Was Taylor Swift’s Midnights Worth Staying Up Until Midnight?

Short answer? Yes.

Of course, I’m biased. I’ve been a fan of Taylor Swift since the womb, quite possibly, and so of course I’d defend her. However, for fans of Folklore or Evermore like myself, we may be quite disappointed by Midnights. It’s no lyrical masterpiece like her previous two albums (not counting the re-recordings, of course), and no song on Midnights is folk-y nor has an “indie vibe”, but one important thing remains true of Midnights that is found on all of Swift’s other albums: her heart is embedded in each song.

So, Midnights is good. That’s what everyone expected, so obviously it is. Personally, it is not my favorite album of Swift’s, but while I don’t pretend to understand what goes on in her mind, I don’t think that Swift wrote and produced Midnights with the expectation that it would be everyone’s #1. I think that Midnights was simply her jotting down everything on her mind and making it into art. I feel as though Midnights is Swift’s most personal album yet, like she dug into her soul and scraped out all the good, bad, and honest parts. I would compare Midnights to re-reading your diary entries from moments when you were at your weakest and happiest and most emotional - just with more production value.

Well, would I be a Taylor Swift fan without pitting all her songs against one another based on my past experiences and heartbreaks? No, obviously. So, here is my surely controversial ranking of all the songs on Taylor Swift’s Midnights that are entirely my opinion!

13. Midnight Rain

Okay, I don’t hate “Midnight Rain”. I think it’s a perfectly good song! I just can’t stand the autotune, to be honest. The lyrics are incredibly Swift-esque and relatable to everyone, but the voice distortion is something I couldn’t let slide on this ranking.

Favorite lyrics: “My boy was a montage / A slow motion, love potion”

12. Vigilante Sh*t

11. Lavender Haze

10. Labyrinth

9. Bejeweled

8. Anti-Hero

7. Karma

6. Snow On The Beach

5. Mastermind

4. Maroon

3. Question…?

2. Sweet Nothing

1. You’re On Your Own, Kid

I’m a big fan of songs that give me existential angst. And so, “You’re On Your Own, Kid” was a no-brainer for my number one on the list. It’s relatable and while it makes you question your entire life, the lyrics don’t make you feel alone in your experiences growing up. I love the song progression and the lyrics, it’s heartbreaking and catchy all at once. The ending is uplifting, surprisingly enough, and it gives the listener a sense of comfort after they were torn to shreds.

Favorite lyrics: “I hosted parties and starved my body / Like I’d be saved by a perfect kiss”

Wait, but my list isn’t over. I was one of the freaks that stayed up until 3am to see Swift release her 3am tracks, and I actually overall ended up liking the 3am tracks better than the original thirteen songs. So, here’s a revised ranking:

20. Midnight Rain

19. Vigilante Sh*t

18. Dear Reader

17. Lavender Haze

16. Labyrinth

15. Bejeweled

14. High Infidelity

13. Anti-Hero

12. Karma

11. High Infidelity

10. Snow On The Beach

9. Mastermind

8. Paris

7. Bigger Than The Whole Sky

6. Maroon

5. Question…?

4. Sweet Nothing

3. The Great War

2. You’re On Your Own, Kid

1. Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve

I’m always a fan of John Mayer slander. This song is raw and in comparison to “Dear John”, it is obviously more mature, but the pain from that relationship stayed the same. There’s a sense of “old Taylor Swift” mixed with the writing techniques of current Taylor Swift, which is a mix that I am always a fan of. It’s the kind of song to scream to in the car, a kind of song that reminds you that heartbreak is a universal experience.

Favorite lyric: “And now that I’m grown / I’m scared of ghosts” or “God rest my soul / I miss who I used to be / The tomb won’t close”

All in all, I really liked this album. While I may always be a Folklore-slash-Evermore-slash-Red girl, Midnights is enjoyable and is an album that has very few skips (if any at all!) It may not be the perfect album for me, a person with no experience in music and thinks that the sound of a kazoo is musical genius, but it’s the type of album that I will definitely find myself replaying.