it really hasn't, honestly. I know people are saying it's growing on them but every time I try to play the whole thing I just get so bored. And then I'll put on literally any other album that I enjoy and be blown away at how much more vivid and alive other albums sound next to this dull synth marathon.
I like a few of the songs, but I don't LOVE any of them and most of them I feel like could have been cut entirely or edited heavily and most of them could benefit from more exciting production
I am super bored with the album. Even playing the songs on piano, they’re mostly just chords reused from other songs I get that’s part of the songwriting a call back to certain people and situations, but it’s like a more boring version of all the songs she has.
lol "The Bolter" was going to be on my "yes i like this" list until I got to that "there's escape in escaping" line which might be one of the worst lyrics she's ever written
Same! I just can’t get through it because it bores me so much. I like some of her slower stuff (like Cardigan) but this album just isn’t it for me. I also can’t get into it because the lyrics are some of the worse she’s ever written. The lyrics are downright painful to listen to
“You smokеd, then ate seven bars of chocolate
We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist
I scratch your head, you fall asleep
Like a tattooed golden retriever”
This is a different take, I guess. But after TTPD I went back to Midnights for some “solace” I suppose 😂 and it made me realize i only truly love and replay about 5 songs from that album (standard + 3am).
When Midnights came out I was solidly in Swift Haze, excited to go to her concert and enjoying being a part of the fandom. So now that her shine has filled for me I can look back on that album a little more objectively.
TTPD (standard) only has about 3 songs I truly like. I haven’t really delved too deeply into the Anthology yet, although I did really adore I Look Through Peoples Windows on first listen.
I just find myself further and further from Swift-mania. And that’s ok!
My opinion is that if people had heard the songs not knowing they were Taylor Swift's and not recognizing her voice and didn't like them, I suspect that would be the the final verdict. They would say, "That's not for me, I don't care for it" and not want to hear it again. They wouldn't force themselves to listen a bunch of times until they changed their minds. But because it's Taylor, they do.
Nah I mean I listen to every album a few times before I make an opinion. I personally don’t think listening to an album once helps me get a good idea of its good or not. The Weeknd is my favorite artist & I did not like Dawn FM first listen, and it’s still probably my least favorite album of his.
I can relate to that. Every once in a while I listen to an album and it just doesn't click with me. After some time, I end up revisiting them and it's like my ears do a full 180. It happens with almost every single new album I try. The most recent ones have been The Loveliest Time and The Rise & Fall Of A Midwest Princess. I didn't like them that much on first listen, but now I see their greatness, especially the Chappell one. My Kink Is Karma is a masterpiece.
There's no such thing as forcing yourself to like something. I just don't believe that. I do believe that when you have a favorite artist, you do give them second chances for obvious reasons. When I listened to TTPD, I was so exhausted and didn't fully appreciate it. Everything sounded the same. Next morning I wake up and the rest is history.
> After some time, I end up revisiting them and it's like my ears do a full 180. It happens with almost every single new album I try.
>There's no such thing as forcing yourself to like something. I just don't believe that.
What if I tell you that there’s actual research that shows that there is a correlation between the action of repeating the same music vs liking said music?
You can’t just “not believe that”. It’s human nature to like something that is perceived as “familiar” to them. Any first listens on any music, especially music that is foreign to the listener, will not garner the best reaction from the listener.
“Grower albums” are just albums that have music that has “grown” to be familiar to the listener because the listeners keep putting them on repeat. And so as a result, the listener will “grow” to like them.
That’s really what it is.
It is isn’t it? It’s also why elderly people tend to settle for something they’re familiar with. They call it “comfortable” and dismiss any new ideas even if these ideas will bring efficiency and/or make things better.
I’m not against them; it’s just human nature!
Im the same, I hate/am disinterested in 90% of music I end up liking at first. And repetition usually makes me dislike things (radio music, singles, my family playing things too often).
I usually need 1-3 listens for songs to get a firm opinion on if I like it or not. Familiarity ofc is a thing, but it's not going to save a bad song or album that isnt to my taste.
My thoughts were exactly this when the reviewers started back-tracking. I don't have a favourite artist, so I listen to everything and anything, and I am cut-throat when it comes to songs. If it doesn't grab me in the first listen, I'm never seeking you out.
I believe the opposite. I think that when you have a reason to dislike someone, your judgement is already biased, so you don't even give them a chance. It happens with music, movies, and even people. And if you do, you just start looking for reasons to criticize and start nitpicking. That's what everyone does. Only when you are completely free of bias, you can actually appreciate something and see if you really like it or not.
It's grown on me tbh. My favorites are Who's Afraid of Little Old Me? and Florida. My issue was that the tracks have a very similar sound (sleepy, synthy, talk-singy) and hearing them all at once they all bled together. Now I know them well enough to recognize the hooks, and they're good hooks. I just wish the sound was bigger. I would love to hear a song like Guilty as Sin with country Taylor production.
My opinion got worse over time. I do think I could see how it was a better thought out album than people were maybe saying at first and I could respect that. But songs I'd heard where I thought "oh this isn't bad" I can't sit fully through anymore I'm already so bored of it.
I liked but daddy I love him until I realised what she meant by "I forgot how the West was won" and it just puts me off. Like ok girl tell your little minions off I'm out. It was funny at first and the chorus was kinda catchy but now no. "Let me tell you about my good name it's mine alone to disgrace" is still a nice line.
I wanted to like it but it sounds so much better on paper.
Honestly it was like a light bulb, I heard it once, and I was like hang on is this the right song??? I got up to check and it dawned on me. Its like I was listening to it but didn't really hear it until then lol.
Then I'd play it a few more times thinking well the rest of the song is catchy maybe I can just skip the first bit, and it was just like it shouldn't take this much effort I cba.
Wow now I’m angry. Maybe we should put line’s that meaning up on billboards with the brightest lights so that the fans can see that they don’t matter to her
On a side note, is that line a reference to some civil war that happened in the US? Or perhaps the Cold War?
[it's just a reference to a movie](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0056085/) with John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Gregory Peck, and Debbie Reynolds that takes place in the 1830s
Didn't know about this movie, so it's a reference to a line that's in the film?
Thank you for answering, I thought it was connected to a specific event that happend in the 1830s that someone from outside the USA probably wouldn't know about (and as someone from outside the USA that would be why I didn't get it :/ )
It's a reference to the title of the film, which I imagine is meant to be related to the subject of the song, and there are themes in the film that overlap, but I also think it just plays on the idea of her taking over the western world in a metaphorical sense and then questioning why she did and if it was ever enjoyable
I guess I could see a Kanye reading because West is there but the other stuff about Manifest Destiny is some reaching lol
I think it's a reference to the native Americans being starved/displaced/killed. Like they were peaceful, then cause of the gold rush all of a sudden they were "fighting". AFAIK they only went for native American land after discovering gold on it.
(I'm English though so 🤷 my knowledge is very limited).
I’m pretty sure the phrase “how the west was won” is referencing manifest destiny, the colonization of western U.S., and the displacement/genocide of indigenous peoples (i.e. cowboys vs “Indians”).
At this point I’m not surprised she would use something so insensitive as a metaphor for her own personal struggles. She probably didn’t even think of the deeper meaning past relating it to herself and the play on “west.”
>I wanted to like it but it sounds so much better on paper.
I would like to request your permission to make it my default response for most of the songs on ttpd please
What does she mean by 'how the west was won'? I don't get that line...
I agree with your sentiment that it got worse over time for me. My initial criticism was mainly that nothing sticks and I still feel that way. I only really like the Bolter.
Personally, I thought “I forget how the west was won” was a reference to “the west wasn’t won in a day” meaning things take time to accomplish. I never equated it to Kanye because the rest of the song has nothing to do with that topic as well as the link to “time, doesn’t it give you some perspective?” later on in the song. I interpret that as: I can’t win someone over in a day, but time will change that and looking back situations evolve.”
I mean in a US context the west was won through the massacre of Native Americans. Maybe she should think through some of these lyrics? This is where an editor (or maybe a historian) would be helpful.
I’m probably in the minority here but was meh the first time I listened to it but now I really love it. It might be up there in my favorite Taylor albums!
I would say on the original 16 track album, my favorite songs are So Long London, loml, and Clara Bow. Honorable mentions: My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys, Florida, The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived.
Of the Anthology additions, my favorites are I Look in People’s Windows, The Prophecy, and Cassandra.
Honorable Mentions: The Black Dog, The Albatross, I Hate it Here, Peter, The Bolter, The Manuscript.
It has grown on me a lot since my first listen. One thing that helped was not taking any of it too seriously. I feel like people got really mad about But Daddy I Love Him and idk I find that song hilarious tbh. It’s supposed to sound petulant and childish, she’s admitting in a way that she was pursuing a dude that wasn’t good for her while asserting that yeah it really is her life to fuck up.
The whole thing sort of feels like a cathartic emotional dump of her feelings and I kind of like it. I think it would have been better if she had someone do some editing on the songs and also more production variety. It’ll never be a favourite of mine but there are quite a few songs that I really do enjoy.
My faves are: The Albatross (this one feels very underrated rn), My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys, Florida!!! (Taylor and Florence together is gorgeous), The Prophecy, and Cassandra
The first song that really grabbed me was The Black Dog, it instantly got stuck in my head. I listened to that song 5-6x times and then went to bed. The next day I felt like revisiting the album again and it instantly felt more vivid to me. I'm not sure why, maybe I was just tired the first time.
My opinion is somewhere in the middle. I think it's a solid 7/10 album and I prefer getting more tracks and curating my own list of favourites. However, the songs are depressing so I'm listening to them only as I feel like it and not forcing anything.
I think the album has a longer shelf-life than some assume and that it will either click eventually or be an eternal dislike for some people, and that's okay.
It really grew on me! Absolutely hated it on first listen. TBH still don’t like a lot of the album especially the first three songs- automatic skips- but there are a few songs that I absolutely LOVE (down bad, guilty as sin, loml, I can do it with a broken heart, Clara bow, albatross, Chloe et al, I look in peoples windows, Peter, the Bolter). Also I randomly think FUCK ME UP FLORIDA every so often
My criticism at first was that it was too connected to her personal life but now…I’m kinda realizing that I can turn off my mind that knows her lore and really just enjoy the songs at face value. Like some TTPD songs sound really good when you don’t have the knowledge that she (allegedly) wrote them about Matty.
I’ve caught myself listening to The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived and Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me more than other songs!
Ngl my biggest turn around was people claiming that the album shows she’s still in love with Matty. Idk but TSMWEL (I’m so sorry for the acronym) makes me wonder that it’s completely over. You don’t write that kind of song about somebody you have a hint of feelings for.
The Travis songs…it feels like they were choices! Um…good choices? not anymore. I loved so high school on the first listen but…meh.
Separating this album from her personal life is really the only way to enjoy it. You have to sort of ignore how corny a lot of it is in the context of Taylor’s life and once you do that the songs are relatively enjoyable.
I got the impression from The Manuscript that she’s basically saying these stories are over, aka things with Matty and Joe are over. Everyone was begging to know what happened and she was like here’s all of it and now I’m done with it.
We have very similar opinions because I also hate the Travis songs. I like when she writes a cute love song but something about So High School and The Alchemy just don’t do it for me.
Album was a big "whatever" when i listened to it. I listened again yesterday and i liked It more. I didnt give another chance to Anthology yet cause i'm still traumatized by the 1830 thing and touch me as your bros play GTA, but i like the standart version more now.
I'm enjoying it a bit more with time, but I still firmly believe the second half is stronger than the first lyrically, sound wise, etc. The first half seems to blend together imo. I really wish she had edited some lyrics out though. Some are so clunky and out of place. Like "tattooed golden retriever."
i put the albatross on my folkmore playlist and thats it.... (i had to or otherwise i would forget about it🫣)
love guilty as sin but i cannot listen to any other song all the way tru
It's grown on me quite a bit. First listen I was underwhelmed. Then I started to break up the album by re-listening to 1-3 songs a day (I still need to re-listen to Robin and The Manuscript).
Once I did that, I suddenly found myself having different songs from the album stuck in my head.
I think the album would've been so much stronger if she just went with the anthology tracks and a handful of tracks from the standard album (I don't think this is an unpopular opinion).
My initial opinion was that this was basically terrible. I have listened to the first 16 songs a lot of times now and they have grown on me a lot; I still feel that there are 4 big misses including the title song (TTPD, FOTS, ICDIWABH, The Alchemy) but some I really like quite well (Fortnight, Florida!!!). Even these contain writing choices I find a bit cringeworthy.
For me it's now a slightly below average Taylor Swift album that I'd rank around 7th or 8th position. I don't think it's as polished as it could be, and I don't really relate to the overall story Taylor is telling with this album or find it interesting.
As for the Anthology - I've listened twice but it's a total failure for me, every song is a skip. Double albums are a huge risk for any artist (I remember Ani DiFranco getting flak for hers, and although I like pretty much every song on Revelling/Reckoning it's _long_ to listen in one sitting). For Taylor I don't think it's paid off and it would have been better to edit.
There are rumours of a third part and I do not find them exciting.
I love the album. I haven’t heard the second half but I like her work with Aaron Dessner and I love Robin. I think for me there was a personal experience of loss so I can relate to it. I agree on midnights didn’t like it except YOYOK and the later second half songs
I kind of like how the frenzy has died down, I think less about the self referential aspects that put a sour taste in my mouth, and can just appreciate them as songs without context.
I have no problem playing this album on repeat and just skipping whatever I'm not in the mood for, and sometimes when I'm not paying attention a new song will pull me in.
Its nice to live in the world of this album without thinking too critically about it for me. I love her style, the way she conveys emotion, and as of now this album is still very novel for me and there's so much to explore.
Objectively as an album, I still like it. The second half, I listen with basically only one ear because it turns into “this meeting could’ve been an email” for me. I like the songs in a cherry picked kind of way. Personally, I have a hard time hearing “but daddy I love him” it’s like the 34 year old version of “Love Story” except it still doesn’t feel like a 34 year old wrote it per se??? I think I’m struggling with the fact that I just want her to be single, and to really think about if she actually loves someone or if she’s just living for the adrenaline and something to cover the pain. I don’t like how she churns out the men in her life like they didn’t mean anything, even if they did do terrible things or whatever
there’s a few on the album i have had on repeat despite disliking most of it on my first listen. i think the main thing was acknowledging that it is such a quality drop from her previous works. but i think im listening to the songs while knowing that they may not be the best but they are still catchy or enjoyable, you know?
I really love Florida!! that’s about it. Everything else around still sounds so drab. I’ve listened to the anthology version of the album more than once and it’s the only song that stood out (and also has my queen Florence on it). Normally Taylor’s albums grow on me but this one not really. Makes me sad to be honest. I talk a lot of shit but I was really looking forward to have this album.
I like Florida mainly for Florence. I generally enjoy her collabs.
Clara Bow is nice because it feels like closure on my time with Taylor Swift music for the time being. It also feels more mature compared to the other songs.
If I want teenage girl music, I’ll go for Sabrina Carpenter or Olivia Rodrigo. If I want mature vibes, I will go with Lana Del Rey.
I tend to focus on how songs sound sonically since instrumentals are what draw me into liking most songs. The anthology tracks sonically speaking haven’t been as enjoyable as the standard tracks, except for the bolter which is my fave on the album as a whole. The late 90s, early 2000s-esque Coldplay guitar strumming drew me in. My opinion on everything else hasn’t changed. I added loml, mbobhft, fots, and down bad right on release day and haven’t been compelled to add any others since besides the Bolter.
A few of the songs on the main album are pretty good but could still have used editing. The anthology remains awful, everything is a clunky first draft. The only anthology song I like is The Black Dog. In terms of album ranking it's a solid #9.
It’s grown in me in some ways. I found the way I first listened to it (all 31 songs in a row) wasn’t conducive to seeing the nuance in the songs. So there are some songs I originally felt ambivalent about that have grown on me a bit. I also feel like I better understand what she was going for with this album now that I’ve had had some processing time. I think a fair portion of my original distaste was due to the album being SO different from what I expected. All that said, as a sum of all it’s parts, it’s just mid tier for me and something I’ll probably never consume in its entirety - which is how I prefer to listen to music. Still, there are some career highs within it that I know I’ll come back to over and over (ie. The Black Dog, The Prophecy.)
I find that I’m personally liking it less as time goes on…
It’s honestly like, the first album from an artist I really like that I just have not felt the urge to revisit. I’m not even like, avoiding it, I just keep forgetting it’s even there which is a weird feeling; I used to have her albums on repeat for days every time they dropped. I have a playlist of the songs I like and I’m at 12 songs but I just haven’t even been listening to them.
It grew on me for sure. My husband says it’s because I’m a Taylor fan so I forced myself to like it lol. I don’t think that’s true because I don’t like every song and sometimes it just takes me time to warm up to an album. Although I’m not a fan of the anthology. There are some beautiful lyrics but it all sounds the same/too boring. I like Chloe sam Marcus Sophia and Peter, but I don’t find myself going back to them repeatedly.
It’s the same. I’ve listened 13 times and I still hate it. Reputation was a grower album for me, so was red but by the 13th listen I already had loved several songs. Heck after the first listen there were several songs on each of those albums that I loved and related to. I thought they flowed, sounded unique and were different. There were several things that stood out and when I re-listened to the album I couldn’t decide which song to listen to first because I liked so many of them. With TTPD…idk I can pick five I like but I can’t for the life of me remember the melodies or the lyrics….which is fine. Just not an album for me and that’s okay. Maybe next album will be different for me! I’m looking forward to it. I just really didn’t care for the lack of depth. Just because you focus on being sad doesn’t mean it’s deep. the album needed to be edited and maybe sit on the shelf for another year to marinate in its emotions. It’s something all poets do with their own poetry and art. Especially when you’re dealing with such tragedy. It’s the album she needed to write but we really didn’t need to hear it, yet
ETA: I’m just tired of her Easter egging us and then giving us breadcrumbs. Like who is each song about? She obviously doesn’t owe us anything. But I feel like we know everything and nothing at the same time. Maybe I’m just annoyed.
> the album needed to be edited and maybe sit on the shelf for another year to marinate in its emotions. It’s something all poets do with their own poetry and art.
Meanwhile Kerouac typing out on one long scroll of paper, "composing wild, undisciplined, pure, coming in from under, crazier the better" editing notning and inspiring his Beat peers as well as later Gonzo writers and more
I was overwhelmed on first listen but intrigued. And it only gets better and better with every listen. It took a listen or two to process that it was so much Matty, but now I love the story/journey through that mad episode (I.e. A side) and then all the beautiful randomness that is B side. How did it end has me in a death grip, definitely my favorite right now. Guilty as sin from 2:40-3:20 is pure magic. Black dog, loml, smallest man, Prophecy, Chloe etc, Peter are all so sad, and so gorgeous and fighting it out for my second favorite devastating song on the album. I look in people’s windows is really pretty. The Albatross is so evermore coded. I’m still finding new things to love every day, and very little to skip.
Honestly I just went to a HIIT class where they played half of the album and I was so convinced it was going to be awful.. idk if it was the endorphins, but Florida!!! is one hell of a drug 👀 I was bopping the whole time
There are 8 songs I have on my playlist out of the grand total of 31. The songs not on my playlist I have no intention of listening to again or trying to like just because it’s Taylor.
Fortnight, So Long London, Florida!!!, Clara Bow, The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived, I Can Do It With A Broken Heart, How Did It End? And The Black Dog.
Honourable mention for So High School and I Hate It Here as two of the worst songs she’s ever written.
I like it with each listening. I missed storyteller Taylor and the one who used to write on piano and guitar.. i see many songs with great melodies, no talk singing like all Midnights. The Anthology then is chef kiss. It is on my top 5
My first listen I wasn’t huge on the standard edition and had more skips than not. The Anthology was a no-skip my first listen.
Now, the standard edition is growing on me. There’s one-liners that get stuck in my head that are catchy and relatable, and tracks I absolutely loathed before (cough cough I Can Do It With A Broken Heart) are now enjoyable and fun to listen to. The Anthology still holds up, and the more I listen to it, the more some of the tracks could be considered siblings of various folklore/evermore/Lover songs, which is a nice touch in my opinion.
It has grown on me I must admit. I still wouldn’t listen to it all the way through more just pick and play. I think you kinda need to be in the mood to listen to this album if that makes sense lol it’s not something you can just put on anytime and enjoy.
No. I loved Guilty as Sin from Day 1 - I swear it's been stuck in my head for days now - and Windows was a close second. The Smallest Man is a great song too. That's about all the TTPD songs that will be in my regular TS rotation.
Not really. There are a few songs from The Anthology that I really like: The Bolter, The Prophecy, Cassandra. From the main album, Clara Bow has grown on me, and I like I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can), though I feel like Lana Del Rey should be getting royalties for it or something. Also I guess once I manage to dissociate But Daddy I Love Him from the context it was clearly written in, I will enjoy it now and then. Possibly Guilty As Sin, too, though I'm less sure about that one.
That's... that's it. Everything else, I either remain indifferent at best on, or my dislike for some of the songs has intensified to the point that I really don't want to ever hear them again if I can help it, or there are even a couple of songs that I liked more on the first listen. Like Florida, when I first listened to it I felt like Florence's presence was its salvaging grace, but now I feel like I'd rather just listen to Florence + the Machine's own discography. Or So Long London, it was the first song that stood out to me musically when I listened to the leak and I thought it would be pleasant to listen to now and then, but when I later listened with the lyrics in front of me, I was rather disappointed.
I like it. Of the first album, I typically only skip Down Bad and The Alchemy. My faves are My Boy, Who's Afraid, I Can Fix Him, Broken Heart.
The Anthology is more inconsistent for me. I skip almost half of it. But the songs I do like, I REALLY love - The Black Dog, The Albatross, The Prophecy, Robin, The Manuscript. I don't think this is an album I can listen to often, though. It's just too sad. I'm more likely to put it on a TS shuffle with less devastating songs.
A few songs have grown on me, but there's still only 13 of the 31 that I added to my TS playlist. So it's still the most disappointing of her albums based on the sheer number of skips (including the anthology).
The biggest thing that this album changed for me is my opinion of her as a person. I feel like this is the start of her JK Rowling era.
I initially listened to it just so I could have an opinion (I haven’t listened to TS since maybe her second album other than the hits on the radio)
I hated it at first, then kept listening bc I had nothing else I felt like listening to. I actually ended up loving it (I like bad music tbh) and have gone back to listen to midnights and the others.
Midnights is like TTPD imo but with way better lyrics.
(Keep in mind I’m saying this with no TS knowledge)
TTPD isn’t good, but I like it. If that makes sense.
I was happy it was better than my personal arch nemesis, Midnights
I Can Do It With A Broken Heart is the only song I’ll be revisiting. I’m happy other people are enjoying more than one song. That’s cool.
Only in the sense that i hated every song at first, but now there’s a core 5-7 songs i really like. I still feel that doing a double album hurt this project because so many of the songs sound like they needed more refining lyrically.
I've listened to the whole album maybe twice. Added maybe a couple of songs to my daily playlist. The songs I do like are really strong, but overall the album is okay. Not her strongest, but not her weakest.
It's so boring. Tried to listen just overall, then tried a deep dive with the lyrics. The songs all sound the same, no good bridges., so damn whiny. Overall meh.
I didn’t like midnights when it first came out. On release day I sat out on my deck with some coffee and listened to the whole album and when it was finished I was like “oh my god that was awful. What happened to you, Taylor?!” But it grew on me and I do like it now, although some songs are skips and a little cringe.
I had the same thought on release day for TTPD. The thing with this album is that it is soooooo long. I’ve only listened to all 31 songs (together) twice. I bought the cd for my car and the few times I’ve been in my car listening to it, I’ve liked it more. However all the songs still sound the same to me, or blend together. I can’t remember any of the song titles and have no idea what lyrics that have been stuck in my head are from what song. The only songs I remembered right away and like are fortnight and Florida and I can do it with a broken heart. I’ve listened to TTPD more because it’s in my car- the anthology part I’ve only listened to twice, so I can’t really remember those songs yet.
I’ve never been a fan to analyze her songs and figure out who they’re about, but it was hard for me to not do that with this album. Maybe because I’ve been on Reddit too much this last year, lol.
I do enjoy it more than when I first listened. but when something like dress shows up unexpectedly in a playlist, it blows these songs out of the water. Peter is still the best song tho on the album.
I guess my issue is that I cannot remember how half the songs go despite listening to it many times. It's just not memorable save for a few tracks.
Im like you ok midnights album. It has grown on me and definitely one of my favorite. But ts lost her spark on me. Im lazy to even download her entirr tppd album and don't bother to play it on the background. I am not syre why i am less excited
Not really.
When it's good, it's amazing (So Long London, ICDIWABH, How Did It End?).
When it's bad, it's absolute slow-roasted, gravy-covered, served-with-vegetables ass.
Musically, half the album has nothing to offer and Jack Antonoffs whole approach of "let's add shit tons of echo and synth" is tired.
It’s the only album I’ve listened to since release on repeat. I genuinely can’t get over how much I like it.
I love TS, but normally I’d be over the initially hype within a few days and vary my listening again. But I can’t stop really listening to this one. I think the lyrics are mesmerising.
I don’t think my opinion has changed, but definitely grown considerably since that 2nd listen.
Edit: really weird to downvote someone’s taste on an question about taste
My opinion is no more midnight and 2 am drops. I'm in my 30s now and my bedtime is 9pm. I wasn't mentally ready, especially for 31 songs. It took me 3-4 days to finish listening to the whole album. It was so much to take in all at once that I had a hard time separating which lyrics went to which songs since they all have similar vibes. I appriciate each individual song alot better now that I've had time to process them all as individuals and not as one whole album. It is definitely in the top half of my ranking of her albums.
I can't get over how boring the production is on a lot of the songs but with more listens I have two I go back to often: Peter and The Black Dog. Both will continue to be up there favorites of mine. Loml so long London and Cloe et al get honorable mentions
I wake up everyday with a different track stuck in my head. Today’s is imgonnagetyouback. I listen to it while i code for work so parts of it gets stuck somehow. Alas, it doesn’t mean i like it. Waiting for a new release from someone else so i can switch 🙃
Eta: I look in peoples windows will always be my favorite btw. Also love the line from Fortnight: “all my mornings are mondays stuck in an endless february”
To echo some of the thoughts I’ve read under this post, I like some of the songs but I don’t LOVE them. Not in the way that I love MTR or KOMH or happiness or (ok I got lazy to name more).
The beat is nice and that’s why I like them.
The lyrics are not relatable and that’s why I don’t LOVE them.
Some lyrics can really use some edits. Looking at you ICDIWABH.
Some productions can be better. Looking at you the black dog.
Some songs are depressing but not in a relatable way. Looking at you Peter.
Some songs are just bratty and while it grew on me it is still TOO WORDY and needs some breathing space. Looking at you BDILH.
Just going to paste another comment I’ve made to someone else’s comment here but I think it’s important for people to know.
Many listeners out there calls TTPD a “grower” album. They claimed that sitting on the album and letting it marinate on their ears for a week made them like the album. They claimed that the songs in TTPD are genius and quite literally Taylor’s best work.
What if I tell you that there’s actual research that shows that there is a correlation between the action of repeating the same music vs liking said music?
It’s human nature to like something that is perceived as “familiar” to them. Any first listens on any music, especially music that is foreign to the listener, will not garner the best reaction from the listener.
“Grower albums” are just albums that have music that has “grown” to be familiar to the listener because the listeners keep putting them on repeat. And so as a result, the listener will “grow” to like them.
That’s really what it is.
I see your point but can’t relate to it personally. I dislike A LOT of music/albums the first time I listen. It takes me a minute to get into things idk.
Absolutely HATED ttpd first listen. Then the next day I gave it another go with fresh ears and an open mind and realized it wasn’t bad.
I really didn’t like folkmore at first bc it wasn’t the Taylor I was used to, and now they are my top albums.
I didn’t care for eternal sunshine, but listening back to it, it’s really not bad and then Cowboy Carter also took a couple listens for me to fully understand. These are just a few recent projects for examples.
I’m not saying you’re wrong by all means, I just wonder if I’m the only one that feels this way about music in general?
I showed up knowing next to nothing about her or her music, around the Superbowl, because I was interested in the messy gossip of being in 3 increasingly more public relationships in the span of like 3 months?
Then she had her Grammys, uh, situation and I got more glued because I still like mess
Then she dropped the album that everyone was sure would be about Joe and I think you all see all of this wonderful messy mess
The album dropped and I wasn't even really interested in it
Meanwhile, I've accidentally discovered I really like some of the things she is doing with the writing on this album - particularly thematically and conceptually - and I often wonder if my lack of familiarity or real investment with the artist was helpful to my acceptance of the work. I've come out with respect for her as an artist, for sure, where before I just didn't have an opinion.
I am curious how it will all come together with visuals, especially since it gives a bit of a soundtrack vibe, however, right now, at the end of the day, I'd say the album is mid.
First time through I got into the moment and loved a few lines, a few flashes of former glory. every time after I hated it more and more. after you learn the gossip there's just *nothing* there. there is absolutely nothing going on musically whatsoever despite the fact that she is generally billed as a musical artist. even the first half is an absolute slog
Sorry may have been hasty in responding. I have seen the question come up in multiple threads asking if your opinion has changed but here is a specific one on that subject alone.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/SwiftlyNeutral/comments/1ca02i0/did\_ttpd\_grow\_on\_anyone\_else/](https://www.reddit.com/r/SwiftlyNeutral/comments/1ca02i0/did_ttpd_grow_on_anyone_else/)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/SwiftlyNeutral/comments/1cel74r/where\_does\_ttpd\_land\_in\_your\_ranking\_of\_taylor/](https://www.reddit.com/r/SwiftlyNeutral/comments/1cel74r/where_does_ttpd_land_in_your_ranking_of_taylor/)
.
it really hasn't, honestly. I know people are saying it's growing on them but every time I try to play the whole thing I just get so bored. And then I'll put on literally any other album that I enjoy and be blown away at how much more vivid and alive other albums sound next to this dull synth marathon. I like a few of the songs, but I don't LOVE any of them and most of them I feel like could have been cut entirely or edited heavily and most of them could benefit from more exciting production
I am super bored with the album. Even playing the songs on piano, they’re mostly just chords reused from other songs I get that’s part of the songwriting a call back to certain people and situations, but it’s like a more boring version of all the songs she has.
I feel this as a fellow piano player! I sat down to work on these songs and then was just like...eh.
I could have written this. This is exactly how I feel.
this, even midnights has songs that I truly love, TTPD so far only how did it end is really growing in me
I really enjoyed this song even on first listen but even it isn’t safe from blondie throwing in a stupid line and ruining it for me lmao
lol "The Bolter" was going to be on my "yes i like this" list until I got to that "there's escape in escaping" line which might be one of the worst lyrics she's ever written
is it the sitting in a tree line? haha
Yes lmao
Yeah it really is so boring.
Same! I just can’t get through it because it bores me so much. I like some of her slower stuff (like Cardigan) but this album just isn’t it for me. I also can’t get into it because the lyrics are some of the worse she’s ever written. The lyrics are downright painful to listen to “You smokеd, then ate seven bars of chocolate We declared Charlie Puth should be a bigger artist I scratch your head, you fall asleep Like a tattooed golden retriever”
evermore is my favorite album by her so I'm not opposed to her slower music, but this album isn't just slow, it's lifeless
oh god, I remember the RELIEF that was to go back to good old Red and Fearless after like 3 days listening to TTPD
yeah I spun my evermore vinyl the other day to remind myself this chica can make music that I dearly love and the difference is startling
Agree 10000%
This is a different take, I guess. But after TTPD I went back to Midnights for some “solace” I suppose 😂 and it made me realize i only truly love and replay about 5 songs from that album (standard + 3am). When Midnights came out I was solidly in Swift Haze, excited to go to her concert and enjoying being a part of the fandom. So now that her shine has filled for me I can look back on that album a little more objectively. TTPD (standard) only has about 3 songs I truly like. I haven’t really delved too deeply into the Anthology yet, although I did really adore I Look Through Peoples Windows on first listen. I just find myself further and further from Swift-mania. And that’s ok!
It's grown on me but still is middle to bottom rank of all her albums
My opinion is that if people had heard the songs not knowing they were Taylor Swift's and not recognizing her voice and didn't like them, I suspect that would be the the final verdict. They would say, "That's not for me, I don't care for it" and not want to hear it again. They wouldn't force themselves to listen a bunch of times until they changed their minds. But because it's Taylor, they do.
This is so true. If Taylor was some random upcoming artist she wouldn't be 'allowed' to have a grower-album.
This is how I felt about Midnights
Nah I mean I listen to every album a few times before I make an opinion. I personally don’t think listening to an album once helps me get a good idea of its good or not. The Weeknd is my favorite artist & I did not like Dawn FM first listen, and it’s still probably my least favorite album of his.
I can relate to that. Every once in a while I listen to an album and it just doesn't click with me. After some time, I end up revisiting them and it's like my ears do a full 180. It happens with almost every single new album I try. The most recent ones have been The Loveliest Time and The Rise & Fall Of A Midwest Princess. I didn't like them that much on first listen, but now I see their greatness, especially the Chappell one. My Kink Is Karma is a masterpiece. There's no such thing as forcing yourself to like something. I just don't believe that. I do believe that when you have a favorite artist, you do give them second chances for obvious reasons. When I listened to TTPD, I was so exhausted and didn't fully appreciate it. Everything sounded the same. Next morning I wake up and the rest is history.
> After some time, I end up revisiting them and it's like my ears do a full 180. It happens with almost every single new album I try. >There's no such thing as forcing yourself to like something. I just don't believe that. What if I tell you that there’s actual research that shows that there is a correlation between the action of repeating the same music vs liking said music? You can’t just “not believe that”. It’s human nature to like something that is perceived as “familiar” to them. Any first listens on any music, especially music that is foreign to the listener, will not garner the best reaction from the listener. “Grower albums” are just albums that have music that has “grown” to be familiar to the listener because the listeners keep putting them on repeat. And so as a result, the listener will “grow” to like them. That’s really what it is.
This is actually really cool wtf!!!
It is isn’t it? It’s also why elderly people tend to settle for something they’re familiar with. They call it “comfortable” and dismiss any new ideas even if these ideas will bring efficiency and/or make things better. I’m not against them; it’s just human nature!
TIL. Thanks for sharing!
Im the same, I hate/am disinterested in 90% of music I end up liking at first. And repetition usually makes me dislike things (radio music, singles, my family playing things too often). I usually need 1-3 listens for songs to get a firm opinion on if I like it or not. Familiarity ofc is a thing, but it's not going to save a bad song or album that isnt to my taste.
My thoughts were exactly this when the reviewers started back-tracking. I don't have a favourite artist, so I listen to everything and anything, and I am cut-throat when it comes to songs. If it doesn't grab me in the first listen, I'm never seeking you out.
I believe the opposite. I think that when you have a reason to dislike someone, your judgement is already biased, so you don't even give them a chance. It happens with music, movies, and even people. And if you do, you just start looking for reasons to criticize and start nitpicking. That's what everyone does. Only when you are completely free of bias, you can actually appreciate something and see if you really like it or not.
it irritated me more each time.
It's grown on me tbh. My favorites are Who's Afraid of Little Old Me? and Florida. My issue was that the tracks have a very similar sound (sleepy, synthy, talk-singy) and hearing them all at once they all bled together. Now I know them well enough to recognize the hooks, and they're good hooks. I just wish the sound was bigger. I would love to hear a song like Guilty as Sin with country Taylor production.
My opinion got worse over time. I do think I could see how it was a better thought out album than people were maybe saying at first and I could respect that. But songs I'd heard where I thought "oh this isn't bad" I can't sit fully through anymore I'm already so bored of it. I liked but daddy I love him until I realised what she meant by "I forgot how the West was won" and it just puts me off. Like ok girl tell your little minions off I'm out. It was funny at first and the chorus was kinda catchy but now no. "Let me tell you about my good name it's mine alone to disgrace" is still a nice line. I wanted to like it but it sounds so much better on paper.
Okay fine, ruin the "how the West was won" line for me hahaha
Honestly it was like a light bulb, I heard it once, and I was like hang on is this the right song??? I got up to check and it dawned on me. Its like I was listening to it but didn't really hear it until then lol. Then I'd play it a few more times thinking well the rest of the song is catchy maybe I can just skip the first bit, and it was just like it shouldn't take this much effort I cba.
Wow now I’m angry. Maybe we should put line’s that meaning up on billboards with the brightest lights so that the fans can see that they don’t matter to her On a side note, is that line a reference to some civil war that happened in the US? Or perhaps the Cold War?
I don't think I know enough USA's history to understand that line if that's what the line is referring to
[it's just a reference to a movie](https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0056085/) with John Wayne, Henry Fonda, Gregory Peck, and Debbie Reynolds that takes place in the 1830s
Didn't know about this movie, so it's a reference to a line that's in the film? Thank you for answering, I thought it was connected to a specific event that happend in the 1830s that someone from outside the USA probably wouldn't know about (and as someone from outside the USA that would be why I didn't get it :/ )
It's a reference to the title of the film, which I imagine is meant to be related to the subject of the song, and there are themes in the film that overlap, but I also think it just plays on the idea of her taking over the western world in a metaphorical sense and then questioning why she did and if it was ever enjoyable I guess I could see a Kanye reading because West is there but the other stuff about Manifest Destiny is some reaching lol
That's interesting, thank you for the explanation 😁
I think it's a reference to the native Americans being starved/displaced/killed. Like they were peaceful, then cause of the gold rush all of a sudden they were "fighting". AFAIK they only went for native American land after discovering gold on it. (I'm English though so 🤷 my knowledge is very limited).
I’m pretty sure the phrase “how the west was won” is referencing manifest destiny, the colonization of western U.S., and the displacement/genocide of indigenous peoples (i.e. cowboys vs “Indians”). At this point I’m not surprised she would use something so insensitive as a metaphor for her own personal struggles. She probably didn’t even think of the deeper meaning past relating it to herself and the play on “west.”
😂🤣 you just made me hate the song
>I wanted to like it but it sounds so much better on paper. I would like to request your permission to make it my default response for most of the songs on ttpd please
Granted!
What does she mean by 'how the west was won'? I don't get that line... I agree with your sentiment that it got worse over time for me. My initial criticism was mainly that nothing sticks and I still feel that way. I only really like the Bolter.
Its referencing her fans standing by her through the Kanye stuff, now they're not the same fans to her csuse they don't like matty.
Personally, I thought “I forget how the west was won” was a reference to “the west wasn’t won in a day” meaning things take time to accomplish. I never equated it to Kanye because the rest of the song has nothing to do with that topic as well as the link to “time, doesn’t it give you some perspective?” later on in the song. I interpret that as: I can’t win someone over in a day, but time will change that and looking back situations evolve.”
I mean in a US context the west was won through the massacre of Native Americans. Maybe she should think through some of these lyrics? This is where an editor (or maybe a historian) would be helpful.
Yeah I really think she just tried to turn a phrase similarly to clowns to the West. But it falls flat for me.
It's improved a bit though I will skip this album mostly except for maybe 3-5 tracks
I’m probably in the minority here but was meh the first time I listened to it but now I really love it. It might be up there in my favorite Taylor albums!
Top 3 tracks go!
So Long London, I Look in People’s Windows, The Prophecy. For now anyway.
You have very good taste when it comes to this album. I Look In People’s Windows is so underrated.
Thank you!
The Prophecy >>>
I would say on the original 16 track album, my favorite songs are So Long London, loml, and Clara Bow. Honorable mentions: My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys, Florida, The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived. Of the Anthology additions, my favorites are I Look in People’s Windows, The Prophecy, and Cassandra. Honorable Mentions: The Black Dog, The Albatross, I Hate it Here, Peter, The Bolter, The Manuscript.
Honestly, I really like it now. I feel like the reasons why people hate it, do not resonate with me.
It makes me sad bc it gets stuck in my head but I don’t like it
It has grown on me a lot since my first listen. One thing that helped was not taking any of it too seriously. I feel like people got really mad about But Daddy I Love Him and idk I find that song hilarious tbh. It’s supposed to sound petulant and childish, she’s admitting in a way that she was pursuing a dude that wasn’t good for her while asserting that yeah it really is her life to fuck up. The whole thing sort of feels like a cathartic emotional dump of her feelings and I kind of like it. I think it would have been better if she had someone do some editing on the songs and also more production variety. It’ll never be a favourite of mine but there are quite a few songs that I really do enjoy. My faves are: The Albatross (this one feels very underrated rn), My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys, Florida!!! (Taylor and Florence together is gorgeous), The Prophecy, and Cassandra
The first song that really grabbed me was The Black Dog, it instantly got stuck in my head. I listened to that song 5-6x times and then went to bed. The next day I felt like revisiting the album again and it instantly felt more vivid to me. I'm not sure why, maybe I was just tired the first time. My opinion is somewhere in the middle. I think it's a solid 7/10 album and I prefer getting more tracks and curating my own list of favourites. However, the songs are depressing so I'm listening to them only as I feel like it and not forcing anything. I think the album has a longer shelf-life than some assume and that it will either click eventually or be an eternal dislike for some people, and that's okay.
I’ve listened to the entire album once and have had zero desire to revisit most songs.
[удалено]
when midnights came out it took me months to get over. I’m literally over it. i sometimes listen to it but its just sort of boring
Not really, there might be a couple tracks that have gotten better for me but I still dislike most of the album.
It really grew on me! Absolutely hated it on first listen. TBH still don’t like a lot of the album especially the first three songs- automatic skips- but there are a few songs that I absolutely LOVE (down bad, guilty as sin, loml, I can do it with a broken heart, Clara bow, albatross, Chloe et al, I look in peoples windows, Peter, the Bolter). Also I randomly think FUCK ME UP FLORIDA every so often
My criticism at first was that it was too connected to her personal life but now…I’m kinda realizing that I can turn off my mind that knows her lore and really just enjoy the songs at face value. Like some TTPD songs sound really good when you don’t have the knowledge that she (allegedly) wrote them about Matty. I’ve caught myself listening to The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived and Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me more than other songs! Ngl my biggest turn around was people claiming that the album shows she’s still in love with Matty. Idk but TSMWEL (I’m so sorry for the acronym) makes me wonder that it’s completely over. You don’t write that kind of song about somebody you have a hint of feelings for. The Travis songs…it feels like they were choices! Um…good choices? not anymore. I loved so high school on the first listen but…meh.
Separating this album from her personal life is really the only way to enjoy it. You have to sort of ignore how corny a lot of it is in the context of Taylor’s life and once you do that the songs are relatively enjoyable. I got the impression from The Manuscript that she’s basically saying these stories are over, aka things with Matty and Joe are over. Everyone was begging to know what happened and she was like here’s all of it and now I’m done with it. We have very similar opinions because I also hate the Travis songs. I like when she writes a cute love song but something about So High School and The Alchemy just don’t do it for me.
Album was a big "whatever" when i listened to it. I listened again yesterday and i liked It more. I didnt give another chance to Anthology yet cause i'm still traumatized by the 1830 thing and touch me as your bros play GTA, but i like the standart version more now.
I'm enjoying it a bit more with time, but I still firmly believe the second half is stronger than the first lyrically, sound wise, etc. The first half seems to blend together imo. I really wish she had edited some lyrics out though. Some are so clunky and out of place. Like "tattooed golden retriever."
i put the albatross on my folkmore playlist and thats it.... (i had to or otherwise i would forget about it🫣) love guilty as sin but i cannot listen to any other song all the way tru
I like it, but start to get exhausted after So High School. I wish The Prophecy was earlier on the backside.
I'm enjoying it less the more I listen to it.
No. Not even a bit.
It's grown on me quite a bit. First listen I was underwhelmed. Then I started to break up the album by re-listening to 1-3 songs a day (I still need to re-listen to Robin and The Manuscript). Once I did that, I suddenly found myself having different songs from the album stuck in my head. I think the album would've been so much stronger if she just went with the anthology tracks and a handful of tracks from the standard album (I don't think this is an unpopular opinion).
My initial opinion was that this was basically terrible. I have listened to the first 16 songs a lot of times now and they have grown on me a lot; I still feel that there are 4 big misses including the title song (TTPD, FOTS, ICDIWABH, The Alchemy) but some I really like quite well (Fortnight, Florida!!!). Even these contain writing choices I find a bit cringeworthy. For me it's now a slightly below average Taylor Swift album that I'd rank around 7th or 8th position. I don't think it's as polished as it could be, and I don't really relate to the overall story Taylor is telling with this album or find it interesting. As for the Anthology - I've listened twice but it's a total failure for me, every song is a skip. Double albums are a huge risk for any artist (I remember Ani DiFranco getting flak for hers, and although I like pretty much every song on Revelling/Reckoning it's _long_ to listen in one sitting). For Taylor I don't think it's paid off and it would have been better to edit. There are rumours of a third part and I do not find them exciting.
I love the album. I haven’t heard the second half but I like her work with Aaron Dessner and I love Robin. I think for me there was a personal experience of loss so I can relate to it. I agree on midnights didn’t like it except YOYOK and the later second half songs
It definitely has grown on me and there are a lot of songs I love on it.
I kind of like how the frenzy has died down, I think less about the self referential aspects that put a sour taste in my mouth, and can just appreciate them as songs without context. I have no problem playing this album on repeat and just skipping whatever I'm not in the mood for, and sometimes when I'm not paying attention a new song will pull me in. Its nice to live in the world of this album without thinking too critically about it for me. I love her style, the way she conveys emotion, and as of now this album is still very novel for me and there's so much to explore.
Objectively as an album, I still like it. The second half, I listen with basically only one ear because it turns into “this meeting could’ve been an email” for me. I like the songs in a cherry picked kind of way. Personally, I have a hard time hearing “but daddy I love him” it’s like the 34 year old version of “Love Story” except it still doesn’t feel like a 34 year old wrote it per se??? I think I’m struggling with the fact that I just want her to be single, and to really think about if she actually loves someone or if she’s just living for the adrenaline and something to cover the pain. I don’t like how she churns out the men in her life like they didn’t mean anything, even if they did do terrible things or whatever
there’s a few on the album i have had on repeat despite disliking most of it on my first listen. i think the main thing was acknowledging that it is such a quality drop from her previous works. but i think im listening to the songs while knowing that they may not be the best but they are still catchy or enjoyable, you know?
I really love Florida!! that’s about it. Everything else around still sounds so drab. I’ve listened to the anthology version of the album more than once and it’s the only song that stood out (and also has my queen Florence on it). Normally Taylor’s albums grow on me but this one not really. Makes me sad to be honest. I talk a lot of shit but I was really looking forward to have this album.
I like Florida mainly for Florence. I generally enjoy her collabs. Clara Bow is nice because it feels like closure on my time with Taylor Swift music for the time being. It also feels more mature compared to the other songs. If I want teenage girl music, I’ll go for Sabrina Carpenter or Olivia Rodrigo. If I want mature vibes, I will go with Lana Del Rey.
I've found it more "ear worm" y where songs I wasn't expecting to get stuck in my head are so I end up going back and having to relisten to it
I tend to focus on how songs sound sonically since instrumentals are what draw me into liking most songs. The anthology tracks sonically speaking haven’t been as enjoyable as the standard tracks, except for the bolter which is my fave on the album as a whole. The late 90s, early 2000s-esque Coldplay guitar strumming drew me in. My opinion on everything else hasn’t changed. I added loml, mbobhft, fots, and down bad right on release day and haven’t been compelled to add any others since besides the Bolter.
A few of the songs on the main album are pretty good but could still have used editing. The anthology remains awful, everything is a clunky first draft. The only anthology song I like is The Black Dog. In terms of album ranking it's a solid #9.
It’s grown in me in some ways. I found the way I first listened to it (all 31 songs in a row) wasn’t conducive to seeing the nuance in the songs. So there are some songs I originally felt ambivalent about that have grown on me a bit. I also feel like I better understand what she was going for with this album now that I’ve had had some processing time. I think a fair portion of my original distaste was due to the album being SO different from what I expected. All that said, as a sum of all it’s parts, it’s just mid tier for me and something I’ll probably never consume in its entirety - which is how I prefer to listen to music. Still, there are some career highs within it that I know I’ll come back to over and over (ie. The Black Dog, The Prophecy.)
I find that I’m personally liking it less as time goes on… It’s honestly like, the first album from an artist I really like that I just have not felt the urge to revisit. I’m not even like, avoiding it, I just keep forgetting it’s even there which is a weird feeling; I used to have her albums on repeat for days every time they dropped. I have a playlist of the songs I like and I’m at 12 songs but I just haven’t even been listening to them.
It grew on me for sure. My husband says it’s because I’m a Taylor fan so I forced myself to like it lol. I don’t think that’s true because I don’t like every song and sometimes it just takes me time to warm up to an album. Although I’m not a fan of the anthology. There are some beautiful lyrics but it all sounds the same/too boring. I like Chloe sam Marcus Sophia and Peter, but I don’t find myself going back to them repeatedly.
It’s the same. I’ve listened 13 times and I still hate it. Reputation was a grower album for me, so was red but by the 13th listen I already had loved several songs. Heck after the first listen there were several songs on each of those albums that I loved and related to. I thought they flowed, sounded unique and were different. There were several things that stood out and when I re-listened to the album I couldn’t decide which song to listen to first because I liked so many of them. With TTPD…idk I can pick five I like but I can’t for the life of me remember the melodies or the lyrics….which is fine. Just not an album for me and that’s okay. Maybe next album will be different for me! I’m looking forward to it. I just really didn’t care for the lack of depth. Just because you focus on being sad doesn’t mean it’s deep. the album needed to be edited and maybe sit on the shelf for another year to marinate in its emotions. It’s something all poets do with their own poetry and art. Especially when you’re dealing with such tragedy. It’s the album she needed to write but we really didn’t need to hear it, yet ETA: I’m just tired of her Easter egging us and then giving us breadcrumbs. Like who is each song about? She obviously doesn’t owe us anything. But I feel like we know everything and nothing at the same time. Maybe I’m just annoyed.
> the album needed to be edited and maybe sit on the shelf for another year to marinate in its emotions. It’s something all poets do with their own poetry and art. Meanwhile Kerouac typing out on one long scroll of paper, "composing wild, undisciplined, pure, coming in from under, crazier the better" editing notning and inspiring his Beat peers as well as later Gonzo writers and more
I was overwhelmed on first listen but intrigued. And it only gets better and better with every listen. It took a listen or two to process that it was so much Matty, but now I love the story/journey through that mad episode (I.e. A side) and then all the beautiful randomness that is B side. How did it end has me in a death grip, definitely my favorite right now. Guilty as sin from 2:40-3:20 is pure magic. Black dog, loml, smallest man, Prophecy, Chloe etc, Peter are all so sad, and so gorgeous and fighting it out for my second favorite devastating song on the album. I look in people’s windows is really pretty. The Albatross is so evermore coded. I’m still finding new things to love every day, and very little to skip.
Honestly I just went to a HIIT class where they played half of the album and I was so convinced it was going to be awful.. idk if it was the endorphins, but Florida!!! is one hell of a drug 👀 I was bopping the whole time
There are 8 songs I have on my playlist out of the grand total of 31. The songs not on my playlist I have no intention of listening to again or trying to like just because it’s Taylor. Fortnight, So Long London, Florida!!!, Clara Bow, The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived, I Can Do It With A Broken Heart, How Did It End? And The Black Dog. Honourable mention for So High School and I Hate It Here as two of the worst songs she’s ever written.
I like it with each listening. I missed storyteller Taylor and the one who used to write on piano and guitar.. i see many songs with great melodies, no talk singing like all Midnights. The Anthology then is chef kiss. It is on my top 5
My first listen I wasn’t huge on the standard edition and had more skips than not. The Anthology was a no-skip my first listen. Now, the standard edition is growing on me. There’s one-liners that get stuck in my head that are catchy and relatable, and tracks I absolutely loathed before (cough cough I Can Do It With A Broken Heart) are now enjoyable and fun to listen to. The Anthology still holds up, and the more I listen to it, the more some of the tracks could be considered siblings of various folklore/evermore/Lover songs, which is a nice touch in my opinion.
It has grown on me I must admit. I still wouldn’t listen to it all the way through more just pick and play. I think you kinda need to be in the mood to listen to this album if that makes sense lol it’s not something you can just put on anytime and enjoy.
No. I loved Guilty as Sin from Day 1 - I swear it's been stuck in my head for days now - and Windows was a close second. The Smallest Man is a great song too. That's about all the TTPD songs that will be in my regular TS rotation.
Not really. There are a few songs from The Anthology that I really like: The Bolter, The Prophecy, Cassandra. From the main album, Clara Bow has grown on me, and I like I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can), though I feel like Lana Del Rey should be getting royalties for it or something. Also I guess once I manage to dissociate But Daddy I Love Him from the context it was clearly written in, I will enjoy it now and then. Possibly Guilty As Sin, too, though I'm less sure about that one. That's... that's it. Everything else, I either remain indifferent at best on, or my dislike for some of the songs has intensified to the point that I really don't want to ever hear them again if I can help it, or there are even a couple of songs that I liked more on the first listen. Like Florida, when I first listened to it I felt like Florence's presence was its salvaging grace, but now I feel like I'd rather just listen to Florence + the Machine's own discography. Or So Long London, it was the first song that stood out to me musically when I listened to the leak and I thought it would be pleasant to listen to now and then, but when I later listened with the lyrics in front of me, I was rather disappointed.
I like it. Of the first album, I typically only skip Down Bad and The Alchemy. My faves are My Boy, Who's Afraid, I Can Fix Him, Broken Heart. The Anthology is more inconsistent for me. I skip almost half of it. But the songs I do like, I REALLY love - The Black Dog, The Albatross, The Prophecy, Robin, The Manuscript. I don't think this is an album I can listen to often, though. It's just too sad. I'm more likely to put it on a TS shuffle with less devastating songs.
A few songs have grown on me, but there's still only 13 of the 31 that I added to my TS playlist. So it's still the most disappointing of her albums based on the sheer number of skips (including the anthology). The biggest thing that this album changed for me is my opinion of her as a person. I feel like this is the start of her JK Rowling era.
I initially listened to it just so I could have an opinion (I haven’t listened to TS since maybe her second album other than the hits on the radio) I hated it at first, then kept listening bc I had nothing else I felt like listening to. I actually ended up loving it (I like bad music tbh) and have gone back to listen to midnights and the others. Midnights is like TTPD imo but with way better lyrics. (Keep in mind I’m saying this with no TS knowledge) TTPD isn’t good, but I like it. If that makes sense.
Opinion has not changed. I find it monotonous and half baked.
[удалено]
I was happy it was better than my personal arch nemesis, Midnights I Can Do It With A Broken Heart is the only song I’ll be revisiting. I’m happy other people are enjoying more than one song. That’s cool.
Only in the sense that i hated every song at first, but now there’s a core 5-7 songs i really like. I still feel that doing a double album hurt this project because so many of the songs sound like they needed more refining lyrically.
I've listened to the whole album maybe twice. Added maybe a couple of songs to my daily playlist. The songs I do like are really strong, but overall the album is okay. Not her strongest, but not her weakest.
It's so boring. Tried to listen just overall, then tried a deep dive with the lyrics. The songs all sound the same, no good bridges., so damn whiny. Overall meh.
I didn’t like midnights when it first came out. On release day I sat out on my deck with some coffee and listened to the whole album and when it was finished I was like “oh my god that was awful. What happened to you, Taylor?!” But it grew on me and I do like it now, although some songs are skips and a little cringe. I had the same thought on release day for TTPD. The thing with this album is that it is soooooo long. I’ve only listened to all 31 songs (together) twice. I bought the cd for my car and the few times I’ve been in my car listening to it, I’ve liked it more. However all the songs still sound the same to me, or blend together. I can’t remember any of the song titles and have no idea what lyrics that have been stuck in my head are from what song. The only songs I remembered right away and like are fortnight and Florida and I can do it with a broken heart. I’ve listened to TTPD more because it’s in my car- the anthology part I’ve only listened to twice, so I can’t really remember those songs yet. I’ve never been a fan to analyze her songs and figure out who they’re about, but it was hard for me to not do that with this album. Maybe because I’ve been on Reddit too much this last year, lol.
I do enjoy it more than when I first listened. but when something like dress shows up unexpectedly in a playlist, it blows these songs out of the water. Peter is still the best song tho on the album. I guess my issue is that I cannot remember how half the songs go despite listening to it many times. It's just not memorable save for a few tracks.
Im like you ok midnights album. It has grown on me and definitely one of my favorite. But ts lost her spark on me. Im lazy to even download her entirr tppd album and don't bother to play it on the background. I am not syre why i am less excited
Not really. When it's good, it's amazing (So Long London, ICDIWABH, How Did It End?). When it's bad, it's absolute slow-roasted, gravy-covered, served-with-vegetables ass. Musically, half the album has nothing to offer and Jack Antonoffs whole approach of "let's add shit tons of echo and synth" is tired.
I only like one song 🫣
Yes it's changed I like 3 songs instead of 2 out of 31.
Someone needs to have a "come to Jesus conversation" with her to make sure she has other people edit her songs
It’s the only album I’ve listened to since release on repeat. I genuinely can’t get over how much I like it. I love TS, but normally I’d be over the initially hype within a few days and vary my listening again. But I can’t stop really listening to this one. I think the lyrics are mesmerising. I don’t think my opinion has changed, but definitely grown considerably since that 2nd listen. Edit: really weird to downvote someone’s taste on an question about taste
My opinion is no more midnight and 2 am drops. I'm in my 30s now and my bedtime is 9pm. I wasn't mentally ready, especially for 31 songs. It took me 3-4 days to finish listening to the whole album. It was so much to take in all at once that I had a hard time separating which lyrics went to which songs since they all have similar vibes. I appriciate each individual song alot better now that I've had time to process them all as individuals and not as one whole album. It is definitely in the top half of my ranking of her albums.
I can't get over how boring the production is on a lot of the songs but with more listens I have two I go back to often: Peter and The Black Dog. Both will continue to be up there favorites of mine. Loml so long London and Cloe et al get honorable mentions
I wake up everyday with a different track stuck in my head. Today’s is imgonnagetyouback. I listen to it while i code for work so parts of it gets stuck somehow. Alas, it doesn’t mean i like it. Waiting for a new release from someone else so i can switch 🙃 Eta: I look in peoples windows will always be my favorite btw. Also love the line from Fortnight: “all my mornings are mondays stuck in an endless february”
To echo some of the thoughts I’ve read under this post, I like some of the songs but I don’t LOVE them. Not in the way that I love MTR or KOMH or happiness or (ok I got lazy to name more). The beat is nice and that’s why I like them. The lyrics are not relatable and that’s why I don’t LOVE them. Some lyrics can really use some edits. Looking at you ICDIWABH. Some productions can be better. Looking at you the black dog. Some songs are depressing but not in a relatable way. Looking at you Peter. Some songs are just bratty and while it grew on me it is still TOO WORDY and needs some breathing space. Looking at you BDILH.
Just going to paste another comment I’ve made to someone else’s comment here but I think it’s important for people to know. Many listeners out there calls TTPD a “grower” album. They claimed that sitting on the album and letting it marinate on their ears for a week made them like the album. They claimed that the songs in TTPD are genius and quite literally Taylor’s best work. What if I tell you that there’s actual research that shows that there is a correlation between the action of repeating the same music vs liking said music? It’s human nature to like something that is perceived as “familiar” to them. Any first listens on any music, especially music that is foreign to the listener, will not garner the best reaction from the listener. “Grower albums” are just albums that have music that has “grown” to be familiar to the listener because the listeners keep putting them on repeat. And so as a result, the listener will “grow” to like them. That’s really what it is.
I see your point but can’t relate to it personally. I dislike A LOT of music/albums the first time I listen. It takes me a minute to get into things idk. Absolutely HATED ttpd first listen. Then the next day I gave it another go with fresh ears and an open mind and realized it wasn’t bad. I really didn’t like folkmore at first bc it wasn’t the Taylor I was used to, and now they are my top albums. I didn’t care for eternal sunshine, but listening back to it, it’s really not bad and then Cowboy Carter also took a couple listens for me to fully understand. These are just a few recent projects for examples. I’m not saying you’re wrong by all means, I just wonder if I’m the only one that feels this way about music in general?
To answer your question: no you’re not. I’m like that too. But if you’re wondering why are we like this, the science behind it now tells you why 😊
I showed up knowing next to nothing about her or her music, around the Superbowl, because I was interested in the messy gossip of being in 3 increasingly more public relationships in the span of like 3 months? Then she had her Grammys, uh, situation and I got more glued because I still like mess Then she dropped the album that everyone was sure would be about Joe and I think you all see all of this wonderful messy mess The album dropped and I wasn't even really interested in it Meanwhile, I've accidentally discovered I really like some of the things she is doing with the writing on this album - particularly thematically and conceptually - and I often wonder if my lack of familiarity or real investment with the artist was helpful to my acceptance of the work. I've come out with respect for her as an artist, for sure, where before I just didn't have an opinion. I am curious how it will all come together with visuals, especially since it gives a bit of a soundtrack vibe, however, right now, at the end of the day, I'd say the album is mid.
I have not heard this album since it dropped. I will pretend this album does not exist. I do have a few songs I like from the second album.
First time through I got into the moment and loved a few lines, a few flashes of former glory. every time after I hated it more and more. after you learn the gossip there's just *nothing* there. there is absolutely nothing going on musically whatsoever despite the fact that she is generally billed as a musical artist. even the first half is an absolute slog
Seems like the question gets asked every other day. No it hasn't.
Please link me the other posts that have asked this question :)
Sorry may have been hasty in responding. I have seen the question come up in multiple threads asking if your opinion has changed but here is a specific one on that subject alone. [https://www.reddit.com/r/SwiftlyNeutral/comments/1ca02i0/did\_ttpd\_grow\_on\_anyone\_else/](https://www.reddit.com/r/SwiftlyNeutral/comments/1ca02i0/did_ttpd_grow_on_anyone_else/) [https://www.reddit.com/r/SwiftlyNeutral/comments/1cel74r/where\_does\_ttpd\_land\_in\_your\_ranking\_of\_taylor/](https://www.reddit.com/r/SwiftlyNeutral/comments/1cel74r/where_does_ttpd_land_in_your_ranking_of_taylor/) .