It only seemed fitting that as I sit down to write an article that will be published on December 13th, 2020 I am stumped. I derive inspiration from the many sources that surround me. Not knowing what fashion tips to dish out rarely happens to me. So I took this as a sign to write a diary-entry style critique on Evermore, Taylor Swift’s second album of 2020. I think the most me thing to write about is perhaps, someone else.
Don’t worry...next week’s fashion article is already conceptualized and in the works - it is just not time yet. As only the fifth Whitney Wisdom article to date, I wrote about how to emulate celebrity style and of course, I used Swift as my muse. I even took a field trip to the house she was raised in! Click here.
Now flashforward just a year and a half later. Evermore was released just two days prior to the release of this article and serves as a continuation to Swift’s album Folklore that dropped less than five months prior. I’m sorry but, who writes over 30 hit songs in one year? (You know they’re going to be hits!) Need I not remind you of the three TV specials Swift launched in 2020, all to keep us smiling while life is on hold.
Despite growing up with a nose in a fashion magazine, I am not someone who envies or worships celebrities. I can’t be bothered with the gossip. So my intense connection to Taylor Swift (perhaps, the most famous singer in the world), someone I will never meet, is solely based on the power of writing. Who’s my favorite writer? That would be Taylor Swift. Her songs provide a constant soundtrack to my life and the lives of billions of others. When a new album comes out, I like to throw parties to celebrate, listen, and appreciate. I always have my initial favorites and as time goes on, some endure and sometimes the top spot is occupied by a song I once considered a sleeper. Therefore, I thought it would be fun to record my raw, first impression as I listen to each track. This was very hard to do. As one track ended I immediately anticipated the next. But instead of rushing through, I took time to absorb every word of Swift’s most under-the-radar album to date. I consider this article a hypothesis to check back in on and lowkey my first attempt at being a music critic. Ladies and gentlemen...please take your seats!
1. Willow: This song is just cool. I love everything about it - mainly because it is hard to describe and truly incomparable. You can tell Swift is particularly proud of the line, “I come back stronger than a 90s trend,” just in the way she sings it. I am positive it will be memed and screened on shirts just as “like, ever” was.
I always listen to songs on their own first before watching a music video. I like to find my own meaning. The music video incorporates the not-so-invisible string of gold, a wooden scavenger hunt for a Prince-Eric-looking-fellow, and of course, The cardigan.
2. Champagne Problems: Musically, the greatest Taylor Swift songs consist of two elements: piano and a fire bridge. (She burns bridges, get it?) After one listen, I am already yearning to hear Swift play this song with just her and a piano. Based on the title, I knew I would like this song. We think champagne as a symbol for fun, celebration, gathering. Well, like New Year’s Day (2017), this song has many, many layers. I love that the recording didn’t stop and we get to hear those added flourishes at the end. Listening to this song, I feel like I am in the studio with Swift.
3. Gold Rush: If Levi’s doesn’t use this to make a melodramatic commercial I am just done. Gorgeous (2017) off arguably Swift’s least popular album Reputation, is a very different song melodically however, seems to have duplicate inspiration. I live for yet another nod to Pennsylvania when Swift sings, “With my Eagles t-shirt hanging from the door.” All I want is to hear is this song live in the Linc.
4. Tis the Damn Season: If we’re doing superlatives, this track gets most relatable and therefore, will be an instant radio hit! On each album Swift seems to always incorporate a very timely track. For years to come we will all remember this as a winter album, thanks to Tis the Damn Season. This is the only track where Swift harmonizes with herself and we love nothing more than a one woman show.
5. Tolerate it: With a title like Tolerate it I was expecting The Man level sass. But, also this is track 5. And as described in the Long Pond Studios Folklore Disney+ special, Swift usually reserves the fifth track on her albums for gut wrenching emotional masterpieces. Last time around, this was My Tears Ricochet. Though, not my personal #1 favorite on Folklore I thought the live performance on Disney+ was in a league of its own. Furthermore, All too Well (2012) is track 5. So I rest my case, that Tolerate it did not live up to this legacy. At least not yet. Instead Swift serves up a dark tale about her climb to the top of the music industry.
6. No Body, No Crime (feat. Haim): Okay and then comes the vengeful scheming story I was hoping for! Phew! Since Better than Revenge (2010), Swift’s gotten a lot more poetic as she actively paints a full picture in the listeners head. Imagery. Off. The. Charts. It is interesting because Swift elected to share the tale of “the other woman” first in Illicit Affairs on Folklore; making the affair seem like an unfilling whirlwind. Now we hear about the Chicago-musical-stylepain of the wife. These two tracks combine need to be made into a sold-out cinema. Please continue using harmonica.
7. Happiness: “When you think happiness, I hope you think that little black dress.” Seeing this song title, prior to listening I was instantly taken back to Swift’s early hit Tim McGraw (2006.) I can see how this song can be perceived as sleepy and if that’s your opinion skip to the realest of emotions at approximately 2:55-3:26. It’s Taylor’s bridges for me.
8. Dorothea: I show a slight preference to this song over the other female named track on the record, only because this one doesn’t make me cry. Swift’s invention of both Dorothea and the narrator of the song is proof Swift’s next project should be writing and directing an old-fashioned styled film! I bet she’d sell it on VHS tapes. Dorothea is a mature actress fighting to keep clean of her hometown hookup in Tis the Damn Season.
9. Coney Island (feat. The National): With this title I was hoping for a hot dog reference or at least Nathan’s crinkle cut fries. What is an amusement trip without greasy food? Based on these comments, I’m sure you can guess I struggle to connect to this one. Billboard ranked this track the lowest on the album and even before that article came out, I had to agree. Jack Antoff has been a producer on Swift’s albums since 1989 (2014), and has yet to have a single duet with Taylor. Just sayin.’
10. Ivy: Leave all the woodsy metaphors to Taylor, thanks! A big shout-out to everyone named Ivy...but especially my BFF Ivy Wang. This song’s for you!
11. Cowboy Like Me: I promise I’m not psychic! In this track Swift samples her own song Tim McGraw (2006), as I joked above. Right after she sings “dancing is a dangerous game,” the guitar riff is a play on the intro to Tim McGraw. Cowboy Like Me confirms Swift's country roots were true and not a hoax.
12. Long Story Short: Swift is one of the few seasoned artists who has been in the game long enough that she has actually gone back and updated past songs. The reference of the song Red (2012) in Daylight (2019) leaves me speechless every time. Long Story Short is one of the few tracks on the record that seems to be biographical and a potential update to the long winded saga that is: The Story of Us (2010.) I knew this song would be an instant favorite of mine because I love how Swift takes cliche phrases we’ve all been tossing around for years and then flips it (and reverses it) to capture a brand new meaning. Listen carefully to the end. It’s the last two words that will get you: I survived.
13. Marjorie: Swift announced that she released this record and its sister album, Folklore to help people cope with all things 2020. To me, this song embodies 2020 loss the most. Marjoire can be interpreted literally - a lost loved one that somehow you keep forgetting is no longer around. Their lessons and mantras stick with you. Or maybe it is the loss of a life we once knew. Forgetting we need to wear a mask and ultimately stay far away from the few people we have left. I picture Marjorie as Swift’s grandmother and my grandfather.
14. Closure: Closure is truly a great breakup song. The track is actually the antithesis of closure. The listener is clued into this as soon as the chaotic instrumental sounds begin. “I don’t need your closure,” turns a painful love song into a powerful one. Bye!
15. Evermore (feat. Bon Iver): It is traditional for artists to make their title track #1 on the album. I like that Evermore is at the end. It keeps the listener longing which aligns with the song’s meaning. The choosing of the compound word evermore is no accident. Evermore means Forever & Always.
Bonus Tracks: These songs are not out yet but that can’t keep my mind from wandering.
Right Where You Left Me: Unfortunately this so 2020! As a songwriter Swift excels at capturing the stories, moods, and feelings of the mass public and boiling it down to digestible bites. Maybe this is the first song about quarantine? Going back to someone in fear of being alone was a national theme this past spring when Swift was writing.
It’s Time to Go: In a past life I could see this track being bold and anthem-y. Almost reckless. But, since that would not fit the Evermore mold, I predict Taylor addresses this song as an authority figure. As someone who’s seen many relationships run their course and knows it’s time to move and move on.
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