It’s November, and you know what that means. Aside from Thanksgiving and 10 million projects in every class as the semester comes to a close, Taylor Swift is about to release her sixth studio album.
After her 1989 World Tour came to a close in 2015, Swift disappeared leaving a huge gap in the world of pop culture. Somehow, one of the most famous people on earth avoided the media. All year, the paparazzi unsuccessfully chased Swift, only really catching shots of her on two occasions: at her mom’s house on mother’s day and at a restaurant with her boyfriend.
All the while, Swift was hard at work, writing and producing her new record Reputation.
So now, on the week of this year’s most highly-anticipated release, it’s time to address the question burning on everyone’s mind: Is the old Taylor really dead?
The first two singles Swift put out were not good; there’s no way around it. “Look What You Made Me Do” is almost unlistenable and the only redeeming factor of “…Ready For It?” is the chorus, in which Swift actually sings, rather than her lame attempt at rapping with a bass-heavy track blaring in the background.
“Gorgeous” and “Call It What You Want,” however, sparked a bit more hope for what the new record has to offer. The way “Gorgeous” is produced is quirky and some intellect actually went into it. The lyrics are also good and almost “Style” like, describing an irresistible attraction.
Swift even pokes fun of herself in the track, which has become a trend on her past three records. “Guess I’ll just stumble on home to my cats,” she sings in the bridge.
“Call It What You Want” is a love song for her current boyfriend, whom she hid from the public for quite some time. It’s the strongest lyrical song of the four singles. She also references her M.I.A. status in the newest single, “All the liars are calling me one/Nobody’s heard from me for months/I’m doing better than I ever was.”
So, Swift has proven that she can still write a good pop song, but that was a given. What has always made Swift stand out is her ballads, and she knows it. There’s a reason Swift wrote the piano masterpiece, “Clean” for her first all-pop album, 2014’s 1989, and there’s a reason that she played “All Too Well” at the Grammy’s after her fans started a social media riot, begging to hear the ballad.
Lots of names in today’s industry write great pop songs, Swift included, but the quality of her poetry on those 5 to 7 minute, slowed-down masterpieces that she usually creates without co-writers is unrivaled by other artists in our generation.
The old Taylor being dead or alive is not determined by the nude jumpsuit she wore in the “…Ready For It?” music video, or the digs she takes at Kanye West. What makes Taylor Taylor is her lyrical gift that is only ever fully utilized on ballads. If Reputation does not have a ballad, the old Taylor can officially be declared dead.
Here lies Taylor Alison Swift: December 13, 1989 - November 10, 2017?
Halle Weber is a sophomore studying journalism with a focus in news and information at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Is the old Taylor really dead? Let Halle know by tweeting at her @HalleWeber13.
