love this! my other current favorite taylor motif is everything dealing w/ the cosmos. I've mainly only been thinking about it on TTPD, but I'm sure there's cosmic imagery in older eras
I always get so excited to see a new Taylor Swift Studies post!
I completely agree about the idea of the 3am tracks making “Mastermind” less of an impactful closing statement (which I think it is so perfect as), and everything you said about it. I wanted to ask you more about this section relating to your thoughts on the 3am edition:
“Four of them (“Bigger Than The Whole Sky,” “Paris,” “Glitch,” “Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve”) deal in counterfactuals, whereas on the main album, only “Question…?” really does.”
This is such a fascinating point because these songs have always felt separate from so much else of midnights but I’ve never fully put a finger on why—do you think these songs are her most playing out the narrator’s what-ifs? Or do you say counterfactual as in they are experiences Taylor Swift the person hasn’t experienced?
The idea of counterfactuals also makes me think back to your TTP piece writing about the criticism of the music being too lore dependent when it’s actually just as rich and interesting (and maybe more so) when separate from the Tay-lore—do you apply the same framework to midnights?
ahhh thank you! taylor's been pretty quiet lately so there hasn't been much to write about… and then like the news that does exist isn't really TSS material, like planned terrorist attacks.
to answer the questions in reverse order, i feel like a lot of midnights is probably more interesting if you know a lot of her music / lore… but only to a point. "maroon" is a big one for me—the title is an obvious callback to "red," the line about dancing with no shoes is a clear nod to "cornelia street." the line about the telephones always makes me think of "come back… be here" which i guess doesn't in fact mention telephones.
but lore-wise, those songs are assigned to different people! so i feel like most of the songs are probably about a feeling that goes across multiple events. like a feeling of loss and mistaking a fragile relationship for a solid one that accrues depth over time.
"question…?" is also a song where i feel like you can have a lot of fun thinking about songs it resembles (like it kind of reminds me of "how you get the girl" in the way it narrates stuff out for the "you"), and then it has that "out of the woods" sample, but again i feel like all the callbacks aren't spelling out like… Here's What Happened With [whoever you think that song is about].
i guess with the counterfactuals i'm thinking like, they're all dealing with something that is not real. like "Paris" has the line "like we were in Paris…" so wherever she is, it's not Paris, and the song is full of make believe stuff. "Glitch" is a little different i guess in that it's more like "somehow i'm living in a situation that isn't supposed to happen," like she's found herself in a counter factual somehow. (the dog demanding that i listen to midnights all the time has finally caused me to appreciate "glitch.")
so i do think yeah, they're the bigger what-ifs, and some of those what-ifs are more like happy day dreams (Paris, Glitch) and some are clearly traumatic (BTTWS, WCS). I'm not sure exactly what "Question…?" is though lol. I mean it's not traumatic but I don't know if it's a daydream either. maybe it's like one of those conversations you have in your head when you know the real one could only be incredibly frustrating.
Love all those callbacks you noted in Maroon! In an album that feels like it is full of references for those who seek them out that might be one of the most jam-packed.
And very much agree that glitch took me more listens to appreciate and now I really enjoy what that song is doing.
Question really is a thinker in that regard…I love the linking it to how you get the girl structurally! But that song’s emotional state is a tough one to crack—i immediately loved how it sounds but as I’ve dug deeper I’ve been left with more questions lol
love this! my other current favorite taylor motif is everything dealing w/ the cosmos. I've mainly only been thinking about it on TTPD, but I'm sure there's cosmic imagery in older eras
that line in "peter" about the same moon / different galaxies really gets me!!
definitely some cosmos stuff on midnights (like the opening of "mastermind"). thinking about the others…
ug peter absolutely wrecks me!!
I always get so excited to see a new Taylor Swift Studies post!
I completely agree about the idea of the 3am tracks making “Mastermind” less of an impactful closing statement (which I think it is so perfect as), and everything you said about it. I wanted to ask you more about this section relating to your thoughts on the 3am edition:
“Four of them (“Bigger Than The Whole Sky,” “Paris,” “Glitch,” “Would’ve Could’ve Should’ve”) deal in counterfactuals, whereas on the main album, only “Question…?” really does.”
This is such a fascinating point because these songs have always felt separate from so much else of midnights but I’ve never fully put a finger on why—do you think these songs are her most playing out the narrator’s what-ifs? Or do you say counterfactual as in they are experiences Taylor Swift the person hasn’t experienced?
The idea of counterfactuals also makes me think back to your TTP piece writing about the criticism of the music being too lore dependent when it’s actually just as rich and interesting (and maybe more so) when separate from the Tay-lore—do you apply the same framework to midnights?
ahhh thank you! taylor's been pretty quiet lately so there hasn't been much to write about… and then like the news that does exist isn't really TSS material, like planned terrorist attacks.
to answer the questions in reverse order, i feel like a lot of midnights is probably more interesting if you know a lot of her music / lore… but only to a point. "maroon" is a big one for me—the title is an obvious callback to "red," the line about dancing with no shoes is a clear nod to "cornelia street." the line about the telephones always makes me think of "come back… be here" which i guess doesn't in fact mention telephones.
but lore-wise, those songs are assigned to different people! so i feel like most of the songs are probably about a feeling that goes across multiple events. like a feeling of loss and mistaking a fragile relationship for a solid one that accrues depth over time.
"question…?" is also a song where i feel like you can have a lot of fun thinking about songs it resembles (like it kind of reminds me of "how you get the girl" in the way it narrates stuff out for the "you"), and then it has that "out of the woods" sample, but again i feel like all the callbacks aren't spelling out like… Here's What Happened With [whoever you think that song is about].
i guess with the counterfactuals i'm thinking like, they're all dealing with something that is not real. like "Paris" has the line "like we were in Paris…" so wherever she is, it's not Paris, and the song is full of make believe stuff. "Glitch" is a little different i guess in that it's more like "somehow i'm living in a situation that isn't supposed to happen," like she's found herself in a counter factual somehow. (the dog demanding that i listen to midnights all the time has finally caused me to appreciate "glitch.")
so i do think yeah, they're the bigger what-ifs, and some of those what-ifs are more like happy day dreams (Paris, Glitch) and some are clearly traumatic (BTTWS, WCS). I'm not sure exactly what "Question…?" is though lol. I mean it's not traumatic but I don't know if it's a daydream either. maybe it's like one of those conversations you have in your head when you know the real one could only be incredibly frustrating.
Love all those callbacks you noted in Maroon! In an album that feels like it is full of references for those who seek them out that might be one of the most jam-packed.
And very much agree that glitch took me more listens to appreciate and now I really enjoy what that song is doing.
Question really is a thinker in that regard…I love the linking it to how you get the girl structurally! But that song’s emotional state is a tough one to crack—i immediately loved how it sounds but as I’ve dug deeper I’ve been left with more questions lol
hs "meet me in the hallway" outsold
I’ll have to play that one for the dog and see if he likes it.