Midnights: the album that has been taking over the nation, the album that has been on repeat in everybody’s locked bedroom, and the album that has everyone screaming every single lyric on every single track. Taylor Swift’s most successful album to date, streamed 184.6 million times on its release date, demolishing Drake’s previous record, is filled with the tiniest details alluding to other works of art as well as bizarre metaphors that seem to almost transport you into another dimension. The whimsical, almost childlike, feeling you experience while listening to the album is simply invigorating.

When this album was released on October 21st at the stroke of midnight, it seemed like half the world population was sitting at the foot of their bed, awaiting Midnights’ release. Thirteen tracks and a single experience: a plethora of emotions experienced while listening to the trance-inducing visual imagery depicted in “Lavender Haze”, all the way to the warm and fuzzy feeling you get when listening to the tranquil, yet bouncy, beat of “Mastermind.” The remaining tracks on the album are the perfect mesh of catchy tunes you can blast in the car with your friends and ones you can listen to while crying alone in your bedroom; the span of feelings Swift is able to touch in our hearts is just impressive, and her genius-level songwriting skills only help her achieve her goal of creating a close-to-perfect work of art.

Personally, my favorite song on the album is “Maroon.” The way Swift starts off by describing a small interaction between two people who love each other using dialogue and such unique vocabulary is so compelling to me; then, her serene, almost unbothered, vocals lead into the chorus in such a way that the transition between the moods being conveyed is effortless. This song also displays the talent Swift has when it comes to songwriting; the chorus is filled with language that has the same connotation of the word “red,” such as “wine,” “blood,” and “rust.” Swift includes these words into the chorus so covertly, you almost don’t even notice the clever wordplay. Overall, I think this track is an excellent demonstration of Swift’s songwriting skills as well as how she’s able to play with words with such ease.

I wanted to see what my fellow peers at school thought of the album, so I asked some of my friends what their favorite track on Midnights was. Allison Wong of the MHS Newspaper’s very own Layout Team explained that her favorite song was “Midnight Rain” because the message conveyed throughout the song resonates with her, especially the line, “He was sunshine, I was midnight rain.” Also, Allison says that the song helps her finish her homework, which we all know at Millennium, makes a song a million times better. Only if the song could only complete our Resource Notebooks for us would be even more amazing, but I also love this track; the contrast between Swift’s dreamy vocals and all the distorted, essentially nightmarish, chants creates a flawless fuse of feelings that create such a confusing, but beautiful, responsiveness to the song. 

I also asked Amanda Chen, my fellow Handel advisee, what her favorite track on Midnights was; when I tell you that Amanda is the biggest Swiftie I have ever met, words cannot even begin to describe how this is not an exaggeration in the slightest, so I knew I had to ask her for her opinion. Without hesitation, she said her favorite song was “You’re On Your Own, Kid.” When I asked her why, she said that the lyrics make her feel validated, she loves the song’s bridge, and she loves the catchy beat. Her favorite line is, “So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it”, and I would have to agree with her on this one; this specific lyric, as well as the rest of the song, ignites such a nostalgic feeling in you. 

That’s why this album is so amazing: each track can take you back to different moments in your life, to all the different people you’ve come across throughout your time on this beautiful planet, and to the highs and lows of growing up. Hopefully, after reading my review of the album you’ll decide to listen to Midnights and end up on this emotional roller coaster along with me. Connecting with others through music is such a special way we can all begin to better understand each other, and this album can do just that for the community here at Millennium.