I never used to understand YouTubers who went on a hiatus for a year then came back like nothing changed. I guess I understand them better now. I’ve still been updating this blog, and I’m definitely still a fan of Taylor’s music, but I just put this series on the back burner for 6 months.
I don’t have a lot to catch up on. In those 6 months, Taylor only released 1 new song, Carolina. Which reminds me: when I finish writing the last edition (I don’t think she has any songs under ‘Z’… yet), I’ll do a separate post for all the new songs that weren’t released prior to the previous editions.
9. Don’t Blame Me
The song in one sentence: Taylor compares her lover to drugs.
Favourite line(s): “Something happened for the first time / In the darkest little paradise / Shaking, pacin’, I just need you”
When I write these rankings, there comes a certain point where I announce I love every single song from that position onwards, and that it breaks my heart having to pit the songs against one another. I know this list only just started, but I’m already going to make that proclamation here.
I’ve never experienced addiction to a person or substance (unless you count my Sims 4 phase), but I’m pretty sure this is exactly what addiction sounds like. And I’ve always been a fan of pop punk music, which is to say that I need a rock version of this song pronto.
Note: Don’t Blame Me is a song I’ve always ignored, and I never bothered to look into its meaning until 30 minutes ago. That’s the beauty of this series — I get to re-discover the music I’ve been listening to for years.
8. Daylight
The song in one sentence: Taylor’s twenties were terrible, but they’re a lot better now.
Favourite line(s) #1: “My love was as cruel as the cities I lived in / Everyone looked worse in the light” (This is how I feel about staying on campus.)
Favourite line(s) #2: “Luck of the draw only draws the unlucky”
This was the perfect closer to the Lover album. It’s the type of song that makes you want to shut your laptop, absorb the song for a while, and then breathe a sigh. Because you already know from the album that Taylor’s a lot happier, but it’s different when she sings “now I only see daylight”.
Still, I’m not a fan of the outro (especially with the voicemail filter). I find spoken interludes cringey in general, and this one just did not add any substance to the song.
7. dorothea
The song in one sentence: A message to a Hollywood actress who the narrator grew up with in a small town.
Favourite line(s): “You got shiny friends since you left town / A tiny screen’s the only place I see you now”
I don’t personally know any celebrities — unless you count local micro-influencers who advertise Shopee to their 3000 Instagram followers — but I’ve always loved the trope of a small town girl making it big (wait, is this why I like Taylor Swift?). Bonus points if their hometown friends are longing for them.
I’m also (regrettably) a K-pop fan, so the lyrics “If you ever get tired of being known for who you know / You know that you’ll always know me” remind me of all the members who have ever left my favourite groups.
6. Don’t You
The song in one sentence: If Taylor sees her ex again, she’d rather just walk away.
Favourite line(s): “My heart knows what the truth is / I swore I wouldn’t do this”
Objectively I know this song isn’t deserving of 6th place, and 7 months ago, I might’ve ranked it last — the background instrumental makes me feel like I’m sinking underwater, and lyrics-wise there’s not much depth.
It’s just a sad song, and Taylor has far better sad songs. But try telling that to the heartbroken Celeste who added this to her exclusive ‘2022 favourites’ playlist back in April.
Note: If there’s one thing I’ve gotten out of this series, it’s how interesting it is to see my current outlook on life also affects how I perceive these songs. Special shoutout to Bye Bye Baby from the “B” edition ranking — if I’d ranked that after April, it definitely wouldn’t be last place.
5. Dress
The song in one sentence: Taylor has a reason to take off her clothes.
Favourite line(s): “Everyone thinks that they know us / But they know nothin’ about / All of this silence and patience, pining and anticipation”
Anyone who knows me knows that I love a good dress moment. I also love a good song about clothes on the floor.
But I can’t take this song very seriously when I remember how people suspected the lyric “I don’t want you like a best friend” was about Ed Sheeran. It just makes me giggle. This is my own doing.
4. Dear John
The song in one sentence: John Mayer was toxic and manipulative.
Favourite line(s): “Long were the nights when / My days once revolved around you”
I remember listening to this song for the first time in my aunt’s living room. Imagine my surprise when I found out the song with the same name as a romance movie was about a track 5-worthy heartbreak.
As the title suggests, it really reads like a letter to the John in question. I think it was brave of her to put her ex’s first name out there in an album track. It was also ingenious of her to release fireworks when performing the lyric “I’m shining like fireworks over your sad, empty town” — what a way to reclaim a story.
3. Dancing With Our Hands Tied
The song in one sentence: Taylor’s dancing with someone but it’s just not passing the vibe check.
Favourite line(s): “I’d kiss you as the lights went out / Swaying as the room burned down / I’d hold you as the water rushes in / If I could dance with you again”
I have a thing for songs with strong premonitions (see: my Cornelia Street ranking), and this song is right up there. Dancing with your lover but getting a bad feeling? But wanting to dance with them again anyway? And then making it a bop? You got me.
2. Delicate
The song in one sentence: Taylor’s falling for someone, and it feels vulnerable but exciting all at the same time.
Favourite line(s) #1: “My reputation’s never been worse, so / You must like me for me…” (This is how I react any time anyone vaguely enjoys my company.)
Favourite line(s) #2: “Is it cool that I said all that? / Is it chill that you’re in my head?”
This is the only track 5 song that isn’t about the end of a relationship (the next track 5 is all the way at ‘W’, what the heck), but I get why it’s there — it’s just so vulnerable. I think falling for someone is always going to be a little scary, but especially so when you’re Ms Taylor Swift and everyone is trying to knock you down.
1. Death By A Thousand Cuts
The song in one sentence: A love for the ages becomes one for the trenches.
Favourite line(s) #1: “I dress to kill my time, I take the long way home / I ask the traffic lights if it’ll be alright / They say, “I don’t know””
Favourite line(s) #2: “My heart, my hips, my body, my love / Tryna find a part of me that you didn’t touch”
I always feel a lot of pressure writing reviews for the top song in each post. Let me just put more pressure on myself by declaring that this is my favourite Taylor Swift song of all time.
What can I say? When I’ve just opened Spotify and am looking for something to play, I always reach for this song first. It’s amazing in itself, but even better with earphones on.
The title’s inspired by lingchi (basically killing someone slowly so their torture is extended), and the song’s inspired by the movie Something Great. And it gets me feeling things: usually sadness over the content of the song itself, but also comforted by just how damn good this song is. I’m a self-established sad song lover, and I just think having those feelings is what makes a perfect sad song. (See also: Maisie Peters’ Villain.)
Celtic Moods 