Swift’s Seventh Album Embodies Acceptance with the Past

By: Olivia Frasca

Swift’s “You Need To Calm Down” won Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards. Credit: uproxx.com

Whether or not you’re a die-hard Swiftie, Taylor Swift’s success in the world of pop music shows no signs of stopping. Since 2006, the songstress has released iconic singles that we can admit to jamming out to in our childhood bedrooms at some point. 

On August 23rd, Swift released her seventh album titled “Lover.” At one hour and one minute, it is the longest of her studio albums. 

The 18-track record is mostly indie, but pays homage to the country pop and 80s sound of her earlier albums. 

“‘It’s definitely a quirky record. With this album, I felt like I sort of gave myself permission to revisit older themes that I used to write about, maybe look at them with fresh eyes. And to revisit older instruments — older in terms of when I used to use them,’” Swift says in an interview with RollingStone. 

At the age of 14, Swift moved from her hometown in Pennsylvania to Nashville, Tennessee to begin her music career. She joined Big Machine Records and has released six award-winning albums under their label. 

Last fall the artist chose to join Republic Records. In June, it was revealed that entrepreneur Scooter Braun bought Big Machine Records in a $300 million deal. 

Braun acquired the rights to Swift’s six masters. The Grammy-winning artist said she was blindsided and devastated by the news, as Braun has worked with her public enemy Kanye West in the past. 

“Lover” is the first album of Swift’s that she owns. Although it was released in August, it is still racking up records. 

According to Billboard, “Republic Records announced on Friday [September 27th] that Taylor Swift’s Lover has officially been certified platinum by the RIAA, reflecting 1 million equivalent album units earned in the U.S. (One equivalent album unit … is equal to: one album sale, 10 tracks sold from an album, or 1,500 on-demand audio and/or video streams from an album).”

“ME!” and “You Need To Calm Down” were the first two singles released from the album. They offer a pretty good introduction to the bubbly and synth-pop tone of the record.

“Lover” is not for the light-hearted, however. The album reflects on Swift’s honest experience with love, family, and forgiveness. 

“You Need To Calm Down” won Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards. The single is the ultimate response to internet trolls that have spread hate and rumors throughout the singer’s life. 

The music video features famous members of the LGBTQ community and proves that the bad blood between Swift and Katy Perry is now history. 

The album also includes a feminist anthem called “The Man,” inspired by the artist’s struggle with making a name for herself as a female in the music industry.  

“‘Yeah, but I’ve also tried very hard — and this is one thing I regret — to convince people that I wasn’t the one holding the puppet strings of my marketing existence, or the fact that I sit in a conference room several times a week and come up with these ideas. I felt for a very long time that people don’t want to think of a woman in music who isn’t just a happy, talented accident,’” Swift admits to RollingStone when asked about her role in her business. 

“I Think He Knows,” “Paper Rings,” and “London Boy” are playful ballads that describe the giddiness of crushes and young love. 

On the other hand, “Soon You’ll Get Better” is an intimate song that reveals the singer’s struggle with watching her mother battle cancer. 

The upbeat tone of “Cruel Summer” and “Death By A Thousand Cuts” is contrary to their emotional lyrics. These songs discuss the fears of falling in love and the consequences of being in a toxic relationship, respectively. 

Swift’s albums tell a story, each one reflecting on a different phase in her life. While “1989” marks the artist’s shift from country to pop, “Reputation” is an unapologetic clapback at her exes and celebrity feuds. 

“Lover” is the culmination of Swift’s personal joys and lessons learned. Most of all, the album embodies the singer’s acceptance with consequences, others, and herself.