Have we been here before?
Before I can really begin I need to address a question I've received a couple times. Taylor Swift's debut album, Taylor Swift, exists in several versions. The version I treat as default isn't actually the first release, it's the 2008 reissue. This means I treat four songs as normal releases when really they're bonus tracks. Why would I do this? It's simply because that's how the album appears on Google Play. No one listens to physical copies anymore so this version may as well be the original. If you don't like it then I implore you to create your own Taylor Swift blog where the rules can be whatever you want.
There are six Taylor Swift studio albums, so I'll be talking about two albums per day. Today I will go over her aforementioned self-titled album as well as her most recent album from 2017, Reputation. That gives us 11 songs to review, so let's get started.
Taylor Swift
Picture To Burn:
If I'm guilty of a crime (other than this blog as a whole), it would have to be never mentioning this song before now. Picture To Burn is a freaking jam that fits perfectly within both Taylor's style and the country genre as a whole. It also played no small role in shaping early public perception of Taylor. The idea that the men in her life are disposable songwriting tools just might've started here. The worst part of this song is how short it is; at less than three minutes it's Taylor's shortest track ever, and that's a bummer.
Cold As You:
This song is very proto-Fearless. You can see a lot of elements, both musical and thematic, present in both this song and it's successor, White Horse. I stand by my assertion that Taylor has improved as a songwriter over time, but Cold As You proves that she has been a skilled lyricist the whole time.
The Outside:
This is the first of the songs on this album that sounds like intro music for a show on the Disney Channel. Yup. This slightly artificial sound plagues many of the songs on her first album which is one of the main reasons I think it doesn't hold up very well as a whole. It's not bad or anything; there's just some very odd dissonance between the tone and theme.
Tied Together With A Smile:
Welcome back to another episode of "Fearless but worse"! Today's song is, yet again, perfectly average. Listening in a vacuum makes you wonder what could be better, then you listen to her next albums and realize that it's a lot. The writing is a little blunt, the topic a little cliche. Again, it's not an affront to humanity, it just doesn't excite me at all. That may just be because I have never been insecure in my life though.
Stay Beautiful:
Is this a breakup song? There's actually a surprising amount of disagreement over this question; I think the answer is "no", because that's what my heart tells me. But it doesn't really matter, either way this song has a lot of strong imagery and a very catchy, swingy, tone. My only complaint is that it gets a little dry by the end. It's not awful, after all it's only four minutes long, but I still find myself yearning for the next track three minutes in.
Should've Said No:
How good was this song's appearance in Taylor's reputation stadium tour? In the same vein as Picture To Burn, this song has a lot of power and significantly contributed to early perceptions of Taylor in her career. I would say that it's weaker than Picture To Burn, I think it's a little odd around the edges; there's a reason Taylor only sang the chorus on tour. Overall still a great song!
I'm Only Me When I'm With You:
Haha this one sounds even more like a Disney Channel intro than The Outside, but only just init's chorus. It's like a much less gentle version of Love Story, but with no real plot. It's a sweet idea for a song but definitely falls flat for me. Taylor's vocals are a little sub-par, and this is brought out by te strange guitar chops during the start of the chorus. It doesn't really flow that well and says nothing new.
Invisible:
This song is what would happen if Teardrops on My Guitar and You Belong With Me had a strange child. The main reason that this song fails is that it doesn't actually get us invested in Taylor's potential relationship because she never talks about herself. Taylor's only argument for herself is that she can recognize how great the guy really is. There's no tact, and is done way better in almost every Fearless song.
reputation
...Ready For It?:
Other than it's ridiculous music video I hardly have anything to say about this song. Taylor's "rapping" is a little lackluster but I don't think it's completely awful. The chorus has some legitimately good moments, but it never really shines as a song overall. It does get better towards the end where the energy really ramps up, but it takes a little while to get there.
I Did Something Bad:
I don't like this song. The words "good" and "bad" are just too basic for a songwriter of Taylor's level; I think she could've done something a little more interesting with this song; the main body is actually pretty dang good. It's a lot like Look What You Made Me Do in that regard, but with higher lows and lower highs. It's a much more average song on average.
Call It What You Want:
I forget this song exists most days. It works well thematically, the music is interesting enough, and Taylor's vocals are well maintained, I just can't get myself to care about it. I'm really not sure why, but I guess that's life.
Deluxe Content:
Reputation doesn't have any bonus content, and I already mentioned how Taylor Swift's bonus songs were included in my earlier list. I have even already discussed both of Taylor Swift's Extended Plays in previous posts, so there's only one more song to talk about: I'd Lie. This song is relatively unknown, but I think it's pretty good. It's very bubbly which we don't see much of, but it fits Taylor's country style very well. At the end of the day it's pretty basic so I really don't have anything else to say about it. Tomorrow will be Fearless and 1989 so stay tuned!
See you tomorrow,
-C
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