“Lover” embodies feelings of comfort in a relationship, evolving from Swift’s past breakup albums.
It’s an understatement to say that Taylor Swift’s latest album, “Lover,” has been a success. It debuted at number one on the Billboard chart and had the most pre-orders at Target than any other album in history. Having been a Swiftie since middle school, I of course was one of those fans who listened to the singles over and over again while I anxiously awaited the day it came out on Aug. 23.
I was not disappointed. From the time the first single of the album, “ME!”, debuted, I knew I was going to like this album better than her previous album, “Reputation.” Not that I didn’t like “Reputation,” but I prefer the soft, delicate sounds of “Lover.”
“Lover” captures all the beautiful feelings of being in love. It is pleasant and easy to listen to. The album cover features beautiful pastel yellows, pinks and blues, and honestly every time I listen to the album, I think of the color pink.
It is the perfect album for end of summer because its melodies are the ideal companion to a late summer evening. The songs on “Lover” are a good listening companion when thinking about love. The feeling of being in love is the reason I began listening to Taylor Swift in middle school, because she has always embodied for me those feelings.
This album does not have the scathing songs condemning ex-lovers, but instead contains the beautiful melodies of finding happiness with another person. There are a couple of songs about being in past relationships, like “I Forgot That You existed,” and “Cruel Summer.” They do not feel like revenge songs, but about how she learned from past relationships. They are upbeat and I feel like I can relate to the feelings of getting over a previous relationship.
“Lover,” the titular song perfectly embodies the feelings of being in love with someone you adore. It gives all the fuzzy, warm feelings of being with the person you love and makes me feel like curling up with a warm blanket and a cup of hot cocoa in front of a fire. This is the tone for the rest of the album.
The other songs like “Lover,” that capture this feeling are “Cornelia Street,” “Paper Rings” and “Daylight.” They have similar melodies, and Swift sings about how love makes her feel.
Her previous albums have been about falling in love, tumultuous relationships and breakups, but “Lover” as a whole is about being in a committed, loving relationship. It seems obvious that “London Boy,” is about her boyfriend of three years, Joe Alwyn. There are rumors that “Lover” and “I Think He Knows,” are about him as well. These are beautiful tributes her current relationship right now.
An article in Vanity Fair from Erin Vanderhoof praised the record, saying, “Lover could hold the key to pop music’s survival.” Pop music has been criticized in recent years for just being simple melodies with no substance, or that its whole existence is just to move units. Vanderhoof was making the point that Swift’s songs are easy to listen to while containing deeper thoughts, rather than just repeating the same words over and over again. I don’t know if this is true, but Swift’s album does emboy striking feelings and images of love.
She says it best at the end of her album in the song “Daylight,” when she sings, “I want to be defined by the things that I love, not the things I hate.”
