I am ranking EVERY song off of Taylor Swift's album
reputation. Click
here to read Part 2, which lists Taylor's bottom 7 songs. Now let's get started with Taylor's top 8 songs off this album.
8) Delicate
This song perfectly captures how it feels to be unsure if something is going to work out. Taylor treats her new relationship as if it is delicate and fragile so she doesn't end up ruining it. She wants to put her heart and soul into the relationship but is holding back. It's a good song musically and sounds great while driving (similar to 1989's "Style"). It's a little similar to, "So It Goes," as Taylor sings in a soft voice. But here, her use of a soft voice matches the name of the song, "Delicate."
I love the line, "We can't make any promises now, can we babe?/But you can make me a drink." It's a line you can use when the entire world around you is in flames and all you can do is cherish the present. Taylor's lover is spending time with her now and she enjoys it; she doesn't need to bring up the future.
About the lyrics: "My reputation's never been worse so he must like me for me" - I feel like even when Taylor's reputation was at it's worst, she still was rich and powerful so there could still be some insincere reasons why someone would want to date her.
Favorite Lyrics: Sometimes I wonder when you sleep/Are you ever dreaming of me?/Sometimes when I look into your eyes/I pretend you're mine, all the damn time/'Cause I like you
7) End Game
This song is so fun!!! I love singing along to, "BIG REPUTATION BIG REPUTATION OOOO YOU AND ME WE GOT BIG REPUTATIONS AHHH." I like how she mentions she's got big enemies like she's happy about it. I enjoy the line, "You like the bad ones too," because pop culture usually only says girls like bad boys. But in reality, boys like bad girls as well, and Taylor's proud to be one. There are some GREAT lines in this song. "And I bury hatchets, but I keep maps of where I put 'em," and "I swear I don't love the drama, it loves me," which I already made fun of
here. I basically love Taylor's entire "rap" verse. To be honest, when it comes to Future and Ed Sheeran, neither do a GREAT job with their verses. My favorite parts are all Taylor.
One cool thing to point out is that "A Team" is a reference to Ed Sheeran's song "The A Team."
I have no idea WHO this song is about as "you and me, we got big reputations," doesn't make sense when it comes to Joe Alwyn as he isn't that popular. Sadly, whoever this song is about, he was NOT Taylor's end game.
Favorite Lyrics: "And I bury hatchets, but I keep maps of where I put 'em."
6) Dress
Taylor Swift does a good job at writing a sexy song here. I mentioned in my
So It Goes review that her sexy lyrics there sounded forced. Here, it makes sense. I like how she sets up the scene by singing "All of this silence and patience, pining and anticipation/My hands are shaking from holding back from you." The anticipation she describes is what makes the payoff of the chorus so good. I like her "ah ah ah"s which I am guessing is supposed to mimic sex sounds but it sounds sensual and nice.
I like how in one of the last verses she pauses after singing, "Say my name and everything just stops." It's similar to how
Harry Styles in "Two Ghosts," pauses after "heart" and "beat."
Favorite Lyrics: "All of this silence and patience, pining and anticipation/My hands are shaking from holding back from you."
5) New Year's Day
I read somewhere from another reviewer that this is Taylor's worst acoustic/slow song and I've got to agree. "Clean," and "All Too Well," and, "Dear John," are much better songs. But reputation, is a dark album and I enjoy the light this song brings to the listener. It's simple and sweet. I like the contrast between "midnight," and "New Year's Day," - one representing passion and the other representing stability.
I love LOVE love the following line:
Favorite Lyrics: Please don't ever become a stranger/who's laugh I could recognize anywhere
These lyrics remind me of a
Speak Now song called, "Enchanted" where she sings, "Please don't be in love with someone else." It's the use of "Please" and because both take place in the refrain that makes it so similar. This goes back to what I said in
Part 1, Taylor might have written so many songs that she is starting to accidentally use her old lyrics. The old Taylor is definitely NOT dead.
4) Gorgeous
Gorgeous was the first song off reputation that I really liked. Taylor released this song as her 3rd promotional single and I thought it was hilarious. Taylor Swift is at her best when she is relateable. What's more relatable than not being able to talk to your crush because you like them so much? Here, Taylor goes back to her roots. Singing songs about boys that any teenage girl can relate to. It's a funny song ("Guess I'll just stumble on home to my cats") and the music sounds good.
Favorite Lyrics: You should take it as a compliment/That I'm talking to everyone here but you
^^^ That's a classic "me" move.
3) This is Why We Can't Have Nice Things
Now we get into the good stuff. The top 3 songs on this list are songs that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I LOVE THESE THREE SONGS SOOOO MUCH.
I love everything about this song. I love how it starts with Taylor Swift enjoying her money and fame and being open to the world - and ends with it all crashing down. I love the imagery of her parties - "swimming in a champagne sea." I love how "this is why we can't have nice things" is something a parent would say to a misbehaving child. It's got so much sass for Kanye and Kim.
Favorite Lyrics:
It was so nice being friends again
There I was, giving you a second chance
But then you stabbed in the back while shaking my hand
And therein lies the issue
Friends don't try to trick you
Get you on the phone and mind-twist you
And so I took an axe to a mended fence
I love this verse because I can relate to it so much because I went through a friendship back-stabbing as well. I love the imagery of "I took an axe to a mended fence."
Favorite Lyrics (again): "And here's to my real friends." and "And here's to my mama/had to listen to all this drama."
I love this part. In tough times like these, you gotta cherish REAL friends and of course, your mother who will be there for you when you are at rock bottom. When I heard the "And here's to my mama/had to listen to all this drama," I screamed because that may be the most relateable Taylor Swift line for me to date. I can't relate to "here's to my baby," but I'm glad Taylor has some more sources of support.
Also, it's an excellent sounding song!
2) I Did Something Bad
This song is such a good diss track (to I'm guessing Kanye West and Calvin Harris?) "If a man talks shit, then I owe him nothing/I don't regret it one bit, 'cause he had it coming" is such a powerful line. I love how she says "man," like he means nothing to him (when men are associated with being powerful and strong; I love how she flips the script). "I can feel flames on my skin," I love the imagery of destruction and and running away from something painful.
"They're burning all the witches" and "so light me up Light Me Up LIGHT ME UP." It's so powerful how she's not afraid of being burned - how she willingly accepts the flames. She sounds so forceful and strong - I am in LOVE with this song.
"I Did Something Bad" makes me want to recreate Beyonce's Hold Up music video. I want to walk down a street with a baseball bat just destroying stuff with this song playing in the background. There are even sound effects in the song that sounds like hitting stuff. I just love the crazy but powerful revenge feelings this song exemplifies.
Favorite Lyrics: EVERYTHING I LISTED ABOVE
1) Getaway Car
This is the most artistic and poetic song on the album and that's why it is first place! The metaphor of the getaway car is done so beautifully. We met me in a getaway car and now I am going to leave you in a getaway car. I hope this song gets a music video because it's going to be epic. Seeing Taylor getting chased, and then betraying her lover. I love every part of this song. I love the part where she describes the MET gala where she met Tom Hiddleston ("The ties were black, the lies were white"). I love the part where Calvin Harris runs after Hiddleswift and Taylor shots, "Go, Go, Go." Taylor got her start in country music and my favorite country music songs are the ones that tell a story. This one tells a really interesting story. I even like the last few seconds where she sings "I was RIDING in a getaway car. I was CRYING in a getaway car I was DYING in a getaway car Said GOODBYE in a getaway car," - these last few lines have a lot of emotion.
The chorus sounds great while driving probably because the song is about a car ("we were flying!")
Favorite Lyrics: "No, nothing good starts in a getaway car." <- Taylor starts the song off with this excellent thesis statement.
Favorite Lyrics: "A Circus Isn't a Love Story."
Favorite Lyrics: "Cause us traitors never win."
Thanks for reading my review. If you'd like to go back to
Part 1 of the review click
here. Please let me know if you agree or disagree with my rankings. How would you rank the songs off of Taylor's album? Let me know in the comments - I'd love to hear from you!
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