In almost all of her previous works, Taylor Swift stuck to a very specific music genre and aesthetic. Despite her best efforts at keeping a calculated, controlled narrative, Swift’s persona soon caught up to her in 2016. After Swift called out Kanye West for using her name in a song even though she did not consent, West’s wife released an edited video clip of a phone call that presented a false narrative of Swift agreeing to the usage of her name. This caused a media frenzy where major news sources, as well as independent users on Twitter, called Swift out as another fake, calculated, and manipulative celebrity who cared more about her image than her fans. She wrote the album reputation when her own reputation dipped to its lowest point but also when she started her relationship with her current boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. In her album reputation, Taylor Swift explores themes of love, guilt, and vulnerability all while creating a new, edgy sound that adds to the layers she reveals through her lyrics that compel the audience to listen again and again.
The first and most successful single from the album, “Look What You Made Me Do,” combines a slow-crescendo pre-chorus, a highly repetitive chorus, and quick chanting verses into an electropop song to dramatically address the false narrative thrust onto her name. In the first verse, Swift references her shattered relationship with the media by singing, “I don’t like your little game/ Don’t like your tilted stage/ The role you made me play of the fool/ No, I don’t like you.” The lyricism utilizes slant rhyming and repetition to drive in her point against the media. This clearly shows in the chorus where she repeats the phrase “Look What You Made Me Do” over and over again. Swift claps back at the people who wronged her by admitting that they brought her reputation down and now they must receive their dues in full. The lyrics in the song serve as a shock value in order to create the perfect opening single for her surprise-filled album.
While most other songs on reputation deal with the singer’s damaged status and her standoffish attitude towards the media, the fourth single, “Delicate,” tackles how her new love interest might react to her situation. The repeated line “This ain’t for the best / My reputation’s never been worse, so / You must like me for me” in the chorus of the electropop ballad drives home her true fears and conclusions about herself. Swift uses repetition frequently in the song to express her anxiety that stems from the isolation she feels from the media due to her false reputation. The line “Is it cool that I said all that? / Is it chill that you’re in my head?” describes Swift nervously asking both her lover and her fans if they will accept her vulnerability. “Delicate” acts as the perfect balance to songs such as “Look What You Made Me Do” and “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things,” because instead of blaming the media for her ailments, she owns up to her flaws and asks for acceptance.
Although many good things are said about the album, everything faces criticism. In the original 2017 article review, Jon Caramancia wrote for the New York Times, “‘Reputation’ is fundamentally unlike any of her other albums in that it takes into account — prioritizes, actually — the tempo and tone of her competition. “Reputation” is a public renegotiation, engaging pop music on its terms, not hers” (Caramancia, “Taylor Swift Is a 2017 Pop Machine…”). Contrary to Caramancia’s critiques, the album does rely on its pop elements; Taylor instead balances the more modern, pop elements with characteristics that are not prominent in today’s pop genre, such as acoustic and lyric-focused songs. In the Pitchfork review written by Jamieson Cox, they reaffirm this balance by saying, “It’s equal parts Lisa Loeb and Dashboard Confessional, and she conjures rich scenes with just a handful of lines,” (Cox, “Reputation Review”). Cox references Loeb and Dashboard Confessional, two artists who cannot be farther away from each other genre-wise. The whole album leans heavily on balance. Swift does write some basic, radio-played pop songs to appease a larger crowd, but she also writes songs that show and reveal the more intimate moments of her life.
Taylor Swift‘s reputation went on to be the highest-selling album of the year, and her 2018 all-stadium tour became the highest-selling U.S. tour ever. The social influence went on even further with snakes and dark glitter, iconic symbols of the album that Swift used frequently, circling into trends and fashion. Swift made sure that even if critics did not receive her album positively, they could never deny its impact. In her album reputation, Swift destroys the narrative that puts her in a bad light and the people that created the misconstrued perception of her. The balance of radio-friendly pop, thematically darker elements, and vulnerability blend to create a perfect listening experience. Swift continues to change the music industry and inspire her fans by constantly appealing to a wide range of emotions and tastes all while making a concise, artistic album that reveals her deepest fears, regrets, and emotions.
Works Cited
Caramanica, Jon. “Taylor Swift Is a 2017 Pop Machine on ‘Reputation,’ but at What Cost?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 10 Nov. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/11/09/arts/music/taylor-swift-reputation-review.html.
Cox, Jamieson. “Taylor Swift: Reputation.” Pitchfork, Pitchfork, 13 Nov. 2017, pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/taylor-swift-reputation/.
Taylor Swift. “Delicate.” Reputation, Big Machine Records, 2017. Spotify, open.spotify.com/track/6NFyWDv5CjfwuzoCkw47Xf?si=788594ec22324e17
Taylor Swift. “Look What You Made Me Do.” Reputation, Big Machine Records, 2017. Spotify, open.spotify.com/track/1P17dC1amhFzptugyAO7Il?si=0de3b19a17da47f9
Photo Credits:
www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-44403658
Meet the Author
How old are you?
I am fifteen years old.
Where do you live?
I live in Tallahassee, Florida.
What classes are you taking with TPS this year?
I am taking three classes with TPS this year: French 3, US Government and Economics, and English 4/5/6.
What is your favorite thing about writing?
The thing I like most about writing is the skill that is required for excellent writing. When I read a classic or even just a well-written book, I’m truly in awe because sometimes I can barely get out a five-paragraph paper. I think when you write you have a better love and understanding of the literature you read.