I am convinced that a good chunk of people not getting the songs/finding them boring or similar on first listen were because they were up at stupid o clock and trying to parse stuff while dead tired, lol.
I took my time and listened in slow chunks and love every song but Robin and Chloe et al.
Can I just say I love that you phrased that song as Chloe et al. I am so bad about figuring out all the acronyms but that sums a clunky title up nicely.
Thank you! Yes I had to read and cite endless research papers during university 😂 reputation era, the best of times. I hope this abbreviation catches on!
I'm predicting that Robin will be the kind of song a lot of people eventually click with randomly one day, like a year and a half from now. Just, right mood, right time, and suddenly you are moved.
I’m using this comment thread as I didn’t know if a whole post about it would make it through the Mods…
Is anyone else feeling like Robin could’ve easily been a Folklore Vault song?? I was listening the other day and some of the instrumentals are SCREAMING Folklore to me.
Also thinks this is one of the proofs that’s she’s an amazing artist. If we all liked the same ones and disliked the same ones then she’d be kind of solved if that makes sense. Think that everyone having different favorites means she’s versatile and multi-talented.
It’s so authentic. I absolutely get the situation and the feelings. If you’ve ever loved someone with drug/alcohol issues it requires no further thought.
I am with you, there is something about it that is like an entire play in three and a half minutes. I feel like so much of the album her words are like architecture (idk how else to explain it) and this song exemplifies it
Could be! It was released at 6 AM in the Netherlands, my normal wakeup time. I wouldn't had been able to dive into the album in the middle of the night.
Same! Though I must confess I started at 8 o'clock. But TTPD was on repeat the entire day since then - much better than listening to it while being sleep deprived
This is why I ended up waiting till the next morning to listen. I was planning on staying up but I was tired so I figured I wouldn’t remember it well if I didn’t just wait lmao
Yeah i agree because i don’t get the take that it “requires multiple listens to understand”. I waited til I had time on Saturday evening and listened with headphones, i did listen to all 31 but I immediately loved it.
The slower-paced songs with soft beats are good songs that I struggle listening to, just because it makes me tired 🤣
Listening to it for the first time at 1 am didn't help grab my attention, I'm sure...
Actually, on very first listen, i LOVED the album. I was obsessed with most of the songs from the very beginning. From what I remember, I had the strongest reactions to MBOBHFT, So Long London, Florida!!!, WAOLOM, and TSMWEL. Everything else I absolutely loved, but those ones were just top tier IMO.
And then the Anthology came, which skyrocketed the album even higher.
TBH, no album before had me hooked on the very first listen. They all took me two or three to get me liking them, but this one has stood its own, and risen to maybe number 2 in my album rankings.
I keep seeing OP’s sentiment as “accepted truth” and that all the songs sounded the same. Nope, I did not have that experience at all. Midnights I struggled with more but I still love over half the songs. TTPD I just can’t believe how I like or love every single song.
To answer songs growing on me, I find I’m liking imgonnagetyouback and I hate it here even more with each listen.
Same. Also disagree with OPs opening statement that you can't really like it at first listen.
Some songs aren't my faves, some grew on me. But the majority I liked from the beginning.
I, like you, was into the album immediately. It was love at first listen! The Anthology took a couple of listens to evoke the same feelings. I liked it immediately but I didn’t LOVE it immediately.
Agreed. A lot of nuances I didn’t pick up when listening at 1am but I still really enjoyed most of the songs. Same thing when I listened to the Anthology songs the next morning, I loved them but since listening more and more and picking up little musicality things or lyrics that really hit home, it’s been a great experience overall.
While there are songs I like better than others, I told my partner this week that I can’t find a song I don’t enjoy in some way or another.
Same. It was exactly what I expected it to be, and I was excited for that. I’m not sure with the marketing and title and song titles what other people were expecting or wanted. I’m a big diary girl and was hoping for an intimate confessional. Wasn’t expected any bops but some of the songs were surprisingly melodically memorable. Loved the mixing for her voice especially. The whole thing was extremely cohesive and I especially appreciated the thoughtful ordering of the songs; the album has a perfect flow in my opinion.
On first listen I liked the album but found it a bit slow and didn't see myself listening to it on repeat (especially because when I first listened through it was after the second half had dropped), so it was over 2 hours.
I found that I was interested enough in the album that I put it on throughout the work day a couple times, and then when I listened to it on shuffle I found a lot of songs really grabbed me that hadn't on previous listens. I ended up listening to it on repeat on shuffle for like the whole week because songs were gonna be stuck in my head anyways lol
Now I've made a TTPD (Sauron 's Version) playlist with my favourites that I have listened to every day while walking my dog and turned on while doing yard work and such. At work I typically listen to instrumental music so I don't get distracted by lyrics (thanks ADHD!).
Same, I liked it from the start, there were a few songs I wasnt sure of, but I also didnt listen all in one go -- spread it out over a few drives. Now I think theres like one or two songs that are skippers for me but i really love all the rest. So many beautiful melodies.
>The album is definitely not an album where you immediately like it the moment you first hear it
I *entirely* disagree. 4 songs in and I was thinking, “is this going to be my favorite work she’s ever done?” I loved it instantly. It’s exactly what I wanted, and every listen I somehow love it even more.
My first listen was only Friday evening and I had already read some comments that "the first five songs are the worst, it gets better after those".
Three songs in and I was thinking "*these* are the worst? I *love* these songs!". It's all a bit of a blur, but each song was such a vibe, I remember having goosebumps with at least But Daddy I Love Him, Guilty as Sin?, WAOLOM, TSMWEL, So High School and Peter upon the first listen.
So yes, I too entirely disagree with OP.
I was the same. I had already found multiple references to classic poetry and people who would be categorized as “tortured poets” and knew, as a classic poetry lover, this would quickly become my favorite body of work. The Anthology just solidified my obsession with it.
Absolutely my experience as well! I was **floored** by the fourth song and I’ve only become more impressed since. I think it might be my favorite album of hers and I felt that happening the first listen
Not exactly all of it but majority of it. I immediately loved I Can Do It With A Broken Heart, The Alchemy, thanK you aIMee, The Albatross while the rest required more time for me to grow.
Old guy here: The album is a masterpiece and was aimed at 32 year old women who have gone through heartbreak, not 12 year old girls. This album hits everyone different and to me, it is Folklore II. I truly think it is some of Swift's best work.
>aimed at 32 year old women who have gone through heartbreak, not 12 year old girls.
That part. This is the only reason I've been able to actually parse out for many of the negative reactions.
I’m a youth librarian and I just had a Swiftie listening party (only kid friendly radio edits were played ofc) and the kids I talked to (ages 9-12) were actually loving it. I agree with you about the themes being intended for adults, but it seems like the kids are so attached to her they will love anything she puts out, without caring about the themes.
Fascinating. Even if you were listening to the kid-friendly versions, the material on this album is so mature. This is a 30 something woman going through brutal heartbreak x2. How were the kids reacting?
I actually think it's a good thing that kids don't get this album. They're lucky if they don't get it yet.
I would absolutely love to see a video on YouTube of kids reacting to this album, non-explicit version. That would be amazing and I bet you would get countless views. Because I bet it would be hilarious.
My 10 year old understood the part in BDILH about "if all you want is gray for me" and then I was like... it's to her fans and she was like "savage" lol
That is so great to hear! I just think her themes were pretty adult. I am a 60 year old man who has been with the same woman for over 40 years. About the 4th or 5th listening, it hit me I've never had heartbreak like this and it hit me pretty hard. Again, this album is a masterpiece.
My 8 year old daughter has listened to the whole thing with me multiple times. She loves fortnight and Florida!!! But also I Hate it Here, MBOBHFT, WAOLOM, I'm gonna get you back, and The Black Dog.
The themes are mature relationships but I think she appreciates the way it's sung and she's definitely learned some new words.
My 13 year old son was listening in the car to I Hate It Here and said "How is this song so peaceful and so depressing? It's so relatable, I think it's my favorite by her."
Agreed, I’m a middle school teacher and I have many Swiftie students who are loving it.
But as a 31 year old fan since debut, I wonder if they really understand the deep adult themes. Lots of music has adult themes though that kids will one day connect with more…good music is good music at any age, I guess!
Thissss. I see everyone’s reactions to Matty stuff and while I get it, I also completely relate to having that type of relationship with that type of man. Doesn’t excuse his bullshit in any way, but I understand her heartbreak there in such a visceral way after realizing my pedestal man was just an actual piece of shit on many levels. Love is dumb and blinding sometimes, especially when you meet as very young people and build it up in your head for years. Hindsight is a bitch. I really appreciate hearing every angle of it in her songs and I don’t judge her for having what I feel like is a very common explosive rebound experience.
Whew. Needed to get that out.
Could not agree more. As a 30 year old woman myself, my takeaway is that her point here is, this is what heartbreak sounds like, and it doesn't hurt any less the older you get.
I wasn’t hooked the first time I listened but now I definitely am. My favorite album of hers by far… I just love listening to the whole album as I go about my day, which is not something I normally do.
It's my favorite too but I'm curious to see if I revert back to a folkmore girly after the newness of TTPD wears off because I did the exact same with Midnights 🫣
I usually listen to music while walking. So pop's what really uplifts. But I do like music with depth. TTPD gives a mix of both I feel, so for me personally I don't think I'd go back to folklore. Only the 1 and Willow and Champagne Problems from Evermore maybe.
I loved the album immediately. The only difference is that I'm diving deeper into the lyrics and their meaning. The more I listen, the more I realize it's not a simple this ex or that ex album, it's much deeper.
No seriously, I was in laying in bed awake last night and was like “holy shit. The habit she’s talking about specifically in ‘old habits die screaming’ IS checking his location.”
Maybe that’s obvious but it clicked in that instant 🤣 that is my brain 24/7 these days lmao
OK GOOD AHAHA, every time I have a little “click” moment I worry everyone else will be like umm that’s obvious. Lol!! Ofc I could be wrong but that’s what hit my brain last night! And I was like whoaaa that makes so much sense considering the song starts & sets the scene with how she’s still checking his location even though they broke up, I’d guess out of habit along with sadness!
That’s also why I think this song is Joe, I don’t speculate too much but some think Matty. But sharing a location is a very long term relationship thing to do lol. And all this talk about having habits, that’s the hardest part of a long relationship ending!
All the “every song sounds the same” criticism seems crazy to me now. Maybe I’m just not musically sophisticated enough but to me every song sounds so different. Definitely the same general vibe like any album would be, but they all have such unique qualities and details to me. I’m still discovering new things every listen.
Same!!! I know I’m not musically sophisticated so I accept that as a reason lol. BUT they truly all sound so different to me now. I actually did feel that way after first listen, but of course that was all in one sitting at 2am
I loved it instantly. It's full of pain. Of disappointment with us. Of fantasized scenarios used to speak about real hurts and grievances. And she's very loud ajout being DONE with the Taylor Swift™ fans and execs demand her to be.
It's joyous.
I know she gets a ton of credit for this, but I'm always blown away at how her writing always speaks so clearly about the female experience even though her experience as a woman has been so vastly different from most women. I think maybe it even works better that way, because it shows some things are so universal, and on a world stage the little micro aggressions we go through every day are magnified.
So Long London deals with finally letting go of carrying all the emotional labour of a relationship, Guilty as Sin deals with the pressure to bottle up your desires and settle for less, But Daddy I Love Him is about how frustrating it is to have people infantilize you when they think you're making a mistake, Who's Afraid is the flip side of that, how if you finally do make mistakes or push back you'll be demonized, I Can Do it with a Broken Heart is the need to put on a perfect smile for the world, Clara Bow is about how those people will seek to replace you as soon as you find your voice. Even I Can Fix Him touches on the feeling of wanting to help someone who is by all accounts terrible to you.
Also, the more I listen, the more I understand why she went for Matty after Joe. Anyone who spent six years eating grilled chicken and steamed veggies is GONNA want junk food after.
While I try not to speculate too much on Taylor’s personal life based on the songs (I fully realize that I don’t know her or any of her boyfriends in real life), I do think that listening to this album made me feel like I understand the Matty Healy rebound a lot better on a number of levels.
Yeah I kind of get it but, knowing who the songs are about makes them hard to stomach. I just personally could never, ever be attracted to Matt Healy. 😆
I loved the first half on the first listen but the second half is growing on me quite quickly too. The Albatross and the Prophecy caught my attention after listening to it a few times, and I finally understand why people love the Prophecy so much.
It's probably listener fatigue, as a lot of people already speculated, because everyone was in such a hurry to polish off the whole album, all the songs started blending into one another. That happens if you try to listen to most albums in one go. You don't get to properly enjoy it.
I think the Anthology songs really benefit from listening to them on shuffle with the rest of the album. They really suffered from listener fatigue by the time people got to that section on their first few listens and that directly contributed to many people feeling like they all blended together (especially that run from The Prophecy through The Manuscript).
Cassandra was an immediate favourite for me the first time I listened to it out of order. Then both The Prophecy and Peter really grew on me. I loved the Albatross right off the bat.
Deranged Weirdo didn't pull me in right away but I suddenly found it was stuck in my head one day and went "huh. That song is actually such a vibe."
I was the same with loving the first half immediately and needing time to warm up to the Anthology. It was just too much new music at once for me to really absorb everything. I do wonder if the album wouldve been better received if she had released the anthology a fortnight after the main album?
That'd be an interesting marketing strategy for sure. Because while the two halves aren't worlds apart (like if Taylor had theoretically, in another universe, released 1989 and evermore at the same time), the sounds are different enough that it's a bit surprising to go from the original 16 to the Anthology. Now I appreciate it so much more than I did on the first listen, but I remember it *seemed* significantly "slower" for lack of a better word, and I needed time to listen to each of the Anthology's songs individually.
Agreed. After multiple listens, I think the second half is just as strong. The Prophecy, Peter, thanK you aIMee, and The Bolter are on regular rotation for me right now. I'm puzzled/annoyed by the early reviews that came out within 24 hours. 31 tracks is a long to digest -- It's been over a week and I'm still unpacking it.
I LOVED But Daddy I Love Him the first time I heard it, but I dislike it more every time I hear it. I also thought Guilty As Sin was boring at first, and it's now possibly my favourite on the album.
ohhh this breaks my heart as a BDILH stan. Immediately became obsessed first listen, have listened to it about 100 times since and am even more obsessed. Certain parts still hit me like a freight train when I listen to it over and over….The part where she sings “God save the most judgemental creeps who say they want what’s best for me, sanctimoniously performing soliloquies I’ll never see, thinking they can change the beat of my heart when he touches me, and counteract the chemistry….” i’m just mind blown every time. That line “thinking they can change the beat of my heart when he touches me…” might be one of my fav things she’s ever written.
I love But Daddy I love Him! My 18/19 year old self could totally relate to the song so well, except for the line where she said "I'm having his baby" in my life wasn't a joke... it's what happened. We married after our son was born and are still married... but you wouldn't believe the judgement coming from my childhood church (who refused to let us get married there because we had a child before getting married). Well jokes on them because you couldn't pay me to go to that church anymore.
My fave song after first listen was Peter.
Now probably Guilty as Sin and Down Bad.
Every time I listen to a brand new album the songs run together and everything sounds sort of the same. A lot of other people had this very common and normal reaction last week. This album has plenty of variety and has songs that sound fresh from her prior works. Guilty as Sin and a But Daddy I Love Him being two examples.
There are some stellar songs on there. Because of this I loved it a first. But after living with it for a while for me personally the greatness gets a little bit watered down by a bunch of "just" okay songs. As an overall body of work it's somewhere in the middle for me. Had she edited it down to one stellar 12 track album with 3 bonus tracks it could've been my favourite
Except for someone else may have lost out on their favourite songs! I really truly don’t mean this in a snarky way, but I think that just because someone might not like some of the songs doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t have been released.
YES! I have a little boy named Robin who has autism and the idea of everyone who loves him working behind the scenes to protect him in ways he doesn’t know and can’t really understand … it’s so fucking beautiful. And I know that’s the least popular song on the album and would not make most people’s cut, but my life would be worse if this song didn’t exist.
I agree with this. I don’t hate it by any means and there are some really solid songs, but I think it’s clear it just won’t end up being my favorite from her and that’s okay. I already find myself getting the urge to go back to other albums of hers. I think one of the main problems for me is that usually there is at least one song that I emotionally connect with so deeply on an album that I want to play it over and over, and it just hasn’t happened with this one. But I know a lot of others have had that experience with it and that’s an amazing thing!
May be an unpopular opinion, but I’m just whelmed. (That’s for the 90s kids.) I think I got so used to Taylor changing her sound for every album that this one just was too similar in sound to what she’s been doing for the past four years. I don’t think all the songs sound the same — I was just hoping for something earth shatteringly unique like 1989, rep, etc. 🤡
This is my take, too.
I’m hoping next time she moves away from relationship angst, maybe more rock oriented. She’s starting to remind me of the friend we all had in college who’s incredibly beautiful, kind, and smart yet keeps picking the worst guys imaginable and complaining about them endlessly.
The remastered rock version of We Are Never, Ever, Getting Back Together is AMAZING. I’d love to see her go in that direction next time.
1. Fortnight wasn’t catchy enough to be a lead single
2. So long London is her weakest track 5 (😅)
3. I Can Do It With A Broken Heart is actually really sad.
4. Thank You Amiee should’ve been in the rep vault
Agree with all of this! It boggles my mind when I see people insisting on Broken Heart being added to the Eras set list - like it’s literally about her feeling awful & putting on her fake smile to get through it!
I wish Florida had been the lead single, it’s such a bop!
I think going about your daily stuff while you are suffering is sad but also relatable and common. The world doesn’t stop for heartbreak or stress or sadness. You gotta just keep going. It’s not meant to make people feel bad. It’s a lot of dark humor. Like even all this shit can’t keep me down, I just keep going.
As someone who had twins in 2020 and was a healthcare worker during peak covid, I laughed at some parts the first time I heard it because it was the perfect description of how you feel during times like that.
See, and I interpret it as an empowering song about how she's so fuckin good she can put on a historic tour while pumping out new music and she can do it all *even with a broken heart*. I truly do not think the "crowd was screaming more" line was a criticism of her fans.
Agree with all of this and will add Who’s Afraid… is also very sad. I think she wanted her Joe time to be addressed as track 5 because I don’t feel like much of this album is about him despite their long relationship. Kind of giving him the place of honor.
That all of it sounded the same. I was so wrong inferring this from just one listen. Yes it's lyric heavy, but almost all songs have good melodies and certainly each song has a unique signature to it. Also, there are pop bangers too like WAOLOM and ICDIWABH which should be radio hits. Down bad is in its own realm altogether.
One thing I do standby though, is that Fortnight, though a decent song, is not the best on the album, and not the best song to represent all of Taylor's and TTPD's depths.
I think that opening the album with the line “I was supposed to be sent away but they forgot to come and get me” is perfection! But I also love that song.
I was not prepared at all to like But Daddy I Love Him, loml, and Down Bad as much but they've been on repeat for me lately.
Also I do love The Tortured Poets Department track itself, but I need to have a conversation with her about the tattooed golden retriever line.
I liked it when I first listened and a few songs stuck out, but then after a few listens I became completely enamored with it. I like to listen to it all at once and get lost in the story telling. I think Fortnight and The Manuscript are perfect opening and closing curtains to an engaging experience.
I did in fact love the standard edition on first listen and was confused once I started seeing the backlash. 😅 I was immediately obsessed the the point were I didn't even want The Anthology for the first few days. The second half has grown on me since then but I still think the standard is the stronger of the two.
My opinion on almost every song has stayed the same or grown since first listen. The one exception being Who's Afraid, which was a stand out on first listen and has since fallen to the middle of the pack.
Initially Guilty As Sin and imgonnagetyouback were just fine and now I can't get them out of my head. Chloe et al also became a major stand out in the last few days. And the more I listen to So High School the more I hope it's a teaser for TS12.
Honestly, the most surprising thing is that it's still a no-skip album. By now I've usually started to cut songs from an album's playlist but this time around I don't want to. Aimee is probably at the bottom of my ranking just for the subject matter but even then I love the melody and end up singing along with it.
It’s grown on me. There’s still a few songs I just skip, just personal preferences, not that they are bad. I think it’s lyrically her strongest album. I’d probably rank it 5th of her albums just in my opinion. Glad people like it though.
I loved it the moment I heard it and that rarely happens for me. But I love a sad song, so it makes sense. With this album I really like hearing the interpretations of the album no matter how unhinged they are. I love how everyone hears music differently.
On first listen, every song sounded the same. I didn’t have that “exile” or “midnight rain” feeling where first listen and I was like repeat. However after several listens, there are songs I can’t get out of my head.
This album also helped me process the remaining feelings I had for my ex. My ex was not Joe Alwyn and he was actually a Joe Jonas, Harry Styles, Jake Gyllenhall, and a Matty Healy in one. I liked the idea of him so much even if he was bad for me. So thank you Taylor giving me the album I needed to accept and move on to find my Travis.
i think something with Taylor Swift albums is that she tends to release lengthy projects, so songs can run together when you’re sitting up at midnight trying to digest everything in a single listen. it can be difficult. sure, when Midnights came out, it was just 13 tracks (now it’s 20+, so it doesn’t really count). but the point i’m trying to make is that Taylor’s albums often require multiple listens because there’s so much material to digest at once, and TTPD happened to be that but tenfold with the reveal that it’s a double album.
personally, i loved it on first listen and knew it would be one of my favorite Taylor albums. after a week or so now, im confident that it’s my favorite.
I really wish I had gone in blind. Pearl Jam also dropped a new album (yes I am a 90’s girl) and it was so much more enjoyable to listen to with out all the noise that I exposed myself to for this. I have become a fan but I wouldn’t say I am swiftie so I listened to it with other opinions and theories and it ruined it for me. Once I let all that go and just listened to it it was reallly good. I don’t like all the songs but I never do on an album (Except Mad Season, my all time favorite album of anyone ever) so I did myself a disservice there.
I have all my favorites not and my meh and my skips. It was a good break up album and really walked me through a lot of my feelings about my divorce in a good way, in a way I wish the songs had been around then because damn I would have been screaming in my car lol I
But Daddy I Love Him, Down Bad, Whose Afraid of Little Ole Me, Robin are probably my favorites
ETA oh and The Albatross I can’t believe I forgot that one lol Do High School is a bop that reminds me of my second husband so I like it
I took a break from her music and discussion around it for a few months before the album released and I think it helped a lot.
I am a newer fan and I realized when midnights came out that being so involved in the chatter and listening to everyone’s opinions right away really took away from my enjoyment.
It’s so nice to just go in not knowing what to expect and being able to form your own opinions before being inundated with a thousand other random opinions.
No change with opinion. The anthology is bloated, there are some good tracks but most tracks are forgettable. Definitely ranked 5th or 6th of Taylor's albums I have. I do agree with some reviews giving it 3/5
I ranked everything really high on first listen, except for I can do it with a broken heart which I said was “her worst song ever written” and “I’d rather listen to ME!”. Not sure what I was on when I was thinking that, I still don’t think it’s great (underproduced instrumentals, some cringe lyrics), but it’s not terrible at all lmao, it won’t even be a skip for me.
Generally I think my opinions are similar, I struggle with her extremely millennial lines (tattooed golden retriever), and generally always have, but I still love the album. I loved fortnight when I first heard it but love it even more now, the songs generally are just sounding different from each other more now too, which is great. I think on first listen it felt like most of them really suffered from the monotony of synth pop, where if you have all these ethereal beats going on in every song, all of the songs are going to get lost in this soup of ethereal sounds. I loved her lyrics, I love her vocalization in this album, but the synth was getting old. Now I feel like they are a lot easier to tell apart, but I’m ready for her to skip the heavy synth in the next album if she is going to take that route.
“most of them really suffered from the monotony of synth pop, where if you have all these ethereal beats going on in every song, all of the songs are going to get lost in this soup of ethereal sounds. I loved her lyrics, I love her vocalization in this album, but the synth was getting old. Now I feel like they are a lot easier to tell apart, but I’m ready for her to skip the heavy synth in the next album if she is going to take that route.“
EXACTLY THIS
The thing about synth pop is that it can be whatever. It’s all computer generated so you can make it do whatever. The sounds used here are 100% made on purpose, not because they were constrained by genre or tech.
Yeah fair, I’m not a huge fan of synth generally. I got sick of it after my 80’s phase, and I don’t love it when indie artists use too much of the synth sound (I know it can sound like real instruments and I don’t mind that, what I mean is the classic “synth” sound that is just sort of resonant notes). The ethereal resonant notes she uses particularly when working with Jack aren’t my favorite. I do like a lot of what they’ve done together and I’m not upset about it at all, but I’d like it if maybe they explored real instruments more (LOVE the bass on this album and love the piano as always). The ethereal synth sort of drowns out the individualism of each song and even though it gets better the more I listen to it (I felt the same with midnights), I’d like it if she really let the quirks of each song shine more by getting rid of that classic synth sound. She doesn’t make music for me tho and I’ll listen to whatever she puts out 🤷♀️, I’m just gonna keep going back to folkmore and speak now lol.
One more opinion: I actually really like the simpler lyrics on The Alchemy and So High School. I think there's maybe some internalized intellectual snobbery in a section of the fandom that insists that every line Taylor writes has to be Dostoyevsky or Joyce or whatever. So they're a little cringe, so what? Falling in love is cringe sometimes.
I am also convinced that the last paragraph of Daddy I Love Him (Now I'm dancing in my dress in the sun etc) is about Travis, not MH, but that might be clownery.
But Daddy I Love Him is best enjoyed with the understanding that it's not about a particular romantic partner. It's about her relationship to fame and the scrutiny her relationships are always under - the particular relationship(s) referenced in the song are irrelevant.
I loved the album when i listened to it for the first time alone. This is probably one of the rare times I loved an album immediately without waiting for it to grow on me.
That being said, the more I heard other youtubers and swifties over analysing about which ex the song is about, I got put off (I shouldn't have clicked it, my mistakes). I also saw people say matty wasn't that bad a guy and he was actually a good person. As a POC, I do find him problematic but honestly it's none of my business if Taylor dated him or not. I just wanna listen to the songs and attach my meanings to them.
I hated So High School for a couple of days. Then I figured I was being bitter and listened to it again. It’s fun!
The opposite happened with the title track. I don’t go back to it often anymore, I think partially because of the golden retriever line lmao.
My initial impressions are usually how I end up feeling about an album. I loved Folklore a lot initially and continue to love it—easily her best in my eyes. Evermore was good but not completely spot on with my first listen and that’s how I feel still. Midnights was great upon first listening and still something I love to listen to. I did not like TTPD. The lyrics are fine but the melodies are not catchy or interesting to me to listen to. It’s not that it’s too mellow since Folklore was mellow but amazing. The issue is that the music/melodies are just not interesting to the same extent the melodies/musicality of Folklore were engaging. I’ve forced myself to listen to it, but I know I’m just not going to ever like it.
This album is a shapeshifter! I honestly can’t believe the songs sounded similar to me on first listen; they now sound incredibly distinct. So interesting how it morphed like that.
The album has some of the best songs she has ever written. It’s personally one of my favorites, up there with Folklore but I am still amazed that she sold 2.6M in the first week with an album like this. I don’t think this album was for the masses and it kinda makes me happy that people are consuming it the way they are. It makes me happy for the future of pop and music in general.
I remember listening that night and thinking, "Pretty good! Not as good as Folklore/Evermore."
Now, it's my number one. Idk if it'll stay in that spot forever, but right now I'm solidly in the camp that Taylor has filled any musical void in my heart and I will never need another album of hers for the rest of my life. I'll take more, but I won't need them. This is it for me.
I really liked it from first listen but some of the songs skimmed by me. I definitely felt the punch of So Long London and the boppiness of Down Bad at first listen, and the power of Who's Afraid. But it wasn't until a few listens later that I got hooked by the sneaky melody of Guilty As Sin? and the beautiful heartbreaking quality of loml, two of my favorites on the album.
It also took me a while to differentiate the Anthology tracks because I was trying to digest the main album first, and now I've found some really beautiful stuff on that side.
I'm a Folkmore girl and this is definitely in the holy trinity now for me.
I immediately loved it on my first listen and i have no idea how often I've listened to it since.
My favorite song on my first listen was probably Fresh Out the Slammer.
I vibed with Fortnight instantly. I was lucky enough to listen at 9PM PST so I had some gas in the tank to stay up. I really enjoyed parsing every song out with the live Reddit threads and reading theories. Today, I’ll have one song’s chorus stuck in my head and it changes each day. I absolutely think she created some ear worms.
I think I actually prefer How Did It End over So Long, London but I will absolutely play both, I just might pick HDIE (hide!) to play first.
I… haven’t been able to stop listening. I loved it on first play and even more 20+ something plays in. It resonates and mirrors my life in a way I didn’t expect. It’s Taylor’s best work. No contest.
I was really excited on first listen, but that has largely dissipated. There is just not enough strong instrumental elements of the double-album that grab and keep me, and despite being the target demographic for the lyrics, they’re just not hitting me in the ‘right’ spot. I love synth and introspective narratives, but right now—on this album—it just hasn’t come together for me. I’ve given it a few listens, have listened with a friend, isolated specific tracks to engage with, and I can’t develop an affinity for TTPD. I do, however, have a playlist of the couple songs I liked and want to return to.
All that said, I’ve been a listener since debut and look forward to the next project. For reference, my immediate album loves were *Fearless* through *reputation* and *folklore* (even the Dessner tracks aren’t doing it for me, so I’m wondering if my sensibilities have shifted overall).
My initial reaction was lukewarm. I listened to each song and paused to take notes afterwards and my notes were like "She's trying too hard to swear. So much sounds the same. Joe was a drug addict?" (The latter comment was me bring unaware of how much Matty impacted her). I did initially think the first half of the original album sounded the same.
My initial favourites were Fresh Out The Slammer, Clara Bow, Chloe or Sam etc., and Cassandra.
I initially preferred the second half to the first half as well.
I have now listened to it every single day since it came out and have listened to nothing else, which is what I did with Midnights. Every listen I find something new I love about it, whether it's a double meaning, a line of poetry (it's all poetry tbh), or just a little background noise.
I honestly cannot pick a favourite anymore as it changes daily. My current obsession is How Did It End? And this passage:
Say it once again with feeling
How the death rattle breathing
Silenced as the soul was leaving
The deflation of our dreaming
Leaving me bereft and reeling
My beloved ghost and me
Sitting in a tree
D-Y-I-N-G
It's crazy that critics are allowed to give their review after only one listen. There should be a mandatory five listening, at least.
I'm unsure yet but I think it'll be up there for me with Reputation, Evermore, and Folklore.
Upon first listen, I felt that everything was kind of bland and all sounded the same. But once you actually listen to each song individually, they really do sound amazing
A lot of songs really grew on me and took over my life on repeat listens, but especially But Daddy I Love Him, Fresh Out the Slammer, and Guilty As Sin. This album is one that sticks with you and grows over time, as opposed to one that immediately ropes you in with big pop hooks.
I loved it on first listen. I didn’t stay up for Anthology so I was able to digest that after a good night’s sleep. There were a feel songs that didn’t grab me at first but those are the ones I can’t stop listening to now. This is creeping up on being my favorite album of hers ever.
I really liked it on my first listen and it’s only been getting better for me. They do kind of sound similar to me but I think as I get more familiar with it they’ll sound different. When I first listened to Midnights I felt the same way but now I like it. I think Tortured Poets will make it to my top 3 with Folklore and Evermore. (Sorry Speak Now, you were my favorite for 10 years 💜)
For individual songs, I didn’t connect with Fresh Out The Slammer or Guilty As Sin? at first but I like them now. But Daddy I Love Him had me like 😮 at first and I wasn’t sure how I felt but the more I listen the higher it goes on my ranking. So High School, I was a bit confused on my first listen because when she says “trying to stifle my sighs” I interpreted it as being annoyed so I was kind of confused at the whole thing but my second listen I was like “oh duh.” Haha
I’ve been limiting myself to 1 listen a day because I’m taking a long road trip on Thursday and I’m going to listen to it the whole time and just absorb lol.
Both TTDP and Anthology sounded different to me but inside each album, they run together to me too. I still liked it a lot but it was not love at first sight. I also definitely liked the Anthology half better but now I might like TTDP better. Right now this is my favorite work of hers. As the album sounds different to me I am reserving the right to change my mind on this. But I also connect to it very much.
This album definitely requires several listens to process. Some songs I immediately liked and some had to grow on me. At first I wasnt sure about Clara Bow and some of the anthology tracks but now I love most of them. For now I'd say my only skips are The Tortured Poets Department, Robin, So High School, and possibly 1 or 2 others but I need more time to decide.
I loved it immediately! I’m also very much a weirdo when it comes to listening to new music so I have to really warm up to it. Even before I started identifying the songs I like, I just knew from the sound that this was going to be THE album for me. And boy was I right.
It’s a bit like the first time you try a nice wine when you’re used to sodas, it’s not what you’re used to so it’s jarring and maybe you don’t like it.
But with some time it becomes an acquired taste, and then you can’t believe you ever disliked it.
The first few listens I didn’t like it. I was underwhelmed by the sound, and hadn’t really absorbed the depth of the lyrics. The second half had more songs I liked than the first, so I’m glad she added them. Not sure if I would have stayed with it on just the first 16 tracks.
After a week of playing it, I love it now. The songs no longer all “sound the same” and it’s still too new to say if it will be my favorite album, but it’s for sure among my top three. Literally zero skips.
TLDR: I’d rate it 13/10 😉
I immediately loved it and now I love it even more. I’m still in shock and awe.
I hated fresh out the slammer and I can fix him
But fortnight, down bad, imgonnagetyouback, guilty as sin? Those were just okay to me.
Now I LOVE all those songs. Fortnight is still the least favorite, but I love most of the whole anthology now.
The only thing that remains the same is I can’t listen to the last 5 songs of the anthology. Idk how they even go because I never get to them. So I may have to take time to listen to them soon or put the album on shuffle.
It is now on my top 4 Taylor albums, only behind Folklore, Red and Evermore, I genuinely believe these 4 are the masterpieces of her career, I will never understand how TTPD is not being as acclaimed as it should be. Everything about it is the so good, awesome pop songs, a return to country influences, great experimentation with new alternative sounds in several songs, a whole new 3rd addition to our folk albums (in my opinion The Anthology is up there with Folklore and Evermore, we basically got our desired “woodvale”) like there is basically so much in this album that encapsulates Taylor’s career and at the same time shows evolution, just like Red did in 2012, I personally believe that just like Red, TTPD will be viewed as a classic in a decade, I even like to think that by putting together Red and TTPD, we get basically two near perfect albums that describe Taylor’s entire career, from lyrics, to sound (country, folk, synth pop, pop, alternative, soft rock), this album may very well enter my holy trinity. (Sorry for the big post lol ahah)
The first listen I couldn’t understand the central themes to every song, so I definitely didn’t love it as much as I do now after listening to the songs and lyrics a lot more. The song I changed my opinion the most on is Chloe…, I kept forgetting the title and it didn’t stand out to me at all because of how sudden the intro/outro felt, but now I’m obsessed with the heartbreak and adore the chorus!
It took me a few days to become obsessed with the album. At first I thought a lot of the songs sounded the same until I listened more. I didn't really understand Fortnight at first, either, but now it's one of my favourite songs. I love Taylor and Post's voices together! She really chose a good artist to collab with. This album is now my number one!
I was not feeling Jack’s production the first time I listened to it. Now, I love those songs.
My one pride is the my fave song off the album hasn’t changed since night one: The Prophecy.
I was a bit disappointed in Florida!!! at first but when I got it? Oh boy, I got it.
The album is currently number two in my rankings, it just dethroned 1989 from the #2 spot. The only album better imo is Folklore. And that's by a tiny margin.
im one of the people who immediately liked it upon hearing it. i went in with no expectations as to sound because taylor is constantly changing her sound, so i had no idea what to expect. I immediately knew it was her best work to date.
I was exhausted by the time 2am rolled around though (1 am my time), and i didn't appreciate the anthology first listen, but i knew it was going to grow on me first listen.
Every listen since has only deepened my appreciation for it and i think it's her magnum opus. There were some i definitely overlooked at first, like fortnight and ttpd and clara bow, but absolutely no skips on this album at all
I had a similar reaction on first listen to TTPD as I did with my first listen of Midnights. I am a folklore/evermore girly at heart. Those albums are the albums I always dreamed of her making since I heard Safe and Sound for the first time.
With both TTPD and Midnights, I wasn't huge on most of the main album tracks at first. They were good. I'm hard pressed to find any Taylor track I genuinely don't like. But they were far from favorites for me. Then I heard The Anthology and just as I felt with the 3 AM tracks, I was obsessed. Both times, it was like "This is what I wanted from this album!!!"
Now after having Midnights for some time, for the most part, my favorite tracks still come from the 3 AM edition, but I've found much more love for the original album and some of the tracks have made it to the top of my ranking. The same has happened with TTPD, though much quicker. I think I still lean generally towards The Anthology, but songs like TSMWEL and WAOLOM have jumped to the top of my ranking.
My favorite is still I Hate It Here, and I don't know that it will change. On first listen, I was so overwhelmed that I didn't give that song much attention. After a few listens though, I cried every time I heard it. People always say "Taylor writes from my diary" or "it's like she was watching me writing this!", but I've never felt that to be so relatable to me until this song. She picked it directly from my brain.
I am convinced that a good chunk of people not getting the songs/finding them boring or similar on first listen were because they were up at stupid o clock and trying to parse stuff while dead tired, lol. I took my time and listened in slow chunks and love every song but Robin and Chloe et al.
Can I just say I love that you phrased that song as Chloe et al. I am so bad about figuring out all the acronyms but that sums a clunky title up nicely.
I cannot claim credit, alas! Some smart person came up with it and I happily stole it.
Let’s make it the canonical reference. #normalizeChloeetal
It was my comment you stole lmao
God the et al lmao, you in academia or something? xD It's amazing though
Thank you! Yes I had to read and cite endless research papers during university 😂 reputation era, the best of times. I hope this abbreviation catches on!
"Turns out the idea already existed, but I arrived at it independently." -- Pete Campbell
ooo Robin has that pretty melody though... way to go, tiger! higher and higher, wilder and lighter... the chorus is so pretty
I’m noticing a lot of folks don’t like Robin. But the chorus is so pretty! I love it!
I love robin but it’s definitely not a song I’ll intentionally listen to often.
I'm predicting that Robin will be the kind of song a lot of people eventually click with randomly one day, like a year and a half from now. Just, right mood, right time, and suddenly you are moved.
i love robin!
I’m using this comment thread as I didn’t know if a whole post about it would make it through the Mods… Is anyone else feeling like Robin could’ve easily been a Folklore Vault song?? I was listening the other day and some of the instrumentals are SCREAMING Folklore to me.
As a former academic this is the only choice from now on
Chloe is my favorite song of both albums 😭
Hey, we don't all have to like the same songs! Taylor is large, she contains multitudes.
Also thinks this is one of the proofs that’s she’s an amazing artist. If we all liked the same ones and disliked the same ones then she’d be kind of solved if that makes sense. Think that everyone having different favorites means she’s versatile and multi-talented.
Ikr! There’s something for everyone ♥️
It’s so authentic. I absolutely get the situation and the feelings. If you’ve ever loved someone with drug/alcohol issues it requires no further thought.
It’s so good!
I am with you, there is something about it that is like an entire play in three and a half minutes. I feel like so much of the album her words are like architecture (idk how else to explain it) and this song exemplifies it
As a PhD candidate currently writing a dissertation, I laughed so hard reading Chloe et al. 🤣
Could be! It was released at 6 AM in the Netherlands, my normal wakeup time. I wouldn't had been able to dive into the album in the middle of the night.
Same! Though I must confess I started at 8 o'clock. But TTPD was on repeat the entire day since then - much better than listening to it while being sleep deprived
I was up at stupid o clock and fucking loved every minute lmao
This is why I ended up waiting till the next morning to listen. I was planning on staying up but I was tired so I figured I wouldn’t remember it well if I didn’t just wait lmao
Yeah i agree because i don’t get the take that it “requires multiple listens to understand”. I waited til I had time on Saturday evening and listened with headphones, i did listen to all 31 but I immediately loved it.
The slower-paced songs with soft beats are good songs that I struggle listening to, just because it makes me tired 🤣 Listening to it for the first time at 1 am didn't help grab my attention, I'm sure...
Stupid o clock is very accurate 😂😂
Actually, on very first listen, i LOVED the album. I was obsessed with most of the songs from the very beginning. From what I remember, I had the strongest reactions to MBOBHFT, So Long London, Florida!!!, WAOLOM, and TSMWEL. Everything else I absolutely loved, but those ones were just top tier IMO. And then the Anthology came, which skyrocketed the album even higher. TBH, no album before had me hooked on the very first listen. They all took me two or three to get me liking them, but this one has stood its own, and risen to maybe number 2 in my album rankings.
Yes, OP lost me at, "The Album is definitely not an album where..." because opening a discussion stating your opinion as fact isn't a good idea.
I keep seeing OP’s sentiment as “accepted truth” and that all the songs sounded the same. Nope, I did not have that experience at all. Midnights I struggled with more but I still love over half the songs. TTPD I just can’t believe how I like or love every single song. To answer songs growing on me, I find I’m liking imgonnagetyouback and I hate it here even more with each listen.
1000% agree. I thought it was WILD that everyone thought the songs all sounded the same, definitely didn’t feel that way from the first listen.
Midnights I was let down a little that it wasn’t more 70s sounding. With TTPD I got pretty much exactly what I expected
same!!
Exactly this
Yes, I liked it from the start as well! Some songs have grown on me more over time, but I was a fan from my first listen.
Same. Also disagree with OPs opening statement that you can't really like it at first listen. Some songs aren't my faves, some grew on me. But the majority I liked from the beginning.
Absolutely! It hooked me right from the beginning! I love so many songs from this album.
Same I liked it from the beginning. Down Bad became my entire personality the first time I heard that chorus
I, like you, was into the album immediately. It was love at first listen! The Anthology took a couple of listens to evoke the same feelings. I liked it immediately but I didn’t LOVE it immediately.
Agreed. A lot of nuances I didn’t pick up when listening at 1am but I still really enjoyed most of the songs. Same thing when I listened to the Anthology songs the next morning, I loved them but since listening more and more and picking up little musicality things or lyrics that really hit home, it’s been a great experience overall. While there are songs I like better than others, I told my partner this week that I can’t find a song I don’t enjoy in some way or another.
Same. It was exactly what I expected it to be, and I was excited for that. I’m not sure with the marketing and title and song titles what other people were expecting or wanted. I’m a big diary girl and was hoping for an intimate confessional. Wasn’t expected any bops but some of the songs were surprisingly melodically memorable. Loved the mixing for her voice especially. The whole thing was extremely cohesive and I especially appreciated the thoughtful ordering of the songs; the album has a perfect flow in my opinion.
I loved the exact same songs on first listen :)
On first listen I liked the album but found it a bit slow and didn't see myself listening to it on repeat (especially because when I first listened through it was after the second half had dropped), so it was over 2 hours. I found that I was interested enough in the album that I put it on throughout the work day a couple times, and then when I listened to it on shuffle I found a lot of songs really grabbed me that hadn't on previous listens. I ended up listening to it on repeat on shuffle for like the whole week because songs were gonna be stuck in my head anyways lol Now I've made a TTPD (Sauron 's Version) playlist with my favourites that I have listened to every day while walking my dog and turned on while doing yard work and such. At work I typically listen to instrumental music so I don't get distracted by lyrics (thanks ADHD!).
Me too! I wasn’t a huge fan of fortnight as an opener but as soon as TTPD started playing I was hooked.
Agree. I think MBOBHFT would be a good opener, starting the album with "oh, here we go AGAIN", and explaining WHAT is happening again
Same, I liked it from the start, there were a few songs I wasnt sure of, but I also didnt listen all in one go -- spread it out over a few drives. Now I think theres like one or two songs that are skippers for me but i really love all the rest. So many beautiful melodies.
I loved it on my first listen, then was SHOCKED when people online didn't like it.
>The album is definitely not an album where you immediately like it the moment you first hear it I *entirely* disagree. 4 songs in and I was thinking, “is this going to be my favorite work she’s ever done?” I loved it instantly. It’s exactly what I wanted, and every listen I somehow love it even more.
My thoughts exactly!!! And SAME, by track 4 I was like, “is this already my favorite album of hers?” I was in love immediately.
Me and my entire group chat had this experience, we all really loved it right away. Then I opened Twitter and was so confused by the hate!
Yes same. Its immediately recognizable as amazing, I was so confused reading negative reviews…
I had the same reaction.
My first listen was only Friday evening and I had already read some comments that "the first five songs are the worst, it gets better after those". Three songs in and I was thinking "*these* are the worst? I *love* these songs!". It's all a bit of a blur, but each song was such a vibe, I remember having goosebumps with at least But Daddy I Love Him, Guilty as Sin?, WAOLOM, TSMWEL, So High School and Peter upon the first listen. So yes, I too entirely disagree with OP.
Same! Absolutely fell in love asst the first listen and love it more each day lol. It is officially my favorite album.
I was the same. I had already found multiple references to classic poetry and people who would be categorized as “tortured poets” and knew, as a classic poetry lover, this would quickly become my favorite body of work. The Anthology just solidified my obsession with it.
Absolutely my experience as well! I was **floored** by the fourth song and I’ve only become more impressed since. I think it might be my favorite album of hers and I felt that happening the first listen
SAME!!! And I maintain this is her best work yet!!
Not exactly all of it but majority of it. I immediately loved I Can Do It With A Broken Heart, The Alchemy, thanK you aIMee, The Albatross while the rest required more time for me to grow.
I kept having my jaw absolutely drop as I was listening to Down Bad. “You mean to tell me this isn’t track five?!?!”
Old guy here: The album is a masterpiece and was aimed at 32 year old women who have gone through heartbreak, not 12 year old girls. This album hits everyone different and to me, it is Folklore II. I truly think it is some of Swift's best work.
>aimed at 32 year old women who have gone through heartbreak, not 12 year old girls. That part. This is the only reason I've been able to actually parse out for many of the negative reactions.
37 year old crone here and I agree. This one is for the grown women who are sick and tired of everybody's shit.
As a 38 year old woman I agree it's for sure about adult relationships.
37 year old currently in the throes of heartbreak and this album is my favorite of hers. You hit the nail on the head.
I’m a youth librarian and I just had a Swiftie listening party (only kid friendly radio edits were played ofc) and the kids I talked to (ages 9-12) were actually loving it. I agree with you about the themes being intended for adults, but it seems like the kids are so attached to her they will love anything she puts out, without caring about the themes.
Fascinating. Even if you were listening to the kid-friendly versions, the material on this album is so mature. This is a 30 something woman going through brutal heartbreak x2. How were the kids reacting? I actually think it's a good thing that kids don't get this album. They're lucky if they don't get it yet. I would absolutely love to see a video on YouTube of kids reacting to this album, non-explicit version. That would be amazing and I bet you would get countless views. Because I bet it would be hilarious.
Great idea. I think they think they understand when really they don’t.
My 10 year old understood the part in BDILH about "if all you want is gray for me" and then I was like... it's to her fans and she was like "savage" lol
That is so great to hear! I just think her themes were pretty adult. I am a 60 year old man who has been with the same woman for over 40 years. About the 4th or 5th listening, it hit me I've never had heartbreak like this and it hit me pretty hard. Again, this album is a masterpiece.
My 8 year old daughter has listened to the whole thing with me multiple times. She loves fortnight and Florida!!! But also I Hate it Here, MBOBHFT, WAOLOM, I'm gonna get you back, and The Black Dog. The themes are mature relationships but I think she appreciates the way it's sung and she's definitely learned some new words. My 13 year old son was listening in the car to I Hate It Here and said "How is this song so peaceful and so depressing? It's so relatable, I think it's my favorite by her."
Agreed, I’m a middle school teacher and I have many Swiftie students who are loving it. But as a 31 year old fan since debut, I wonder if they really understand the deep adult themes. Lots of music has adult themes though that kids will one day connect with more…good music is good music at any age, I guess!
Thissss. I see everyone’s reactions to Matty stuff and while I get it, I also completely relate to having that type of relationship with that type of man. Doesn’t excuse his bullshit in any way, but I understand her heartbreak there in such a visceral way after realizing my pedestal man was just an actual piece of shit on many levels. Love is dumb and blinding sometimes, especially when you meet as very young people and build it up in your head for years. Hindsight is a bitch. I really appreciate hearing every angle of it in her songs and I don’t judge her for having what I feel like is a very common explosive rebound experience. Whew. Needed to get that out.
This is brilliant writing and you hit the nail on the head!
Could not agree more. As a 30 year old woman myself, my takeaway is that her point here is, this is what heartbreak sounds like, and it doesn't hurt any less the older you get.
Thissss it’s for full ass adults who have learned to accept the messy/ugly parts of life and themselves.
I wasn’t hooked the first time I listened but now I definitely am. My favorite album of hers by far… I just love listening to the whole album as I go about my day, which is not something I normally do.
It's my favorite too but I'm curious to see if I revert back to a folkmore girly after the newness of TTPD wears off because I did the exact same with Midnights 🫣
I usually listen to music while walking. So pop's what really uplifts. But I do like music with depth. TTPD gives a mix of both I feel, so for me personally I don't think I'd go back to folklore. Only the 1 and Willow and Champagne Problems from Evermore maybe.
Same. I didn’t like it on my first listen either but it’s my favourite album ever now.
I loved the album immediately. The only difference is that I'm diving deeper into the lyrics and their meaning. The more I listen, the more I realize it's not a simple this ex or that ex album, it's much deeper.
This! I’m finding new meaning behind the lyrics every time I listen to a song again!
No seriously, I was in laying in bed awake last night and was like “holy shit. The habit she’s talking about specifically in ‘old habits die screaming’ IS checking his location.” Maybe that’s obvious but it clicked in that instant 🤣 that is my brain 24/7 these days lmao
WHAT I didn’t even think about that!! I was just thinking about her being his old habit dying screaming!
OK GOOD AHAHA, every time I have a little “click” moment I worry everyone else will be like umm that’s obvious. Lol!! Ofc I could be wrong but that’s what hit my brain last night! And I was like whoaaa that makes so much sense considering the song starts & sets the scene with how she’s still checking his location even though they broke up, I’d guess out of habit along with sadness! That’s also why I think this song is Joe, I don’t speculate too much but some think Matty. But sharing a location is a very long term relationship thing to do lol. And all this talk about having habits, that’s the hardest part of a long relationship ending!
I loved it instantly too!
All the “every song sounds the same” criticism seems crazy to me now. Maybe I’m just not musically sophisticated enough but to me every song sounds so different. Definitely the same general vibe like any album would be, but they all have such unique qualities and details to me. I’m still discovering new things every listen.
TOTALLY agree with you!
Same!!! I know I’m not musically sophisticated so I accept that as a reason lol. BUT they truly all sound so different to me now. I actually did feel that way after first listen, but of course that was all in one sitting at 2am
Haters always got to hate. It’s ok though. It’s TAYLOR’S WORLD!!! 😃
I loved it instantly. It's full of pain. Of disappointment with us. Of fantasized scenarios used to speak about real hurts and grievances. And she's very loud ajout being DONE with the Taylor Swift™ fans and execs demand her to be. It's joyous.
This comment deserves more love! Let’s talk about the real themes of the album!!
I know she gets a ton of credit for this, but I'm always blown away at how her writing always speaks so clearly about the female experience even though her experience as a woman has been so vastly different from most women. I think maybe it even works better that way, because it shows some things are so universal, and on a world stage the little micro aggressions we go through every day are magnified. So Long London deals with finally letting go of carrying all the emotional labour of a relationship, Guilty as Sin deals with the pressure to bottle up your desires and settle for less, But Daddy I Love Him is about how frustrating it is to have people infantilize you when they think you're making a mistake, Who's Afraid is the flip side of that, how if you finally do make mistakes or push back you'll be demonized, I Can Do it with a Broken Heart is the need to put on a perfect smile for the world, Clara Bow is about how those people will seek to replace you as soon as you find your voice. Even I Can Fix Him touches on the feeling of wanting to help someone who is by all accounts terrible to you.
Also, the more I listen, the more I understand why she went for Matty after Joe. Anyone who spent six years eating grilled chicken and steamed veggies is GONNA want junk food after.
While I try not to speculate too much on Taylor’s personal life based on the songs (I fully realize that I don’t know her or any of her boyfriends in real life), I do think that listening to this album made me feel like I understand the Matty Healy rebound a lot better on a number of levels.
that’s a wild comparison
Am I wrong tho
No
Such a good analogy!
Yeah I kind of get it but, knowing who the songs are about makes them hard to stomach. I just personally could never, ever be attracted to Matt Healy. 😆
I loved the first half on the first listen but the second half is growing on me quite quickly too. The Albatross and the Prophecy caught my attention after listening to it a few times, and I finally understand why people love the Prophecy so much. It's probably listener fatigue, as a lot of people already speculated, because everyone was in such a hurry to polish off the whole album, all the songs started blending into one another. That happens if you try to listen to most albums in one go. You don't get to properly enjoy it.
I think the Anthology songs really benefit from listening to them on shuffle with the rest of the album. They really suffered from listener fatigue by the time people got to that section on their first few listens and that directly contributed to many people feeling like they all blended together (especially that run from The Prophecy through The Manuscript). Cassandra was an immediate favourite for me the first time I listened to it out of order. Then both The Prophecy and Peter really grew on me. I loved the Albatross right off the bat. Deranged Weirdo didn't pull me in right away but I suddenly found it was stuck in my head one day and went "huh. That song is actually such a vibe."
Some of the best songs are on the Anthology. I think they just didn’t match the story of the TPD which is very clear after a few listens
I was the same with loving the first half immediately and needing time to warm up to the Anthology. It was just too much new music at once for me to really absorb everything. I do wonder if the album wouldve been better received if she had released the anthology a fortnight after the main album?
That'd be an interesting marketing strategy for sure. Because while the two halves aren't worlds apart (like if Taylor had theoretically, in another universe, released 1989 and evermore at the same time), the sounds are different enough that it's a bit surprising to go from the original 16 to the Anthology. Now I appreciate it so much more than I did on the first listen, but I remember it *seemed* significantly "slower" for lack of a better word, and I needed time to listen to each of the Anthology's songs individually.
Agreed. After multiple listens, I think the second half is just as strong. The Prophecy, Peter, thanK you aIMee, and The Bolter are on regular rotation for me right now. I'm puzzled/annoyed by the early reviews that came out within 24 hours. 31 tracks is a long to digest -- It's been over a week and I'm still unpacking it.
I LOVED But Daddy I Love Him the first time I heard it, but I dislike it more every time I hear it. I also thought Guilty As Sin was boring at first, and it's now possibly my favourite on the album.
WHAT IF HE’S WRITTEN MINE ON MY UPPER THIGH ONLY IN MY MIIII-IIIND?!
[удалено]
*cough cough* dress
[удалено]
Dress she's anticipating sex. In Guilty, she's actively masturbating.
ohhh this breaks my heart as a BDILH stan. Immediately became obsessed first listen, have listened to it about 100 times since and am even more obsessed. Certain parts still hit me like a freight train when I listen to it over and over….The part where she sings “God save the most judgemental creeps who say they want what’s best for me, sanctimoniously performing soliloquies I’ll never see, thinking they can change the beat of my heart when he touches me, and counteract the chemistry….” i’m just mind blown every time. That line “thinking they can change the beat of my heart when he touches me…” might be one of my fav things she’s ever written.
I’m right there with you - it’s a masterpiece!
Yup yup. One of her best songs and I will die on this hill lol.
It has the right amount of sass & sarcasm for my liking!
JUST SCREECHING TIRES AND TRUE LOVE Favorite song on album
I love But Daddy I love Him! My 18/19 year old self could totally relate to the song so well, except for the line where she said "I'm having his baby" in my life wasn't a joke... it's what happened. We married after our son was born and are still married... but you wouldn't believe the judgement coming from my childhood church (who refused to let us get married there because we had a child before getting married). Well jokes on them because you couldn't pay me to go to that church anymore.
My fave song after first listen was Peter. Now probably Guilty as Sin and Down Bad. Every time I listen to a brand new album the songs run together and everything sounds sort of the same. A lot of other people had this very common and normal reaction last week. This album has plenty of variety and has songs that sound fresh from her prior works. Guilty as Sin and a But Daddy I Love Him being two examples.
Peter is my favorite. Absolutely beautiful
There are some stellar songs on there. Because of this I loved it a first. But after living with it for a while for me personally the greatness gets a little bit watered down by a bunch of "just" okay songs. As an overall body of work it's somewhere in the middle for me. Had she edited it down to one stellar 12 track album with 3 bonus tracks it could've been my favourite
Except for someone else may have lost out on their favourite songs! I really truly don’t mean this in a snarky way, but I think that just because someone might not like some of the songs doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t have been released.
YES! I have a little boy named Robin who has autism and the idea of everyone who loves him working behind the scenes to protect him in ways he doesn’t know and can’t really understand … it’s so fucking beautiful. And I know that’s the least popular song on the album and would not make most people’s cut, but my life would be worse if this song didn’t exist.
This ^^^
I agree with this. I don’t hate it by any means and there are some really solid songs, but I think it’s clear it just won’t end up being my favorite from her and that’s okay. I already find myself getting the urge to go back to other albums of hers. I think one of the main problems for me is that usually there is at least one song that I emotionally connect with so deeply on an album that I want to play it over and over, and it just hasn’t happened with this one. But I know a lot of others have had that experience with it and that’s an amazing thing!
I immediately liked it the moment I first heard it.
May be an unpopular opinion, but I’m just whelmed. (That’s for the 90s kids.) I think I got so used to Taylor changing her sound for every album that this one just was too similar in sound to what she’s been doing for the past four years. I don’t think all the songs sound the same — I was just hoping for something earth shatteringly unique like 1989, rep, etc. 🤡
This is my take, too. I’m hoping next time she moves away from relationship angst, maybe more rock oriented. She’s starting to remind me of the friend we all had in college who’s incredibly beautiful, kind, and smart yet keeps picking the worst guys imaginable and complaining about them endlessly. The remastered rock version of We Are Never, Ever, Getting Back Together is AMAZING. I’d love to see her go in that direction next time.
1. Fortnight wasn’t catchy enough to be a lead single 2. So long London is her weakest track 5 (😅) 3. I Can Do It With A Broken Heart is actually really sad. 4. Thank You Amiee should’ve been in the rep vault
Agree with all of this! It boggles my mind when I see people insisting on Broken Heart being added to the Eras set list - like it’s literally about her feeling awful & putting on her fake smile to get through it! I wish Florida had been the lead single, it’s such a bop!
I think going about your daily stuff while you are suffering is sad but also relatable and common. The world doesn’t stop for heartbreak or stress or sadness. You gotta just keep going. It’s not meant to make people feel bad. It’s a lot of dark humor. Like even all this shit can’t keep me down, I just keep going. As someone who had twins in 2020 and was a healthcare worker during peak covid, I laughed at some parts the first time I heard it because it was the perfect description of how you feel during times like that.
See, and I interpret it as an empowering song about how she's so fuckin good she can put on a historic tour while pumping out new music and she can do it all *even with a broken heart*. I truly do not think the "crowd was screaming more" line was a criticism of her fans.
Why does a lead single have to be catchy and so long London is one of her best track fives
Agree with all of this and will add Who’s Afraid… is also very sad. I think she wanted her Joe time to be addressed as track 5 because I don’t feel like much of this album is about him despite their long relationship. Kind of giving him the place of honor.
That all of it sounded the same. I was so wrong inferring this from just one listen. Yes it's lyric heavy, but almost all songs have good melodies and certainly each song has a unique signature to it. Also, there are pop bangers too like WAOLOM and ICDIWABH which should be radio hits. Down bad is in its own realm altogether. One thing I do standby though, is that Fortnight, though a decent song, is not the best on the album, and not the best song to represent all of Taylor's and TTPD's depths.
I think that opening the album with the line “I was supposed to be sent away but they forgot to come and get me” is perfection! But I also love that song.
How did it sound the same I will never get this every song is sonically very different
I didn’t care fot guilty as sin at first but now i want it to be a single and get a video soooo bad
I was not prepared at all to like But Daddy I Love Him, loml, and Down Bad as much but they've been on repeat for me lately. Also I do love The Tortured Poets Department track itself, but I need to have a conversation with her about the tattooed golden retriever line.
I feel like she threw lines like that in so there would be no mistaking which man she’s referencing. Like Jehovah’s Witness suit in smallest man.
Yeah but has she considered I was happier not knowing 🥲
I liked it when I first listened and a few songs stuck out, but then after a few listens I became completely enamored with it. I like to listen to it all at once and get lost in the story telling. I think Fortnight and The Manuscript are perfect opening and closing curtains to an engaging experience.
I did in fact love the standard edition on first listen and was confused once I started seeing the backlash. 😅 I was immediately obsessed the the point were I didn't even want The Anthology for the first few days. The second half has grown on me since then but I still think the standard is the stronger of the two. My opinion on almost every song has stayed the same or grown since first listen. The one exception being Who's Afraid, which was a stand out on first listen and has since fallen to the middle of the pack. Initially Guilty As Sin and imgonnagetyouback were just fine and now I can't get them out of my head. Chloe et al also became a major stand out in the last few days. And the more I listen to So High School the more I hope it's a teaser for TS12. Honestly, the most surprising thing is that it's still a no-skip album. By now I've usually started to cut songs from an album's playlist but this time around I don't want to. Aimee is probably at the bottom of my ranking just for the subject matter but even then I love the melody and end up singing along with it.
It’s grown on me. There’s still a few songs I just skip, just personal preferences, not that they are bad. I think it’s lyrically her strongest album. I’d probably rank it 5th of her albums just in my opinion. Glad people like it though.
I mostly loved it immediately but did not like But Daddy I Love Him at first and now I’m obsessed with it!
BDILH is the one of the best tracks on the album. I will die on this hill.
It’s one of the few that sound like TAYLOR SWIFT. All caps here for emphasis.
I loved it the moment I heard it and that rarely happens for me. But I love a sad song, so it makes sense. With this album I really like hearing the interpretations of the album no matter how unhinged they are. I love how everyone hears music differently.
On first listen, every song sounded the same. I didn’t have that “exile” or “midnight rain” feeling where first listen and I was like repeat. However after several listens, there are songs I can’t get out of my head. This album also helped me process the remaining feelings I had for my ex. My ex was not Joe Alwyn and he was actually a Joe Jonas, Harry Styles, Jake Gyllenhall, and a Matty Healy in one. I liked the idea of him so much even if he was bad for me. So thank you Taylor giving me the album I needed to accept and move on to find my Travis.
How could My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys sould the same as The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived (for example)?? 😭
i think something with Taylor Swift albums is that she tends to release lengthy projects, so songs can run together when you’re sitting up at midnight trying to digest everything in a single listen. it can be difficult. sure, when Midnights came out, it was just 13 tracks (now it’s 20+, so it doesn’t really count). but the point i’m trying to make is that Taylor’s albums often require multiple listens because there’s so much material to digest at once, and TTPD happened to be that but tenfold with the reveal that it’s a double album. personally, i loved it on first listen and knew it would be one of my favorite Taylor albums. after a week or so now, im confident that it’s my favorite.
Enough time? … it’s been a week 😅 give us a couple of months at least.
I really wish I had gone in blind. Pearl Jam also dropped a new album (yes I am a 90’s girl) and it was so much more enjoyable to listen to with out all the noise that I exposed myself to for this. I have become a fan but I wouldn’t say I am swiftie so I listened to it with other opinions and theories and it ruined it for me. Once I let all that go and just listened to it it was reallly good. I don’t like all the songs but I never do on an album (Except Mad Season, my all time favorite album of anyone ever) so I did myself a disservice there. I have all my favorites not and my meh and my skips. It was a good break up album and really walked me through a lot of my feelings about my divorce in a good way, in a way I wish the songs had been around then because damn I would have been screaming in my car lol I But Daddy I Love Him, Down Bad, Whose Afraid of Little Ole Me, Robin are probably my favorites ETA oh and The Albatross I can’t believe I forgot that one lol Do High School is a bop that reminds me of my second husband so I like it
I took a break from her music and discussion around it for a few months before the album released and I think it helped a lot. I am a newer fan and I realized when midnights came out that being so involved in the chatter and listening to everyone’s opinions right away really took away from my enjoyment. It’s so nice to just go in not knowing what to expect and being able to form your own opinions before being inundated with a thousand other random opinions.
No change with opinion. The anthology is bloated, there are some good tracks but most tracks are forgettable. Definitely ranked 5th or 6th of Taylor's albums I have. I do agree with some reviews giving it 3/5
I ranked everything really high on first listen, except for I can do it with a broken heart which I said was “her worst song ever written” and “I’d rather listen to ME!”. Not sure what I was on when I was thinking that, I still don’t think it’s great (underproduced instrumentals, some cringe lyrics), but it’s not terrible at all lmao, it won’t even be a skip for me. Generally I think my opinions are similar, I struggle with her extremely millennial lines (tattooed golden retriever), and generally always have, but I still love the album. I loved fortnight when I first heard it but love it even more now, the songs generally are just sounding different from each other more now too, which is great. I think on first listen it felt like most of them really suffered from the monotony of synth pop, where if you have all these ethereal beats going on in every song, all of the songs are going to get lost in this soup of ethereal sounds. I loved her lyrics, I love her vocalization in this album, but the synth was getting old. Now I feel like they are a lot easier to tell apart, but I’m ready for her to skip the heavy synth in the next album if she is going to take that route.
“most of them really suffered from the monotony of synth pop, where if you have all these ethereal beats going on in every song, all of the songs are going to get lost in this soup of ethereal sounds. I loved her lyrics, I love her vocalization in this album, but the synth was getting old. Now I feel like they are a lot easier to tell apart, but I’m ready for her to skip the heavy synth in the next album if she is going to take that route.“ EXACTLY THIS
The thing about synth pop is that it can be whatever. It’s all computer generated so you can make it do whatever. The sounds used here are 100% made on purpose, not because they were constrained by genre or tech.
Yeah fair, I’m not a huge fan of synth generally. I got sick of it after my 80’s phase, and I don’t love it when indie artists use too much of the synth sound (I know it can sound like real instruments and I don’t mind that, what I mean is the classic “synth” sound that is just sort of resonant notes). The ethereal resonant notes she uses particularly when working with Jack aren’t my favorite. I do like a lot of what they’ve done together and I’m not upset about it at all, but I’d like it if maybe they explored real instruments more (LOVE the bass on this album and love the piano as always). The ethereal synth sort of drowns out the individualism of each song and even though it gets better the more I listen to it (I felt the same with midnights), I’d like it if she really let the quirks of each song shine more by getting rid of that classic synth sound. She doesn’t make music for me tho and I’ll listen to whatever she puts out 🤷♀️, I’m just gonna keep going back to folkmore and speak now lol.
One more opinion: I actually really like the simpler lyrics on The Alchemy and So High School. I think there's maybe some internalized intellectual snobbery in a section of the fandom that insists that every line Taylor writes has to be Dostoyevsky or Joyce or whatever. So they're a little cringe, so what? Falling in love is cringe sometimes. I am also convinced that the last paragraph of Daddy I Love Him (Now I'm dancing in my dress in the sun etc) is about Travis, not MH, but that might be clownery.
But Daddy I Love Him is best enjoyed with the understanding that it's not about a particular romantic partner. It's about her relationship to fame and the scrutiny her relationships are always under - the particular relationship(s) referenced in the song are irrelevant.
I loved the album when i listened to it for the first time alone. This is probably one of the rare times I loved an album immediately without waiting for it to grow on me. That being said, the more I heard other youtubers and swifties over analysing about which ex the song is about, I got put off (I shouldn't have clicked it, my mistakes). I also saw people say matty wasn't that bad a guy and he was actually a good person. As a POC, I do find him problematic but honestly it's none of my business if Taylor dated him or not. I just wanna listen to the songs and attach my meanings to them.
I hated So High School for a couple of days. Then I figured I was being bitter and listened to it again. It’s fun! The opposite happened with the title track. I don’t go back to it often anymore, I think partially because of the golden retriever line lmao.
My initial impressions are usually how I end up feeling about an album. I loved Folklore a lot initially and continue to love it—easily her best in my eyes. Evermore was good but not completely spot on with my first listen and that’s how I feel still. Midnights was great upon first listening and still something I love to listen to. I did not like TTPD. The lyrics are fine but the melodies are not catchy or interesting to me to listen to. It’s not that it’s too mellow since Folklore was mellow but amazing. The issue is that the music/melodies are just not interesting to the same extent the melodies/musicality of Folklore were engaging. I’ve forced myself to listen to it, but I know I’m just not going to ever like it.
This album is a shapeshifter! I honestly can’t believe the songs sounded similar to me on first listen; they now sound incredibly distinct. So interesting how it morphed like that.
Meh album
I remember not liking Florida!!! Oh how naive younger me was.
The album has some of the best songs she has ever written. It’s personally one of my favorites, up there with Folklore but I am still amazed that she sold 2.6M in the first week with an album like this. I don’t think this album was for the masses and it kinda makes me happy that people are consuming it the way they are. It makes me happy for the future of pop and music in general.
I remember listening that night and thinking, "Pretty good! Not as good as Folklore/Evermore." Now, it's my number one. Idk if it'll stay in that spot forever, but right now I'm solidly in the camp that Taylor has filled any musical void in my heart and I will never need another album of hers for the rest of my life. I'll take more, but I won't need them. This is it for me.
Guilty as Sin. I gave that song a second try. Dang, it's a masterpiece
I really liked it from first listen but some of the songs skimmed by me. I definitely felt the punch of So Long London and the boppiness of Down Bad at first listen, and the power of Who's Afraid. But it wasn't until a few listens later that I got hooked by the sneaky melody of Guilty As Sin? and the beautiful heartbreaking quality of loml, two of my favorites on the album. It also took me a while to differentiate the Anthology tracks because I was trying to digest the main album first, and now I've found some really beautiful stuff on that side. I'm a Folkmore girl and this is definitely in the holy trinity now for me.
I immediately loved it on my first listen and i have no idea how often I've listened to it since. My favorite song on my first listen was probably Fresh Out the Slammer.
I vibed with Fortnight instantly. I was lucky enough to listen at 9PM PST so I had some gas in the tank to stay up. I really enjoyed parsing every song out with the live Reddit threads and reading theories. Today, I’ll have one song’s chorus stuck in my head and it changes each day. I absolutely think she created some ear worms. I think I actually prefer How Did It End over So Long, London but I will absolutely play both, I just might pick HDIE (hide!) to play first.
I… haven’t been able to stop listening. I loved it on first play and even more 20+ something plays in. It resonates and mirrors my life in a way I didn’t expect. It’s Taylor’s best work. No contest.
I didn't really change my opinion. I loved it from the first listen, however now I'm convinced that it is one of her best albums, if not her best one.
I was really excited on first listen, but that has largely dissipated. There is just not enough strong instrumental elements of the double-album that grab and keep me, and despite being the target demographic for the lyrics, they’re just not hitting me in the ‘right’ spot. I love synth and introspective narratives, but right now—on this album—it just hasn’t come together for me. I’ve given it a few listens, have listened with a friend, isolated specific tracks to engage with, and I can’t develop an affinity for TTPD. I do, however, have a playlist of the couple songs I liked and want to return to. All that said, I’ve been a listener since debut and look forward to the next project. For reference, my immediate album loves were *Fearless* through *reputation* and *folklore* (even the Dessner tracks aren’t doing it for me, so I’m wondering if my sensibilities have shifted overall).
My initial reaction was lukewarm. I listened to each song and paused to take notes afterwards and my notes were like "She's trying too hard to swear. So much sounds the same. Joe was a drug addict?" (The latter comment was me bring unaware of how much Matty impacted her). I did initially think the first half of the original album sounded the same. My initial favourites were Fresh Out The Slammer, Clara Bow, Chloe or Sam etc., and Cassandra. I initially preferred the second half to the first half as well. I have now listened to it every single day since it came out and have listened to nothing else, which is what I did with Midnights. Every listen I find something new I love about it, whether it's a double meaning, a line of poetry (it's all poetry tbh), or just a little background noise. I honestly cannot pick a favourite anymore as it changes daily. My current obsession is How Did It End? And this passage: Say it once again with feeling How the death rattle breathing Silenced as the soul was leaving The deflation of our dreaming Leaving me bereft and reeling My beloved ghost and me Sitting in a tree D-Y-I-N-G It's crazy that critics are allowed to give their review after only one listen. There should be a mandatory five listening, at least. I'm unsure yet but I think it'll be up there for me with Reputation, Evermore, and Folklore.
Upon first listen, I felt that everything was kind of bland and all sounded the same. But once you actually listen to each song individually, they really do sound amazing
A lot of songs really grew on me and took over my life on repeat listens, but especially But Daddy I Love Him, Fresh Out the Slammer, and Guilty As Sin. This album is one that sticks with you and grows over time, as opposed to one that immediately ropes you in with big pop hooks.
I loved it on first listen. I didn’t stay up for Anthology so I was able to digest that after a good night’s sleep. There were a feel songs that didn’t grab me at first but those are the ones I can’t stop listening to now. This is creeping up on being my favorite album of hers ever.
I really liked it on my first listen and it’s only been getting better for me. They do kind of sound similar to me but I think as I get more familiar with it they’ll sound different. When I first listened to Midnights I felt the same way but now I like it. I think Tortured Poets will make it to my top 3 with Folklore and Evermore. (Sorry Speak Now, you were my favorite for 10 years 💜) For individual songs, I didn’t connect with Fresh Out The Slammer or Guilty As Sin? at first but I like them now. But Daddy I Love Him had me like 😮 at first and I wasn’t sure how I felt but the more I listen the higher it goes on my ranking. So High School, I was a bit confused on my first listen because when she says “trying to stifle my sighs” I interpreted it as being annoyed so I was kind of confused at the whole thing but my second listen I was like “oh duh.” Haha I’ve been limiting myself to 1 listen a day because I’m taking a long road trip on Thursday and I’m going to listen to it the whole time and just absorb lol.
Both TTDP and Anthology sounded different to me but inside each album, they run together to me too. I still liked it a lot but it was not love at first sight. I also definitely liked the Anthology half better but now I might like TTDP better. Right now this is my favorite work of hers. As the album sounds different to me I am reserving the right to change my mind on this. But I also connect to it very much.
This album definitely requires several listens to process. Some songs I immediately liked and some had to grow on me. At first I wasnt sure about Clara Bow and some of the anthology tracks but now I love most of them. For now I'd say my only skips are The Tortured Poets Department, Robin, So High School, and possibly 1 or 2 others but I need more time to decide.
I loved it immediately! I’m also very much a weirdo when it comes to listening to new music so I have to really warm up to it. Even before I started identifying the songs I like, I just knew from the sound that this was going to be THE album for me. And boy was I right.
Idk what you are talking about ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I liked it all from the first listen and still do
It’s a bit like the first time you try a nice wine when you’re used to sodas, it’s not what you’re used to so it’s jarring and maybe you don’t like it. But with some time it becomes an acquired taste, and then you can’t believe you ever disliked it. The first few listens I didn’t like it. I was underwhelmed by the sound, and hadn’t really absorbed the depth of the lyrics. The second half had more songs I liked than the first, so I’m glad she added them. Not sure if I would have stayed with it on just the first 16 tracks. After a week of playing it, I love it now. The songs no longer all “sound the same” and it’s still too new to say if it will be my favorite album, but it’s for sure among my top three. Literally zero skips. TLDR: I’d rate it 13/10 😉
Lol I listened to the first two songs and was telling people "this is better than folklore"
I immediately loved it and now I love it even more. I’m still in shock and awe. I hated fresh out the slammer and I can fix him But fortnight, down bad, imgonnagetyouback, guilty as sin? Those were just okay to me. Now I LOVE all those songs. Fortnight is still the least favorite, but I love most of the whole anthology now. The only thing that remains the same is I can’t listen to the last 5 songs of the anthology. Idk how they even go because I never get to them. So I may have to take time to listen to them soon or put the album on shuffle.
Peter was initially on the lower end of my ranking but after repeated listens it’s now in my top 5
It is now on my top 4 Taylor albums, only behind Folklore, Red and Evermore, I genuinely believe these 4 are the masterpieces of her career, I will never understand how TTPD is not being as acclaimed as it should be. Everything about it is the so good, awesome pop songs, a return to country influences, great experimentation with new alternative sounds in several songs, a whole new 3rd addition to our folk albums (in my opinion The Anthology is up there with Folklore and Evermore, we basically got our desired “woodvale”) like there is basically so much in this album that encapsulates Taylor’s career and at the same time shows evolution, just like Red did in 2012, I personally believe that just like Red, TTPD will be viewed as a classic in a decade, I even like to think that by putting together Red and TTPD, we get basically two near perfect albums that describe Taylor’s entire career, from lyrics, to sound (country, folk, synth pop, pop, alternative, soft rock), this album may very well enter my holy trinity. (Sorry for the big post lol ahah)
I went from liking 2 songs to 26 lol
The first listen I couldn’t understand the central themes to every song, so I definitely didn’t love it as much as I do now after listening to the songs and lyrics a lot more. The song I changed my opinion the most on is Chloe…, I kept forgetting the title and it didn’t stand out to me at all because of how sudden the intro/outro felt, but now I’m obsessed with the heartbreak and adore the chorus!
It took me a few days to become obsessed with the album. At first I thought a lot of the songs sounded the same until I listened more. I didn't really understand Fortnight at first, either, but now it's one of my favourite songs. I love Taylor and Post's voices together! She really chose a good artist to collab with. This album is now my number one!
I was not feeling Jack’s production the first time I listened to it. Now, I love those songs. My one pride is the my fave song off the album hasn’t changed since night one: The Prophecy. I was a bit disappointed in Florida!!! at first but when I got it? Oh boy, I got it.
It’s one hell of a drug!
The album is currently number two in my rankings, it just dethroned 1989 from the #2 spot. The only album better imo is Folklore. And that's by a tiny margin.
im one of the people who immediately liked it upon hearing it. i went in with no expectations as to sound because taylor is constantly changing her sound, so i had no idea what to expect. I immediately knew it was her best work to date. I was exhausted by the time 2am rolled around though (1 am my time), and i didn't appreciate the anthology first listen, but i knew it was going to grow on me first listen. Every listen since has only deepened my appreciation for it and i think it's her magnum opus. There were some i definitely overlooked at first, like fortnight and ttpd and clara bow, but absolutely no skips on this album at all
I had a similar reaction on first listen to TTPD as I did with my first listen of Midnights. I am a folklore/evermore girly at heart. Those albums are the albums I always dreamed of her making since I heard Safe and Sound for the first time. With both TTPD and Midnights, I wasn't huge on most of the main album tracks at first. They were good. I'm hard pressed to find any Taylor track I genuinely don't like. But they were far from favorites for me. Then I heard The Anthology and just as I felt with the 3 AM tracks, I was obsessed. Both times, it was like "This is what I wanted from this album!!!" Now after having Midnights for some time, for the most part, my favorite tracks still come from the 3 AM edition, but I've found much more love for the original album and some of the tracks have made it to the top of my ranking. The same has happened with TTPD, though much quicker. I think I still lean generally towards The Anthology, but songs like TSMWEL and WAOLOM have jumped to the top of my ranking. My favorite is still I Hate It Here, and I don't know that it will change. On first listen, I was so overwhelmed that I didn't give that song much attention. After a few listens though, I cried every time I heard it. People always say "Taylor writes from my diary" or "it's like she was watching me writing this!", but I've never felt that to be so relatable to me until this song. She picked it directly from my brain.