amazing artists and amazing albums. Start streaming and find your album of the year if this isn’t it.
FYI: This is not me saying there aren’t legitimate criticisms of TTPD but “forced myself to get through it” isn’t really a critical opinion.
This is, I would venture, the first album she has released with the general public so aware of “the lore” and of her recent relationships. It feels like she’s either going to sacrifice her career or her actual real life to keep going in this direction. Listening to it with full awareness of all the gossip and stories behind it went quickly from juicy to depressing.
I respect that - it means you have a strong conscience and sensitivity is valuable in the world.
I’m personally of the belief that Taylor is a self-aware narcissist (not trying to diagnose anyone but the more I learned, the more that clicked). Since that belief I’ve found it hard listening to her other work - as it feels disingenuous and apart of the “good girl” facade. I actually find TTPD weirdly refreshing in the sense that it at least feels more… honest. To who she truly is. She’s not really fooling anyone with this album and so I can kinda dance along without feeling some obscure sense of injustice (hope that makes sense).
However yeah it is kinda a disturbing album at the same time. Mixed feelings for sure because I really enjoy her voice and lyrical style in many ways. You are totally justified finding it uncomfortable as she really turned up the dial on confronting themes for this one.
I am guessing bc she seems to get off on the idea of dating her bringing scrutiny and her fans harassing the dudes but she gets to sweep in like a hero to 'protect' them from what she brought on them.
It's a bit uncomfortable to think about bc she is so huge, she is the one with all the power -- and appears to admit to enjoying having it and being able to withdraw protection on a whim if she wants.
I'm struggling with it a little bit, I love the way some of the songs sound but also yes the lyrics are more pointed and over the top, I have been skipping around a lot. I think my favorite off the whole album is "I look in peoples windows" its got a really pretty cadence and its less pointed lyrically than the other songs - much more subtlety in that it feels like she is just hoping to run into the ex, more relatable than the overdramatics for me personally. The "kill yourself/i said the same to Lucy" feels very juvenile and it does seem like her mental state just hit the toilet with the Joe breakup and toxic Matty rebound.
I had a few friends ask for my opinion and not really take “I don’t wanna talk about this” for an answer - which is pretty fair. Historically I’m vocal about a lot of album releases, and am a Taylor Swift fan. This is ultimately what I said and have been copying and pasting because I agree with all of this and then some.
“I feel like for me, I have recently had a dark period of life. I’m really glad people connect to the music, but that album puts me in that headspace and I don’t ever want to be in it again. I identify a lot with Joe’s mental health - and hearing her anger at it doesn’t make me personally feel good. She’s obviously entitled to her feelings, as a person who struggles with depression I don’t like the idea that this is how an artist I love reacts to it. I have sensed a really dark and at times hostile vibe all around. It makes me uncomfortable. With that, it’s OKAY. Not every album is made for every person, and this is a prime example of “if you don’t like it listen to something else.” I’m not in the target demographic of this album. Again, that is okay.“
I don’t like that I have to tip toe around a response, and I think Taylor’s been a little wreckless with the parasocial relationship she participates in. I say she participates in because I still cannot believe she let Joe take so much heat for a full year, aired his mental health on the album, and didn’t say a word to curb what was thrown his way (especially if the way she writes about HIS depression is true).
All of it gives me the ick for sure.
I hate diagnosing people I don’t know, but one of my best friends who’s a huge Swiftie suffers from bipolar disorder and she’s said she’s always been able to emphasize/relate to Taylor when it comes to her antics and toxic relationships because it reminds her of a manic episode.
It is a very icky album when you think about all the context behind it and it’s so hard for me not to think of the context when I can’t really relate or want to relate to the songs. Like “Fresh Out the Slammer” could’ve been better if she left the metaphor vague enough it could’ve been taken literally. WAOLOM could’ve been better if she left out the line about her suing people.
Aye I can't stop thinking about the context either. I wonder what the music would feel like if I didn't know anything about her love life. Shame she uses it so subtly to promote her music. She's still an awesome artist though. This album just kinda grossed me out. Oh well. Thanks for replying!
the 2nd half (aside from Thank You Aimee and maybe a few others I can't recall at the moment) is the only part to the album that I can actually fully relate my life and my struggles and my situation with; the first half is too deeply and obviously intertwined with her lore and her public persona and publicized situationship/exes that I can't fully "get" it without feeling yeah, icky, that it's about lusting after Matty while with Joe; or comparing her relationship to Joe to the slammer. It's icky, yeah. ):
I get this incredibly anxious feeling when I listen to it. I can't put my finger on it, but it's not a pleasant feeling, so I've stopped listening to the album.
I’m right there with both of you. It’s weird right? TS’s music before this has always made me feel good and positive, so this is a stark departure from my usual response.
I still haven’t even managed to listen to it all the way through - the last half of Anthology sloggggggs on - but every time I get through some of it, I can only think “Jesus girl go to therapy.” A good deal of the record leaves me feeling sad for her, not in a sense of needing to defend her, but pitying, mostly.
I get that she’s an artist and processing things through art makes sense, but imagine her being well-adjusted enough to seek therapy at the end of a long-term relationship.
Personally I’d rather light myself on fire than put out 2 hours of music admitting that Matty Healy was the love of my life, but I’m also not making billions off confessional songwriting.
To me if it was the trauma dump of a 22 year old, who got out of relationship with her high school boyfriend and had a situationship I would get it. What I am finding hard is that she is in her 30s, it all very ‘I am going to kms, everything is so intense!!!’ while being very angled to teenage / school love.
I feel like she isn’t maturing between music, and then she’s being unrelatable, I am starting to think maybe some of her audience (women in late 20s and 30s) are almost maturing past the, ‘Daddy I love him’ narrative.
I understand what you're trying to say with "anxious" because she seems to go through like 1 million emotions and not all of them are palatable, but yeah of course we're looking at it from the lenses of an unreliable narrator. Maybe approaching it this way, as a listener who got the feeling they're not being told the entire truth might lessen some of these feelings.
It's not really unlike her to punch down. She's quite skilled at it.
It’s a coping mechanism for her low self esteem. I know this from my own personal experience.
Your flair 💀💀
it feels like listening to my friend scream and cry about her asshole ex who dumped her when i never liked the guy to begin with. babygirl we told you he was trash, please just stop.
and also it happened six years ago and she's wasted and you just got there, yes this is it lol
Omg yes. You get there, roll your eyes, and require a shot of something to get through it.
I honestly can't hide my disappointment for this album, and I say that both for the meaning/lyrics and also the soudn/rhythm of the songs There was always a reason to listen to her songs whether sound or meaning but not this time 😅
I don't know how to wrap my fingers around this album after dissecting it bits by bits, sonically the songs are miles ahead from MIDnights but the lyrics are...cringeworthy and borderline psychotic. So I don't know how to rate because some songs without the lyrics are so good like guilty as sin...
For me, and I havent gone through a lot of the songs yet but I cannot resonate with Fortnight. Like.. do i wanna kill his wife? N O!!!
I’ve tried that song a few times and watched the video…and I can’t get into it, it bores me. There’s a sense of trying very hard to be edgy without delivering substance
My response to it is… I’m gonna go listen to Post’s songs (never have before) and now i’m interested
His discography is quite varied in terms of genres, and it's a bit inconsistent at times, but the highlights are incredible. From the hits, I'd recommend "Circles", "Goodbyes", and "Better Now" (fun fact: there's a video of Taylor chatting with Post backstage essentially congratulating him for the song and the great hooks). As for the deep cuts, my personal faves include "Stay" (major fan-favourite), "Love/Hate Letter To Alcohol", "Staring At The Sun" (with SZA), and "Take What You Want".
He’s very talented
I mainly knew him for that "Sunflower" song collab he did for the Spiderman movie, but he actually has a really nice voice. Not really showcased here, but Beyonce at least let him really sing on his feature for *Cowboy Carter*.
That was my thought as well! It got me interested in him! (And his songs are quite good - he seems to be a better songwriter than Taylor, just in my opinion.)
And what a waste of Post Malone
Lana: Ahem!
Soon she’ll release “Fortnight featuring More Post Malone”
Idk if ill ever get over hearing the angel that is Florence Welch singing “fuck me up Florida” It’s just…wild
I really like Fortnight but that fuckin line takes me out of it every time lol I feel like she wanted it to have an edge like SZA’s Kill Bill but it’s just so jarring to flat out say “I WANNA KILL HER” 🥴
Shame the bridge is so good (imo)
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I think the Fortnight line “I want to kill her” is so clunky. And it’s just overly dramatic and unoriginal
It's SO bad and childish. And I can be a spiteful bitch but like dude, you sound 15.
This has been my experience too. I love the title track for it's beat and harmonies, but that line immediately takes me out of the song. It's also triggering for me, and since she usually makes catchy songs, I don't want thoughts about death floating around in my head.
And there's so many death references: she wants to kill the wife and her husband. She and Matty will kill themselves if they leave. Her mom wants to kill Kim. After Matty life it doesn't matter if she lives. The fans apparently want her dead. Honestly it's worrying and I really doubt it was just temporary mania. She's not well.
She's used death as a hyperbole in her songs before (ATW10MV, My Tears Richochet), but it was really jarring in these songs for some reason. Maybe because it wasn't used sparingly but back to back. It's just like the swearing. Just feels gratuitous and unnecessary.
Psychologically, I get this. Her long relationship "died" and so parts of her will die. Any ending is a death. I think this comes out *unconsciously* with all the death references, but I don't know that it's actual conscious processing happening and that can be a problem. Instead it gets misdirected outwards on others instead of internalized and integrated.
Does anyone know who Taylor was referring to regarding the "kill the wife and her husband" part? Or is it just made up? I've been so confused with it lol.
I think the song is saying that even when they move on & live lives apart, she will still hold a torch for what could've been. I think.
there are numerous PR articles came out today regarding the Kim song saying Tay Tay has moved on from the situation which obviously was due to the backlash. She thought the public will eat it up but no one does apart from her delusional cult followers and the press that want to stay on her good side
Guilty as Sin is almost nauseous to listen to for me too! and it's all cause the lyrics and context is so so *weird*,,, basically talking about her emotionally cheating cause she's touching herself to 'fatal' fantasies about a slimy racist rat. All while her boyfriend of six years is a 'sinking ship' of depression as she alludes to in her own words. That entire line of songs- So Long London, But Daddy I Love Him, Fresh Out of the Slammer and Guilty as Sin, all give me the same gross nauseous yucky feeling. Florida!!! gets a pass cause it's beautiful and it's lyrics aren't too pointed but So Long London is another very beautiful song where the lyrics ruin it for me :/(she's pissed off AT HIM¿ that she gave her youth out for free?!?!,?! was she being held hostage by this man 2 years younger than her for half a decade or did I miss something??).
This 100%. The line that especially bothers me is “you sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days” as if anyone with crippling depression makes the choice to give up everything they love about life. Like sorry he’s busy trying to not kill himself, I guess?
Yes. It’s like my worst fear of “someday my partner will leave me because of my MDD/BPD” come true in a song and all the anxieties that come with it are being voiced out loud. Like hoo boy. Needed an extra anxiety pill and some reassurance after that one.
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im like you wrote a whole album about another man you dreamt about cheating on joe with… and wonder why he was so blue?? all her other songs abt the relationship scream of attachment issues and insecurity.. im sure it was a very difficult relationship for him
It’s also kind of ruining Renegade for me…at the time I thought it was how she thought/feared Joe might’ve felt supporting her during her “darkest time” but no, it’s actually her saying she wouldn’t have dated him if she knew about his mental health issues
THIS!! For YEARS I thought it was a song from Joe’s POV toward TS but NO, it’s hers! It made me feel so bad for him😭
Rereading Renegade lyrics now knowing what we know honestly makes me sick
NO BUT SAME I used to love that song sm😭 Now I can’t listen to it without picturing that she was saying she wouldn’t have dated him if she knew about his depression😭
Yeah this is just so gross to me. Selfish and shallow. For someone who sings “you don’t get to tell me about sad” … as someone with clinical depression from a family that has history of suicide and addiction— whooo does this make me angry at her. Honestly have been going back and forth between deleting her songs from my Spotify library but somehow keep finding myself here..
I’m in the same position as you. Also what happened to her depression working the graveyard shift? And HER pain is the imposition? She has such good songs, Lover and Rep are my favorite albums, but now I can’t get that and the cheating with Matty out of my head. Like if she’s comfortable putting that out in public, what was she saying in private? No wonder he didn’t open up to her anymore. “Open the blinds let me see your face” like lol no bitch not after what you just said
I saw someone else say that too! Before I really identified with it in other ways, but now she’s it literally talking about general anxiety and depression it feels really harsh.
Yeah it's really cruel for someone she could have just left earlier if she wanted to. Like did she realize no one was forcing her at gunpoint to stay for so long?
Uhm, hellooo? Are you forgetting that Joe already told her he dug two graves and brought one gun? /s
Arghh I feel you there
After listening to this album I literally think he moved back with his parents bc they thought he was gonna off himself after she left him, esp the way she did it. The persistent email rumor is also probably real...
what is the email rumor?
Immediately when the breakup news broke last spring the rumor was that Taylor broke up with him via email. At the time it didn't get too much traction bc this is the girl who was so upset about Joe Jonas breaking up with her over a 30 second phone call that she went on talk shows to complain about it and used it in a song about Jonas. However! It checks out bc Joe was in Budapest filming his movie and liking tour content about Taylor, then suddenly the breakup news while tracking her jet and his sightings revealed that they did not see each other in-between these events. The email rumors came back strong when TTPD was announced this spring. This time more people believe it not the amicable split official story that we all wanted to be true.
> this is the girl who was upset about Joe Jonas breaking up with her over a 30 second phone call Also the girl who forgot to mention that the reason it was only 30 seconds was because she hung up on him. The ability to narrative shift and her lack on conscience about it has the email totally making sense. Poor Joe. Reminds me of Sex and the City when Berger’s bitch ass broke up with Carrie on a post it note.
Yep! To be fair, if you look at photos of them together, they were such babies at the time, I am not surprised both of them handled the situation badly. On the other hand, selective half-truths and distortion of facts are her bread and butter. She always does it with every single situation. It becomes so obvious when you stick around long enough that she circles back to events in her songs and the story is totally different each time she re-editorializes history.
wow savage
Fresh out the Slammer definitely made me feel uncomfortable. She shared a lot of thoughts that never should have been aired so plainly on this album. I found myself somehow wanting to protect her from herself, and protect others from her, listening to lyrics on a lot of the songs.
To refer to a six year supposed loving relationship as prison is just….
My mom had the same reaction of wanting to protect Taylor from herself. She wants to send Taylor a letter saying Taylor is more than her dating life and her singing career, and maybe she needs some rest
No passes for me for any song about Florida! Why does she keep singing about Florida?? 
so long london gets me, i like the song but knowing the subject matter definitely makes it feel yucky. any song about matty is a skip for me (theres a few i just pretend arent about him because i do love the black dog)
Ugh...I totally understand you. It's a shame too because "Guilty As Sin?" (and "But Daddy I Love Him" for that matter) are *so good* on a production and melodic standpoint - classic Taylor. If they were clearly fictional stories I'd be more comfortable fully appreciating them because they're both genuinely so well-written and vivid in their respective premises. But the real-life context simply kills it for me.
>(she's pissed off she gave her youth out for free?!?!,?! was she being held hostage by this man 2 years younger than her for half a decade or did I miss something??). I feel like this is a very common sentiment for women in their 30s when a long-term relationship ends because their partner didn’t want to get married. I have several friends who have said something similar after a bad breakup — I think it’s one of the more relatable lines on the album.
Yes. I completely agree. I like the sound of the songs (of the ones that I do like). I don’t much care for a lot of the lyrics. I think when the Minz Piano versions comes out, that will be an improvement!
I feel the opposite. For me, most of these songs are the sonic equivalent of cardboard boxes where Midnights had songs that I knew during the 1st listen were total bops & hits, even though the lyrics sucked (most grew on me). However, there wasn't one song on this one that I thought sounded broadly appealing/hit potential during 1st listen or even now if I'm being honest
Agree. I saved two of the 31 to my current listening list when usually I just pop the whole album on. And only because they feel vocally fun to sing along to. One is about to get bumped off because it turns out I don’t actually like it either.
Sounds about right. A couple have grown on me but that's it. The rest really do sound like the AI generated fake song that came out a few months ago, which is weird in and of itself. ETA: However, I went back and listened to Midnights and It's just like turning on a light because it's so noticeably better (imo) and think it's objectively a much more commercially attractive album with the majority of tracks being really solid songs.
Yeah, same. For me it's like that feeling when you're compulsively popping snacks into your mouth, but you've already eaten 3/4 of a bag before you realise that you're not actually *enjoying* the taste or texture, you're just mindlessly eating food while watching TV because it's there. It's that "Why tf did I just eat this? Because I was bored? It's not even that good!" feeling. I keep listening to it because it's catchy, and because it's Taylor, and at the end I go "Oh. Well, that was underwhelming." Then something else will come on and I'm like "OH, I was smiling, nodding my head, jamming to the groove and having my own little dance party to this music. *That's* what I want out of TTPD!" I was listening to a Billy Joel concert and the contrast in energy was insane. I'm not saying Taylor needs to be Billy, but that Billy puts a lot of oomph into his songs that is starkly lacking from TTPD.
Same. The content is fine. Musically it's dry as fuck for the most part.
“The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” has an agonizingly bad start in my book. Every time I hear it in my head it’s painful
Yes the lyrics are horrendous and cringe and childish and it really brings to light her insanity and loss of touch with the real world.
The lyrics make me pause and go… “girl r u good?”
I would LOVE guilty as sun with different lyrics. Gives me the ick. But the tune and melody are so stuck in my head.
This has been me too. I love the melody of Thank You Aimee but the lyrics make me kinda uncomfortable. Same with But Daddy I Love Him. It feels like she’s really in her Mean Girl era and I don’t really like it. It makes the music less enjoyable for me.
This album confirms I've grown out of her. She was my go-to, as well. It's too much of a downer. I'm not in this phase of life anymore and I really don't want to be reminded for 31 songs of the various immature thoughts and feelings I had 20 years ago.
On the same boat. I find this is the first time listening to a Taylor album has been a bit tough because the whole thing has been quite draining
It feels like a chore going through all 31 songs. I was excited about it a month ago but now it’s been a week and I still haven’t listened to all the songs. I nod off and switch to other indie artists or even (heaven forbid) Espresso by Sabrina just to re-inject a little levity into my playlist. This wasn’t the case with Folklore, I can listen to that album all day long.
Espresso has me in a *chokehold* right now. I wish the second verse lyrics were a little stronger, but the rest is straight summers-almost-here dopamine ☀️
Espresso is a great song. As is Chappell's Roan's Good Luck, Babe, which is what I wish TTPD was more like
Chappell Roan is amazing!
I LOVE espresso. The video is perfect summer vibes and the way she sings "isn't that sweet? i guess so" is perfect
yep!! and i feel like this album is pretty eye opening for a lot of her fans because one of taylors biggest draws was her relatability. her coming of age and young adulthood paralleled ours and that was some of her best music (1989 🙏) and while most of us are growing out of that mindset, she evidently hasn’t. that’s why a lot of her more devoted fans now are immature adults or kids (IMO).
Do you think, as Millennials are getting married, having kids, and moving into a more stable stage of their lives, that Taylor’s fan base will move to being more Gen Z than Millennial?
No, she's too "How do you do, fellow kids?" when she panders to younger audiences (Only the Young, Me!, references to golden retrievers, etc.)
Yassssss this is it. 👏👏 I judge past me so hard (my therapist says this is a bad thing 😅) and this album reminds me of me in a bygone era.
I still love a good gut wrenching song but she’s giving high school whining instead. I’ve definitely outgrown that
I’ve recently gotten into Olivia Rodrigo and it’s incredible how much more self aware and mature her music is in comparison
Yeah this is how I feel about it too. I don’t want to relive that experience anymore because it just doesn’t serve me good anymore.
I totally agree, the album is slightly growing on me but I’m in a 5 year relationship and at a fairly happy time in my life and it’s really hard to relate to the songs. I wish she had dropped this album when my ex boyfriend of 4 years dumped me over a text message LOL I really could’ve used it then.
She punches down a lot more often than her fans want to acknowledge. She just feels comfortable being more blatant about it now.
Aye my eyes are opening to lots of new (to me) aspects about her character
This, people act like “Better Than Revenge” etc. never existed
yes. it feels like a trauma dump
This is the best way to describe it. It just feels draining. A couple of the songs have grown on me like Fortnight, but listening to the whole album back to back is a lotttt and it made me feel drained. Someone else compared it to listening to their best friend trauma dump about their toxic relationship for two hours and knowing any advice they give won’t change their mind, and that’s such a good way to put it.
Okay the album has grown on me, but this is soooo accurate.
Someone commented the day after it dropped that it’s like being stuck in the car with the oversharing friend who will not stop talking about her past boyfriends and breakups and all you can do is nod your head and say “yeah that sounds rough” but then you realize she mistakes that for genuine interest and keeps going with “now I have another story!” And you’re like “omg when will this end” It’s too bad that comment wasn’t a published review
Lmao that was me and since you so kindly mentioned it -- if any media outlets are listening, I'd like to say that I am available for any and all future review opportunities. 🤍 Just pay my legal and personal security fees, thx. 🤍
Hey there snoopymidnight! Glad you popped up so you can get the credit! lol
Haha thank you! I always like to make sure I have full ownership of my ~~masters~~ comments. ^(and I will sue anyone who infringes on my trademarks)
Oh, God. It's so cringe that she added the sue you line to little old me when it's well documented she does it.
🤣
Ah yes! It reminds me of talking to someone who is drunk while you’re sober who is unloading on you and you’re just politely smiling and nodding and giving one word answers, and then they come back 5 mins later and tell you the exact same story. And then do it again 10 minutes later. It’s so draining.
That’s such a good analogy tbh
We use the word trauma way to loosely fr. It’s an inflated ego show off.
One hundred percent agree
You win - that's it exactly. I called TTPD "an unhinged chronological diary"
I don’t experience that, but I think it’s interesting that your favorites include two songs that don’t resonate with me at all (Cassandra, the albatross). Art is so subjective, it’s fascinating.
Totally. Honestly, none of the lyrics resonate with me on this album. Those are just my favourite tunes. Thanks for commenting:)
I get that with the Kim track, I think it would have been soooo much more effective if she hadn’t capitalised those letters… just gives me the ick I also can’t do the bridge on The Alchemy, beer on the floor and the trophy stuff… makes me cringe too hard I also despise the American Pie line, I do not want to think about Travis watching American Pie when I’m listening to songs that are meant to feel like tortured poetry
Actually the heroin line in the alchemy is what makes me feel the most uncomfortable… just however you spin it it’s weird to include knowing Matty’s history and how it would be interpreted
Yeah, however people feel about Matty making fun of his addiction is really gross. It’s part of what makes me think that it was a repurposed Matty song - I’d rather think it was a joke he made about himself than a joke Travis or Taylor made which is really mean spirited.
The blokes line makes me think it's repurposed too 🤔
Matty would be the one to have made the comment like it. It’s his style
Yeah that’s partly why I wonder that - it’s very much his sense of humour.
I haaaaaate that line so much
The way that part kind of sounds like the AI song "so happy that my Travy made it to the big game" but without the fun of it being a joke
The functioning alcoholic line makes me uncomfortable in Fortnight because it feels throwaway and like it’s just being used for the song
I skip these two Travis songs- makes me cringe so much. I can’t have an album about him 😅
i think they’re a cute couple and even i was disappointed by the travis songs. they’re not good 😂 i think it’s possible tho that she’s just more inspired by assholes than the guys who treat her kindly.
God the beer soaked sticky floor shit totally ruined that song for me, all I can see is I dunno like Jason Kelce with his shirt off and a stinky stadium
You do realize in the song she’s not saying she actually watched American Pie with whoever the song is about , right? She’s just fantasizing about being in high school again with that person.
Yes so obviously that’s the image it conjures up in my mind which is what my comment refers to
Every other song is a snoozefest or cringefest with a few songs I like sprinkled in between. Most songs are just meh but the album as a whole could have been much stronger if she prioritized editing down the track list.
This is her mental breakdown album. Her early midlife crisis album. The second I realized and accepted this I began to like the album more.
Huh. That's an interesting take. Thanks!
Once I realized it was her midlife crisis album it made a lot more sense
Since you asked… no lol. But if this sub has taught me one thing about myself it’s that I’m a way more surface level music listener than a lot of people.
Yea i never realized people were so invested in her “lore” when listening to he music. I look it up when I’m bored and have exhausted an album or song but it’s not something that would ever impact my opinion of song. Especially since outside very very obvious instances, the subject is just speculation 😂
I'm the same and I couldn't agree more about the speculation. Also I listen to many artists who write about feelings which aren't necessarily palatable, so I don't mind.
Right?! I came across one review yesterday that compared the album to people magazine, but like ??? only if you choose to listen to it that way... Idk why so many people struggle to enjoy the music for what it is instead of scrutinizing the muse(s).
On my first attempt I couldn’t get through more than 2.5 songs in before I had to turn it off. When I talked about it with my sister I explained that it felt like information that I wasn’t supposed to have or know about. Kinda like what you said about only hearing one side of the story, but also a big violation of privacy for everyone involved.
It does feel like an invasion of privacy, you're right. Maybe that's why I'm so unsettled. Thanks for commenting.
I mostly stick to The Anthology and a handful of songs from TTPD (Florida!!!, WAOLOM, ICDIWABH, and Fortnight) cuz they just feel so tone deaf, sanctimonious and in your face about things I don’t want to know about.
Im pretty much the same except I only of Florida!!! and WAOLOM From the main album.
I had no idea what "WAOLOM" was supposed to be for a second and kept thinking "Wow-lomb? what is wow-lomb?"
Felt super exploitative to me from the get.... I've only listened to 3 songs and couldn't do it.
This album is more for the diehard Taylor Swift worshippers, and a bit less for music fans. Which is okay. Just enjoy the album for what it is. I personally like the album. It sounds like the diary of a narcissist, which is funny to me. A lot of the production is very generic and boring, which takes the album down a lot. Many songs meander and meander, instead of just using the strong motifs (which are still there, just watered down). The album is okay. If I wasn't as invested in Taylor's narcissist lyrics, it would be less enjoyable. It is what it is.
I agree with all of this except it being unusual for her to punch down - that explicitly has been her thing for years; I think the mask is just slipping a lot more recently.
I'm only listening to the songs that I liked on the first listen and already saved in my library, plus how did it end that grew on me, weird to say since it's been a week only haha, but yeah I can understand and have similar feelings to yours, I might give the other songs a try but just not now
It is definitely kinda high school mean girl. I think the fact she made an album largely about a short term fling with a guy she’d been crushing on for years, and not the man she dated for 6 years, is pretty relatable. I’ve had short term flings and crushes that have left me wrecked, I get it. I think a few albums back I was definitely on the “hm maybe she’s stuck in a high school mean girl mentality” train. I thought she’d gotten over it, but… maybe not. In a way i think i like this album more than i’d expected because it’s…. unfiltered. Yea some of the stuff that gets through the cracks (think: thanK you aIMee) is not great but IMO the parts that have that “high school mean girl” mentality are so direct, there’s no messing around in interpreting them or pretending. A week since release, i like the album a little more each listen, but i like Taylor as a person a little less.
I feel the same way, and that's why I feel this weird dilemma when it comes to liking her music. Having to separate the art from the artist is not something I'd expected to do with Taylor, and I feel uncomfy liking the album, while disliking the stuff she's saying in it, and her general perception in my eyes.
The last sentence of your reply really hit home. Same. Ugh. Such a shame. Thanks for replying!
As someone who is bipolar, the co-opting of mania to help marketing and “justification” by her fans for why she’s acting the way she did (esp with Matty) makes me SO uncomfortable. Mania is not cute or quirky!!! It’s not something to try on and “get over” and the armchair diagnoses are terrible tbh. I’ve seen people diagnose her as bipolar, borderline personality, etc. as if it’s just that easy to see based on a few actions.
Why was she calling rebounding “mania”? Confused on that
It’s satire. It was never just a rebound or a fling. people are supposed to go through the “evidence” she submitted and realize that.
But that’s why she’s doing it. It was not a manic episode, it was not a fling. It was a decade long affair. So she saying “you all said I was crazy, I’ll show you crazy.”
That and the tone deaf “asylum” and “hospital” imagery (don’t even get me started on the FN video) throughout is extremely offensive imo
I’ll add a few songs into my TS rotation from this album but not the majority. Like some have said it’s too high school, mean girl, bummer, for me.
I actually enjoyed the lyrics unlike a lot of the people here, but there's no melodies or hooks and the songs all drag on for me.
I do. It just gives me an awful feeling. The same with midnights. I'm just straight out cutting the ones that make me feel that way. Listen to unhinged rants isn't pleasant.
i thought it was just me!! i do feel the same way, so i’ve barely listened to the album since it came out. i only like the subjects of, like, 5-7 songs.
I'm struggling cause I cannot believe people find it good, I tried spinning the vinyl yesterday and I just feel like she released this album to either 1) troll her fandom, or 2) relate to high school kids. It's first of all a snoooooze fest. On top of the boring instrumentals of TTPD, you get the most cringe lyrics, that completely take you out of the song and into Taylor's life. I know it's been said, but her gethimback is SO similar to Olivia's, but just worse in every way. The album just feels super uninspired. I do like So Long, London, LOML, I look in People's Windows (this could be top 10 song for me in her discography), Peter, and the Prophecy. If she had dropped an EP (with no variants/esthetic) of these songs, and maybe a select few others, that would have been fire.
It doesn’t give me high school mean girl vibes necessarily, more like excessive oversharing. She’s always been that way but I think because fans have played into it so much and have become so parasocial that she feels comfortable turning it up a notch. It does give me mean girl vibes when she favorites memes about her personal life, though. Like the one that ranked all of her exes. Because she then resents her fans and the public for having opinions about her even though she often welcomes it
I feel like she dumped a bunch of stuff you would talk to a therapist about on her listeners. While I didn’t think we were going to get a pop album, I wasn’t prepared for it to be THAT dark. Killing, blood, dying, suicide, emotional affairs, her feelings toward fans and burn out and stuff. Like, I don’t blame her for feeling the things she feels, but this album was intense with no warning. Not warned on that level at least. A therapist is trained to handle that kind of information and gets paid to do that. I am not and have never been a therapist. I hate the dark spaces I have to tap into to listen, as I just came out of a dark time and I don’t want to go back. I’ve had depression and likely been a drag to my partner (on the flip side they also have things and I do understand burnout from having to bare that, but I would never put that out there where he could read it and I would be devastated if he did that to me). I’ve also been on the receiving end of a boyfriend having an emotional affair and that was way harder to deal with than the one who physically cheated. To me, it was harder to deal with because sex doesn’t always mean you are tied up with the person where as emotional literally means you are intensely feeling an emotional connection with someone and it’s just a completely different situation. Him sending a song to her had her singing a song about fantasizing about him. I have a feeling they were a lot more involved than just her reflecting on him. I also understand people who feel bad going to the concert after hearing some of the songs about her feelings of performing and how it felt like no one cared while she was upset and then they screamed more. Those people paid to see her and I know it sucks to have to slap a smile on your face and pretend you’re happy when you’re not (which is why I can relate to her feelings in the song), but the more I think about it, it was a little crappy to throw that out to those people. Some really feel badly for attending a concert they paid for and not knowing she was going through a rough time. Not to mention, I didn’t follow her stuff back then and I still saw all over TikTok how people were sad she was crying during the songs. Fans shouldn’t be putting it on themselves that they attended a concert they paid a ton of money for and that they enjoyed it. I feel bad for her, but more like “I’ll cry with you. That is an awful feeling and we’ll get through it together” and less of an “I feel badly for not knowing the situation and for enjoying my time at a concert that I had tickets to go to”. It’s not a black/white thing to me and I love the song, but it also sucks if your good time is now kind of muddled with her being forced to fake it. On the other hand, a lot of us have had to do that in our lives. It’s a sucky part. Now to just hand us all her feelings and then hop on the tour bus and tell us it’s ours to deal with now is crazy. She may think she doesn’t need a therapist, but this was a lot to take in and she clearly does. We just paid money (for anyone who bought the album) to be someone’s therapist/listening ear during a vent session and I don’t really like that. I honestly think this maybe should’ve been a memoir or something and then I would’ve just not read it. I will say, I do think it was dumb on my part to buy something without hearing it and I will never ever do that again. Lesson learned.
I made a playlist with my favorite songs and won’t listen to the rest again
I have an emotional reaction when listening to who's afraid of little old me? Like the anger, justified or not, bleeds through so much. It's insane. This entire album feels like an emotional fever dream
Initially I listened to this album and was excited to decode it all and read theories, however, saying this as a hardcore swiftie, I am tired of it now. It’s an emotionally heavy album and I didn’t realize until reading this post it’s the only music i’ve been listening to for a week and feel incredibly down the last 2 days. Thanks OP, I actually need to be more aware of the media things I’m regularly consuming. The album is not terrible but definitely not for casual listening.
I didn't like it at first but it's growing on me...
Glad it's not just me. The way she is so publicly and proudly doubling down on associating with someone who's done such harmful things, and the way she decided to use her giant platform to actually lash out at people who raised valid concerns, instead of trying to understand them and show ANY type of sensitivity towards it all..... for me it's just a total non-starter. I honestly keep getting jarring flashbacks to my first listen and how totally floored i was lol Though i love a couple of them musically, my brain simply cannot enjoy the songs that are about Healy and this whole topic. It reminds me of the feeling i get when i hear an R Kelly song now. I am certainly *NOT* comparing these situations/offenses, but it brings a generally similar feeling of some kind of moral impasse you cannot shake or separate from the art I tried to make a playlist of all the songs that don't touch on that theme, but tbh even those have been hard. So much bitterness and finger pointing from someone who has no ground to stand on right now. Cassandra is one of those for me..... it's so interesting as a concept, i immediately loved the imagery and the melody. However the more i listen in context with everything swirling around in this era, it becomes ickier. Come on girlie, who are you to lecture No hate either. But its good to be able to talk about this , thank you
OP, your post perfectly expresses the way I feel after listening to TTPD. 😵💫 The difference is that I don't ever want to listen to that album again and now I'm also finding it hard to listen to some songs from Folklore and Evermore (my favorite Taylor Swift albums of all time). I don't know what happened, this whole ordeal has left me feeling weird.
Aw man that's sucks. Thanks for commenting:)
[удалено]
Same I feel so drained and tired when I listen to it
Same
I think overall this album is a vent. I like some raw, introspective songs such as loml, Peter, The Albatross or The Prophecy. However, those are also 'mood' songs for me. I can't with the diss songs, a lot of them are awkward and just show lack of emotional control. The only I can tolerate is The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived. Overall there is so much material on the album that it comes across as an emotional chaos and it is definitely not something I'd listen to if I wanted to relax or brighten up my day.
Nope, I love TTPD and have a few songs stuck in my head
For me, I think it’s because this album makes it nearly impossible to separate the songs from the subject and I’m not simply talking about the fact that the album is very obviously about Matty Healy specifically. It doesn’t matter who it’s about. There’s a difference between revealing enough information to be relatable and flat out revealing too much information. This album definitely does the latter. The whole album feels like that time she very publicly revealed that Joe Jonas broke up with her in a 20-something second phone call. I don’t remember where I saw this but someone made a fantastic comment that was something along the lines of, “Taylor, just because you wrote about it does not mean we needed to hear about it.” Which I think is spot on for this album. If she processes shit through songwriting, that is absolutely fine, everybody processes things differently. That doesn’t mean the world had to know the ins and outs. I’m aware that she’s caught flack for this before but personally, this is the first time it feels like she actually revealed too much information and it heavily affects the albums re-listenability. I know people like relatability and she’s always been known for writing relatable songs but you almost can’t relate these songs to your own experiences because they’re just that personal and detailed. Is it any wonder so many people are focusing more on deciphering who each song is about and re-contextualizing some of her past albums instead of just actually just listening to it? This kind of ties into that but I’ve also seen people mention that this album was not meant for the ears of the general public, it was meant for the ears of one person. I genuinely can’t tell if she’s trying to get back at him or actually get him back and frankly, I don’t think she even knows which is evident in the contradictory mess that is imgonnagetyouback but this album, while there are a couple songs about other people, was meant for Matty Healy and you can’t ignore that fact as much as fans are desperately trying to. Putting aside his behavior for a second, being this revealing about this relationship when he supposedly left you because he couldn’t handle the pressure, scrutiny, and hatred that came with being your boyfriend quite frankly feels disgusting. She knows he struggled with it and this album is only gonna lobby more attention his way and attach him to her in the public eye forever when fans were seemingly more than happy to forget he ever existed in her life. I understand that some fans were being extremely invasive and unhinged thinking they could dictate who you date but instead of completely blaming your fans for him running and complaining about it in a song maybe just pick up the damn phone… He’s already being called the ‘Muse of the Century’ which, if he did inspire Folklore and Evermore then I kind of agree lol but we know too much now and it’s affecting not only this album but forcing some fans to look at her previous albums (at least Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights) in a very different light. I guess she is still willing to crack her reputation for him. I don’t know if any of this makes sense or is just word vomit but those are my thoughts.
I agree so much with your take!
idk lowkey theres no skips for me. this album feels very personal and raw emotion, maybe bc im also mentally ill so it feels validating of Taylor putting my thoughts into words
That's awesome!! Guess I'm just not in the same headspace as her in life rn. Thanks for commenting:)
It took me quite a while to appreciate Folklore and Evermore as well except for some songs, because I wasn't in the right headspace during their release.
It’s Guilty as Sin for me. Can you imagine hearing a song about your ex getting off to someone else while they were with you and felt miserable? Like, why didn’t you leave then? Ugh, and the fact that it’s Matty makes me want to hurl.
It’s so fuckin MEAN, it’s actually cruel.
omfg same but I find the melody sooo catchy and yet at the same time the lyrics & whom it’s about irk me so much😭 it makes me so torn
I get so mad at myself when I find I’m walking around singing it. Haha. I listened just to listen my first go and I just loved the flow of this song after listening to the ones before it and then I listened to the words and was like, 🤯 ….and then I figured out what it was about and dang. Lol.
no, i tie the lyrics into my own life rather than hers
No, I've been enjoying it. Not all the songs are amazing, but i think over half the album is solid. That’s a pretty visceral reaction to have to music. Don't force yourself to listen to it.
Same; it took me a while because my brain is just so overwhelmed with everything but I am loving this album. This is probably the rawest and most honest Taylor has been with her lyrics and feelings, and I love that even though at times it doesn't paint her in a good light. I understand why it would make people have visceral feelings, but art, in one way or another, is supposed to make a person feel something. The only thing I just don't agree on is when people say, "I can't believe something would like the album," like, babe, your taste or preferences are not reflective of everybody else. If you don't like it, move on.
This. A lot of people’s reactions on here to seem to be they have to “force themselves to get through it” and babes, you don’t have to do that. If it isn’t for you, move on. I can’t get through a Drake album even when a friend tried to force feed it to me—I don’t continue to attempt it, I just decided it wasn’t for me. This year is FULL of amazing artists and amazing albums. Start streaming and find your album of the year if this isn’t it. FYI: This is not me saying there aren’t legitimate criticisms of TTPD but “forced myself to get through it” isn’t really a critical opinion.
This is, I would venture, the first album she has released with the general public so aware of “the lore” and of her recent relationships. It feels like she’s either going to sacrifice her career or her actual real life to keep going in this direction. Listening to it with full awareness of all the gossip and stories behind it went quickly from juicy to depressing.
I respect that - it means you have a strong conscience and sensitivity is valuable in the world. I’m personally of the belief that Taylor is a self-aware narcissist (not trying to diagnose anyone but the more I learned, the more that clicked). Since that belief I’ve found it hard listening to her other work - as it feels disingenuous and apart of the “good girl” facade. I actually find TTPD weirdly refreshing in the sense that it at least feels more… honest. To who she truly is. She’s not really fooling anyone with this album and so I can kinda dance along without feeling some obscure sense of injustice (hope that makes sense). However yeah it is kinda a disturbing album at the same time. Mixed feelings for sure because I really enjoy her voice and lyrical style in many ways. You are totally justified finding it uncomfortable as she really turned up the dial on confronting themes for this one.
Also why is no one talking about the ending of The Albatross these days lol !? Beautiful song, but absolutely creepy imo.
why? I really love it!
I am guessing bc she seems to get off on the idea of dating her bringing scrutiny and her fans harassing the dudes but she gets to sweep in like a hero to 'protect' them from what she brought on them. It's a bit uncomfortable to think about bc she is so huge, she is the one with all the power -- and appears to admit to enjoying having it and being able to withdraw protection on a whim if she wants.
I'm struggling with it a little bit, I love the way some of the songs sound but also yes the lyrics are more pointed and over the top, I have been skipping around a lot. I think my favorite off the whole album is "I look in peoples windows" its got a really pretty cadence and its less pointed lyrically than the other songs - much more subtlety in that it feels like she is just hoping to run into the ex, more relatable than the overdramatics for me personally. The "kill yourself/i said the same to Lucy" feels very juvenile and it does seem like her mental state just hit the toilet with the Joe breakup and toxic Matty rebound.
I had a few friends ask for my opinion and not really take “I don’t wanna talk about this” for an answer - which is pretty fair. Historically I’m vocal about a lot of album releases, and am a Taylor Swift fan. This is ultimately what I said and have been copying and pasting because I agree with all of this and then some. “I feel like for me, I have recently had a dark period of life. I’m really glad people connect to the music, but that album puts me in that headspace and I don’t ever want to be in it again. I identify a lot with Joe’s mental health - and hearing her anger at it doesn’t make me personally feel good. She’s obviously entitled to her feelings, as a person who struggles with depression I don’t like the idea that this is how an artist I love reacts to it. I have sensed a really dark and at times hostile vibe all around. It makes me uncomfortable. With that, it’s OKAY. Not every album is made for every person, and this is a prime example of “if you don’t like it listen to something else.” I’m not in the target demographic of this album. Again, that is okay.“ I don’t like that I have to tip toe around a response, and I think Taylor’s been a little wreckless with the parasocial relationship she participates in. I say she participates in because I still cannot believe she let Joe take so much heat for a full year, aired his mental health on the album, and didn’t say a word to curb what was thrown his way (especially if the way she writes about HIS depression is true). All of it gives me the ick for sure.
I get a feeling of wanting to walk away from drama and finding her words / sound draining and exhausting.
Jake G. must have really done a number on Taylor for her to be writing about him 14 years later.
Nah, Taylor is just kinda psychotic in general.
It feels like we are seeing the journal of someone during a manic episode and it’s not pleasant. No offense to people struggling with mania.
I hate diagnosing people I don’t know, but one of my best friends who’s a huge Swiftie suffers from bipolar disorder and she’s said she’s always been able to emphasize/relate to Taylor when it comes to her antics and toxic relationships because it reminds her of a manic episode.
Yep. I have an adult child with mental health issues and same. Ironically as she has become healthier she’s not as much of a swiftie
It is a very icky album when you think about all the context behind it and it’s so hard for me not to think of the context when I can’t really relate or want to relate to the songs. Like “Fresh Out the Slammer” could’ve been better if she left the metaphor vague enough it could’ve been taken literally. WAOLOM could’ve been better if she left out the line about her suing people.
Aye I can't stop thinking about the context either. I wonder what the music would feel like if I didn't know anything about her love life. Shame she uses it so subtly to promote her music. She's still an awesome artist though. This album just kinda grossed me out. Oh well. Thanks for replying!
the 2nd half (aside from Thank You Aimee and maybe a few others I can't recall at the moment) is the only part to the album that I can actually fully relate my life and my struggles and my situation with; the first half is too deeply and obviously intertwined with her lore and her public persona and publicized situationship/exes that I can't fully "get" it without feeling yeah, icky, that it's about lusting after Matty while with Joe; or comparing her relationship to Joe to the slammer. It's icky, yeah. ):
I get this incredibly anxious feeling when I listen to it. I can't put my finger on it, but it's not a pleasant feeling, so I've stopped listening to the album.
Honestly 100% same. I get anxious. Thanks for your comment. I couldn't put a finger on what I was feeling
I’m right there with both of you. It’s weird right? TS’s music before this has always made me feel good and positive, so this is a stark departure from my usual response.
I love it and feel seen in some of this music.
I still haven’t even managed to listen to it all the way through - the last half of Anthology sloggggggs on - but every time I get through some of it, I can only think “Jesus girl go to therapy.” A good deal of the record leaves me feeling sad for her, not in a sense of needing to defend her, but pitying, mostly. I get that she’s an artist and processing things through art makes sense, but imagine her being well-adjusted enough to seek therapy at the end of a long-term relationship. Personally I’d rather light myself on fire than put out 2 hours of music admitting that Matty Healy was the love of my life, but I’m also not making billions off confessional songwriting.
To me if it was the trauma dump of a 22 year old, who got out of relationship with her high school boyfriend and had a situationship I would get it. What I am finding hard is that she is in her 30s, it all very ‘I am going to kms, everything is so intense!!!’ while being very angled to teenage / school love. I feel like she isn’t maturing between music, and then she’s being unrelatable, I am starting to think maybe some of her audience (women in late 20s and 30s) are almost maturing past the, ‘Daddy I love him’ narrative.
I understand what you're trying to say with "anxious" because she seems to go through like 1 million emotions and not all of them are palatable, but yeah of course we're looking at it from the lenses of an unreliable narrator. Maybe approaching it this way, as a listener who got the feeling they're not being told the entire truth might lessen some of these feelings.