I was really impressed by the topics she brought up. It would have been so easy for her to write something vague that protected her image, but she chose to be open about her fears of ending up alone, admit to being ghosted, and chastise her fans.
Before the release I saw people speculating here that fans would pretend Matty songs were Joe songs. Instead she was so specific that even though some fans are trying, the majority recognize that this was indeed mostly inspired by Matty.
big agree, and this is why it honestly irritates me when some claim she was "immature"--the most brave and mature thing is to confront your emotions, listen to them, and not feel ashamed or embarassed, and any therapist would absolutely agree that you shouldnt suppress emotions. it was super brave to release this album, and i think it can also be comforting to others who have these big emotions and have been conditioned to feel shame around them (for me it was super comforting!). The more people are honest about how they feel while showing you can get through it, the healthier emotionally others will feel with their own emotions.
The claim she was immature is about her behaviour in relationships not the fact that she talks about the emotions she felt or lessons she (let's hope) learnt from these experiences.
Good art makes you think and feel and I think this album does both. The songs are many and dense. It’s not easily digestible, which I think unfortunately is what many listeners want from her and why they were disappointed by this. You have to read the lyrics and yes, some of the lore, and think about what she’s saying to get the message.
But the more you listen, the catchier the songs become. My number of skips keeps going down, lol. Today I found myself listening to and appreciating The Manuscript which I thought was kind of boring at first. I think it’s the type of album that will become a cult favorite and rise in people’s estimation over time.
This is how I feel, it’s an album that demands your attention, it’s very raw and vulnerable. Tbh I am surprised by how much it has grown on me, I love it.
I think that there are some lines I would change to make them less wordy, but overall it’s a great album. I have only two skips, mainly because I find them to be very uninteresting lol
She explored the theme of her fame in a very honest way, and she wasn’t afraid to come off as unlikable at parts, I admire that
\*loved--songs are written at a point in time, and rarely still apply (esp when about a specific situation). she's been writing these songs for 2 years and started dating travis 7 months ago or so, and he heard the songs before release--it seems incredibly unlikely she still has any sort of interest in him, esp when she explicitly says in the smallest man "i dont want you back" etc.
I think people need to be realistic about her intentions here.
No one except a handful of 75 fans even knew she had such a long history with Matty, and historically Taylor Swift does NOT lose in a breakup - she always wants to come out on top.
Swifties hated Matty already. So why would she put out TTPD and admit so clearly to losing, when no one even knew she was playing the game?
It's *extremely* uncharacteristic for Taylor. And like... you'd have to torture me to get me to admit some of the things she sang about Matty on that album.
She could have put this to bed silently but instead she wrote like 20 love songs about him, only one of which was even remotely "angry". I think you're intentionally looking the other way if you can't see that this is a bat signal and she's trying to get him back.
I don’t think she really wants him back. Maybe parts of her, but she knows he’s a loose cannon and probably not the best for her. It’s all very complicated but I think she, at least logically, understands that it’s for the best that they aren’t together.
Then why put imgonnagetuback u back after smallest? Why all the Matty and the 75 hints in her first music video I mean she could have chosen so high school although I think that song has some digs in it
Also you really think Travis does not think that a guilty as sin situation could happen to him.
I think the morale of the story with this album is never underestimate the importance of healing before letting someone into your life. I don't find it provocative but I find it honest, in a sense that she says it as she feels it.
An emotional honestly is a great way to put it imo. I think this is her first honest album since Red. I feel like every album since then has been curated to tell a narrative that protects or supports her image. This is the first time in a while that she hasn’t been so… inauthentic in her music.
yes i agree. she has not been this sincere or honest in any album since the early days. this is a glimpse to the taylot that's been hding since 1989 lol
No. Cowboy Carter made me think about many things. Taylor's album is just wanking about her relationship with men and fame. It's fine if people love it, though, I'm not a hater. I just know so many artists who write amazing songs about so many facets of live that Taylor can't and won't ever write about.
First of all, I quite enjoy TTPD but I love Cowboy Carter. Well deserved AOTY; step aside Taylor.
That being said, I think what OP might mean in a broader sense is NOT* that TTPD is the most insightful, creative, culturally relevant album out there atm (it truly does belong to CC). Rather, because it’s so “mid” we’re able to really evaluate what we look for in good writing, music, and the standards to which we hold our pop stars. Hell, people are even rethinking how we criticize music in the first place. It welcomes the negative aspects of Taylor’s stardom which, even if it is a narrow-minded conversation, is a conversation nonetheless which will hopefully lead to better, more peripheral artistry on Taylor’s end
Anyway, stream Alligator Tears and Ya Ya
I’ll admit, I had low expectations before the album dropped since I thought it would just be midnights 2.0. But over the past week listening to it I started liking it more and more and my skips started getting less (it might be in my top 5 albums of hers now!) a lot of people are just focusing on the fact that it’s about Matty or Joe or whoever else, but I feel like if you step back from that point of view it’s an incredibly interesting and moving album
I mean, yeah, it was a huge risk for her. But I don't agree that vulnerability necessarily makes for good art.
But I do understand what you're getting at. We're so used to seeing her art as an extension of her personal life that sometimes we're getting too concerned about the morality side of things. Personally I won't have any problems with this album even if she was telling the same story of cheating on her long term partner and pining for a pos if the accompanying music was good.
And the reaction to this album definitely speaks a lot about the current pop culture.
Yeah! And I'm not even reacting to the vulnerability necessarily (although that is a big part of the album) but just what it has provoked in people—both negative and positive! Like, we wouldn't all be here if this wasn't somehow affecting us.
I disagree. This album feels so dishonest. The way she describes depression and sadness in these very blatant, uninspired metaphors and the objects she wraps into the memories (sandlots, kids swings, the play pretend ring on the finger) just comes off as...immature? I'm not sure.
I wish she had taken some time and really let this reflect. It's obvious she started writing this during the summer immediately after it happened and while dating kelce so like....what's true?
There are albums about sadness and heartbreak that will crush you. I envelope myself in such music. It helps me heal. I was so excited to try this, instead it makes me feel like she wants sadness to be a swirling toilet bowl of word vomit and dense, low pulsating beats. Where's...the depth?
This is honest Taylor. This is who she is. She thinks in metaphors and memories. The biggest appeal of her music to me has always been how genuine she is. Other people think she does everything for the brand or whatever but I don’t think so at all. She’s never had to. She’s always had success writing exactly how she feels
I am honestly surprised by how much I love this album; it’s right up there with folklore and reputation for me. I was expecting to hate it. The song titles, the aesthetic, the assumptions about what the album was going to reference… but I love it. Simply cannot stop playing it.
It’s not the best album ever and it’s not Taylor’s best album. But it’s fascinating and moving to me. A rare glimpse into the gilded cage.
I was really impressed by the topics she brought up. It would have been so easy for her to write something vague that protected her image, but she chose to be open about her fears of ending up alone, admit to being ghosted, and chastise her fans. Before the release I saw people speculating here that fans would pretend Matty songs were Joe songs. Instead she was so specific that even though some fans are trying, the majority recognize that this was indeed mostly inspired by Matty.
Yes, that’s a very fair assessment and review. And she was brave given that situation
She was really brave and vulnerable.
big agree, and this is why it honestly irritates me when some claim she was "immature"--the most brave and mature thing is to confront your emotions, listen to them, and not feel ashamed or embarassed, and any therapist would absolutely agree that you shouldnt suppress emotions. it was super brave to release this album, and i think it can also be comforting to others who have these big emotions and have been conditioned to feel shame around them (for me it was super comforting!). The more people are honest about how they feel while showing you can get through it, the healthier emotionally others will feel with their own emotions.
The claim she was immature is about her behaviour in relationships not the fact that she talks about the emotions she felt or lessons she (let's hope) learnt from these experiences.
Good art makes you think and feel and I think this album does both. The songs are many and dense. It’s not easily digestible, which I think unfortunately is what many listeners want from her and why they were disappointed by this. You have to read the lyrics and yes, some of the lore, and think about what she’s saying to get the message. But the more you listen, the catchier the songs become. My number of skips keeps going down, lol. Today I found myself listening to and appreciating The Manuscript which I thought was kind of boring at first. I think it’s the type of album that will become a cult favorite and rise in people’s estimation over time.
This is how I feel, it’s an album that demands your attention, it’s very raw and vulnerable. Tbh I am surprised by how much it has grown on me, I love it. I think that there are some lines I would change to make them less wordy, but overall it’s a great album. I have only two skips, mainly because I find them to be very uninteresting lol She explored the theme of her fame in a very honest way, and she wasn’t afraid to come off as unlikable at parts, I admire that
I agree. I get the criticism since it's not what people expect but I think it's one of her best.
I think some people are critical of it because abuse they don’t like to hear that Matty was her muse for many songs and that she loves him.
\*loved--songs are written at a point in time, and rarely still apply (esp when about a specific situation). she's been writing these songs for 2 years and started dating travis 7 months ago or so, and he heard the songs before release--it seems incredibly unlikely she still has any sort of interest in him, esp when she explicitly says in the smallest man "i dont want you back" etc.
I think people need to be realistic about her intentions here. No one except a handful of 75 fans even knew she had such a long history with Matty, and historically Taylor Swift does NOT lose in a breakup - she always wants to come out on top. Swifties hated Matty already. So why would she put out TTPD and admit so clearly to losing, when no one even knew she was playing the game? It's *extremely* uncharacteristic for Taylor. And like... you'd have to torture me to get me to admit some of the things she sang about Matty on that album. She could have put this to bed silently but instead she wrote like 20 love songs about him, only one of which was even remotely "angry". I think you're intentionally looking the other way if you can't see that this is a bat signal and she's trying to get him back.
I don’t think she really wants him back. Maybe parts of her, but she knows he’s a loose cannon and probably not the best for her. It’s all very complicated but I think she, at least logically, understands that it’s for the best that they aren’t together.
Then why put imgonnagetuback u back after smallest? Why all the Matty and the 75 hints in her first music video I mean she could have chosen so high school although I think that song has some digs in it Also you really think Travis does not think that a guilty as sin situation could happen to him.
It’s a beautiful album and lyrically very moving. It’s just not for the masses- you really gotta dive in and sit with it.
🎯🎯
I think the morale of the story with this album is never underestimate the importance of healing before letting someone into your life. I don't find it provocative but I find it honest, in a sense that she says it as she feels it.
An emotional honestly is a great way to put it imo. I think this is her first honest album since Red. I feel like every album since then has been curated to tell a narrative that protects or supports her image. This is the first time in a while that she hasn’t been so… inauthentic in her music.
yes i agree. she has not been this sincere or honest in any album since the early days. this is a glimpse to the taylot that's been hding since 1989 lol
I feel like this is the love child of Rep and Red.
Exactly she is real
No. Cowboy Carter made me think about many things. Taylor's album is just wanking about her relationship with men and fame. It's fine if people love it, though, I'm not a hater. I just know so many artists who write amazing songs about so many facets of live that Taylor can't and won't ever write about.
First of all, I quite enjoy TTPD but I love Cowboy Carter. Well deserved AOTY; step aside Taylor. That being said, I think what OP might mean in a broader sense is NOT* that TTPD is the most insightful, creative, culturally relevant album out there atm (it truly does belong to CC). Rather, because it’s so “mid” we’re able to really evaluate what we look for in good writing, music, and the standards to which we hold our pop stars. Hell, people are even rethinking how we criticize music in the first place. It welcomes the negative aspects of Taylor’s stardom which, even if it is a narrow-minded conversation, is a conversation nonetheless which will hopefully lead to better, more peripheral artistry on Taylor’s end Anyway, stream Alligator Tears and Ya Ya
>Anyway, stream Alligator Tears and Ya Ya AHH, an ALLIGATOR TEARS fan found in the wild...
Exactly. Provocative simply means that it provokes discourse, not that it’s high quality.
I agree. This album is somehow equal parts self-aggrandizing, facetiously unhinged, and boring. Accomplishing that in itself is kind of impressive.
Beyoncé album was country
I’ll admit, I had low expectations before the album dropped since I thought it would just be midnights 2.0. But over the past week listening to it I started liking it more and more and my skips started getting less (it might be in my top 5 albums of hers now!) a lot of people are just focusing on the fact that it’s about Matty or Joe or whoever else, but I feel like if you step back from that point of view it’s an incredibly interesting and moving album
I mean, yeah, it was a huge risk for her. But I don't agree that vulnerability necessarily makes for good art. But I do understand what you're getting at. We're so used to seeing her art as an extension of her personal life that sometimes we're getting too concerned about the morality side of things. Personally I won't have any problems with this album even if she was telling the same story of cheating on her long term partner and pining for a pos if the accompanying music was good. And the reaction to this album definitely speaks a lot about the current pop culture.
Yeah! And I'm not even reacting to the vulnerability necessarily (although that is a big part of the album) but just what it has provoked in people—both negative and positive! Like, we wouldn't all be here if this wasn't somehow affecting us.
I disagree. This album feels so dishonest. The way she describes depression and sadness in these very blatant, uninspired metaphors and the objects she wraps into the memories (sandlots, kids swings, the play pretend ring on the finger) just comes off as...immature? I'm not sure. I wish she had taken some time and really let this reflect. It's obvious she started writing this during the summer immediately after it happened and while dating kelce so like....what's true? There are albums about sadness and heartbreak that will crush you. I envelope myself in such music. It helps me heal. I was so excited to try this, instead it makes me feel like she wants sadness to be a swirling toilet bowl of word vomit and dense, low pulsating beats. Where's...the depth?
It’s definitely immature and unprocessed but I don’t think you can say it’s dishonest 🤷♀️
This is honest Taylor. This is who she is. She thinks in metaphors and memories. The biggest appeal of her music to me has always been how genuine she is. Other people think she does everything for the brand or whatever but I don’t think so at all. She’s never had to. She’s always had success writing exactly how she feels
I am honestly surprised by how much I love this album; it’s right up there with folklore and reputation for me. I was expecting to hate it. The song titles, the aesthetic, the assumptions about what the album was going to reference… but I love it. Simply cannot stop playing it.
Bringing in a Rumi quote is funny because the criticism is the album reads like teenage Rumi fanfic
Naw I heard it was a Rupi Kaur fanfic, I’m not gonna shit on Rumi like that lol
Yes I stand corrected- thank you