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Taylor Swift made a good villain.
Her heel turn in theReputationera was necessary image reform.
No ones upbeat all the time, especially not in a tussle with a powerful adversary.
Taylor getting her hands a little dirty throughouther spat with the Kardashian-Westshumanized her.
That was realer than the seemingly endless reserve of grace she displayed in other eras.
But negativity is draining and unsustainable.
Doing bad never feels good for very long.
When I revisitReputation, Im not coming back for snark, anyway.
Im reeled in by tight hooks and by tenderness under fire.
Im replaying Delicate, End Game, and Dancing With Our Hands Tied.
Im returning to the stunning six-minute koto drum spectacleNetflixsTaylor Swift Reputation Stadium Tourdocumentarycaptured during King of My Heart.
Ill settle for what we got.
produced by frequent Lorde collaborator Joel Little and featuring Panic!
(Shake It Off borders on the annoying kind of catchy.
From the first scene, where theReputationsnake explodes into a kaleidoscope of butterflies with rainbow wings, ME!
is cute but cloying.
The video smartly identifies musical theater as the common ground between Taylor Swift and Brendon Uries respective wheelhouses.
Even when theyre overdoing it, they at least look like theyre having fun.
aims to reach the masses by sacrificing nuance for fun-for-the-family relatability.
The lyrics are campy: Hey, kids, spelling is fun!
/ Girl, there aint no I in team, but you know there is a me.
Its likeOff!for cynics.
Its like Disney characterscandy flipping.
Its chipper almost to a point of self-parody.
WhereReputationadvanced Taylor Swifts career by pushing her toward new moods and genres, ME!
is a nostalgia trip.
Its back to basics, but its also a touch basic.
