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Taylor Swift fumbled 2016.
A lot of us did, in a way.
Its arrogant to believe that things will always turn out the way we need them to.
Swifts memorable tagline from that era I would like to be excluded from this narrative was deeply telling.
Reputationwas a natural reaction to the backlash.
She seems more at ease having the prickly conversations she used to handle with strategic silence.
Shes mobilizing her base.
IfReputationdocumented Taylor Swifts dark night of the soul,Loveris daybreak.
Its frequently giddy, like a friend enumerating the virtues of a love interest youve yet to meet.
I Think He Knows blushes about physical features that make the singers heart flutter.
More on that in a bit.)
Lovers not all pink hearts, yellow moons, and orange stars, though.
Its not just Swifts fairy-tale ending.
If the storys over, Death by a Thousand Cuts asks, why am I still writing pages?
Balancing out lyrics about admiration and co-habitation are songs that explore the pitfalls of relationships.
The Archer, Afterglow, and Cornelia Street touch on self-sabotage in bad breakups.
Woke overtures fit into the wider strategy of usingLoverto reposition Taylor Swift at pop musics center.
Lovers most surprising twist is its country undertones.
/ What am I supposed to do / If theres no you?
is a painfully honest expression of the thought spirals that happen when someone you love is not well.
It shatters the mask Swift donned to hide her feelings in theReputationera.
Shes off the defensive, finally, and back to coolly breaking hearts.
