Day 19: I Found Wonderland

Today I'll be talking about an absolute goddamn tragedy. It's another first for the blog, because today's topic is an exclusive to the deluxe version of 1989, the first extra song, Wonderland.

For once, yes this is the correct Wonderland

The song makes several allusions to the story of Alice in Wonderland. Constant allusions like this can get really old really fast, but Taylor holds back just enough to make it work. Alice's story actually fits perfectly with the one Taylor tells here. The initial shock and amazement of how fantastical the surrounding world is common to both Wonderland and relationships, and they both inevitably start to spiral out of your control. The song as a whole is very chaotic, with some sections sounding almost like a lullaby while others are much more intense and electronic. 

"Oh darling, we found wonderland

You and I got lost in it
And we pretended it could last forever
We found wonderland
You and I got lost in it
And life was never worse but never better"

Classic Taylor. Her writing at it's best makes great use of contradiction. She loves to phrase her lines in a way that obviously conflicts with itself, but still is so easily relatable. This works because hectic relationships like the one Taylor is describing in this song so often are a roller coaster with the best and worst constantly coexisting. Again, this first perfectly with the choice of Wonderland as a reference, since Wonderland has an alluring name and exterior but at it's heart is a scary and dangerous place. But when things are so out of your control you might as well just ride the highs and lows and hope for the best.

It's such a damn shame that this song got relegated to the deluxe version of the album. I see how it's flattering to the song on one hand, after all if you only include the worst songs on the deluxe version then it won't exactly live up to it's name. But still, the song has undeniably gotten less coverage as a result of it's placement and that just isn't fair. This song is a lot of fun and a great example of what 1989 has to offer as an album. It's not a flawless sparkling gem, it's just a good song that I feel deserves more attention. 

That's all I have to explicitly say about Wonderland, but there's a lot more going on in this song, especially small things. It's one of the few songs where you can notice new things every time you listen to it, and they all contribute to the chaotic themes I already covered. Listen to it a few times and see what you pick up that i didn't talk about today.

Since I've familiarized myself with the main songs on all of Taylor's main studio albums I will likely start to expand my scope to the content available on the deluxe versions. 1989 is the only album where I've listened to the deluxe version, and it was well before I started this project so I don't remember most of it. But all that is for another day.

See you tomorrow,

-C