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[thebookventureroftroy]

My review/ranking of Taylor Swift’s ‘Reputation’

Only read on if you like long posts coz this is a lonnngggg one

So I’m currently on Holidays and really bored so here’s my post reviewing and ranking the song’s from Taylor Swift’s new album. I downloaded it last weekend and it took me a while week to listening to kind of solidify an order of favourites for this one. There’s some really good ones.

I’m not like a mega-Taylor Swift fan, she’s more like a problematic fave. I have admired her songwriting prowess for a really long time though. I was really nervous ahead of the release for this one because I didn't particularly like the singles she released before it (except for ready for it) and I was like “Oh boy, this is it. This is the time I don’t buy Taylor’s new album.” And, well, I bought it. And she's hooked me in again.

I actually like that she kept her best stuff for the album release though. Usually its the other way around. As a whole, I like that Taylor is experimenting with new sounds and styles. it’s a natural progression for most artists around this point in their career and I think for the most part she’s succeeding. There are a like a couple of songs on this album that I don’t really like and after that they’re just all good in my opinion so I’m starting from the bottom and working my way up so it ends on a positive note.

A word before we start, my reaction towards songs comes a lot from the music before the lyrics, which I think is the opposite to a lot other Taylor fans. Lyrical connection is usually the second criteria in whether or not I like them. And then sing-ability is a factor as well.

Anyway, I’ll stop rambling.

Here we go.

15. This is why we can’t have nice things

Soooooooo I know this is on a lot of people’s favourite lists but I really didn’t like it. And it’s not because of the story. I usually love sassy Taylor. Some of my favourite songs of her’s are about her ripping on people. They’re usually the most fun. But I guess it’s just the way it sounds. i don’t like the way she drags the chorus and it sounds very musically disjointed. It’s the most displeasing to listen to out of all the songs on the album (And i thought my least favourite would be Look what you made me do) Anyway…like all of Taylor’s songs, it will probably grow on my because it is also really catchy but for now I can’t rank it any higher. Sorry guys.

Best lyric: Probs “Friends don’t try to twist you, get you on the phone and mind trick you.” It’s fun to sing, I guess.

Worst lyric: “NICE. THINGS. DAR. LING.”

14. End Game

I feel bad because I really wanted to like her collab with Ed Sheeran but in the it felt a little flat. First of all, it sounds like a Drake song. I feel like this is also Ed’s fault. He tends to borrow stuff from other artists in his songwriting (though Taylor has done this a few times on the album so I suppose I can’t hold it against them). I don’t really like Future’s verse. I do like Ed’s though. It’s probably the best part of the song. Taylor’s is a little boring.

Best Lyric: “I swear I don’t love the drama, it loves me” (also when Ed pipes up with “end game” in the last part.)

Worst Lyric: All of Future’s verse. It’s really boring and unmemorable.

13. Gorgeous

Ok so this was the single that made me fear for Reputation. I do not like this song. Actually, that’s a lie, having listened to it so much while determining this ranking it’s actually starting to grow on me.  I don’t like the slurring of Gorgeous and the melody of the verses makes me feel uncomfortable. The beat is also really boring. But mostly I just find it annoying. At least Look what you made me do is annoying in an interesting/memorable way. Anyway, the reason this isn’t last is because, while I don’t really like it, I also think it’s a better written and crafted song than the previous two.

best lyric: “I guess I’ll just stumble on home to my cats………….unless you wanna come along” (at least it’s funny)

Worst lyric: “I’ve got a boyfriend he’s older than us” So I’m mad because every line of this song sounds like it’s about Tom Hiddleston except this one. I’m by no means a Hiddleswift fan but I’m convinced that Taylor started writing this song when she was dating Tom Hiddleston and then changed a couple of the lyrics to make it about Joe before including it on the album. That’s my conspiracy theory and I’m sticking to it.

12. Look What You Made Me Do

Truth time. I don’t actually hate this song. I mean, I should. It’s quite bad. But it’s also…not actually that bad? I mean, the Chorus is terrible, and half the time I change songs once it hits the chorus. But I like the rest of it. And I was blown away by the music video too. That production value man. Keep it up Taylor. Can you do I Did Something Bad next?

Best Lyric: “BUT I GOT SMARTER, I GOT HARDER IN THE NICK OF TIME. HONEY I ROSE UP FRON THE DEAD I DO IT ALL THE TIME. I GOT A LIST OF NAMES AND YOUR’S IS IN RED, UNDERLINED” (I know everyone loves “I don’t trust nobody and nobody trust me,” but this one is the most fun to sing out of the whole song. I love it. It’s the reason I kept replaying this song over and over again when it came out.

Worst Lyric: “look what you made me do…. look what you made me do…look what you just made me do look just what you made me do” (seriously, Taylor? you’re more creative than that)

11. Dress

Ok we’re getting to the good songs now, so i’ll probably be a lot less critical. This song isn’t bad it’s just unmemorable. I usually love sexy Taylor but this song just doesn’t click for me. Maybe coz I don’t really feel any connection to it. It’s smooth af though so it’ll probably stay in my regular playlist.

Best lyric: “Say my name and everything just stops” *music stops. YAASSS TAYLOR

Worst Lyric: There aren’t really any. I don't love it but it’s still classic Taylor songwriting so….

10. Call It What You Want

So when this song was released as a single I didn’t really like it either. I thought it was a little boring. Having listened to it a bunch times though I now find it so cuuuuteee. Happy Taylor is so adorable, I love it. Dress is probably more dynamically interesting, but I ranked this one higher because the lyrics make me feel all fuzzy. It’s reminiscent of classic Taylor (Remember “Ours"? Still one of my favourites)

Best Lyric: “I want to wear his initial on a chain round my neck, not because I owns me, because he really knows me” awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww so cuuuuuuuuuuuutteeeeeeeee

Worst Lyric: There’s not really a bad lyric, but I’m not a huge fan of the melody in the verses.

9. New Year’s Day

Ok, so this is in this spot because I didn’t dislike it when I first listened to it, but it also doesn't particularly stand out to me. It is a beautifully written song and I lovvveee that she ended the album with it. It’s a gorgeous closing track and I can see her closing the tour with it (I’ve got my fingers crossed that she’ll film the Reputation tour so poor uni students like me can still see it coz it’s gonna be amazing). Anyway,  raw honest music like this is why we fell in love with Taylor in the first place and its great that while she’s experimenting with new sounds and styles she still comes back to her classic style. It’s just a nice track at the end of a whirlwind journey, Kind of like new year’s day, I guess (OHHHH, I guess that’s what you were going for).

Best Lyric: “Hold on to the memories they will hold on to you” (but also “I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on new year’s day” coz those harmonies are stunning.)

Worst Lyric: Can’t find one. Guys, she’s such a good songwriter I can’t even

8. So It Goes

And now we’re at the part of the list where it’s getting hard to actually rank them. But here we go with “So it Goes.” Now this is the sexy Taylor I love. It’s very satisfying to listen to. I love how the Chorus is subdued and then the sexy beat picks up in the chorus. It’s just a really good song. very chill and sexy.

Best Lyric: “Wear you like a necklace. I’m so chill but you make me jelaaaasss” (I’ve previously not liked how Taylor slurs her lyrics but I really like this one. Very sexy) I also love the whispered counting too. Oh and “You know I’m not a bad girl but I’d do bad things with you.” Taylor

Worst Lyric: We’re at the point in the list where there aren’t really any bad lyrics. This is why she's a Queen songwriter.

7. …Ready for It

Ok so this is the best out of the singles Taylor released before the album. I liked this one from the second I heard it. It’s very fun and I listened to it a lot walking to the bust stop every day, learning the lyrics. It’s very fun. And sexy (why the robot music video though…I don’t….this song is about passionate love not….ah forget it). Jury’s still out on whether or not I like rapper Taylor. If I had to point out a weakness I’d say the verses. But Chorus is sooo good and fun and sexy, and I love the build up to it. I dunno. I just like the song. It’s a lot of fun.

Best Lyric: The whole Chorus.

Worst Lyric: You know what? I’m just going to remove this category from the rest of the rankings.

6. King of my Heart

Eeeeeeeeeeeeee this song is just adorable. It’s so cute and lovely and happy. I also like the different sounds and beats she plays with in this song. And she just sounds so happy. Go Taylor. I feel like a proud sister. Also, Taylor’s mastery of her low register is the best thing that’s ever happened to her.

Best Lyric: …..Probably the whole chorus again. “and all at once you’re all I want, I’ll never let you go, KING IF MY HEARRRTTTT. (Soooo cute)

5. Delicate

I like this one because it’s classic ballad Taylor and it doesn’t feel like the song is dragging, probably because of the beat under it. It moves it along without feeling distracting or out of place. It feels…well…delicate. (come on, you knew that was coming!). But yeah, I really like this one, it’s also really cute. I love all her cute songs, particularly about Joe because she’s just so darn happy in that relationship. I also like the subtle build through the song.

Best Lyric: “My reputation’s never been worse so you must like me for me” awwwww tayylorrr

4. Getaway Car

Boy did this song fly up my ranking list. It wasn’t originally this high up the list in early rankings but boy did it grow on me. Like all the best Taylor songs do. A lot of my favourite songs are like literal storytelling songs. It’s lyrically interesting and has a fun musicality to it.

Best Lyric: “should have known I’d be the first to leave, think about the place where you first met me” and “Nothing good starts in a get-a-way car”

3. Dancing with our Hands Tied.

Ok so this sounds like a tatu song. Not a bad thing, just an observation. The racing beat is classic tatu. Anyway, This is my favourite love song on the album. In the same way that I Know Places was my favourite song on 1989. The two also have quite a bit in common thematically, about hiding a relationship (Huh, maybe that’s why it reminds me of Tatu so much). She’s good at crafting songs like these because she musically captures the feeling of running and hiding and then I feel like I’m running and hiding with her. It’s great. I love clever songwriter Taylor Swift. I love that it gets a little faster every verse. And I loved the beat drop in the chorus.

Best Lyric: I LOVE ALL OF IT.

2. Don’t Blame Me

I don’t know how to describe why I like this song. I love the choir sound in the chorus. I also think Taylor sound vocally awesome in this song. (OMG when she hits that high note!!!!). The beat is so sexy in this one. I love it. it goes to so many places and I just enjoy the hell out of it.

Best Lyric: music stops. CHOIR SINGS “lorrd save me my drug is my baby i’ll be using for the rest of my-USING FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. OHHHWHOAOHHHH”) YASSSS TAYLOR HIT THAT HIGH NOTE)

1. I Did Something Bad

I JUST LOVE SASSY TAYLOR SO MUCH. There’s always that one sassy taylor song on the album that is just the best thing ever. This is that song. Yeah it’s not as heartfelt and beautifully crafted and meaningful as some of the others but my god is this song a lot of fun. But the best thing about this song is you can literally feel the beat drop coming and its it is completely earned. I like that it’s kind of a sequel to Blank Space. But it’s a better song because Taylor Swift didn’t cop out of it by saying “yeah…it’s just a joke….” like she totally owns everything she says and I love it so much. GO SASSY TAYLOR.

Best Lyric: The whole damn song. “So I play em like a Violin and I make it look oh so easy” “If a man talks sh*t then I owe him nothing” “Then why’s it feel so *CRASH CRASH* “GOOD” CRASH CRASH “GOOD” “So I Fly em all around the world and I let them think they saved me” “He says don’t throw away a good thing. But if he drops my name then I owe him nothing. And if he spends my change then he had it coming” “They’re burning all the witches even if you aren’t one”

Sorry I got a little carried away. But the fact that there’s actually so many best lines that it’s too hard to choose one just proves why it’s number one on my list. And why it should be number one on your’s. mwahahahahahaha

Anyway.

Hope you enjoyed my ranking. Once again Taylor grabbed me with her songwriting powers and I’m caught in her spell all over again. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to listen to I Did Something Bad for the millionth time.