Day 56: I Just Wanna Know You Better

It's always a treat for me when Taylor Swift collaborates with another artist. Usually the songs end up being pretty good, but they're especially nice for me because I don't get to hear other people sing that often anymore. I don't have that many nice things to say about Taylor Swift's 2012 album Red, but I will gladly admit that the song on the album where she worked with Ed Sheeran, Everything Has Changed, is one of my favorites. I'm so glad I can embed this video because it is so freaking adorable. You should definitely watch it, but first i should warn you it's one of the few Taylor Swift music videos that she doesn't actually appear in. Okay that said, go ahead and watch it.

Gotcha! You should see the look on your face. You did watch it, right? Okay, good, because otherwise I would look really stupid right now. But yeah, both Taylor and lil' Edward appear at the end of the video, presumably as the older siblings of the kids in the video. I don't know if I would call it a "twist" but it works as a nice cameo at the end, and actually fits the lyrics of the song much better than the video. I've criticized other songs like Delicate for having songs too separated from their music videos, but I think this video stays close enough not to warrant this complaint. The lyrics describe a situation where two people barely know each other but nonetheless are completely infatuated with one another. Since the kids in the video know clearly know each other much better by the end it may seem like they are disconnected, but the way that you see them bond really fits with the lighthearted yet earnest way that the song depicts how the two people want the relationship to progress.

The thumbnail shot of the boy playing guitar with an unruly class in the background is just so precious. There are so many points in this video that are like that. Another one that I like it the beginning where the boy is sitting on the bus reading comics and drinking from a thermos. It's directly adjacent from being an adult action but it's still comics and what's likely either water or juice, so it ends up being a brilliant way of framing this young boy in a comedic situation without saying a single word.

Seriously, just look at this adorable little nerd!

The last thing I want to say about the video specifically is this weird moment when they start dancing in the gym. Notice anything familiar?

That's right! Those lights in the background aren't lights at all, but are actually a swarm of the mysterious Pokemon Unown! What this reference is trying to say is beyond me, but it does confirm my suspicions that Taylor Swift will be a DLC fighter in the new Smash Bros.

Anyways I like this song as a whole. It's one of the few songs I have nothing bad to say about at all. The cadence of the lyrics is fantastic throughout the entire song, and Taylor and Ed's voices go together extremely well.

This is yet another example of how ambiguity can work in a song's favor. It's unclear whether this song takes place after a first date or if these people literally just met once. Either way the song works and lets people fill in the details with situations from their own lives, or imagined thoughts. This song is the paragon of good songwriting and especially good collaboration. Ed Sheeran has a similar style to Taylor Swift in some regards, and this song does a great job of highlighting both of their strengths both as lyricists and vocalists. 10/10, would listen again. In fact, I think I'll go do that now.

See you tomorrow,

-C