#probably because the album is full of devastating lyrics

[sophisticatedswifts]

This line is so devastating

[mainepdf]

my full review of ttpd (a month late, shhh)

tw opinions. if you like a song that i don't or vice versa or you don't agree with a comment i made, good for you! get it off your chest, get it off my desk!

fortnight

One of Taylor’s weaker openers, it’s a nice song, not much going on though

the production is boppy, not much going on once again

Interesting how Taylor sees her muse as living a good life without her and a nice domestic scene with his wife watering flowers but for her, her husband is cheating on her, implying she thinks she will never be happy, maybe because of how this relationship went or her general perception of relationships and her experiences with them. That is my interpretation of the song.

The outro with post and taylor's harmonies SLAPS

Like I said, this song feels a bit lacking of substance both thematically and technically, it doesn't do it for me, i don't hate listening to it, i just don't love it.

i think it might be a song that grows on me over time but it won't ever be a fave for me.

i also think in light of the music video, it's lost some of its spark for me, as that music video made no sense to me. i don't think it deserved to be a single.

the tortured poets department

“You left your typerwriter at my apartment, straight from the tortured poets department” implying that this thing of which she is now part had been introduced to her by the muse

The muse has probably compared them to poets like Dylan Thomas and Patti Smith and probably romanticised their relationship into the work of a tortured poet, but that’s not real life.

Taylor brings back to reality that now because of his self sabotage that brought both of them down in this relationship, he has lost the one who will decode him, hold him, know him

the above are just little analyses i like making as i listen to the song, they have nothing to do about whether i like the song or not, it's just me trying to make sense of it. you'll see that a lot.

i do not like the charlie puth line. at all. why is it there?

also don't like the tattooed golden retriever line, the image of a tattooed golden retriever is terrifying.

i was so off-guard about the namedropping in this song, sorry i had no idea who dylan thomas or patti smith were.

this song is trying too hard to be poetic, i think (which one could argue is the whole point of this song), but it doesn't stand out much to me. the themes are interesting though.

this is a pretty weak title track, personally. i feel like it doesn't encapsulate the essence of the album (which i am confused about tbh, ttpd has a lot of aesthetics going on for itself). it has nothing on little fearless and evermore.

my boy only breaks his favourite toys

so we all thought this song would be pretty petty, but i honestly don't think it is extremely so. there's a sort of pity for the muse, that the breaking of his 'favourite toys' is a form of self sabotage and that they could've had it all.

i love how it starts so defeated, "oh here we go again", which i think is in reference to the muse's self sabotage ruining her life

it also feels a bit reflective and nostalgic of the fact that it wasn't all bad, which i quite liked. i liked the contrast of feelings.

"once i fix me, he's gonna miss me" is a devastating line btw

so is "he saw forever so he smashed it up"

song is a bop, i like the lyricism, overall i enjoy this song :)

down bad

i enjoy the cunty synth here ahaha. for all the jokes the fandom makes about jack fucking around with the synth while taylor sings the most soulcrushing lyrics, it is so real especially for this song.

taylor has never sounded so good while swearing. "fuck it if i can't have us" is such an earworm.

i feel like this is the most petty song in the album, mainly because of the "teenage petulance" in the lyrics

the callback to new romantics in the bridge is so insane, i noticed it immediately.

the production is so mystical and giving space alien vibes, i enjoy it.

so long, london

the intro is giving big ben bells and/or wedding bells

the fast beat vs the slow melodies is such an interesting juxtaposition (to my lit teacher, i hope i used this word right XD). i think it really highlights the conflicting feelings this song explores ("i'm just mad as hell 'cause i loved this place") and also how taylor isn't able to keep up with how quickly the relationship is dying (the production) and she's still sifting through her feelings to find acceptance (the melody)

"how much sad did you think i had" something something "how long can we be a sad song" something something "don't want no other shade of blue but you"

the bridge is just the most devastating strike to my heart

"you sacrificed us to the gods of your bluest days" is one of my favourite lyrics on this album

track 5 is track 5ing

this song is a masterpiece, i genuinely love it so much

but daddy i love him

get this song out of my face, i hate it so much. blocked on spotify.

why did taylor have to waste good lyricism and production on such an awful premise and "fuck you" to her fans dishing valid criticism of her association with matty?

the baby line is hilarious though, because i did indeed fall for it the first time

like you can talk about taylor's agency all you want but everyone knows what the implications of this song are and i feel hurt and offended that this is the attitude both taylor and some swifties are taking.

"the most judgemental creeps" um, is this fucking play about us?

fresh out the slammer

her voice sounds beautiful in this

love the country twang in the production

it's giving getaway car thematically

i think it's interesting to see this song so soon after so long, london, where she says she was "going down with [the ship]" but she was literally dreaming about running into the arms of another man and was "[doing her] time". like ok girl!

vibey song but not for me. i don't have much to say on this.

florida!!!

IMMEDIATE FAVE, i had claimed this since day 1 and i was so right

cunty production, i can tell florence had a lot of influence. no more synths! bring out the drums!

at first, i had no idea what was happening in this song, but when taylor talked about it being about reinventing yourself, it made a lot more sense to me and i love that interpretation, it rings so true.

can i be honest and say that i thought it said "arms" not "home", like that doesn't even make sense 😭

florence's verse fucking slays, my only gripe is that her voice in the verse is kinda quiet compared to the instrumental. could've used some better mixing here.

"me and my ghosts had a hell of a time" is a banger of a line

the bridge is immaculate, has been in my head since i first listened to it.

this song is amazing, there is nothing like it, pure perfection. top song on the album.

guilty as sin?

obsessed with the beat

hedge maze = labyrinth = the mind, idk i just loved that connection

we have reached the ovulation song lmao

did you know it took me so long to realise the chorus was talking about masturbation? like i knew the song was horny, but i didn't realise it was THAT horny.

i think i called this a mature, sadder false god in my notes. that uncertain, sensual, desiring tone is probably what motivated that connection in my head.

WHAT IF HE'S WRITTEN MINE ON MY UPPER THIGH ONLY IN MY MIIIIIND

the bridge is so beautiful, i am a sucker for religious imagery.

overall i'm obsessed, beat good, lyricism good, i love it

who's afraid of little old me?

now i know this is the fan favourite, and i understand why. it gives an eery, angry vibe, and i also enjoy it. to some extent.

namely, the part i enjoy most is the circus imagery, i liked how she leaned into the circus animal metaphor to depict her struggles in fame and her relationships. it's like a badly behaved circus animal about to be put down absolutely losing it and raging about its plight, which i enjoy as a means of storytelling and expressing emotion. i also enjoy it as a callback to mirrorball and what happens when the mirrorball finally has had enough of shattering in a million pieces and performing for a largely uncaring crowd.

... which is why i don't like the asylum lyric. to me, it doesn't add in anything significant thematically when the rest of the song hardly has similar strains of discussion. not to mention the ableist overtones and trivialisation of the asylum experience but i just don't like this lyric. it weakens the premise of the song.

the production is also off in some places, it feels muted and underwhelming compared to the premise of the song.

it's an okay song, i 100% like the acoustic demo better that she came out with recently. some changes in production and the omission of that asylum lyric would put it higher up for me.

i can fix him (no really i can)

good thing this song is short because she couldn't fix him at all and i don't like this song.

"the jokes that he told across the bar were revolting and far too loud" euphemism for bigoted, taylor?

production is boring, the melody is also pretty boring. the lyrics are good, but not enough to save the song, in my humble opinion (it is after all my review here)

"good boy, that's right" taylor GET UP

the 'woah maybe i can't' is funny though, i'll give her that

loml

slayed, devoured, left no crumbs, left me emotionally devastated

the lyricism is absolutely beautiful, the sadness is tangible

the first time i listened to this, i was on the train, and i was so emotional, it was the perfect music to stare out the window to.

the impressionist painting line is also absolutely brilliant, took me out when i heard it. one of the best lyrics on the album.

the bridge and outro are the reasons i need therapy, destroyed me

loss of my life theorists won but at what cost.

i think some of taylor's simplest songs melodically have some of the most beautiful prose and emotional connection, i think she needs to tap into that more.

10/10 no notes.

i can do it with a broken heart

extreme whiplash hearing this after loml. similar whiplash to what taylor felt, i think, going on tour after such a heartbreak

someone pointed out that the almost metronomic beat and the faint counting in the background is like what taylor hears in her in-ear monitor on tour and i think that's really cool.

obsessed with this song so much

it has been stuck in my head since i first heard it

i never expected this to be the cuntiest song on the album but i am not disappointed at all.

"i cry a lot but i am so productive" is so mecore if i was actually productive

the ad libs at the end are also perfect

is it just me or can i hear crowd noises in the background?? am i imagining this??

i'm afraid the fandom is gravely misunderstanding this song. some are saying that taylor hates us because we were "shouting 'more!' " when she was feeling like this. some are saying that she doesn't resent us at all and that this song absolves us completely. those are both two extremes and my interpretation lies somewhere in the middle. this is not a callout to fans but also some factions of the fandom were (or are) being assholes demanding reputation tv and double albums all the time. acknowledge the nuance.

10/10 obsessed, fave song after florida!!!

the smallest man who ever lived

this song is good.

bridge of all time, indeed, she went OFF

the verses feel a bit meh to me but i love the chorus.

"you didn't measure up in any measure of a man" HAHA TAYLOR IT TOOK ME A SECOND TO GET THE DOUBLE ENTENDRE

this song is indeed petty, but it also feels defeated to me? like taylor just sounds tired of it all and quite hurt, that's what i got from it.

i also love the performance of this song on the eras tour. she is marching with an army and they keep taking hits throughout the song, until she eventually falls at the end. something something "the great war" something something "fighting with only your army, frontlines, don't you ignore me", etc.

the alchemy

i feel a little let down by this song? because from the name, i assumed this song would be using the concept of alchemy being a medieval science of turning things into gold or finding a universal cure as a metaphor for a broken/dying relationship.

also i don't understand how this is meant to be a love song, sounds really sad to me? like almost defeatist in terms of how the relationship.

why am i being bombarded by football metaphors?

i mean, it sort of plays on the idea of alchemy being a sort of magical transformation, but to me, it just feels like a synonym for chemistry.

" 'cause the sign on your heart says it's still reserved for me" is a cute lyric though.

it's quite formulaic as a song and there's not much going on for me. anyway.

clara bow

i really enjoy the concept of this song being the torch of fame being passed onto different women, from clara bow to stevie nicks to taylor swift to whoever's next.

once again, it's quite simple melodically, but this is where she shines! the typewriter while she was writing this must have been on fire!!

i also love how it plays on the concept of being put onto a pedestal as a famous woman and how you're only appealing until people decide you're not

"it's hell on earth to be heavenly" is such a perfect lyric.

the namedrop of herself GAGGED me on first listen, i was amazed.

it's a perfect closer to the first half, putting everything into the perspective of her fame and passing the torch onto something else because society has decided out with old, in with the new.

the black dog

the thing about the location settings makes me so ill, he didn't even think to turn it off for her. they probably shared locations to make sure they could check up on each other, and it was still on. it is such a tiny thing but so devastating.

the buildup on "old habits die screaming" ohhhhh this is amazing

the best laid plans... hoax...

"i still miss the smoke" people are making parallels to daylight but my first thought was lavender haze, like missing the lavender haze, you know?

the priest lyric is so devastating if you think about the fact that taylor thought she'd be meeting a priest about this relationship for a different, happier reason...

obsessed with this song, it's so beautiful.

the quietness of the verses and the loudness of the chorus, i am genuinely entranced, it is cinema.

imgonnagetyouback

do not ask me to compare this song with olivia rodrigo's "get him back", they're both on different levels thematically and tonally even though they use the same double entendre.

what narcotics did she put in this bridge XD

so boppy, and sensual, i adore it

i remember going on a long search for the literary device that is present in "i hear the whispers in your eyes", decided it was antithesis with the help of my followers. not at all relevant, but wanted to add it.

the albatross

i can make a lot of parallels to peace with this song.

it's so eery and mythical, i love it, treats taylor like a fable, an urban legend.

aaron dessner is a fucking legend, i am loving the production on the anthology

my folkmore girlie self is loving the anthology for real

i love the bait and switch to "fake news", exposing these rumours for simply that, and saying that she's not the dangerous one, the "jackals rais[ing] their hackles" are.

i am always a sucker for when taylor changes from third person to first person narration, it's so important to me. bait-and-switch, you are everything to me.

10/10 no notes.

chloe or sam or sophia or marcus

heartbreakingly beautiful. just a general melancholy around the breaking down of a relationship and is so so perfect.

the hologram lyric is not about cheating at all. the relationship is long gone, this is taylor envisioning her muse in a new relationship but she isn't there, hence the hologram. i've seen some people say it was about cheating, that interpretation doesn't make sense to me.

"you turned me into an idea of sorts" -> "the idea you had of me, who was she?"

random thought, but the lyricism on the anthology is so much better and natural as compared to the first half. i enjoy the bops on the first half but it also suffers from trying too much to be poetic (i think i said this about the title track especially). there are so many overloaded lyrical runs and random references that leave me confused and overwhelmed. the anthology however feels so much more quintessentially taylor.

don't have much to say on the song itself, i quite like it.

how did it end?

the intro literally makes me ascend!!

i really love how this song investigates and criticises the inherent curiosity people have around big news like a breakup, constantly probing for details.

once again, the simpler songs contain the best lyricism and melodies!!

this song both explains and expresses confusion about the end of the relationship, so i love the paradoxical nature of that.

"we learn the right steps to different dances" is such a devastating line and i think sums up the end of many relationships so succinctly.

the second chorus is giving right where you left me: "did you ever hear about the girl who got frozen?" etc.

THE BRIDGE, TAYLOR HOW DO YOU DO IT

the d-y-i-n-g part is just so devastating. taylor uses the themes of death and haunting so well on this album.

i know i've said this like 10 times, but this is just so so beautiful.

so high school

the guitar in the background is giving hits different, it hits different when it's you!!

despite the happy tone and lyrics, i do feel the sad, anxious undertone, the key example being the marry, kiss, or kill me part (the echoed "kill me", "it's just a game but really")

the aristotle and grand theft auto line has been used countlessly to shit on taylor's songwriting, and personally, i don't like this line. just doesn't hit right for me. however, i think it's unfair to pick cringe lyrics and ignore all the beautiful, meaningful ones to shit on taylor.

i do love the imagery with high school games like truth or dare and spin the bottle, really cements the "so high school" of it all.

this song is okay to me, it feels too american for me to enjoy it more lmao.

i hate it here

i love the poet and finance guy line at the beginning, it expresses a sort of desperation to get to know this person, to uncover their insecurities, deepest secrets, and love them anyway. it may also be introspective of taylor herself, idk.

calling comfort a construct is so quietly sad. convincing yourself since you've never had it, it can't be real because it's better than being cursed or doomed to never have it (see the prophecy)

this song is so escapist, but also so cynical about the escapism, it clearly isn't a preferred option, like it's not just escaping into childhood and nostalgia for the sake of it, it's because the real world fucking sucks.

the chorus slays, and is quite relatable.

the use of the word "precocious" is so interesting to me. she used it also in "but daddy i love him" if i remember correctly. like she resonates a lot with the feeling of being stunted in childhood or having seemed to never grow up -> "i have this thing where i get older but just never wiser" -> "i never grew up, it's getting so old" -> "i hit my peak at seven", idk i find it an interesting recurring theme in taylor's discography.

the 1830s line, and just that entire first half of the verse. i know why it's there, i know what it's doing, i know it's not meant to be taken seriously. still i don't like it. it also feels weird that she is calling out racism as a staple of the 1830s or whatever when she has shown us she is perfectly fine with dating a racist. you can say i'm being overdramatic. you can say i don't get it. idc. i try to ignore this part because this is a very good song and i love its themes and production.

"nostalgia is a mind's trick" i really love this because the entire song is so nostalgic for childhood and escapism but then she's like "actually nostalgia sucks" or it's not what it seems. no, the past would not have been better.

production feels like seven. themes quite different however (thematically, it would be robin, i think.)

the bridge combats the cynicism of the second verse which is so interesting to me. i love how opposing views on nostalgia and escapism are presented, the nuance is there.

the bridge is so mecore, i feel it in my bones.

thanK you aIMee

i really enjoy the small town as a microcosm for the giant music industry and reducing kim to a bully in this analogy.

this song is so cathartic for me, i really enjoy it in the lens of a friendship breakup.

she's so funny in this song "and so i changed your name and any real defining clues" while clearly spelling out her name in the song title.

the bridge fucking slays, likely thing for taylor to do.

it's such a breath of fresh air to have such a cathartic moment in an album that's largely dealing with huge emotions in huge ways, it's so interesting here as an addition to the anthology.

i look in people's windows

it's such a beautiful song and it's criminal how short it is

her voice sounds heavenly, i love how breathy it is.

it's giving "the outside" which is why i love it so much, i think

i think this not only works as a song grieving the end of a relationship but expressing the feeling of being left out in a current one; i definitely relate to it in that sense.

"does it feel alright not to know me?" is so so heartwrenching, i cannot do this

the prophecy

i am a sucker for mythology references so i'm already drawn in with the title.

once again, the song itself sounds so beautiful.

"i got cursed like eve got bitten" except she didn't get bitten?? the curse came after she ate the forbidden fruit?? i'm a bit confused here

WAIT NVM IT'S THE FACT THAT SHE DIDN'T GET BITTEN THAT'S THE WHOLE POINT OF THE SIMILE, HEAR ME OUT

saying something so factually incorrect and comparing it to her own experience implies that the latter is ALSO incorrect. she didn't "get cursed", she cursed herself!! which also defies the notion of "the prophecy", ohhhhhh i find this so interesting.

i think the notion of "a greater woman" or "a lesser woman" speaks to the expectations placed around women in relationships, they mustn't appear too desperate for love because that's undesirable but if they are nonchalant, they are also undesirable, it is worth exploring in terms of this song.

this song is so so sad and sadly so so relatable, i definitely find some comfort and resonance in this and it makes me really sad :(

i love the references to mythology and folklore made here, "the pricked hand" very obviously referencing sleeping beauty.

i always love it when taylor repeats the first verse at the end of a song, i think it speaks to the cyclical, circular nature of this specific feeling, that no matter how much she begs and pleads, "the prophecy" will never change.

cassandra

another mythology reference!!!

this being after "the prophecy" is so so deliberate, godssss

the piano is giving "mad woman", which i think is so fitting

"so they killed cassandra first 'cause she feared the worst" that's not actually why cassandra was killed in mythology but go off queen

"they say what doesn't kill you makes you aware" is an unreal run

that being said, i love it when taylor takes common sayings and aphorisms and gives them a twist. she does it a lot in this album, one of my favourite examples being "old habits die screaming" as a twist on "old habits die hard"

"blood's thick but nothin' like a payroll" i am hooked completely oml

10/10 no notes

peter

more folklore references, let's go!!!!

this song is so hauntingly beautiful, the lyricism is so poetic and flows perfectly, genuinely this is what i love about taylor

as a folklore girlie, i am WINNING with the anthology

i can't get over the "jet stream" line here vs "jet stream" in "call it what you want" 🫠

once again, a bridge that fucking slays, how does she keep doing it

it's so interesting how taylor grapples with the concept of childhood and precociousness in this album with so many mentions and callbacks to childhood and feeling stunted as a child and now, it really is an ode to "you're stuck at the age you became famous" (which is sad in many aspects but also problematic in others)

the chorus is also just so perfect, everything about this song is perfect.

the bolter

obsessed does not even cover it

what a banger start to a song

the chorus reminds me a lot of "illicit affairs", i think, interesting connections can be made there

"as she was leaving, it felt like breathing" as in a sigh of relief that it's over, but also she does it so often it is quite literally as quotidian and simple as "breathing"

i love taylor's tendencies to make songs in the third person narrative voice, i think her best storytelling comes out like this.

"there's escape in escaping"- i think this is sort of a commentary on how the identity of "the bolter" is like a coping/defense mechanism to ensure that she doesn't get hurt in a relationship, in that there is an escape from her insecurities, her worries, and the eminent pain she will face in the relationship by quite literally escaping.

but there's also often the bait and switch ("then it was bought by me", "i'm the albatross, i swept in at the rescue") but i find it so interesting that this song does not do that, if only i can make a meaningful analysis there, but my running theory is that she deliberately chooses to distance herself from the identity of "the bolter", bc while she does dote on this character and is rather affectionate in how she tells the story, she doesn't feel like attaching herself to it, in that maybe it's an identity she no longer wants to hold or that, like she frequently says, she doesn't believe these songs or stories are about her anymore and that they take on new meaning..

anyway i am loving this song, 10/10

robin

WHY IS NO ONE TALKING ABOUT THIS SONG, IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL

it's so sweet how she is consoling the child, ensuring them that they should enjoy this time they have now, and that they will be kept safe from their future.

but it's so sad in that regard, like, "we don't wanna hurt you so we're not telling you how this will pan out to protect your childhood innocence".

this once again cements my preoccupation with taylor's discussions around childhood and youth, she mentions frequently how that was taken away from her too soon and how she has felt "precocious" because of it. it's so important to understand and this song should NOT be overlooked.

i really like it.

the manuscript

this song is so heartbreaking, i want to punch the wall

i never thought about the fact how doing the atw short film would have rekindled these old memories and feelings, and this song is surely a direct result of that. not surprising, in hindsight, but it still compelled me when i first heard it.

once again, youth being taken too soon!! precociousness!!

someone needs to take the word "precocious" away from me

"but the story isn't mine anymore" HHHHHHHHH THIS IS THE WHOLE POINT

very nice song, beautiful closer to the anthology and the entire album as a whole, "these stories used to be about me but now they're about you".

overall thoughts

i hate to say it, but i think this album is in a desperate need of editing; there's so much going on, most of which is compelling and worth exploring, but everything is disjunct with each other and i know this work is meant to feel messy, don't start with me there, but it shouldn't be messy to the point where it's confusing and overwhelming. there are so many concepts and metaphors that are so intriguing and clearly important in taylor's music but the final products of those become half-baked in mediocre production or mixing. this album feels rushed and is soaked with questionable decisions. for example, i think "i can do it with a broken heart" should have been a single and title track because i think it's such a central part of her experiences recently and clearly something permeating the rest of this collection, and how she learns to move on and cope in light of heartbreak. there are several moments where the lyricism of the album feels overwhelming and overcompensating, as in trying too hard to contain meaning. the best lyrical moments on this album are seamless and subtle, and very prosodic as well. taylor tried to deviate from that formula quite a bit and it didn't always work out for the best in this album. she is not as adept at throwing in conversational lyrics as her peers, her strength is in prose and storytelling. the production is also getting a bit old, it's very sonically cohesive, almost to the point of it being boring, and i think taylor needs to get a bit more experimental sonically, and also ensure that the melody and production work together in more different ways, and that maybe the melody is not relying on the production but vice versa. the album is certainly not all lows, but the lows are particularly lower than in other instances of her discography.

that being said, the highs on this album are absolutely breathtaking. the majority of the anthology and quite a few songs on this album captured me instantly. this album is quite mellow, and could have benefitted from another bop or two, but the ones we received were astounding!! this album also had some really strong lyricism, especially in the anthology, and it was so intriguing seeing the many metaphors and situations she used to express her feelings. her storytelling in particular really shone in this album in songs like "the albatross", "the bolter", "clara bow", "cassandra", "the manuscript" among others. i love the themes and ideas that taylor explored in this album, and overall the premises really compelled me.

in terms of rankings, i've separated the two halves. the first half (ttpd) is second-last and the second half (the anthology) is 8th out of 12 (not 11 because ttpd is split in two).

if you've read this far, congratulations, have a treat of your choice. please be mindful and respect my opinion, thanks!

[soralymystaken]

The ninja’s thoughts on Taylor Swift since I’m obsessed with TTPD plus I’m working on a whole post of the ninja’s favorite music artists and it’s becoming bigger than I thought and I need to split it up.

Kai - Kai is the only ninja who doesn’t like Taylor’s music. Now, he has no problem with her as a person, but he really doesn’t like any modern pop, and Taylor is no exception. However, since he’s the only ninja who feels that way, he will often give in and allow them to play it. The only song he might admit he doesn’t hate is Lover, as its somewhat similar to his more retro music taste. Therefor, his favorite album is Lover, although he tolerates Midnights as well.

Cole - Cole is fairly neutral on Taylor. Originally, he was completely neutral. He didn’t dislike her music like Kai does, but he didn’t like it either. However, he has to admit that he does enjoy Midnights and actually really like TTPD. Easily his favorite song is Fortnight, but the others on TTPD all are contenders. Kai really doesn’t like TTPD, though, mainly because its now 5-1, which is MUCH harder to win than 4-2. Favorite album, as mentioned, is easily THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. The chill beat plus devastating lyrics just vibe with him.

Zane - Zane enjoys Taylor. As you’ll read in his section, Zane’s music taste is oddly depressing, and he’ll casually listen to the most gut-wrenching music in the middle of the day like its nothing. So, albums like folklore, evermore, and TTPD fit perfectly into his tastes. Favorite songs are tolerate it, exile, The Archer, and, his all-time favorite, Clara Bow. As I said, not the kind of songs you’d like to listen to at 3 in the fucking afternoon, and yet there Zane is. Favorite album is probably either folklore or TTPD.

Jay - Jay is a semi-swiftie. He really likes Taylor Swift, but not as much as the person next. Jay is pretty much the opposite of Zane. Lyrics often go straight over Jay’s head, and he needs a fast-paced beat to keep his interest. In fact, he’s still upset that the vault tracks in 1989 (his 2nd favorite album) sound way more like Midnights/TTPD than the pop songs he likes. Favorite songs are Bejeweled, Gorgeous, New Romantics, Dancing with Our Hand Tied, Karma, and, his favorite, This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things. Favorite album is easily reputation. He’s OBSESSED with the crazy beats and upbeat lyrics.

Lloyd - Lloyd is a full-blown swifie. Like, collects all of the exclusive vinyls level swiftie. Like, knows every single lyric level swiftie. Like, knows every single thing about her and everyone she knows level swiftie. Jay introduced it to him when he was young and now Jay will openly admit he regrets that deeply. Lloyd might legit cry if you made him chose his favorite album and song, and he might not be able to. However, since I am an omniscient narrator, I can tell you what he doesn’t know. His favorite album is Lover, with 1989 and Speak Now in close second, although he’d never admit this to avoid seeming even more basic than he already does. His favorite song is Paper Rings, with I Can Do It With a Broken Heart in close second.

Nya - Nya likes Taylor about the same amount as Jay, but, unlike him, she’d rather DIE than admit that. She subtly sides with the others when it comes to if they are gonna listen to Taylor, saying things like ‘well, if everyone else wants to’ or ‘do you really want to deal with Lloyd without his emotional-support music?’ Her favorite album is Red simply because, as she told Lloyd, ‘the vibes are immaculate. As for her favorite song, it used to be a tie between All To Well and Holy Ground, although Florida!!! has now passed. Not only has it become her favorite because she just loves the sound, but she can now use the excuse of loving Florence + The Machine to explain why she wants to listen to it.

[badtastebettermusic]

Once I Went to a Taco Place That Was Korean/Mexican Fusion Food (eg Carnitas Con Kimchi) and This is the Audio Version of That

Blind by Ateez

Genres: K-Pop, with exteme latin influence (reggaeton? maybe banda or norteño, i don't know enough about any genre to distinguish that well)

Written by: Eden, Ollounder, Maddox, Oliv, Peperoni, Alexander Karlsson, members Hongjoong and Mingi, Door, and BALM

---

where do i even start with this song...

Blind is a track off of Ateez's 2024 EP "GOLDEN HOUR : Part.1"

it's probably one of my favorite songs of all time. it has an addicting beat, lyrics that are fun to sing to, and makes me feel like i'm at a cookout or a club or even a bachlorette party even in the comfort of my pajamas at home.

it's also quite difficult for a non-musician like me to describe but it's got everything--drums, horns, an accordian? i think? and sampled sounds in the back (the sound in the intro is the same sample as seen in super by seventeen)

it's like if you went to go see a mariachi band at a rave, this is what would happen

of course the lyrics match up to the latin influence, including the overarching line "el amor es ciego" ("love is blind").

ateez lyrics are generally mystifying for me to try and understand, as either some combination of whack lyrics or whack translation render it impossible for me to understand.

to the best of my understanding Blind seems to be about meeting someone and dancing (or f***ing) the night away, with their dance moves (bed moves?) blinding ateez to any possible red flags, and even if anything does seem amiss ("devil or angel in just one smile") it doesn't matter because they can "take my soul/take my heart" because...love is blind.

and the bridge/outro...oh my god the bridge/outro. how does one even begin to describe what i could only describe as the best final forty seconds of music in recent memory? it just may well be the bridge that is the most fun to sing and dance to.

when i heard this song for the first time i just about passed out from excitement, then proceeded to play this song another ten times in a row, only to play it about fifty times more in the next two days. it was my most replayed song of 2024 according to spotify wrapped.

despite knowing exactly zero korean words i've managed to memorize much of the lyrics because this is the kind of song you want to scream as you drive 80 mph on the highway. it's like the auditory equivalent of watching noah lyles cinch gold in the 100m dash by 0.005 seconds, or the auditory equivalent of participating in those red bull stunt tricks.

that's the kind of excitement that this song generates. it gives you an adrenaline rush just listening through headphones. i could only imagine what this would do to me physically if i had the chance to see it live.

the lack of a music video or performance video is truly devastating but i'll live. maybe. KQ ENTERTAINMENT GIVE US AN MV I BEG.

basically, if you're like me and you like you latin music, this is for you. i don't have great specific recommendations but it hits the same way that pitbull and daddy yankee do (a la "Hot" or "Gasolina" or "Rompe").

actually thinking about it, Blind could really be Hot's little primo.

you really can't go wrong listening to ateez, and especially not with this song. if ateez released a full latin album i'd be first in line to buy all the copies.

[my-castles-crumbling]

hi cas! Swiftie anon. I like the new album, it usually takes me a bit to get used to the fact that there’s actually like, a new album and I’m still processing everything.

I did stay up to listen to the album, I was listening to in it in bed, so I wouldn’t get caught, especially since I share a room with other with my sister. I was like half asleep for the middle part of the album, but I woke up enough to be emotionally devastated for loml.

then I woke up at like 8, turned on my music so I could memorize the lyrics, checked your blog, and freaked the fuck out. I was so shocked that the double album people were right. So I had to download the second half and be emotionally devastated a second time. I would’ve learned from midnights if I had been there. I understand now.

I would rank the songs rn, but I physically can’t, but my favorites at the moment, in no particular order, so long london, loml, which I thought I’d like, I also like I can do it with a broken heart, my boy only breaks his favorite toys. Those are the ones off the top of my head, but there’s probably more since I I’ve only listened to it twice. Folklore is my favorite, so my favorites are probably predictable.

what are your favorites rn?

Hi!!!

Hahaha I'm laughing because those are most of my favorites as well.

I need to re-listen to the second half of the album but my favorites so far are:

So Long, London

But Daddy I Love Him

Guilty As Sin?

Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me?

loml

I Can Do It With a Broken Heart

imgonnagetyouback

I Hate it Here

I Look In People's Windows

So yeah...obviously I really narrowed it down :P

I'm gonna write a full-ish review in a bit after I relisten to the second half.

What did you think of the second half?

[eddies-hid3out]

I've been obsessively listening to Snuff by Slipknot since I saw it at Download and it's birthed an Eddie brainworm I can't get rid of and will once again never be able to write as a full fic. So here's some crumbs under the cut in the hopes it'll stop plaguing me!! Apologies for any errors, I'm dumping this and running.

Wannabe rockstar Eddie who leaves you in Hawkins to chase his dream of making it big with Corroded Coffin. He never tells you but he intends to come back for you once he's made it but CC never quite get there and Eddie ends up lonely, angry and sad, and cuts contact with you because he's ashamed of leaving. But you are also in your own band and you are the one who ends up getting discovered. By the time Eddie pulls his head out of his ass and returns to Hawkins ready to beg forgiveness you're gone.

You don't see each other again for years. Eddie is too embarrassed to reach out and pretends he isn't around when you call to catch up with Wayne, or your friends. Eddie keeps up with your career. He has your albums, he stays up to watch interviews etc. He's so proud of you but occasionally gets worried because he also keeps up with the rumours that you're enjoying the party lifestyle a bit too much.

It all comes to a head when Eddie is dragged to your sold out show by mutual friends (probably the other members of CC) in Indianapolis about 8 years later (10 years since Eddie left). It's your bands final tour before you take a hiatus as most members have families they want to start focusing on. He's right at the very front barrier in a crowd of about 50 away from the main audience because of course you set Gareth up with VIP for as many tickets as needed. The show is amazing, you shine on the stage and Eddie will never get over finally seeing it all up close. He starts to get excited at the thought of properly seeing you again when the guys get to go backstage, starts practicing what he wants to say in his head so he can try and apologise at the very least. Towards the end of your show though the atmosphere changes on stage. Whereas before you've been running back and forth or interacting with your band mates during songs, now you're front and centre with an acoustic guitar. You thank the crowd for being there and announce you're going to be performing a song you've never released (it's Snuff). You wrote it a few years prior when you were in a pretty heavy place and have kept it under lock and key but you're finally ready and in a good enough place to put it into the world. No one knows what to expect but they absolutely aren't prepared for the emotional avalanche you send their way. It's haunting and clearly difficult for you to get through. Eddie watches in awe but the further into the song you get the more he realises it's about him. It's all your hurt. Years of heartbreak and rage kept bottled up all aimed at him in devastating lyrics. The whole crowd is silent when you finish, only when you say a tired thankyou into the mic that everyone loses their shit. Eddie though, he's left feeling hollow. All these years he's took some comfort in believing that despite some rumours you're living your best life but now he's stuck with the cold hard knowledge that not only did him leaving ruin his own life but it ruined you too. And now he has to face you.

[gerogerigaogaigar]

Dolly Parton - Coat Of Many Colors

The 70s weren't particularly kind to country music, but Dolly Parton stands out as a shining beacon amidst a fog of mediocrity. The title track is a beautiful story about a mother's love that is apparently a true story from Parton's childhood. From there we immediately get a song where the singer's mother steals her boyfriend. It kinda goes like that, either beautiful sincere tracks like Coat Of Many Colors and Here I Am, or unrelenting savagery like in Traveling Man and If I Lose My Mind. I would never have it any other way. Go off queen.

Tracy Chapman - s/t

Ready for some emotional devastation? This album comes out the gate swinging and doesn't let up. This album's theme is feeling helpless to change your circumstances. Fast Cars is about trying to run away from a toxic environment only to recreate it. Behind The Walls is about being unable to stop domestic abuse even when you know it's happening. Mountains Of Things is about being trapped by commodity fetishism despite knowing it won't help you. In all these songs systems prevent individuals from improving their lives. The message is nothing without the actual substance of the music though, so it's fortunate that Chapman has one of the best and richest voices I've ever heard. And her brand of folk rock is beautifully complimentary. Lefty music doesn't get much better than this.

Bob Dylan - Freewheelin' Bob Dylan

It may be his second album, but this is his real debut. Bob Dylan proved that you could be a shitty singer, mediocre guitarist, and atrocious harmonica player, but if put together the right way then the sum of the parts is worth so much more. Dylan's combination of traditional folksy numbers like Girl From North Country and Don't Think Twice It's All Right are matched with the political statements that made him a counterculture icon. Masters Of War may seem blunt and obvious by today's standards, but it's stark condemnation of war mongering politicians is still pretty brutal. And A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall is proof of his ability to write lyrics that express abstract feelings rather than direct thoughts.

Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters

I feel like when people think of jazz they don't tend to think of catchy toe tappers. There's an expectation for it to be a fairly serious genre that is hard to "get". Herbie Hancock threw that idea right out the window when he made Head Hunters the most fun jazz album of all time. The funk influences are extremely apparent with each track featuring an extremely punchy drum beat and juicy fucking bass lines that will get permanently stuck in your head. Everyone is nailing it here but obviously Hancock himself is the star player with his electric piano and clavinet solos having the brightest and bubbliest tone I've ever heard and it just cuts through the mix and delivers pure joy to your ears. Without a doubt one of my favorite albums of all time.

Pink Floyd - Piper At The Gates Of Dawn

When I was in high school one of my friends just fucking loved the song Bike and sometimes we would just burst into it whenever or wherever. Like all of walking somewhere and we'd just start up like "IVE GOT A BIKE YOU CAN RIDE IT IF YOU LIKE!" full fucking volume like a bunch of animals. Anyway this album is fanciful as all hell. Gnomes, scarecrows, bikes, kitty cats named Lucifer Sam, and bedtime stories. This album is delightful. It exudes innocent joy like no other album. Songs like Astronomy Domine and Interstellar Overdrive sound spacey not because they sound peaceful like floating in space but explosive like a rocket taking off. Other tracks will sound like campfire songs. It's beautiful. The end of Bike where the album closes out on a disjointed series of cacophonous clanking was my first introduction to noise as music so that song probably ruined me permanently.

Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!

One of the original punk bands even if you wouldn't normally think of them as such. Devo did everything in their power to be weird little freaks. Jerky, stuttery guitars and rigid drum beats all designed to sound as mechanical as possible. It an amazing achievement that is perfectly exemplified by their awkward but brilliant cover of the Rolling Stones' Satisfaction. There's a general sense of 50s rock and roll filtered through the 'came back wrong' trope. The album lumbers along like it's made of de evolved rock music.

Elton John - Honky Château

This is probably Elton John's most cohesive album. The country rock of Tumbleweed Connection meets the dramatic arrangements of Madman Across The Water. John's songwriting partner Bernie Taupin is also at the top of his game on this one. Obviously everyone loves Rocket Man, it's iconic for a reason, by good god is the song I Think I'm Going To Kill Myself funny. I'm serious, this tongue and cheek song about teenage angst is one of the funniest things I've ever heard. I'm kinda blown away at how good Elton John, a British man, is at doing honky tonk and country music too. Too talented of a guy really. Love this album.

[halliescomut]

V Random SKZ post

I watched a TT, I'm not posting it here, because I already know this person is probably gonna get dogpiled by rabid Stays, and I won't contribute to that, but I have so many thoughts and nowhere to share them. Their TT was about how they feel like SKZ and 3Racha have been coasting the last couple of years and they're not doing anything innovative and that they're not using Seungmin to his full potential, nor IN. But everything they bring up regarding the last couple of years is just their title tracks. Saying that the songs always a have a formula, that they've become predictable, and I do agree with that point...however, I believe it's intentional. Since....I would say Go Live (or God's Menu), I think that their title tracks have followed a formula. It's something I talked about on my own SKZ TT when RockStar, and also maybe 5 Star came out, when I did a first thoughts on those albums. Their title tracks, very much in the last 2-3 years, have felt like they are SKZ sort of playing the KPop game. These are the songs that need to catch a general audience, that's their purpose. They're intended for radio play, they're intended to hopefully win on music shows, to bring in new listeners. That is their purpose. That is the purpose of every title track by every artist in the industry, both KPop and western. It feels, to me, disingenuous to almost write them off because their title tracks don't push the limits enough, while ignoring their B-sides.

You want to talk about how their first few albums were no skips, but it seems like you're not even listening to the full albums they've put out in the last 2 years. I would argue that I think Miroh is one of their most cohesive albums musically and tonally, and it is certainly a no skips album. But I'd say that Maxident is also no skips. And you say they aren't being innovative, when Case 143 is one the most experimental songs they've done in terms of concept. It's a song that was VERY MUCH not the expectation after albums like Thunderous and Oddinary. And setting aside the title track, to look at the B-sides, you have unit songs, some of the most well known and well liked songs of that album, with 3Racha, Taste, and Can't Stop, which also have three DRASTICALLY different tones. Give Me Your TMI is almost the yin to Case 143's yang. Instead of showcasing the disbelief and confusion of falling in love like Case 143, you're instead seeing this full acceptance and desperation. Then look at songs like Chill and Super Board. Super Board's lyrics read like a mad lib, but the point and the purpose are still clear, that if you're focused on chasing them, you'll eventually be left to watch them soar. Chill follows in the proud tradition SKZ is known for of songs whose upbeat tone doesn't match it's devastating lyrics, talking instead about ending a relationship that was already over. Leaving aside Super Board and 3Racha, all of the songs on the albums address and express the varying different aspects and feelings of love that people might experience, giving nearly every person listening an entry point into emotionally connecting with any of those songs. And even if you're not at the level of seeking out the translated lyrics, the songs are still definitely a bop.

In regards to the misuse...or lack of use for Seungmin and IN. They've certainly created opportunities to allow both vocalists to shine and show different aspects of their talent. The SKZ Players and Records offer a unique opportunity for all of the members to showcase they're abilities and to experiment musically in a way that doesn't have to be 'approved' by JYPE the way that album tracks do. Is this the perfect solution? No. Wouldn't it be better/preferable for them to be able to showcase their skills on their regular albums? Absolutely. But they still have to play the game. I truly feel that only NOW, like right now, has SKZ reached a level of success where they have the leverage to take risks creatively. I think after their Kingdom win the reins were loosened a smidge, but they still had to tread carefully, and toe the company line. Following the records they were able to break this year and the opportunities and recognition they've received globally, I think they're now in a position where they have the leverage to start taking more risks. They've proven themselves. I really think this coming year we'll start to see even more creative risks being taken. And I think we'll see a different utilization of their vocals. We've seen them disregard their established positions, essentially since Woojin left, and maintain that type of mindset ever since. And when given the opportunity they do work outside of the 'established norms' of KPop. Look at their most recent album, Rock Star. You have Cover Me, a song that fully utilizes and embraces Seungmin's vocal abilities, as well as showcasing rarely seen sides of Changbin and Felix's vocals. I could literally go on for hours about how well thought out and constructed that song is as a vehicle for showcasing all of the member's vocal abilities. Hyunjin created such an elaborate and seemingly simple song, that effortlessly blends together the voices of the members in a way we hadn't seen before, something I truly believe only Hyunjin could imagine. You have Megaverse, where Chan very particularly wanted to have IN to show a different vocal style than he's had before.

You have Leave, which not only offers a 'softer side' of the member's who normally would rap, even in slower/more heartfelt songs like Winter Falls or Scars, but also Comflex, which gives Seungmin a chance to do something in a melodic rap style. To hear Chan talk about the skills the IN and Seungmin have, while he may not be able to provide them with the perfect vehicle to show case that, I believe he's trying and he wants to. I do not doubt for a second that he's working on tracks that would showcase different sides of their voices in particular, but it takes time, and humans aren't a bottomless creative well.

I feel like it is easy to 'expect more' from SKZ because we know that they are self-produced, and that very little of their work is done by outside persons (and those that are credited appear over and over again in their discography, which indicates to me that their input and skill is respected by 3Racha), but they are still under one of the big 3 idol companies. The truth of it is that the larger the entertainment company, the less likely they are to take risks creatively, because they have more to lose. That's why you see indie artists able to take some of these bigger creative risks, they don't have a lot to lose. And if you're a big fish in a small pond, like Ateez under KQ, then you're gonna have more leverage because those corporations are smaller, and they won't risk their largest moneymaker choosing to break their contracts over creative differences. But SKZ isn't that under JYPE. While I can imagine them not choosing to renew their contract and separating as a group or 3Racha/Chan potentially starting their own production company once their contracts expire, it would take an egregious breach of trust on JYPE's part to make them leave that company now, when their contract is literally due to expire in March of 2025 at the latest. So it's also entirely plausible that at this point they're biding their time, especially if they do plan to continue as a group post enlistment. But circling back to my point, to believe that because they are self-produced and they write their own tracks (almost 100% at this point) does not mean that they have full creative control over every aspect of their work. They have a say, and a level of input, but they also still have to submit their albums for review and approval just like every other idol group under JYPE.

i don't know if I have a way to sum all of this up, but I guess the easiest way would be to say "Don't Judge a KPop Group By Their Title Track."

[binniesoob]

the plan was to write a fun and light-hearted review but i guess that's not in the cards for me today ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ here's a bunch of feelings instead!

(no lore, literally just a lil rambling. feel free to ignore ofc - i'll probably post some unhinged reviewy thoughts later anyway :)

soooo... since this morning I've been trying to write a fangirling review full of memes for the name chapter: freefall like i've done before for other albums or their previews. you know, to have fun and scream about how good they sound or that line that made me go feral! and i do have something for a couple songs that i'll probably post later, but overall i kept failing because honestly that's not what feels right right now.

apart from back for more and do it like that (that are like an ass shaking break from dehydrating yay), i honestly sobbed my ass out with this album and i'm on the verge of doing it again as i'm writing this and listening to it.

the aspect that affected me the most was the lyrics and the way they delivered them. you can hear and tell how much txt grew musically. their vocals are really really great in every track, their styles more defined, and their overall group color too. they got back to the genres that fits them best (i think) - rock and disco -, experimented new ones - 80's new wave -, and something in between - rnb with dreamer that literally devastated destroyed demolished me btw, in more ways than one. when txt said in interviews and at the comeback showcase too that they keep trying to deliver relatable lyrics about their own struggles and feelings as well as their peers and the young, they weren't joking or overestimating themselves, they really are.

this album feels very personal to me. txt's songs always did, but with this i think we reached a new peak. i connected to it heart and soul.

personally, probably the one thing i love most about txt is how we share being in our twenties at the same time and how, despite different ethnicities, backgrounds, experiences etc, we are connected by our feelings and are able to sympathise with eachother and help eachother out, like, ahh... it just warms my heart. their music feels so close to me and that's honestly what any musician needs for them to become my favourite. once i connect on a deep level with their music that's literally all it takes.

I haven't opened up about this on tumblr before, but i've been pretty depressed this year. that's also part of the reason why i haven't been that active, together with being busy with uni stuff. i did had good days, i've been hanging in there, trying to focus on the good things in my life, but overall it's been hard, and i'm trying my best to get better soon because it's been tiring. i get so angry at myself because i have so many things in my life to be happy and grateful for, but i still get anxious and i'm still unsatisfied. i've been so frustrated about where i am in life, all the things i expected to be different by now, that i want to change but still can't, i've grown beyond impatient.

so, today, this album felt like the kind of understanding hug i've been looking for this year. growing pains is probably going to become what can't you see me was for me during the pandemic - an outlet to vent my anger and frustrations. chasing that feeling is going to be what take me home by ateez also is for me - my reminder to keep chasing what feels like home despite the hardships. dreamer is literally me condensed into a song (!?). deep down is there to remind me that even if my peculiarities can feel like a burden they're part of my identity and they shouldn't feel like it. happily ever after says it's okay even if things didn't go as i planned them, to embrace my failures and keep going even if life it's not a fairytale and it's unpredictable. i'll find my way. skipping stones feels like reading one of my journal entries where i write to my past and future self. and blue spring, a promise, has been here for me everyday since i heard it at the concert. with this album i didn't feel alone anymore, i felt that company and reassurance in a way i struggled to find until now, and i'm deeply grateful to txt for that 🤍

[musicrunsthroughmysoul]

Hat Full of Stars is probably my second-favorite Cyndi Lauper album ever (after True Colors; sorry, She's So Unusual), and I do not understand how/why this album wasn't more popular or successful, but I guess that just means that I get to be even more fanatical about it. This album, I feel deeply, has everything - from lyrical content to music and influences and intentions related to that. It's devastating and beautiful and fun and so belovedly Cyndi Lauper in that regard.

Anyway, I could ironically listen to this song for hours and hours and not get sick of it - even as it hurts to hear it because it is so, so close. Truly, it rips my heart out, but...at least then I get to consider it, for real. (For very, very real. Almost too real.) And isn't the beat just a fuckin' party! No wonder it's so easy to listen to.

"My indecision is blocking the door It's like a religion That I never ask for more I might stumble and fall"

[fortunawren]

lyrics iii

“LOST BOY” by Troye Sivan

I fell in love with this album circa 2016, and overplayed it so much that I lost interest but now it’s come back around to nostalgia??

My favorite lines:

“So what are you waiting for? Cause someone could love you more I'm just a lost boy, lost boy I say I wanna settle down Build your hopes up like a tower I'm giving you the run around I'm just a lost boy Not ready to be found.”

“Flightless Bird, American Mouth” by Iron & Wine

Twilight did this. We allllllllll know Twilight did this. I’ve had unrealistic standards for romance ever since Twilight entered my life in the 6th grade. I bit a kid once.

Anyway, lines:

“I was a quick wet boy Diving too deep for coins All of your straight light eyes Wide on my plastic toys Then when the cops closed the fair I cut my long baby hair Stole me a dog-eared map And called for you everywhere Have I found you? Flightless bird, jealous, weeping Or lost you? American mouth Big bill looming.”

“Carolina” by Eric Church

Eric Church wrote this song about North Carolina. Well, I’m a South Carolina girl so… and secretly the biggest hick. 👀 Honestly, this song puts me at ease and helps me reconnect with my roots when I’m feeling too far up in the clouds.

I’ve got two favorite sets of lines from this song:

“Sometimes I grow weary From going' all the time I love to take a minute Let you ease my mind I'd love to see my mama Maybe go for a drive But I got to play the star in some little town again tonight Don't get me wrong I love what I do It's just another song about missing you”

And, then, of course the chorus:

“Like a phone call from my baby Saying honey I miss ya, I miss ya like crazy Just like the song of a siren song Oh Carolina Carolina[x2] Keep calling me home”

“Easier Than Lying”

I loved that this song came up on shuffle. After my ex died, I had to come to terms with how bad the relationship was and honestly Halsey came out with this banger album full of rage and hurt and anger and realizations about the world. It really gave me clarity.

Especially because of this line,

“I sleep with one eye open and one eye closed 'Cause I'll hang myself if you give me rope I lost all my faith and lost all hope That everything means anything at all One eye broken and one eye bruised 'Cause I gave myself away for you You liar, you don't love me too It's easy for you after all Losing you is easier than Lying to myself that you love me.”

I said that last part like a manifestation, bruh. Over and over again.

“Peppers” by Lana Del Rey

This is a new song on my playlist largely due to TikTok, but I was thinking about some bad past behavior and feeling a little shame for it and I heard the lyrics to this song and it settled the religious guilt/trauma.

“Me and my boyfriend listen to the Chili Peppers We write hit songs without trying like all the time, all the time I take off all my clothes, dance naked for the neighbors I'm like, "Fuck it, gonna give a show," I open up the blinds I threw caution to the wind, get onto the bike Take a minute to yourself, skinny-dip in my mind I'm in love”

“Down” by Jason Walker

This song comes from The Vampire Diaries soundtrack. I don’t know what episode, but probably one horribly devastating where Damon is the sassy King that he is.

But I’ve probably cried to this song seven times in my life.

“Not ready to let go 'Cause then I'll never know What I could be missing I'm missing way too much So when do I give up what I was wishing for I shot for the sky I'm stuck on the ground So why do I try, I know I'm gonna fall down I thought I could fly, so why did I drown? I'll never know why it's coming down, down, down.”

Bonus: “Echo” by Jason Walker !!! It’s even sadder.

“Easy (with Noah Cyrus” by Demi Lovato

Wherever you stand with Demi, she has a beautiful voice. I personally think she’s been through more than a person should ever have to and that she’s reacting to her trauma and the media needs to stay off her back…but I digress.

Additionally, if you’re not following NOAH CYRUS please do. Her voice is lovely and her music is heart-wrenching.

Lines:

“The hardest part of leaving is accepting the reasons That somehow we keep repeating endlessly The hardest part of leaving is to hold the heavy breathing back (Ooh, ooh-oh-oh-oh) From showing you how hard it is for me (Hard it is for me) To make it look so easy.”

“Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac

If you’ve never seen that meme where it’s like, “One day you’re a child, and then the next the lyrics to “Landslide” finally resonate and you’re crying in a car wash” well….here we are.

This song has literally gotten me through so much. It provides some deep clarity if you’re receptive to the message.

“I took my love, I took it down I climbed a mountain and I turned around And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills 'Til the landslide brought me down Oh, mirror in the sky What is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changin' ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life?”

“Lookalike” by Conan Grey

My shuffle is clearly refusing to give me any happy songs, and I desperately want to be in a better mood. THAT BEING SAID, Conan is amazing.

Lines:

“And I'll admit that I sometimes, maybe, might Think about you at night, well, almost every night No matter how I try to hide And erase you from my mind I'm dying To find a lookalike 'Cause when you look in his eyes Hope you think of mine And when you look at that smile Hope I cross your mind I hope in your head You see me instead 'Cause you've been in mine every day since then Maybe it's time to find a lookalike No, I can't lie I need a lookalike”

😭😭😭😭

“Hard Feelings/Loveless” by Lorde

THANK WHATEVER HIGHER POWER THAT THIS WAS THE NEXT SONG. If you haven’t been entranced by Melodrama yet, what are you waiting for? “Green Light”, “Writer in the Dark”, “Sober II”—I OWE IT ON VINYL.

So, this song is technically two songs. It had a shift, which I absolutely love, so we’re going to do two sets here.

Set one:

“'Cause I remember the rush when forever was us Before all of the winds of regret and mistrust Now we sit in your car and our love is a ghost Well, I guess I should go, yeah, I guess I should go Hard feelings These are what they call hard feelings of love When the sweet words and fevers All leave us right here in the cold Alone with the hard feelings of love God, I wish I believed ya When you told me this was my home”

I mean…she’s amazing.

And set two:

“We're L-O-V-E-L-E-S-S generation L-O-V-E-L-E-S-S generation All fuckin' with our lover's heads, generation Bet you wanna rip my heart out Bet you wanna skip my calls now Well, guess what? I'd like that 'Cause I'm gonna mess your life up Gonna wanna tape my mouth shut Look out, lovers.”

Anddd that’s all.

[arlongo]

And These Nights I Get High Just From Breathing

In the mid-2000s, I was introduced to the debut album of what turned out to be one of my Top Ten favorite albums, Jack’s Mannequin’s Everything in Transit. Angels and Airwaves and Jack’s Mannequin were my two favorite bands during the 2000s.  In 2012, the frontman for Jack’s Mannequin, Andrew McMahon, decided to end Jack’s Mannequin and start releasing music under his own name. At the time, I was devastated that one of my favorite bands was breaking up. My older brother told me it wasn’t a big deal because Andrew McMahon is Jack’s Mannequin. I didn’t understand at the time until I saw him perform as Andrew McMahon and realized that he was still playing Jack’s songs along with his older band called Something Corporate. 

I didn’t listen to SoCo until after Jack’s Mannequin was done. At first, I was probably only listening to the few songs Andrew was performing live. Something Coroprtate was one of the many bands I listened to during my years of writing my indie rock epic, The Ambigunity of Rock n’ Roll. If I remember correctly, the SoCo song, 21 and Invincible, was one of the first songs to be indirectly referenced in the story, along with Ohio is for Lovers. 

I must’ve seen Jack’s Mannequin/Andrew McMahon nearly twenty times live. When I saw Snow Patrol in Nashville, I thought that was it. I’d seen all my favorite bands live at least once. While it’s awesome to hear Andrew play SoCo songs at his shows, I wanted to hear more than a few songs per show. I remembered seeing Andrew play Ruthless for the first time at some small bar in Charlotte. I heard him play Cavanaugh Park in Asheville. He probably played Konstantine at the Denver Dear Jack concert. I finally heard him perform Hurricane last year for the first time. Fortunately, the one SoCo song he seemed to play at every show is I Woke Up in a Car,… which just happened to be my favorite song of all time.

I thought the closest I would ever come to experiencing a Something Corporate show was at the Dear Jack Foundation concert when the drummer from SoCo performed a few songs with Andrew. I didn’t think I would ever have the chance to attend a SoCo show, especially when most band members were not full-time musicians like Andrew McMahon.

Last year, SoCo got together to celebrate Andrew’s 40th birthday, which started the idea of putting together a 2024 tour. I told my brother I am not missing my chance to see them. I knew they wouldn’t be coming to Charlotte when they announced the dates and locations. We were expecting an Atlanta show, and the venue was great, with seating on the second level. The date worked out and we got tickets and made plans to travel to Atlanta.

September thirteen finally arrived. The music venue, The Tabernacle, is amazing despite not being totally handicap-accessible. It was an old church before it was converted into The Tabernacle. For my first Something Corporate show, my brother was able to get us front-row seats in the balcony. Two and a half hours after the doors opened and after a slight delay due to a glitch with one of the screens on the stage, Something Corporate finally came on the stage.

I waited over a decade to see Andrew McMahon with Something Corporate and to hear a whole show with nothing but SoCo songs. Out of twenty-three songs, I didn’t know only one of them. Some of the highlights were songs like Only Ashes, 21 and Invincible, If You C Jordan, Space, As You Sleep, Hurricane, Watch the Sky and one of my favorites, The Astronaut. As Andrew had done with his own shows, he would always change at least one song from his setlist. For the Atlanta show, he performed Walking By. It's a song I was familiar with… probably because it’s right after another favorite song of mine on the Leaving Through the Window album. After the show, Walking By was stuck in my head so as soon I returned to the hotel, I listened to the song again on my phone and read the lyrics. One of Andrew McMahon’s greatest strengths is his storytelling through his songs, and Walking By is one of the best examples of his storytelling through his songs and now I got another favorite SoCo song.

Speaking of favorite songs, for the ATL show, they saved the best for last—my favorite song of all time. I Woke Up in a Car. Now, I heard that song at every Andrew McMahon show. However, there was a different vibe hearing the song being performed by Something Corporate… there was a sense of pride and ownership in the music among the other band members. That type of energy can’t be replicated by Andrew’s Wilderness band members, as great as they are. My brother took a video of the whole song, and I added CC/English subtitles.

As I had said before, my concert-going days may be mostly over, but Andrew McMahon and Something Corporate will be on my small list of artists/bands I will attend a show at every opportunity I get.

[rodeoradio]

36, 37, & 43 for tmg ask game <3

36- What's a song that you think deserves a close listen or 10? Why?

I’ve rewritten this like 3 times because there’s so many and yet I feel like the beauty of the mountain goats is that the lyrics are pretty upfront- but I’ll have to say snow owl. I think it’s really underappreciated, though a lot of stuff from the early albums is. The guitar is heartwrenching- there’s not a lot of early or even late goats with fingerpicking like this. The lyrics are devastating and beautiful. My take is that It’s about taking a risk on a relationship that probably won’t work out, falling deeply deeply in love, and realizing things are falling apart- but seeing the persons beauty, even if it’s no longer a viable relationship. It’s all still so gentle and sweet about it. I think it can be read in many different ways, but no matter how you perceive it, It’s a real glimmer of kind tenderness in John’s discography.

37- A song that is really, really personal for you?

Well. Up The Wolves is a popular one for sure but it will always hold a special place in my heart as my first goats song. It plays at the end of a really intensely cathartic Walking Dead episode, which is where I heard it for the first time when I was around 13 or 14. I associate it with dealing with family trauma/conflict and trying to figure out my trans identity in my early teens. Ever since I’ve moved out and gone to college my relationship with it has turned more to a celebration of escaping and revisiting my ever chaotic and evolving home life. Being at a live show and scream singing this song with a room full of people is a religious experience.

43- A lyric you cannot fucking stand?

“Oh would that you would kiss me

With the kisses of your mouth

'Cause your mouth is sweeter than wine, and has

A more complicated history than the American South”

idkkk I can’t say that many goats lyrics really irk me. But idk about this one

[desirepathzine]

The Summer of boygenius

There was one thing my little sister wanted to do for her birthday: go see her favorite band, boygenius. And she wanted me to take her.

I remember when she found out that they were reuniting. Lucy Dacus, Julien Baker, and Phoebe Bridgers are all fantastic musicians and writers on their own, and had recorded an EP a few years back, before Phoebe's extremely big breakout hit Punisher, which came to define many covid quarantines in 2020, and was nominated for several Grammys. But nobody really knew when all three would get back together for another record of poignant lyricism and folksy instrumentation. She told me "this is probably all I'm going to be talking about for a while, just so you know."

I know what it's like when your favorite band is out there in the world again. And I know how important it is to seize those opportunities to see them perform, with others around you there for the exact same thing. It's a big deal. And my little sister absolutely needed to experience boygenius. We both knew this.

Their album, 'the record', released, and it felt like a massive moment. I put off listening to it for a while until I knew that we'd be seeing the band, just because I wanted it to be very fresh, but my little sister did indeed listen to it all the time that spring and summer. Not Strong Enough, the lead single, was inescapable and so I became achingly familiar with that one. I of course loved it. I will always remember singing it with the windows open with my best friend in the passenger seat.

I actually popped it on in the car the other day on the way to work and forgot that the devastating "We're In Love", one of Lucy Dacus' contrubutions, is on 'the record' and had a category five crying event in the middle of traffic. Dacus is perhaps my favorite member of boygenius. They're all incredible in what they do, and it feels wrong to pick favorites. But Lucy is my favorite.

My little sister loves Phoebe, and because she loves Phoebe, she says Julian is her favorite.

Dates were announced, festival dates of all things. I had been to a festival once in the past few years but this looked to be a chiller take on the festival, only a few bands and only one stage. That was doable. The show was just a week and a half before my little sister's birthday, so it was her gift. Our parents asked who was taking her, like it was even a question.

My aforementioned visiting friend in the passenger seat had brought tattoo pens as a fun thing to do while we hung out together, the Inkbox ones. They forgot to send a few pieces of the full kit but we nonetheless doodled on each other as you do when you're just hanging out, watching TV. My sister requested a few silly tattoos for the show, and I agreed to do some for her, and she asked to do a few for me. She wanted a dog in a space suit, and a broken clock. I put TRUE BLUE across my knuckles like a sad biker.

We went to the ReSET festival date, in Nashville. It was held in a park that also contains the Parthenon, a replica of the Greek structure, and the festival was set up so that the edges of this massive monument seemed to contain the stage.

The first notable thing of the day, was that it was ungodly hot. The real feel temperature that day was 115 degrees. And I had sustained a pretty intense sunburn the day before, selling my wares at an open air market where my tent was really not doing it's job. This worried me, as many things worry me. My sister, a band camp veteran and frequent sunbather, did not let this absolute monstrosity of a temperature defeat her spirits. And for that I'm thankful.

We ate good cheap Japanese food and bought a big sunhat for me prior to walking over to the park. My little sister had impulsively taken her plushie of Bingo from the show Bluey in our clear plastic festival bag, and several attendees pointed out this emotional support Bingo, and took pictures with her. It was very cute.

The crowd was incredible. It truly felt like a celebration of friendship, of joy. Everyone was taking care of each other, getting water for people, sharing snacks. Clairo, one of the openers and an exceptionally talented person, paused a song to make sure someone who had passed out was removed safely (that heat!). We had found our spot near the sound booth, and the technicians were working with security to pass out ice and waters.

The Nashville boygenius date is somewhat notable for the fact that all of the bandmembers appeared in drag. In protest to the attempted banning of drag entertainers in Tennessee, everyone, down to the crew, were in some form of exaggerated gender performance. When the screen first showed the boys singing "Without You Without Them" backstage, there was audible shock and awe at seeing Phoebe in her Dolly Parton teased-to-God wig and Julian actually wearing makeup, instead of their usual Thom Browne designed school uniforms. Lucy, still suffering from a concussion incurred during an onstage dogpile on tour, quipped that she was 'serving cunt-cussion' as she primly took her seat with her tea and sunglasses.

The most surprising thing that impacted me was just seeing these friends absolutely shred on guitar together. As a girl guitar player, sometimes I forget how much I would have yearned to see three girls singing and playing together, with an all-girl backing band no less, even just a few years ago. It was a revelation. I cried, just seeing them have fun and celebrate their friendship. I know that the friendship bracelet trading really took off with the Taylor Swift tour that was also occurring that summer, but God did it feel designed fore the vibes of a boygenius show. People were showing up in handmade shirts they they made to match their friends, trading patches and pins and stickers and bracelets. It was also an undeniably queer friendly event, even beyond the fun drag names and costumes (Phoebe took great pleasure in announcing her moniker for the night was Queef Urban), taking place in a state that even now is becoming increasingly more hostile to queer joy. Julian Baker, who is from Memphis, was vocal in her disdain for this, raising a "FUCK BILL LEE", the current governor of Tennessee, yell from the crowd before launching into Anti-Curse. It was powerful.

The moment I will never forget is this: the sun was setting, beautifully, over the Parthenon, it was drawing later into the set (which had started early so as to avoid some incoming rain), and the boys sat down to perform "Ketchum, ID", one of my absolute favorites, and I had retreated towards the back of the soundbooth, where I could keep an eye on my little sister, but also avoid some of the claustrophobia of the crowd (I'm very much a sit in the back kind of person), and there were two teenage girls in front of me, who had been bopping along to the music for the whole show. During Ketchum, ID, these two girls started to slowdance together. It was adorable. I of course have no idea who they were, any aspect of their lives, etc. but just seeing them dance together in a space where none of that mattered, where they could just do that together, and no one batted an eye? It got me. I cried. Ketchum will get me to cry on a good day anyway, but it was a moment I will never forget. The happiness, the friendship, the lack of judgement in a place that can be extremely judgemental.

It's an image that has stayed with me, through several more concerts that year, and I can't help but think of it anytime I listen to a boygenius song. My little sister had the best day of her life, coming off of the heels of a rough breakup, and I was honored that she asked me to be a part of it. And I was happy to run water and snacks to her whenever she wanted, or to take silly pictures of her with her plushies. It was a day of friendship and joy, and I'm forever grateful to Phoebe, Julien, and Lucy for bringing that joy with them wherever they go.

[driftwithme]

Based on the other polls until now:

Mako Mori:

Main vocals along with Raleigh. Secondary or back up guitarist. She does most of the music arrangements of the band herself and is a music instruments freak (meaning she has a huge collection of guitars lol). Voted as the most stylish and the member with the best hairstyles, she's responsible for creating their virtual personas and half responsible for the different mixtapes and alternative versions.

Yancy Becket:

Main guitarist. Can't sing to save his life but writes devastating lyrics. Would be the band manager if he wasn't on the guitar. He's the problem solver and the man who finds the most obscure yet iconic samples to use on their songs. Big bro of the other three, has an instrumental solo album and writes for other artists if he likes them. He is also (legally) the founder of the band.

Raleigh Becket

Main vocalist along with Mako. He's also the main bassist and the indisputable face of the band. Considered the leader of the group by the public. Troublemaker but also a showman on the stage. The band social media is full of the pics he takes backstage but he refuses to have personal accounts. Sometimes when his injured arm gets too sore from playing, Mako or Yancy take the bass duty while the other keeps the guitar.

Chuck Hansen:

Back vocals and main drummer. Designs a lot of the merch because he likes drawing (but that's a secret). The other half of the mixtape and alternative versions creative duo. Most versatile member of the band in terms of music genres, can also rap (but yet again, another secret). He'd the most involved with the backstage process and the presentations. Voted as the bad boy of them, most probable to curse on live tv or give a whole "fuck 'em" speach on a show.

[tinyyoungblood]

hi!! do you know that tiktok trend where the girl asks her bf if he can temporarily break up with her so she can be heartbroken when she listens to olivia rodrigo’s new album and the bf always says no? could you do that but with peter and avenger!reader? i don’t really know how the avengers play into that but i trust you to think of something great. love your work babes <3

pairing: peter parker x avenger!reader

word count: 2.7k

a/n: hey fren, tysm <3 i do know that trend, and it always warms my darn heart. you probably meant for this to be a headcanon but halfway through i realised that i was writing full sentences, so i just rolled with it bc i have no self-control lol enjoy x

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Peter, I need you to break up with me.”

Not a moment later, you heard a series of loud crashes and Peter stumbled out of the bathroom, hopping on one leg while fiddling with his zipper. “What did you just say?” His eyes were wild as they scanned your face.

“I need you to break up with me,” you repeated calmly, not taking your eyes off your laptop.

“Break up with you?” Peter echoed, hand raking through his hair in bewilderment. “Why would I do that? Do you want to break up?”

This made you look up. Peter was staring at you like you had just insulted his face, making it quite an effort to stay serious. “It’s just for 34 minutes and 46 seconds,” you assured. “So I can listen to Olivia Rodrigo’s new album.”

He blinked at you.

“What?”

“Please?” You set your laptop aside, shuffling to the end of the bed so you were sitting right in front of him. “I want to listen to it in full effect with a broken heart and everything.”

“I…” Peter slowly shook his head. A helpless laugh escaped him. “Um, no. Thank you.” He turned and made to return to the bathroom.

“Peter,” you whined and grabbed for his hand, pulling him to a halt.

“Sorry, angel.” He shrugged, supressing the faint tug at the corner of his mouth.

“Pleeeeaase.”

“Nope.”

You pouted. “We can break up when you train with Bucky! In that way you won’t even notice because you’ll be busy and distracted. I won’t even be on your mind.” You weren’t sure what you had said that made Peter stare at you like you were insane, but it took him a second to snap out of it.

He cupped your face with his hands and made sure to meet your eyes. “Babe, I think about you all the time.” He said it like it was a wish he wanted to word correctly. Slow and precise. Then he switched to a lighter tone that implied that he was done with the conversation. “I’m not breaking up with you.” With that he turned and left for the bathroom.

“Fine,” you called back although the water was already running and you doubted that Peter could hear you. And if he did, he probably didn’t care. You took that as your cue to leave. Defeated, you plucked your headphones into your phone and picked out a song of Olivia’s album at random.

Steve was lounging on the couch of the common room when you entered. He looked up from his magazine and gave you a small smile by way of greeting. You returned it by tapping two fingers at your temple in salute, ignoring the way how his stare lingered a little longer. You sat down next to him. When you locked eyes again, you saw the silent question on his face and let out a laugh. It ended up sounding more like a delightful scoff.

“I know Tony takes pride in being the philanthropist amongst us, but for someone who grew up in the ice age, you’re really good at reading people’s faces.” You wanted to annoy Steve, maybe even coax out a laugh, but he just kept looking at you, and you held his gaze. You were good at it—an aftereffect of living with Bucky who happened to love the same yoghurt as you did. Sometimes you put all western movies to shame with the way you narrowed your eyes at each other early in the morning in front of the fridge.

To your luck, Steve was just as stubborn, which meant that you two could’ve kept it going until death if it weren’t for the door banging open.

“I can’t believe you did this to me!” A voice boomed. You took a wild guess and assumed it was Clint.

“Tell me about it!” Another voice bellowed right back.

A second later, Sam and Clint marched into the room, furious, whereas Bucky strolled in behind them with no care in the world.

The former two were holding bags of food. Both were animated and waving their arms through the air while arguing. You turned down the volume of your phone in time to hear Steve demand, “What’s going on?”

Clint and Sam stared daggers at Bucky until Steve amended, “Buck, what did you do?”

The man in question turned around, facing his best friend in exasperation. “I asked these two to get food for me.” This earned him a snarl. Bucky waved them off and examined his metal arm, unconcerned. “Honestly, I have no idea why they’re getting so worked up about it.”

“We—” Sam gestured wildly between Clint and himself. “—were asked to pick up food for him from two different places. And neither of us knew about it!”

“Yes, neither of us knew,” Clint chimed in, eyes narrowing at Bucky who was busy flicking dust off his arm. “And I don’t know about you, Sam, but I was touched. I was moved, okay? Because Bucky never asks for anything and here I was, thinking we’re starting to bond or whatever but now I just feel USED.”

Sam gave a harsh sound in agreement.

“Bucky,” said Steve after no one had anything to add. “What do you have to say to that?”

Your gaze flitted between them, not sure what to expect. Bucky didn’t give any sign of wanting to respond, making you wonder if he had heard Cap at all. But then a slow smile swept over his lips and you noted that it was probably the most feline smile you’d ever seen. It was a smile storybook villains wore after burning down the world.

“The only thing I have to say is that I regret not having the moment they ran into each other in the elevator on video tape, because that—” He turned and looked Sam and Clint straight in the eye. “—was amazing.”

No one spoke.

“Ruthless,” you said under your breath and just like marionettes, the four men glanced you before another argument broke.

You took the chance to turn the volume back up. “happier” was playing and you settled further into the couch to watch the scene unfold. Sam was arguing so passionately that the vein on his neck was making an impressive appearance. Clint, on the other hand, had a palm pressed flat to his chest; his face showing pure betrayal. Bucky didn’t seem to care for the chaos. He tried multiple times to grab for the bags only for one of them to move out of his reach. When you glanced at Steve, you nearly lost it.

He was staring at them like his lifespan had just been reduced to ten years. He looked like he wanted to throw pebbles after them.

Nudging him with your arm, you silently handed him one of your earphones. He glanced at you and hesitated, probably thinking of the many times you had offered him a taste of blaring electronic music. You rolled your eyes and insisted again. This time, Steve took it and you watched in amusement as his brows rose in surprise.

“I like the piano,” he mouthed and glimpsed at the name of the song. You grinned.

In the meantime, Clint and Sam had decided to form an alliance. They had planted themselves in the opposite couch, digging into the contents of the brown bags while Bucky gawked at them from the other side of the room with his mouth ajar and heart ripped out of his chest. Shaking his head in disbelief, he let himself fall into the armchair facing them. He looked devastated. You weren’t sure if you had to stifle a laugh or tears.

Next to you, Steve chocked back a laugh. You quirked an eyebrow and considered him only to realise the reason behind his glee. Bucky was brooding in his seat while Sam and Clint did an excellence job on commenting every bite. Nothing has ever received as much praise as that pasta, and you were certain that if this were a cartoon, there would be rain clouds hovering above Bucky’s head. As if the angels had set it up themselves, you took notice of the lyrics.

I hope you're happy, but not like how you were with me

I'm selfish, I know, I can't let you go

So find someone great but don't find no one better

Bucky was pouting, poking the leather of his armchair with his finger while stealing glances at Sam and Clint. It was perfect. Steve slapped a hand on his chest and he tipped his head back, laughing.

I hope you're happy, I wish you all the best, really

Say you love her, baby, just not like you loved me

And think of me fondly when your hands are on her

I hope you're happy, but don't be happier

You were both laughing hysterically. The others had stopped their on-going war to stare at the two of you; their expressions baffled. The song came to an end and Steve gave back your earphone, rubbing his eye as if wiping away a tear. He rose and walked over to Bucky, hurling him to his feet and putting an arm around his shoulders.

“Oh, Buck,” Steve said with a note of laughter in his voice. “There’s a song I need to show you.” You smiled as you watched them leave.

“Well, this was fun.” You pushed yourself off the couch and shook your head as Sam offered you some of his sushi. “Thanks, but I’m on a mission to get heartbroken.”

Leaving the men to their food, you wandered the halls and listened to “traitor” as you walked past Wanda’s room. Her door was open and you could see that Vision was in the middle of a chess game with Bruce and Wanda. By the looks of it, Vision was as good as winning and you reined the urge to cheer for him. You peaked around the door frame and saw that Vision had their king in check. Deep betrayal crossed Wanda’s face.

You chuckled quietly and whispered, “FRIDAY, play what I’m listening to right now through the speakers in Wanda’s room.” FRIDAY didn’t bother to respond but not a second later, the lyrics were blasting through her room and their heads snapped up in confusion.

Don't you dare forget about the way

You betrayed me

'Cause I know that you'll never feel sorry

For the way I hurt, yeah

“Wanda?“ You heard Vision’s careful voice. “What is going on?”

Guess you didn't cheat

But you're still

You're still a traitor

“I’m not sure, but these lyrics aren’t wrong…You are a traitor.” Wanda narrowed her eyes at him, slowly bobbing her head to the music. Treason danced in her eyes. It was the beginning of a villain origin story.

“Maybe it’s a sign of God,” Bruce said and you almost burst out laughing.

God, I wish that you had thought this through

Before I went and fell in love with you

“Hell yeah!” Wanda yelled and this time you bolted down the hallway, wheezing. You dashed right into Tony’s lab and slammed the door.

“What are you on?” He looked up in amusement. You simply shook your head, laughter still bubbling over your lips.

“Just spreading love in this facility.” You waved your hand at nothing in particular and Tony nodded.

“Right, I heard you asked Peter to break up with you to listen to that one album? Very dramatic. I like it.”

“See.” You gestured at him, indicating that he was the only one who got it. “It’s a good album. Maybe you should ask Pepper to divorce you.”

Tony gave a humourless laugh. “Yeah, I don’t think she would come back if I asked her.”

“Yikes,” you mumbled and this time Tony’s laughed for real.

“So what? You’ve just been walking around waiting for heartbreak?” He turned back to whatever he was working on. You stepped closer to get a peek.

“Precisely.”

“Sounds tiring.”

“I’m powered by exhaustion” You handed him the wrench he needed. “Want a listen? I think there’s a song you might like.”

He contemplated the offer and lifted his shoulder in a half-shrug. “Sure, why not.” You couldn’t help but squeal. You knew that Tony probably didn’t care but sharing your music was always exciting.

Beaming, you removed your headphones and connected your phone to the speakers of Tony’s lab. The first tunes of “good 4 u” started playing and Tony tapped his foot to the beat, head bobbing just slightly. When the chorus hit, he stood up and you stepped back, thinking he wanted to headbang. Instead, he reached for a tool that was further away. You didn’t miss the way he moved his shoulders in a little dance move though.

“I like this one,” he said, and you flashed him a smile. You continued working on the suit, handing Tony things you knew he needed until you passed him a plier and he froze. You furrowed your brows, glanced at the tool you knew was the right one, and cocked your head in silent question.

Maybe I'm too emotional

Or maybe you never cared at all

Looking you straight in the eyes, he flung the plier over his shoulder, opened a drawer, and took out another plier to use on his suit. You gasped.

“How dare you,” you whispered in shock. Tony had the nerve to shrug.

“Enjoy your little heartbreak moment, Y/N.” He shooed you away like a cat. “FRIDAY, yank up the volume, would you.”

Well, good for you, you look happy and healthy

Not me, if you ever cared to ask

Good for you, you're doin' great out there without me

“Guys?” Peter’s voice was drowned out by the booming music. He was leaning against the doorframe, watching in amusement as you and Tony towered on the lab tables, using screwdrivers as provisional microphones. While Tony played a terrific air guitar, you sank dramatically to your knees and impressed the crowd with your air drumming skills.

“Guys?” Peter tried again, chuckling. This time you and Tony whipped around at the same time and pointed straight at Peter.

Like a damn sociopath

You threw your arms up in the air and spun in circles while Tony jumped into quite an impressive split leap.

I've lost my mind

I've spent the night cryin' on the floor in my bathroom

Just over the fact that I really don't get it

But I guess good for you

The song came to an end, and you leapt on Tony’s table to share a screwdriver with him as you sang the last lyrics together.

Well, good for you, I guess you moved on really easily

The song ended and all you could hear was heavy breathing. Peter began to clap. “This was great, you guys. Wow.”

You exchanged glances with Tony before making a show of bowing at the waist.

“So this is what happens when I refuse to break up with you?” Peter strolled over to where you sat on the lab table, positioning himself between your legs. Tony chuckled and jumped off to grab a water bottle from across the room.

“I’m gonna need you to elaborate on that,” you said, just for the devil of it.

Peter smiled. “Cap and Bucky are crying over a song, Vision is sending Wanda flowers in ten-minute intervals, and you are down here having a rock concert with Tony.”

You gave him a toothy grin. “I was just feeling sour.”

* * *

stay hydrated pals