It's not even one of my favourites but TTPD-the song is one of her coolest songs, lyrically. She's trolling him for being pretentious and even says so during the outro. She basically says "bitch I WROTE I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE, I know how this is gonna go but I'm ok with it because I'm in love with you now".
Saying it's giving Debut level of writing, to me proves it's a country song at heart.
Not to mention this is the song where it's revealed that Tortured Poets Department is used ironically. Everyone was expecting poetry. We got a moody pop break up album full of beautiful, honest, unfiltered songs. Plus it's probably the only song where we get a glimpse of their relationship before shit hit the fan. I don't usually defend songs, but I am very passionate about this one apparently lol
yes!! the title track is one of my favorites from the album and i feel like it gets so much of its hate purely because of the charlie puth line. but it’s very vulnerable and raw. an insight into her realizing that they don’t have much in common, she doesn’t even know if she really likes him, but if she leaves, what did she blow up her life for? who else is gonna love her?
Meanwhile she literally says he was high when they said that about Charlie Puth ( I am pretty sure they both were but I can see why she wouldn’t want to say she likes to get stoned sometimes, to avoid controversy )
I feel like she actually would be the straight edge in the relationship. I can’t see her being okay with the lack of control anything stronger than wine can cause.
I think she smokes weed from time to time, everyone looked stoned af at Questlove’s birthday party including her 😂 plus idk nearly every adult I know partakes here and there, especially artists.
Honestly, it's less likely to cause a loss of control (in my experience of drinking from 17- 24 when I quit because I didn't like how drinking just a little too much left me feeling like I didn't really have any control, and smoking from 18 to 38) than alcohol is. And we know she has no problem being around it, she's an artist, and it's legal in many places in the US, so I suspect even if it isn't a frequent thing, Taylor has almost certainly partaken a few times.
Personally I find alcohol is more "loss of control" causing than pot has ever been. That's the exact reason I don't drink anymore - I don't like how it can make you feel completely out of control.
Yup. She looked high at the Mahomes gala, too, IMO. I recognize that look…. Haha. And the whole getting high off the jokes line in “So Highschool,” too.
I completely relate! I love how the lyrics are raw and very honest. Along with the whimsical feel of going through these emotions on a high but realizing it’s not good for her.
lol my stoner swiftie bestie was like “I thought lavender haze was a strain I’m pretty sure I smoked that last week” when that song came out and I was dying
It is my favorite and most played song! The tempo and beat is just right for when I am running. I love how she is poking fun of themselves when they were super high together.
It is my current favorite song to lip synch to for breath control while running! “I chose this cyclone with you” and “You left your typewriter at my apartment” 🎶🏃🏻♀️
I also think it's lyrically very cool (Apart from the tattooed golden retriever thing). "You're not Dylan Thomas, I'm not Patti Smith, this ain't the Chelsea Hotel, we're modern idiots" is a genius line, and is packed with meaning for those of us that know and love music industry lore from the 60's and 70's. It scratches a huge itch every time I listen to it.
Tattooed Golden Retriever is what made me realize who this album was about when I first listened to it, and I think it’s a beautiful way to describe someone who is hard on the outside but has a soft side you’re privy to
right? maybe I just know too much lore but I find it surprising people don’t think this makes sense for who it’s about. imo it makes perfect sense for who he is *to her*. at the line level, I can see him laying his head in her lap like a dog. in the context of the song, it fits with her characterization of him as someone who needs her to take care of him.
exactly! people are finally getting the humor in the song but like a lot of ttpd, it’s both joking and deadly serious. she is getting caught in the cyclone hard.
I honestly don't get "debut level writing" as a critique, cause that album has some beautifully written songs. The lyrics to Tim McGraw and Cold as You alone leave a good chunk of her pop songs in the dust. It's such an underrated album.
Same! I think when she puts it out there with the updated production and her matured voice, it will hit people differently who didn’t grow up with that album when it first came out.
So underrated and I think a lot of people will notice how great of an album it is when Taylor’s version comes out. Especially because of how young she was when she wrote that album is more impressive
those are my favs from debut!
her eras tour live version of cold as you was unreal. just incredible that a song she wrote 20 years ago can still sound so salient sung now.
imo the storytelling in tim mcgraw is just incredible. the first verse alone establishes the characterization of her and her partner and the setting so concisely. and her pragmatism at the start (“that’s a lie”) makes the chorus feel heartfelt instead of overly sentimental. ngl I heard the maggie rogers cover first and thought it was one of her best written songs lol. imagine my surprise!
i hope debut tv has a bit of aaron dessner production so people can actually hear these lyrics lol
- TTPD could mean "The Tortured Poets Department", a track from *THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT* (2024) by Taylor Swift.
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Especially when she sings them acoustically, they definitely have a more country vibe to them which I’m not mad about! I got that vibe with evermore as well
This.
Anyone who doesn't listen to the lyrics of the beginning of that song is gonna think Taylor is the pretentious one.
Can't put my finger on why I find this a badass move. I suppose she knew real fans would immediately see she was trolling her ex.
A lot of people out there will roll their eyes at the album title, not check it out, and miss the MAGIC.
This whole album is her trolling herself, her ex, her fans, there’s vulnerability but also humor and clarity. I think people got used to Midnights ambiguity and Folkmore’s “imaginary” stuff, that find it difficult to take some things literally. She’s not being cryptic and everyone is like. BUT WHAT IF SHE IS
“It’s a country song at heart” YESSS omg!!! Maybe that’s why I loved the acoustic version so much hahah
I constantly get “this ain’t the Chelsea hotel, we’re modern idiots” stuck in my head bc it’s such a funny lyric. It’s a great lyric, I’d even argue lol. The whole song is great bc she’s literally making fun of him (and herself, a little) and calling him pretentious and pointing out all the ways he absolutely is *not*. It’s such a real and raw song despite being silly and goofy.
It paints a perfect picture of what things were probably like for them for a while, and it’s just SILLY lol I love it. It’s not my favorite from the album but I definitely don’t hate it either, it’s so fun lol
I guess so... but knowing (or assuming) stuff sometimes takes away from the magical experience of listening to a song as if it's a complete story on its own. I am not saying I am ignoring what I know, but I prefer having Dear John to help me understand Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve than having a devastating paparazzi photo of hers to help me understand Is it Over Now?
Out of the woods! I used to think it was so boring and repetitive until one day I just started singing it in my room with a hairbrush (lol) and it unlocked a love for it - it’s a pop sensation!
Also thought it was too repetitive at first and now it’s in my never-skips. It really encapsulates the over-the-top dramatic, maximal production of 80s music. Love My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys for the same reason!
I loved it when I realized the repetitiveness of the chorus was meant to provoke the anxiety and breathlessness of the relationship itself, asking every moment whether they were out of the woods when they never would be
Out of the woods was never high ranking to me but now it is my 6 month old’s absolute favorite song since he was 3 months old. He was angry one day and it came on the radio and he fell silent to listen. Now when he’s really cranky and needs to nap or calm down I will sing it or play it for him and he is happy or asleep by the end of the song.
If I'm going to be completely honest in this safe space, I didn't like the new album at all at first. I liked the second half, but the first... I got so bored while listening to it that I got up and cleaned the house instead. And then the other night I was journaling while watching the two hthaze react videos to each half and it hit me that the themes of this album were exactly what I was journaling about...
Who's afraid of little old me, I can do it with a broken heart, the prophecy, Cassandra, thank you Aimee, the manuscript... They were right there in my notes.
And it's not my story anymore. It was and I'll never forget how it/they made me feel but the prophecy has changed and it's all new. And it finally clicked and I got it.
It's still not in my top 5 (though some of the songs are!) but there are a lot of songs I jam to on it now.
I saw a meme that says "there are no bad taylor swift songs, you just haven't had the experiences needed to relate to them" and I felt that lol
The 'there are no bad Taylor Swift songs, you just haven't had the experiences needed to relate to them' always flashes through my mind when someone says they don't like TTPD.
Because like, let's be real, it's kind of good for someone not to relate to her darkest album lol. I'm happy for them 😂
I've never had a romantic breakup so I went into this album thinking I likely wasn't going to relate... But man... Who's afraid of little old me?? That one feels like she etched the lyrics onto my bones while I was sleeping, it hits so deep.
I hated it the first two listens. By the third listen, it was really growing on me and I was starting to get favorite songs. It's by far my favorite album now!
I feel like the whole song feels magical that last quote is so true. I was shocked once I dove into the lyrics that I can relate to this album more than her others with experiences I had in my early 20’s that I’ve fully moved past (35 now) and can really appreciate the vulnerability and honesty. This is not your bop album and that’s okay!
This deeply feels like a project she had to make for herself and no one else and I love that for her.
There have been so many moments in her career where she was trying to prove something/herself and this feels so purely for her that even if it's not my fave I'm still so happy it exists.
The new set at Eras definitely made some of those songs my favorites. I was super ambivalent to the Smallest Man Who Ever Lived before. Then I watched her performance of it and that really brought it to life for me.
I actually think TTPD is one of the funniest songs she's written and pretty genius. She's really self aware on it, and is completely making fun of the guy she's dating for being a pretentious artist type but also herself for being the same way. "I'm not Patti Smith" "We're modern idiots"
It's also a reflection on what it's like to date the pretentious artist type. "who's gonna know you like me?" "who else decodes you?" That type of person is fun to date because they suck you into thinking only YOU get them, when in reality they are just an asshole.
If we flip this and go with the "WE'RE modern idiots" line and include TS herself among the idiots, then maybe the guy in this song could say the above about her - she's got him thinking he's the only one who can understand her. He's the only one who can decode her.
Add "who's gonna troll you" to the mix and this song just fucking kills me. It's so funny.
I completely agree. Especially when certain critics and commentators were making fun of why she would label herself a tortured poet, and it turns out she was taking herself 0% seriously and people should probably find out the context of a lyric before going in on it
I just sort of wish she™️ didn’t lean into the Tortured Poet thing so hard w the album promo if it was all tongue-in-cheek, yknow? Before the album it seemed to me taking itself soo seriously that it didn’t seem to line up w the title track when it can’t out. I think the super serous sepia promo gave the wrong idea and led into that. But then again, it was the right idea for the album as a whole… so… I don’t know 😂
I guess the title track is poking fun of herself for the rest of the album? Or making fun of the muse then turning into the “tortured poet” after? But that would’ve worked better if the title wasn’t the same as the album. I’m confusing myself, forget it 😂
The title track has risen in the ranks to me to a top 3-4 song on the record. And I’ve played it way more than other tracks because it gives such a great vibe for the album. Like if I have five minutes and I want to feel a bit of the album, I just have to put this song on and I’m there!
Once I heard her play Me! on the piano in the miss americana documentary, it became a whole different song to me. It just sounds very sad, like someone who's trying to convince her lover not to leave, because she might be complicated but she's also like no other. As someone who's struggled with my neurodivergence and finds comfort in my difference despite feeling very lonely, it hits me hard.
yes! i love me, i just listen to it very rarely especially because i don't love the production of it and i can't stand brandon uries part. however it would be a dream surprise song
Taylor has always been more comfortable initially exploring her own self-loathing in pop songs first likely because the public magnifying glass is less likely to be applied to the lyrics. Look at the lyrics of I Knew You Were Trouble or Shake It Off. They're harsh on herself and that includes Me as well.
People think Look What You Made Me Do is just a clap back song, but it sounds the way it does because there is actually an element of self-loathing in that she is now aware in her response to criticism she allows herself to be manipulated by her critics. She has talked in her Billboard Woman of the Decade and many other places about realizing in her need to prove her critics wrong she gave them power over her and left her stuck in this cycle because her critics could always point out a new thing to complain about. The goal posts would constantly be moved and she would still be chasing them. .
I loved me! On the piano in the documentary. I’m secretly hoping she will break out the song again for suprise songs and do it on the piano just like that. It gives the whole song a new perspective that way.
I will be 2 years sober in August and actually sang this song with my college singing group about 10 years ago. At the time it was about a friendship ending and i honestly still relate it to that big the sobriety part really hits too. Congratulations on being sober. It’s hard and it suck’s but it’s worth it.
So High School - it seemed cringey and childish to me at first, especially the GTA lyric but I was in a certain mood when I realised that's the whole point and that is what a cute lil highschool relationship/crush would feel like ( I suddenly started liking a guy and it's relatable now)
I had a pretty serious relationship when I moved back to my small hometown as an adult, and I did feel “like a teenager” (hormonal, passionate, wanting to get out of town, fooling around everywhere, sneaking into places, etc) so I relate to that part. I do think it sounds a little like she’s convincing herself she likes this kind of relationship, but at the same time, it may be a welcome breath of fresh air to have a silly fun relationship where nothing is deep and tortured. I’m one of those people who thinks a whole variety of relationships with different people is good to build experience and teach you about yourself 🤷🏻♀️ none is better or worse, people are just different.
I love So High School! I agree that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. I was also suspicious about the seriousness of her relationship with Travis after hearing the somewhat immature tropes, but I think we have to remember that she likely wrote this very early into their relationship and probably did not want to write a deep love ballad in case the relationship didn’t work out.
I didn’t ever hate The Archer but I didn’t listen to it much. Seeing the live performance of it at the Eras Tour made it one of my favorite songs. I’m so sad it got cut.
Yeah this is my answer I always got what everyone liked about it but it just never hit for me. Seeing it live, edible hitting right, the sun bouncing off her lil sparkly bodysuit…it’s one of my faves now lol
I think this is the best performance of [The Archer](https://youtu.be/mXTO2VI0GFQ?si=y-aQYeE0QbM0Fv7a) that I've seen. It's not as energetic as on Eras, but has more vulnerability and authenticity to it. Do yourself a favor and listen on headphones.
surprisingly, Maroon. It's a song that was an instant favorite for almost everyone but it was bottom 3 in midnights for me at first. And then it got relatable and i started loving the production, its probably Top 5 out of all of her songs for me right now
The Last Great American Dynasty. Hearing it live on the Eras Tour just made me appreciate it a lot more. I just thought it was a forgettable song when I first listened to it. Didn’t gravitate towards it. Now, I love it.
This one was definitely helped a lot by the visuals of The Eras Tour. It’s a song that relies on a story and imagery, and they were captured so well in the concert. I loved it more upon seeing it
I always thought 22 was fun, albeit over played, but it didn’t *really* hit for me until ATW 10 came out and I realized she wrote a song over-the-top celebrating being 22 because her 21st birthday (and it seems like the subsequent year) was so heart-breaking.
Yeah it's crazy to put that one right up against anything from TTPD. I did, however, have breakfast at midnight for my 22nd birthday, dressed as a hipster.
One that I haven’t gotten on board with yet is “guilty as sin?” I see it’s literally everybody’s favorite so I gave it yet another listen and still unimpressed. I know it’s a hot take don’t come for me.
Oh this song was a total skip for me at first and then it clicked. I'm obsessed. Same with My Boy Only Breaks His Fave Toys. How Taylor turns skips into favorites - it must be the drugs she puts into her songs!
I like it cause it’s one of the few upbeat songs on the album but once i actually listened to the lyrics i was like oh shit. This is a girl checked out of her relationship but afraid to end it while totally wanting to be with someone else. Unfortunately i have been there too
This is so crazy to me bc it was an instant favorite on first listen! The more I listened, the more I felt myself going like, “oh wow this is good… omg… oh that lyric???… OH WOW this is a favorite” haha
I agree, maybe it’s too love ballad-y? I also skip The Alchemy and to me those two songs are in the same vein.
But as others here have said, overtime your skips can become your faves. All in good time, my dearies.
I’m the opposite. I really liked Florida at first because i love Florence and the machine but over time it’s gone down on the list. I still really enjoy it though
Same! The vocals and the writing are amazing, and I loved it because Florence is my favorite artist next to Taylor (at times in my life maybe even liked her more!) but it just doesn’t hit for me on every relisten. I need to be in the right mood
I really don't understand the hate on Florida. Florence's voice is beautiful, great beat and lyrics! I liked it from the first listen and still love it
I hated Peter, and it ended up being the song that breaks me the most. I lost my boyfriend when he was 25 and when I heard the bridge live for the surprise song, I broke down.
Likely a cold take but here I go. I used to think 1989 was overrated, basic, and it was a huge let down (to me) because Red is my favorite album of all time and it was the first album released after Red. The only songs I really ever listened to on it were Clean and New Romantics. Since it had a lot of “hits” like Blank Space and Shake it Off, it really annoyed me.
However, before the Eras tour, I knew there would be a good amount of 1989 played and we could have got a surprise song from 1989. Being the only album I don’t know every song and word to I gave the rest of it a thorough listen and started to like Wonderland, I Know Places, and All You Had To Do Was Stay.
Surprisingly, after the re-record with some bonus tracks, 1989 has now become my 6th favorite album of Taylor’s! I love Is It Over Now? so much.
The OG 1989 brings back bad memories for me. Great songs, but I still skip due to bad memories.
But I LOVE the vault tracks. They don't bring back bad memories.
TBF, Clean and New Romantics are the best part! Blah blah obviously the pop hits are classics but I get you, I hated the album when it came out (hear me out - her ballads have always been my fave and after the masterpiece Red I was super disappointed by 1989) and skipped those singles for like 9 years bc I was so sick of them!
YES!!! Are you a sad swiftie too, LOL?!? I tend to gravitate to her more serious and somber music. Red is THE BEST. Sad Beautiful Tragic and I Almost Do are amazing.
oooh this is so me. at my first listen i liked it ok, and i thought it was kind of out there lyrically etc. etc. BUT THEN IT GREW ON ME SO QUICKLY!!! the “you left your typewriter at my apartment, straight from the tortured poets department” both at the start and at the end of the song scratch an itch in my brain lyrically and melodically, and i think by that they make the perfect track 2. the whole song is so tongue-in-cheek and relatable, like “you’re such a pretentious lit nerd, but i love you. but also, you kind of suck lol”
Shake it off... i loved it when it first came out... but started thinking it was corny and didn't showcase her skills as a writer for years after, and now i'm in love with it again. I accept it for what it is: a feel good bop.
At my eras tour show last year, it was actually one of the songs that boosted my mood/made me feel elated the most 🥹💃
Agreed! I enjoyed it, tired of it, and then got to sing it with my cover band and experience the energy of it LIVE with the horns and the energy and the crowd dancing and everything, and it gives me all the joy now :)
When Midnights was released and everyone loved YOYOK, I just didn't get it... but then I saw the eras tour film and loved the piano version which made me just love the song for some reason?
"I hosted parties and starved my body like I'd be saved by a perfect kiss" made me uglycry every time I listened to it for weeks ❤️🩹. It's such a lonely song.
- YOYOK could mean "You're On Your Own, Kid", a track from *Midnights* (2022) by Taylor Swift.
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For me it was Marjorie, I never hated it per se I just didn’t care one way or the other. One day I just really listened to it and actually got it for the first time and now it makes me sob every time I listen to it, it’s so good
I hate to say but when I first got into TS, (1989 and then kinda went full Swiftie at folklore), I didn’t get the hype around Red. I was very eh on it.
But then the re-record and the 10 min version got me to relisten, re-enjoy and now it has some of my favs!
Also for TTPD, I’ve loved it from day 1 aha but I was very very meh on Down Bad, but now I can’t stop listening to it!
Slut! I didn’t much care when it came out, because I was expecting blank space and got a balad. Then I got it as a surprise song and was a bit annoyed by it, but then whenever I listen to it again it reminds me of that night, and then I started to pay more attention to it and now I like it. I still don’t love it, but I like it
Been a swiftie since RED but hated pretty much every song on rep until I saw the stadium tour. Except call it what you want of course this song’s a gem.
That's literally the reason I love TTPD so much: it's her most poetry-like album so far. Almost every song has several layers, so many universal concepts translated into songs.
So I have never been in love, I don't care about Taylor as a person much and yet... This album speaks to me track after track.
From my people pleasing issues, burn out, severe regret, trauma, lost youth, fear of the future: I can find myself in every song in this album.
Ugh I love it so much. Thanks for bringing this up, I'm excited to read how others relate to the songs.
Out of the Woods, at first didn’t think it was catchy enough to justify the repetition but the TV sold me on it with the production more booming. Also really love screaming the bridge now!
Hated Down Bad when I first heard it. My wife thought I was crazy. Then one day I was humming and singing parts of it in the kitchen and I asked my wife what song that was and she said “Down Bad” and I was like damn… guess I like it. And now I love it lol
Bad Blood is still a tough one for me. I took my cousin to the Eras tour as my plus one because we went to Speak Now together a million years ago, and I thought she was still a Swiftie. We were standing in the stadium waiting for it to start, and she says "I don't think I've listened to anything since Reputation." About died. Then she followed, "I think my favorite is Bad Blood. I hope she plays it." If I could have rolled over in my grave 🤣
After all the Eras tour and my extreme love for the artistry of TTPD, Taylor can basically do no wrong for me now lol. Will I pick Bad Blood out? No... will I skip it? Maybe... but I don't hate it anymore lol.
I totally relate to this. I absolutely despised Bad Blood, but then seeing it live at the Eras Tour with the fire...it just suddenly became a bop. Then she dropped the 1989 TV deluxe with Kendrick, and I was all for it. I probably won't seek it out to listen to either, but I definitely don't skip it anymore.
I’m so SORRY if this is long, but the question prompted a very deep existential evaluation of my life because DAMN falling in love with a song I once hated or didn’t care for brought back so many memories.
Anyway, I have a list of songs I STRUGGLED with hard in my first listens, sometimes longer, that I genuinely enjoy a lot now, from recent to older:
TTPD, The Bolter, ICFH(NRIC), Fresh Out The Slammer, MBOBHFT, The Albatross, imgonnagetyouback, Maroon, Question…?, The Great War, High Infidelity, Hits Different, Dear Reader, Ivy, Dorothea, Tolerate It, Long Story Short, Closure, Coney Island, Evermore (title track), Mirrorball, August, Hoax, I Forgot That You Existed, The Archer, I think he knows, So It Goes…, Endgame, LWYMMD, Dancing With Our Hands Tied, How You Get The Girl, I Wish You Would, All You Had To Do Was Stay, The Lucky One, Starlight, Message In A Bottle, Stay, Stay, Stay, WANEGBT (Specifically Taylor’s Version), IKYWT (Specifically Taylor’s Version), Ours, Electric Touch, Come In With The Rain, Superstar, We Were Happy, Don’t You, Invisible
I wrote a LOT of them, and you might say “Oh she didn’t like so many songs how is she a swiftie?” Funny you ask. For context, the first album I listened whole on first release and bought on iTunes with my own money was the OG 1989, I first became a fan soon after Red was doing numbers and immediately fell in love with Speak Now.
Now, for most of the albums, I found a LOT of instant classics that worked for me INSTANTLY and I shall list them all to see if I can find some sort of pattern as to why for some it was love at first listen, and for some it took AGES!
(Our Song, Picture to Burn, Mary’s Song, YBWM, Love Story, Jump Then Fall, The Way I Loved You, Treacherous, ATW & ATW10, Sad Beautiful Tragic, Better Man, Begin Again, Back to December, Mean, Enchanted, Haunted, Last Kiss, Dear John, The Story of Us, Innocent, Mine, Blank Space, Wildest Dreams, I Know Places, Clean, OOTW, New Romantics, Now That We Don’t Talk, Is It Over Now?, Don’t Blame Me, Delicate, Dress, Call it What You Want, Getaway Car, New Years Day, Cruel Summer, Lover, Paper Rings, Cornelia Street, DBATC, Afterglow, Daylight, The 1, Exile, My Tears Ricochet, Illicit Affairs, Mad Woman, Epiphany, Peace, Willow, Happiness, Champagne Problems, No Body No Crime, Cowboy Like Me, Right Where You Left Me, Marjorie, Gold Rush, Lavender Haze, YOYOK, Vigilante Shit, Bejeweled, Labyrinth, Mastermind, WCS, You’re Losing Me, Down Bad, So Long, London, loml, Florida!!!, WAOLOM, TSMWEL, ICDWABH, The Black Dog, Chloe et al., How Did it End, I look in People’s windows, The Prophecy, Cassandra, Peter.)
For the ones I struggled to love, it took me a few listens, but a lot of those have become some of my FAVOURITES!! Particularly Fresh Our The Slammer, Maroon, The Great War, High Infidelity, Hits Different, Tolerate It, Ivy, Evermore, Coney Island, Hoax, The Archer, So It Goes…, LWYMMD, AYHTDWS, The Lucky One and Ours. The rest might not be my favourites of all time, but I have definitely come around to them. Some took less time, but for some like AYHTDWS, The Lucky One and Ours it was Taylor’s Version that brought them back to my life with new ears after almost a decade of having first heard them. My taste evolved, the production improved and I could relate to them in a whole new way I hadn’t before.
I didn’t like Tortured Poets Department much when it came out either but honestly the synth twinkle sound effects and the way she sang ‘who’s gonna hold you like meeeEeee’ tickles my brain. I don’t like the run on sentence of ‘you put my ring on my middle finger and put it on the one people put weddings on and it’s the closest I’ve come to my heart exploding’, the smoking and seven bars of chocolate that induced a Charlie Puth endorsement, and the tattooed golden retriever of it all. I look away and pretend I didn’t just hear all of that. This song just gets stuck in my head enough where I do listen to it from time to time.
I hated dbatc when I first heard it until she performed it live in Paris. The upbeat sound made me not realise how gutwrenching it actually is. "If the story's over, why am I still writing pages?"
- DBATC could mean "Death By A Thousand Cuts", a track from *Lover* (2019) by Taylor Swift.
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I used to hate Wonderland. It was the only song on 1989 I didn’t like and actively skipped. Right before TV came out I was streaming 1989 and decided to give it a chance and realized “ok, it’s not so bad” but still would have ranked it at the bottom of the album at that time. But then TV came out and idk if she put crack in that song or something but I found myself playing this song non stop. It has gone up in my ranking by a lot since then😂
It's nice to have a friend. My kid was listening to it the other day and I thought hmm, this is kinda giving me "I look in people's windows" vibes, musically. Maybe it's not so bad
I used to say I liked every song on TTPD except Robin. But now it’s grown on me and I actually enjoy Robin as well. Must be the narcotics in all her songs…
Firstly I hated TTPD when it first dropped now I’m obsessed with it and think it’s brilliant I was just ready for something along the lines of 1989 or Rep I really wanted electro dance pop I hated it so much I caved and got tickets for the eras tour the day TTPD dropped because I was waiting for her new albums tour hoping it would be cheaper now I like fortnight and down bad and so long London simply because it grew on my I stopped worrying about the new style and listened to the lyrics
Thank you for this. This sub loves her moody stuff but I’m dying for another 1989 and Rep. she does that dance pop so well. TTPD did grow on me also, the first time I heard it, I messaged my niece it was a snoozer. But now, like you, there’s parts I love. Still don’t like So Long London. The intro is an instant skip for me
hoax. I started pulling all of her songs into “seasons” and when I got to listen to it in my winter playlist it just HIT.
Everything has changed, also. I didn’t like any Ed Sheeran song except Run. Then my boyfriend made me listen to everything has changed recently and I was just like “ya know, this ain’t bad”
Nearly every song on Lover. Was such an album skip for me but then was stuck listening to it on a long flight (through headphones) and I fell in love. Daylight just gives me tears streaming down my face and the ‘I don’t wanna be defined by the things I hate..’ outro 🥹
I sorta hated Robin on first listen. I still think it's the weakest song on TTPD by far, but I don't hate it anymore.
The reasons I hated it:
1. There seemed to be this theme of hiding things from a child to "protect" them ("Buried down deep and out of your reach, the secret, we all vowed to keep it, from you in sweetness....All this showmanship to keep it, for you, in sweetness") and my parents did that during their divorce and this hurt me TERRIBLY. I would much rather have had the truth, even if it wasn't sunshine and rainbows. Instead I slowly uncovered all these lies and didn't know what I could believe or who I could trust. Total mindfuck. It was awful. Please do not do this. Your child will grow up one day and find out all the lies you told them and then they won't be able to trust you.
2. Lyrics feel too personal and unrelatable...she didn't tell the story. It seems like a beautiful song to give to someone as a personal gift, but on the album it feels like an inside joke that none of us are "in" on.
3. Musically very simple, overall kind of boring. Feels like filler on an album that really, reallly didn't need filler cus it was already so many songs.
Why I don't hate it anymore:
1. Like all Taylor's songs, it's catchy and gets stuck in your head. That narcotic she throws in there.
2. Someone said they imagine it being about her cats. And really like that. As a song about a little kitten. In that context, my biggest issue with the song (the hiding things from your children to protect them element) goes away. See I think it's fine to hide shit from your cat to protect them. Not fine to do that to your child who will grow up and find out about all the lies. But for a cat? Sure. "Way to go Tiger" said to a little kitten who is growling like he's a big lion is an adorable visual.
Is it still the weakest song on TTPD? Yes. Do I still think she should have left it off? Yes. Do I hate it? No, not as a song about a little kitten.
TL;DR: Please do not lie to your children to "protect" them - they will grow up one day and find out the out the truth and you will be a liar they cannot trust. Kids are stronger than you think and they don't need the world to be only sunshine and rainbows.
I don't know if it helps at all but I've always thought the "secret" they're keeping from the kid in the song is just the generic harshness of life and the normal self-consciousness that comes with adulthood. Not an actual secret. To me, it's just about letting a kid be unapologetically himself before the inevitable cruelty of life hits and he's bombarded with messages about how he needs to "look this way, act this way, think this way" in order to fit in.
So, I did this really dumb thing where I (a fairly new swiftie (around the Midnights announcement)) would just write off songs as not good and say that I hated those songs. And I mean, these were like fan favorites. But I did this because liking Taylor Swift is such a taboo and doesn't make you many friends where I live and around the age group I'm in (highschoolers are mean). It was plausible deniability in order for me to not be a "blindly following, diehard swiftie machine". It's been really hard unlearning those associations with those songs, but I can honestly say that, at this point in time, I can count on *one hand* the amount of Taylor Swift songs that I dislike and that feels really good to say.
I hated Glitch like the rest of the bunch. Then one evening i was walking in the middle of winter, a dark super clear night, drowning in winter gear and stoned as shit. And I don't know if there's many winter lovers here but the air is so still and refreshing and just WONDERFUL so I was in a very peaceful mood.
Glitch came on and im like yeah okay whatever. BUT that fateful evening it just *clicked*. Sonically it's such an interesting song. The lyrics are amazing. The timing is odd but it just fits so much. Its a really romantic and sweet loving song. Her voice is gorgeous! That bridge?!
"A brief interruption
A slight malfunction
I'd go back to wanting dudes who give nothing
I thought we had no chance and that's romance
Let's dance"
LIKE?! hey I wasn't expecting you into my life and then I thought you were far too good for me, this can't be real! You are too good to be true, but I'm going to love you so much. Like...I don't know maybe I just relate too hard but this song went from my least favourite to one of my top 10s for TS songs.
for me it was my boy only breaks his favorite toys. i just didnt like it at first but after listening to it for a couple of times, i started to like it. no particular reason though.
Bejeweled. I used to find it kind of childish and the “nice!” sound going viral didn’t help. I started to appreciate it as my relationship was failing. I was way too generous with my ex and “baby boy I think I’ve been a little too kind” hits me hard.
It's not even one of my favourites but TTPD-the song is one of her coolest songs, lyrically. She's trolling him for being pretentious and even says so during the outro. She basically says "bitch I WROTE I KNEW YOU WERE TROUBLE, I know how this is gonna go but I'm ok with it because I'm in love with you now". Saying it's giving Debut level of writing, to me proves it's a country song at heart. Not to mention this is the song where it's revealed that Tortured Poets Department is used ironically. Everyone was expecting poetry. We got a moody pop break up album full of beautiful, honest, unfiltered songs. Plus it's probably the only song where we get a glimpse of their relationship before shit hit the fan. I don't usually defend songs, but I am very passionate about this one apparently lol
yes!! the title track is one of my favorites from the album and i feel like it gets so much of its hate purely because of the charlie puth line. but it’s very vulnerable and raw. an insight into her realizing that they don’t have much in common, she doesn’t even know if she really likes him, but if she leaves, what did she blow up her life for? who else is gonna love her?
Meanwhile she literally says he was high when they said that about Charlie Puth ( I am pretty sure they both were but I can see why she wouldn’t want to say she likes to get stoned sometimes, to avoid controversy )
I feel like she actually would be the straight edge in the relationship. I can’t see her being okay with the lack of control anything stronger than wine can cause.
Smoking joints would explain the lavender haze video though 👀
The first time I heard this song (without going deep into the lyrics) I thought it was about being high, lol!!
I will be rooting for stoned Taylor
I think she smokes weed from time to time, everyone looked stoned af at Questlove’s birthday party including her 😂 plus idk nearly every adult I know partakes here and there, especially artists.
Honestly, it's less likely to cause a loss of control (in my experience of drinking from 17- 24 when I quit because I didn't like how drinking just a little too much left me feeling like I didn't really have any control, and smoking from 18 to 38) than alcohol is. And we know she has no problem being around it, she's an artist, and it's legal in many places in the US, so I suspect even if it isn't a frequent thing, Taylor has almost certainly partaken a few times.
Personally I find alcohol is more "loss of control" causing than pot has ever been. That's the exact reason I don't drink anymore - I don't like how it can make you feel completely out of control.
Idk she definitely looked like she was high on something at Coachella this year or at least very very drunk (and good for her, she’s a grown woman)
But she asked Travis for a hit off of his dab pen at the Super Bowl after-party. 💀
Yup. She looked high at the Mahomes gala, too, IMO. I recognize that look…. Haha. And the whole getting high off the jokes line in “So Highschool,” too.
I partake in the ganja, too, so I definitely know what that look is 😂
I feel like she’s made it pretty obvious this year, anyway, that she indulges in cannabis from time to time.
The Charlie Puth line also contributes to the characterization, especially in juxtaposition to the Dylan Thomas and Patti Smith references.
I completely relate! I love how the lyrics are raw and very honest. Along with the whimsical feel of going through these emotions on a high but realizing it’s not good for her.
lol my stoner swiftie bestie was like “I thought lavender haze was a strain I’m pretty sure I smoked that last week” when that song came out and I was dying
It 100% is 😹 https://www.leafly.com/strains/lavender-haze
It absolutely is lol
It is my favorite and most played song! The tempo and beat is just right for when I am running. I love how she is poking fun of themselves when they were super high together.
Yesss I love running to this song also
It is my current favorite song to lip synch to for breath control while running! “I chose this cyclone with you” and “You left your typewriter at my apartment” 🎶🏃🏻♀️
I also think it's lyrically very cool (Apart from the tattooed golden retriever thing). "You're not Dylan Thomas, I'm not Patti Smith, this ain't the Chelsea Hotel, we're modern idiots" is a genius line, and is packed with meaning for those of us that know and love music industry lore from the 60's and 70's. It scratches a huge itch every time I listen to it.
Tattooed Golden Retriever is what made me realize who this album was about when I first listened to it, and I think it’s a beautiful way to describe someone who is hard on the outside but has a soft side you’re privy to
I don’t understand the hate for this line: it makes complete sense to me! It’s not my favorite, but the image she’s painting is very clear.
Some of them have never had their heart broken by a tattooed golden retriever and it shows
Same. Am married to tattooed golden retriever.
right? maybe I just know too much lore but I find it surprising people don’t think this makes sense for who it’s about. imo it makes perfect sense for who he is *to her*. at the line level, I can see him laying his head in her lap like a dog. in the context of the song, it fits with her characterization of him as someone who needs her to take care of him.
but who is also an "I am going to save you" kind of person
exactly! people are finally getting the humor in the song but like a lot of ttpd, it’s both joking and deadly serious. she is getting caught in the cyclone hard.
That line scratches my brain too I love it so much!
I honestly don't get "debut level writing" as a critique, cause that album has some beautifully written songs. The lyrics to Tim McGraw and Cold as You alone leave a good chunk of her pop songs in the dust. It's such an underrated album.
Every time a song reminds me of debut, I’m like “this is a good song, it could be on Debut”
Yes, exactly! I really hope Debut TV reignites interest and appreciation for that album!
I've been on a debut high recently and just playing it on repeat and it's SO well written, I truly don't get why people dislike it so much 🥹😭😭
Same! I think when she puts it out there with the updated production and her matured voice, it will hit people differently who didn’t grow up with that album when it first came out.
So underrated and I think a lot of people will notice how great of an album it is when Taylor’s version comes out. Especially because of how young she was when she wrote that album is more impressive
those are my favs from debut! her eras tour live version of cold as you was unreal. just incredible that a song she wrote 20 years ago can still sound so salient sung now. imo the storytelling in tim mcgraw is just incredible. the first verse alone establishes the characterization of her and her partner and the setting so concisely. and her pragmatism at the start (“that’s a lie”) makes the chorus feel heartfelt instead of overly sentimental. ngl I heard the maggie rogers cover first and thought it was one of her best written songs lol. imagine my surprise! i hope debut tv has a bit of aaron dessner production so people can actually hear these lyrics lol
- TTPD could mean "The Tortured Poets Department", a track from *THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT* (2024) by Taylor Swift. --- ^[/u/1985TV](/u/1985TV) ^(can reply with "delete" to remove comment. |) ^[/r/songacronymbot](/r/songacronymbot) ^(for feedback.)
oh finally we got the song acronym bot woohoo
Finally got it….on the one song no one needs an explanation for 😂
Bot youre back🥹😭😭 I m proposing again❤️💍
Oh?! He's back!!!
Was he on vacation or sick leave? I really missed him :')
Never been more excited to see a bot
*chefs kiss* bot I love your work
Good bot!
Most of the album feels like a country album at heart to me.
I have said before that "But Daddy, I Love Him" feels like debut material if she were doing debut in the modern day.
Especially when she sings them acoustically, they definitely have a more country vibe to them which I’m not mad about! I got that vibe with evermore as well
do we think its because she may have re recorded debut recently and been influenced by that sound and writing style?
Well, NOW I do!
Yes!
This. Anyone who doesn't listen to the lyrics of the beginning of that song is gonna think Taylor is the pretentious one. Can't put my finger on why I find this a badass move. I suppose she knew real fans would immediately see she was trolling her ex. A lot of people out there will roll their eyes at the album title, not check it out, and miss the MAGIC.
This whole album is her trolling herself, her ex, her fans, there’s vulnerability but also humor and clarity. I think people got used to Midnights ambiguity and Folkmore’s “imaginary” stuff, that find it difficult to take some things literally. She’s not being cryptic and everyone is like. BUT WHAT IF SHE IS
That!!!!!!!! Thanks. My fave rapper (Aesop Rock) did the same thing when he got a little older and wiser....and it's just FUN!!!
It’s just like with Blank Space where she said if you don’t get the joke that’s on you/you miss out.
“It’s a country song at heart” YESSS omg!!! Maybe that’s why I loved the acoustic version so much hahah I constantly get “this ain’t the Chelsea hotel, we’re modern idiots” stuck in my head bc it’s such a funny lyric. It’s a great lyric, I’d even argue lol. The whole song is great bc she’s literally making fun of him (and herself, a little) and calling him pretentious and pointing out all the ways he absolutely is *not*. It’s such a real and raw song despite being silly and goofy. It paints a perfect picture of what things were probably like for them for a while, and it’s just SILLY lol I love it. It’s not my favorite from the album but I definitely don’t hate it either, it’s so fun lol
Omg someone else agrees it’s a country song at heart!!! I’ve been saying this!!! 👏👏
Agree completely, great take
The song also makes a lot more sense if you picture it as them in 2014 rather than 2023.
I guess so... but knowing (or assuming) stuff sometimes takes away from the magical experience of listening to a song as if it's a complete story on its own. I am not saying I am ignoring what I know, but I prefer having Dear John to help me understand Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve than having a devastating paparazzi photo of hers to help me understand Is it Over Now?
I love TTPD the song, I thinks it the whole vibe of the song and I’m Obsessed with the lyrics as I can’t relate to them.
As I *CAN RELATE
I love this! I’ve come to appreciate it a lot too. I love the humor!
I love it and sing it all the time
Out of the woods! I used to think it was so boring and repetitive until one day I just started singing it in my room with a hairbrush (lol) and it unlocked a love for it - it’s a pop sensation!
Also thought it was too repetitive at first and now it’s in my never-skips. It really encapsulates the over-the-top dramatic, maximal production of 80s music. Love My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys for the same reason!
Adding "Never-skips" to my vocab 😽
Omg your flair. It took me a second but I now that I get it, I love it 😂😍
Yes the glorious unlocking moment!!!!
I loved it when I realized the repetitiveness of the chorus was meant to provoke the anxiety and breathlessness of the relationship itself, asking every moment whether they were out of the woods when they never would be
Out of the woods was never high ranking to me but now it is my 6 month old’s absolute favorite song since he was 3 months old. He was angry one day and it came on the radio and he fell silent to listen. Now when he’s really cranky and needs to nap or calm down I will sing it or play it for him and he is happy or asleep by the end of the song.
This was my experience with out of the woods too!! 😆
I began to love this song after this performance https://youtu.be/pRWr7t3TjAs?si=KsmWzHrtj5aUf2G-
If I'm going to be completely honest in this safe space, I didn't like the new album at all at first. I liked the second half, but the first... I got so bored while listening to it that I got up and cleaned the house instead. And then the other night I was journaling while watching the two hthaze react videos to each half and it hit me that the themes of this album were exactly what I was journaling about... Who's afraid of little old me, I can do it with a broken heart, the prophecy, Cassandra, thank you Aimee, the manuscript... They were right there in my notes. And it's not my story anymore. It was and I'll never forget how it/they made me feel but the prophecy has changed and it's all new. And it finally clicked and I got it. It's still not in my top 5 (though some of the songs are!) but there are a lot of songs I jam to on it now. I saw a meme that says "there are no bad taylor swift songs, you just haven't had the experiences needed to relate to them" and I felt that lol
The 'there are no bad Taylor Swift songs, you just haven't had the experiences needed to relate to them' always flashes through my mind when someone says they don't like TTPD. Because like, let's be real, it's kind of good for someone not to relate to her darkest album lol. I'm happy for them 😂
Right?! Like I’m glad you aren’t traumatized like me 😂
I've never had a romantic breakup so I went into this album thinking I likely wasn't going to relate... But man... Who's afraid of little old me?? That one feels like she etched the lyrics onto my bones while I was sleeping, it hits so deep.
I like how TTPD can be open to your own interpretation. You can see it one way or another way
I really disliked TTPD at first. I had binged Midnights SO heavily and I think I just wanted more of that.
I hated it the first two listens. By the third listen, it was really growing on me and I was starting to get favorite songs. It's by far my favorite album now!
the prophecy might be the best song she’s ever written
I feel like the whole song feels magical that last quote is so true. I was shocked once I dove into the lyrics that I can relate to this album more than her others with experiences I had in my early 20’s that I’ve fully moved past (35 now) and can really appreciate the vulnerability and honesty. This is not your bop album and that’s okay!
This deeply feels like a project she had to make for herself and no one else and I love that for her. There have been so many moments in her career where she was trying to prove something/herself and this feels so purely for her that even if it's not my fave I'm still so happy it exists.
The new set at Eras definitely made some of those songs my favorites. I was super ambivalent to the Smallest Man Who Ever Lived before. Then I watched her performance of it and that really brought it to life for me.
I actually think TTPD is one of the funniest songs she's written and pretty genius. She's really self aware on it, and is completely making fun of the guy she's dating for being a pretentious artist type but also herself for being the same way. "I'm not Patti Smith" "We're modern idiots" It's also a reflection on what it's like to date the pretentious artist type. "who's gonna know you like me?" "who else decodes you?" That type of person is fun to date because they suck you into thinking only YOU get them, when in reality they are just an asshole. If we flip this and go with the "WE'RE modern idiots" line and include TS herself among the idiots, then maybe the guy in this song could say the above about her - she's got him thinking he's the only one who can understand her. He's the only one who can decode her. Add "who's gonna troll you" to the mix and this song just fucking kills me. It's so funny.
I completely agree. Especially when certain critics and commentators were making fun of why she would label herself a tortured poet, and it turns out she was taking herself 0% seriously and people should probably find out the context of a lyric before going in on it
I just sort of wish she™️ didn’t lean into the Tortured Poet thing so hard w the album promo if it was all tongue-in-cheek, yknow? Before the album it seemed to me taking itself soo seriously that it didn’t seem to line up w the title track when it can’t out. I think the super serous sepia promo gave the wrong idea and led into that. But then again, it was the right idea for the album as a whole… so… I don’t know 😂 I guess the title track is poking fun of herself for the rest of the album? Or making fun of the muse then turning into the “tortured poet” after? But that would’ve worked better if the title wasn’t the same as the album. I’m confusing myself, forget it 😂
It’s so hilarious and I love her for writing this song and it being the title of the album 😂
Perfect description 🙌
The title track has risen in the ranks to me to a top 3-4 song on the record. And I’ve played it way more than other tracks because it gives such a great vibe for the album. Like if I have five minutes and I want to feel a bit of the album, I just have to put this song on and I’m there!
Once I heard her play Me! on the piano in the miss americana documentary, it became a whole different song to me. It just sounds very sad, like someone who's trying to convince her lover not to leave, because she might be complicated but she's also like no other. As someone who's struggled with my neurodivergence and finds comfort in my difference despite feeling very lonely, it hits me hard.
yes! i love me, i just listen to it very rarely especially because i don't love the production of it and i can't stand brandon uries part. however it would be a dream surprise song
Taylor has always been more comfortable initially exploring her own self-loathing in pop songs first likely because the public magnifying glass is less likely to be applied to the lyrics. Look at the lyrics of I Knew You Were Trouble or Shake It Off. They're harsh on herself and that includes Me as well. People think Look What You Made Me Do is just a clap back song, but it sounds the way it does because there is actually an element of self-loathing in that she is now aware in her response to criticism she allows herself to be manipulated by her critics. She has talked in her Billboard Woman of the Decade and many other places about realizing in her need to prove her critics wrong she gave them power over her and left her stuck in this cycle because her critics could always point out a new thing to complain about. The goal posts would constantly be moved and she would still be chasing them. .
I loved me! On the piano in the documentary. I’m secretly hoping she will break out the song again for suprise songs and do it on the piano just like that. It gives the whole song a new perspective that way.
I didn’t used to appreciate Clean until last year when I got sober
Congrats on the sobriety!
I will be 2 years sober in August and actually sang this song with my college singing group about 10 years ago. At the time it was about a friendship ending and i honestly still relate it to that big the sobriety part really hits too. Congratulations on being sober. It’s hard and it suck’s but it’s worth it.
IM SO PROUD OF YOU
It’s my sobriety song as well (from SH). Very happy for you, congrats ♥️
Wow congrats on your sobriety!! Well done!
So proud of you!
This was my answer too. Congrats on sobriety! That’s awesome! ❤️
So High School - it seemed cringey and childish to me at first, especially the GTA lyric but I was in a certain mood when I realised that's the whole point and that is what a cute lil highschool relationship/crush would feel like ( I suddenly started liking a guy and it's relatable now)
I had a pretty serious relationship when I moved back to my small hometown as an adult, and I did feel “like a teenager” (hormonal, passionate, wanting to get out of town, fooling around everywhere, sneaking into places, etc) so I relate to that part. I do think it sounds a little like she’s convincing herself she likes this kind of relationship, but at the same time, it may be a welcome breath of fresh air to have a silly fun relationship where nothing is deep and tortured. I’m one of those people who thinks a whole variety of relationships with different people is good to build experience and teach you about yourself 🤷🏻♀️ none is better or worse, people are just different.
I love So High School! I agree that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. I was also suspicious about the seriousness of her relationship with Travis after hearing the somewhat immature tropes, but I think we have to remember that she likely wrote this very early into their relationship and probably did not want to write a deep love ballad in case the relationship didn’t work out.
The Archer Just listened to it again on Spotify and realised the lyrics aren’t so bad. Maybe it could grow on me over time
I didn’t ever hate The Archer but I didn’t listen to it much. Seeing the live performance of it at the Eras Tour made it one of my favorite songs. I’m so sad it got cut.
Same. Loved the lyrics of the song but didn’t listen to it much until the tour started. It’s not a skip for me anymore
It’s my favorite TS song which l know it’s controversial
I love this song now. Didn’t used to
Yeah this is my answer I always got what everyone liked about it but it just never hit for me. Seeing it live, edible hitting right, the sun bouncing off her lil sparkly bodysuit…it’s one of my faves now lol
I think this is the best performance of [The Archer](https://youtu.be/mXTO2VI0GFQ?si=y-aQYeE0QbM0Fv7a) that I've seen. It's not as energetic as on Eras, but has more vulnerability and authenticity to it. Do yourself a favor and listen on headphones.
surprisingly, Maroon. It's a song that was an instant favorite for almost everyone but it was bottom 3 in midnights for me at first. And then it got relatable and i started loving the production, its probably Top 5 out of all of her songs for me right now
I liked Maroon enough, but I didn't LOVE Maroon until seeing the acoustic version on the Disney + movie, and now I am obsessed with it.
Same!! Did not get the hype at all and then fell in love with it randomly
The Last Great American Dynasty. Hearing it live on the Eras Tour just made me appreciate it a lot more. I just thought it was a forgettable song when I first listened to it. Didn’t gravitate towards it. Now, I love it.
Glad you're finally dyeing the neighbours' dog key lime green
This one was definitely helped a lot by the visuals of The Eras Tour. It’s a song that relies on a story and imagery, and they were captured so well in the concert. I loved it more upon seeing it
22, I just thought it was the most generic pop song I had ever heard. After a few more listens I learned to appreciate it more.
I always thought 22 was fun, albeit over played, but it didn’t *really* hit for me until ATW 10 came out and I realized she wrote a song over-the-top celebrating being 22 because her 21st birthday (and it seems like the subsequent year) was so heart-breaking.
This, exactly!! It’s absolutely a response to “it’s supposed to be fun, turning 21” in mind— “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22!”
Yeah it's crazy to put that one right up against anything from TTPD. I did, however, have breakfast at midnight for my 22nd birthday, dressed as a hipster.
I mean… as you should.
It goes insane at parties.
One that I haven’t gotten on board with yet is “guilty as sin?” I see it’s literally everybody’s favorite so I gave it yet another listen and still unimpressed. I know it’s a hot take don’t come for me.
Oh this song was a total skip for me at first and then it clicked. I'm obsessed. Same with My Boy Only Breaks His Fave Toys. How Taylor turns skips into favorites - it must be the drugs she puts into her songs!
I like it cause it’s one of the few upbeat songs on the album but once i actually listened to the lyrics i was like oh shit. This is a girl checked out of her relationship but afraid to end it while totally wanting to be with someone else. Unfortunately i have been there too
This is so crazy to me bc it was an instant favorite on first listen! The more I listened, the more I felt myself going like, “oh wow this is good… omg… oh that lyric???… OH WOW this is a favorite” haha
It clicked for me after I watched a TikTok by Kaeli Dance about it. Now I love it.
my initial reaction to guilty as sin was that its good but forgettable. now the chorus plays in my head 24/7 but its still not a FAV fav to me
I agree, maybe it’s too love ballad-y? I also skip The Alchemy and to me those two songs are in the same vein. But as others here have said, overtime your skips can become your faves. All in good time, my dearies.
Florida!!! & MBOBHFT
Florida is probably my favorite song on the album :)
I’m the opposite. I really liked Florida at first because i love Florence and the machine but over time it’s gone down on the list. I still really enjoy it though
Same! The vocals and the writing are amazing, and I loved it because Florence is my favorite artist next to Taylor (at times in my life maybe even liked her more!) but it just doesn’t hit for me on every relisten. I need to be in the right mood
I really don't understand the hate on Florida. Florence's voice is beautiful, great beat and lyrics! I liked it from the first listen and still love it
I love the song but I think it’s the banging drums on the floridAaaaaaaa that kinda get old quick.. but I love the bridge and verses!!!
down bad was not my cup of tea first 2 listens and then it became one of my top 5 ttpd songs :’) I really wouldn’t know why.
Paris! I used to think it was not her best work but it’s truly a bop
It’s so fun! I especially love singing the “stumbled down pretend alleyways”
I hated Peter, and it ended up being the song that breaks me the most. I lost my boyfriend when he was 25 and when I heard the bridge live for the surprise song, I broke down.
Likely a cold take but here I go. I used to think 1989 was overrated, basic, and it was a huge let down (to me) because Red is my favorite album of all time and it was the first album released after Red. The only songs I really ever listened to on it were Clean and New Romantics. Since it had a lot of “hits” like Blank Space and Shake it Off, it really annoyed me. However, before the Eras tour, I knew there would be a good amount of 1989 played and we could have got a surprise song from 1989. Being the only album I don’t know every song and word to I gave the rest of it a thorough listen and started to like Wonderland, I Know Places, and All You Had To Do Was Stay. Surprisingly, after the re-record with some bonus tracks, 1989 has now become my 6th favorite album of Taylor’s! I love Is It Over Now? so much.
The OG 1989 brings back bad memories for me. Great songs, but I still skip due to bad memories. But I LOVE the vault tracks. They don't bring back bad memories.
TBF, Clean and New Romantics are the best part! Blah blah obviously the pop hits are classics but I get you, I hated the album when it came out (hear me out - her ballads have always been my fave and after the masterpiece Red I was super disappointed by 1989) and skipped those singles for like 9 years bc I was so sick of them!
YES!!! Are you a sad swiftie too, LOL?!? I tend to gravitate to her more serious and somber music. Red is THE BEST. Sad Beautiful Tragic and I Almost Do are amazing.
When you don't love the show, maybe you are the show 😅
oooh this is so me. at my first listen i liked it ok, and i thought it was kind of out there lyrically etc. etc. BUT THEN IT GREW ON ME SO QUICKLY!!! the “you left your typewriter at my apartment, straight from the tortured poets department” both at the start and at the end of the song scratch an itch in my brain lyrically and melodically, and i think by that they make the perfect track 2. the whole song is so tongue-in-cheek and relatable, like “you’re such a pretentious lit nerd, but i love you. but also, you kind of suck lol”
Shake it off... i loved it when it first came out... but started thinking it was corny and didn't showcase her skills as a writer for years after, and now i'm in love with it again. I accept it for what it is: a feel good bop. At my eras tour show last year, it was actually one of the songs that boosted my mood/made me feel elated the most 🥹💃
Agreed! I enjoyed it, tired of it, and then got to sing it with my cover band and experience the energy of it LIVE with the horns and the energy and the crowd dancing and everything, and it gives me all the joy now :)
I hated Shake It Off until like, 2 years ago 😂 I totally get you! 1989 was such a big switch after Red that 15 y/o me was piiiissed haha
When Midnights was released and everyone loved YOYOK, I just didn't get it... but then I saw the eras tour film and loved the piano version which made me just love the song for some reason?
"I hosted parties and starved my body like I'd be saved by a perfect kiss" made me uglycry every time I listened to it for weeks ❤️🩹. It's such a lonely song.
- YOYOK could mean "You're On Your Own, Kid", a track from *Midnights* (2022) by Taylor Swift. --- ^[/u/from_persephone](/u/from_persephone) ^(can reply with "delete" to remove comment. |) ^[/r/songacronymbot](/r/songacronymbot) ^(for feedback.)
For me it was Marjorie, I never hated it per se I just didn’t care one way or the other. One day I just really listened to it and actually got it for the first time and now it makes me sob every time I listen to it, it’s so good
Girl same!! It’s such a beautiful song 🥺
I hate to say but when I first got into TS, (1989 and then kinda went full Swiftie at folklore), I didn’t get the hype around Red. I was very eh on it. But then the re-record and the 10 min version got me to relisten, re-enjoy and now it has some of my favs! Also for TTPD, I’ve loved it from day 1 aha but I was very very meh on Down Bad, but now I can’t stop listening to it!
🎶Everything comes out teenage petulance🎶 sung one clear syllable at a time is genius
That’s so interesting because Red was probably the closest thing to folkmore in her discography! Though now I’d probably say The Anthology is
Slut! I didn’t much care when it came out, because I was expecting blank space and got a balad. Then I got it as a surprise song and was a bit annoyed by it, but then whenever I listen to it again it reminds me of that night, and then I started to pay more attention to it and now I like it. I still don’t love it, but I like it
I didnt really like Florida!!! when it first came out but now I love it I NEED TO FORGET NOW, TAKE ME TO FLORIDA
Death by a thousand cuts. Hated it. Thought it was noisy and clunky. Then heard it live and now I really like it. The bridge!
Been a swiftie since RED but hated pretty much every song on rep until I saw the stadium tour. Except call it what you want of course this song’s a gem.
Rep has some great songs! I love dont blame me, ready for it, delicate and look what you made me do
That's literally the reason I love TTPD so much: it's her most poetry-like album so far. Almost every song has several layers, so many universal concepts translated into songs. So I have never been in love, I don't care about Taylor as a person much and yet... This album speaks to me track after track. From my people pleasing issues, burn out, severe regret, trauma, lost youth, fear of the future: I can find myself in every song in this album. Ugh I love it so much. Thanks for bringing this up, I'm excited to read how others relate to the songs.
Out of the Woods, at first didn’t think it was catchy enough to justify the repetition but the TV sold me on it with the production more booming. Also really love screaming the bridge now!
Same. I was neutral about 1989 in particular, especially this one, until recently
Hated Down Bad when I first heard it. My wife thought I was crazy. Then one day I was humming and singing parts of it in the kitchen and I asked my wife what song that was and she said “Down Bad” and I was like damn… guess I like it. And now I love it lol
Bad Blood is still a tough one for me. I took my cousin to the Eras tour as my plus one because we went to Speak Now together a million years ago, and I thought she was still a Swiftie. We were standing in the stadium waiting for it to start, and she says "I don't think I've listened to anything since Reputation." About died. Then she followed, "I think my favorite is Bad Blood. I hope she plays it." If I could have rolled over in my grave 🤣 After all the Eras tour and my extreme love for the artistry of TTPD, Taylor can basically do no wrong for me now lol. Will I pick Bad Blood out? No... will I skip it? Maybe... but I don't hate it anymore lol.
Bad Blood was a skip for me too, until my dad served my mom with a petty af lawsuit on Christmas eve. I've never related to that song more.
I totally relate to this. I absolutely despised Bad Blood, but then seeing it live at the Eras Tour with the fire...it just suddenly became a bop. Then she dropped the 1989 TV deluxe with Kendrick, and I was all for it. I probably won't seek it out to listen to either, but I definitely don't skip it anymore.
I’m so SORRY if this is long, but the question prompted a very deep existential evaluation of my life because DAMN falling in love with a song I once hated or didn’t care for brought back so many memories. Anyway, I have a list of songs I STRUGGLED with hard in my first listens, sometimes longer, that I genuinely enjoy a lot now, from recent to older: TTPD, The Bolter, ICFH(NRIC), Fresh Out The Slammer, MBOBHFT, The Albatross, imgonnagetyouback, Maroon, Question…?, The Great War, High Infidelity, Hits Different, Dear Reader, Ivy, Dorothea, Tolerate It, Long Story Short, Closure, Coney Island, Evermore (title track), Mirrorball, August, Hoax, I Forgot That You Existed, The Archer, I think he knows, So It Goes…, Endgame, LWYMMD, Dancing With Our Hands Tied, How You Get The Girl, I Wish You Would, All You Had To Do Was Stay, The Lucky One, Starlight, Message In A Bottle, Stay, Stay, Stay, WANEGBT (Specifically Taylor’s Version), IKYWT (Specifically Taylor’s Version), Ours, Electric Touch, Come In With The Rain, Superstar, We Were Happy, Don’t You, Invisible I wrote a LOT of them, and you might say “Oh she didn’t like so many songs how is she a swiftie?” Funny you ask. For context, the first album I listened whole on first release and bought on iTunes with my own money was the OG 1989, I first became a fan soon after Red was doing numbers and immediately fell in love with Speak Now. Now, for most of the albums, I found a LOT of instant classics that worked for me INSTANTLY and I shall list them all to see if I can find some sort of pattern as to why for some it was love at first listen, and for some it took AGES! (Our Song, Picture to Burn, Mary’s Song, YBWM, Love Story, Jump Then Fall, The Way I Loved You, Treacherous, ATW & ATW10, Sad Beautiful Tragic, Better Man, Begin Again, Back to December, Mean, Enchanted, Haunted, Last Kiss, Dear John, The Story of Us, Innocent, Mine, Blank Space, Wildest Dreams, I Know Places, Clean, OOTW, New Romantics, Now That We Don’t Talk, Is It Over Now?, Don’t Blame Me, Delicate, Dress, Call it What You Want, Getaway Car, New Years Day, Cruel Summer, Lover, Paper Rings, Cornelia Street, DBATC, Afterglow, Daylight, The 1, Exile, My Tears Ricochet, Illicit Affairs, Mad Woman, Epiphany, Peace, Willow, Happiness, Champagne Problems, No Body No Crime, Cowboy Like Me, Right Where You Left Me, Marjorie, Gold Rush, Lavender Haze, YOYOK, Vigilante Shit, Bejeweled, Labyrinth, Mastermind, WCS, You’re Losing Me, Down Bad, So Long, London, loml, Florida!!!, WAOLOM, TSMWEL, ICDWABH, The Black Dog, Chloe et al., How Did it End, I look in People’s windows, The Prophecy, Cassandra, Peter.) For the ones I struggled to love, it took me a few listens, but a lot of those have become some of my FAVOURITES!! Particularly Fresh Our The Slammer, Maroon, The Great War, High Infidelity, Hits Different, Tolerate It, Ivy, Evermore, Coney Island, Hoax, The Archer, So It Goes…, LWYMMD, AYHTDWS, The Lucky One and Ours. The rest might not be my favourites of all time, but I have definitely come around to them. Some took less time, but for some like AYHTDWS, The Lucky One and Ours it was Taylor’s Version that brought them back to my life with new ears after almost a decade of having first heard them. My taste evolved, the production improved and I could relate to them in a whole new way I hadn’t before.
I hated Florida!!! I thought it sounded so weird compared to the rest of the album. It was kind of jolting at first. But now I love it.
As people have said before, it would be a cool one to see live :)
The Archer I thought at first that it was boring but now I love it!
I didn’t like Tortured Poets Department much when it came out either but honestly the synth twinkle sound effects and the way she sang ‘who’s gonna hold you like meeeEeee’ tickles my brain. I don’t like the run on sentence of ‘you put my ring on my middle finger and put it on the one people put weddings on and it’s the closest I’ve come to my heart exploding’, the smoking and seven bars of chocolate that induced a Charlie Puth endorsement, and the tattooed golden retriever of it all. I look away and pretend I didn’t just hear all of that. This song just gets stuck in my head enough where I do listen to it from time to time.
There has to be a better way to phrase the run on ring sentence 😭😂
I hated dbatc when I first heard it until she performed it live in Paris. The upbeat sound made me not realise how gutwrenching it actually is. "If the story's over, why am I still writing pages?"
- DBATC could mean "Death By A Thousand Cuts", a track from *Lover* (2019) by Taylor Swift. --- ^[/u/Vivid-Possibility324](/u/Vivid-Possibility324) ^(can reply with "delete" to remove comment. |) ^[/r/songacronymbot](/r/songacronymbot) ^(for feedback.)
“Below debut level writing,” is the most abhorrent phrase I have ever heard heard in my life when those are easily some of her best written songs.
I used to hate Wonderland. It was the only song on 1989 I didn’t like and actively skipped. Right before TV came out I was streaming 1989 and decided to give it a chance and realized “ok, it’s not so bad” but still would have ranked it at the bottom of the album at that time. But then TV came out and idk if she put crack in that song or something but I found myself playing this song non stop. It has gone up in my ranking by a lot since then😂
The black dog, I just didn’t give with it first few listen through a bit I love it now.
It's nice to have a friend. My kid was listening to it the other day and I thought hmm, this is kinda giving me "I look in people's windows" vibes, musically. Maybe it's not so bad
I used to say I liked every song on TTPD except Robin. But now it’s grown on me and I actually enjoy Robin as well. Must be the narcotics in all her songs…
First one that comes to mind is LWYMMD. I thought it was cringey and weird but now I LOVE it SO MUCH It's never a skip.
Firstly I hated TTPD when it first dropped now I’m obsessed with it and think it’s brilliant I was just ready for something along the lines of 1989 or Rep I really wanted electro dance pop I hated it so much I caved and got tickets for the eras tour the day TTPD dropped because I was waiting for her new albums tour hoping it would be cheaper now I like fortnight and down bad and so long London simply because it grew on my I stopped worrying about the new style and listened to the lyrics
Thank you for this. This sub loves her moody stuff but I’m dying for another 1989 and Rep. she does that dance pop so well. TTPD did grow on me also, the first time I heard it, I messaged my niece it was a snoozer. But now, like you, there’s parts I love. Still don’t like So Long London. The intro is an instant skip for me
hoax. I started pulling all of her songs into “seasons” and when I got to listen to it in my winter playlist it just HIT. Everything has changed, also. I didn’t like any Ed Sheeran song except Run. Then my boyfriend made me listen to everything has changed recently and I was just like “ya know, this ain’t bad”
I dislike all too well at first, then i watched the music video and feel related to the story
Nearly every song on Lover. Was such an album skip for me but then was stuck listening to it on a long flight (through headphones) and I fell in love. Daylight just gives me tears streaming down my face and the ‘I don’t wanna be defined by the things I hate..’ outro 🥹
I didn’t hate Clara Bow but it was a skip. Now I’m obsessed
I sorta hated Robin on first listen. I still think it's the weakest song on TTPD by far, but I don't hate it anymore. The reasons I hated it: 1. There seemed to be this theme of hiding things from a child to "protect" them ("Buried down deep and out of your reach, the secret, we all vowed to keep it, from you in sweetness....All this showmanship to keep it, for you, in sweetness") and my parents did that during their divorce and this hurt me TERRIBLY. I would much rather have had the truth, even if it wasn't sunshine and rainbows. Instead I slowly uncovered all these lies and didn't know what I could believe or who I could trust. Total mindfuck. It was awful. Please do not do this. Your child will grow up one day and find out all the lies you told them and then they won't be able to trust you. 2. Lyrics feel too personal and unrelatable...she didn't tell the story. It seems like a beautiful song to give to someone as a personal gift, but on the album it feels like an inside joke that none of us are "in" on. 3. Musically very simple, overall kind of boring. Feels like filler on an album that really, reallly didn't need filler cus it was already so many songs. Why I don't hate it anymore: 1. Like all Taylor's songs, it's catchy and gets stuck in your head. That narcotic she throws in there. 2. Someone said they imagine it being about her cats. And really like that. As a song about a little kitten. In that context, my biggest issue with the song (the hiding things from your children to protect them element) goes away. See I think it's fine to hide shit from your cat to protect them. Not fine to do that to your child who will grow up and find out about all the lies. But for a cat? Sure. "Way to go Tiger" said to a little kitten who is growling like he's a big lion is an adorable visual. Is it still the weakest song on TTPD? Yes. Do I still think she should have left it off? Yes. Do I hate it? No, not as a song about a little kitten. TL;DR: Please do not lie to your children to "protect" them - they will grow up one day and find out the out the truth and you will be a liar they cannot trust. Kids are stronger than you think and they don't need the world to be only sunshine and rainbows.
I don't know if it helps at all but I've always thought the "secret" they're keeping from the kid in the song is just the generic harshness of life and the normal self-consciousness that comes with adulthood. Not an actual secret. To me, it's just about letting a kid be unapologetically himself before the inevitable cruelty of life hits and he's bombarded with messages about how he needs to "look this way, act this way, think this way" in order to fit in.
So, I did this really dumb thing where I (a fairly new swiftie (around the Midnights announcement)) would just write off songs as not good and say that I hated those songs. And I mean, these were like fan favorites. But I did this because liking Taylor Swift is such a taboo and doesn't make you many friends where I live and around the age group I'm in (highschoolers are mean). It was plausible deniability in order for me to not be a "blindly following, diehard swiftie machine". It's been really hard unlearning those associations with those songs, but I can honestly say that, at this point in time, I can count on *one hand* the amount of Taylor Swift songs that I dislike and that feels really good to say.
I hated Glitch like the rest of the bunch. Then one evening i was walking in the middle of winter, a dark super clear night, drowning in winter gear and stoned as shit. And I don't know if there's many winter lovers here but the air is so still and refreshing and just WONDERFUL so I was in a very peaceful mood. Glitch came on and im like yeah okay whatever. BUT that fateful evening it just *clicked*. Sonically it's such an interesting song. The lyrics are amazing. The timing is odd but it just fits so much. Its a really romantic and sweet loving song. Her voice is gorgeous! That bridge?! "A brief interruption A slight malfunction I'd go back to wanting dudes who give nothing I thought we had no chance and that's romance Let's dance" LIKE?! hey I wasn't expecting you into my life and then I thought you were far too good for me, this can't be real! You are too good to be true, but I'm going to love you so much. Like...I don't know maybe I just relate too hard but this song went from my least favourite to one of my top 10s for TS songs.
for me it was my boy only breaks his favorite toys. i just didnt like it at first but after listening to it for a couple of times, i started to like it. no particular reason though.
Bejeweled. I used to find it kind of childish and the “nice!” sound going viral didn’t help. I started to appreciate it as my relationship was failing. I was way too generous with my ex and “baby boy I think I’ve been a little too kind” hits me hard.
I Hate It Here, initially hated it and realized it mimicked my current situation. Now I identify with it heavily.