In December, Taylor Swift announced her second surprise album of the year, “evermore,” meant to be a sister album to the “folklore” album she released in July. As a huge Taylor Swift fan, I was absolutely ecstatic because despite “folklore” being so different from her previous albums, it was one of my favorites. “evermore” is one of her best albums because it reminds me so much of her older country albums yet still manages to stand on its own as a marvelous collection of storytelling.
The song on the album that everyone is talking about is “no body, no crime” feat. Haim. The song tells the story of a woman named Este who is murdered by her husband (who is also cheating on her). Swift then continues to sing about how she murders the cheating husband to avenge her best friend. Everyone has fallen in love with the song, and people have even created conspiracy theories about how it’s about Swift and Harry Styles committing vehicular manslaughter in 2013. In my opinion, the reason people love the song is because it has this vibe that is so distinctly “country breakup,” but it’s a whole story about murder. Very few artists could pull off writing a song about a homicide case, but Swift does it impressively well.
One of the most powerful tracks on the album is “marjorie,” track 13. The song is dedicated to her late grandmother, an opera singer named Marjorie Finlay. It carries such emotional weight and connects with the listener on every level. The song is about all the things Swift learned from her grandmother and the things that she wishes she had the chance to learn. In the song, Swift sings “If I didn’t know better / I’d think you were singing to me now,” and the background vocals are from an old recording of Marjorie Finlay singing. The connection between “evermore” and “folklore” is highlighted by this track and the corresponding track 13 on “folklore.” Track 13 on “folklore” is about Swift’s grandfather and is titled “epiphany.” Both songs perfectly encompass the idea of love and grief in a way that is truly striking.
Sticking with the theme of heart-wrenching songs, “champagne problems,” “tolerate it,” “happiness,” and “evermore” were some of the saddest songs on the album. “champagne problems” is about a girl who rejects a proposal from her partner because she feels like she isn’t good enough. The simple chords will resonate with listeners as they think about their own heartbreaks. “tolerate it” is about the struggle of wanting to earn love from someone who isn’t paying attention to anything they do for them. Swift’s fifth tracks are always reserved for the most vulnerable songs, and “tolerate it” is a prime example of it. To everyone’s surprise, “happiness” wasn’t actually a happy song. She wrote the song a week before releasing the album. “happiness” is very reminiscent of old Swift because it is about the joy that came from an ultimately destructive relationship. It reminds me of “Begin Again” and “Back to December” in that sense. The final sad song is “evermore,” the title track. It is about a person struggling with depression and pain trying to find their way out. The piano accompaniment, played by William Bowery (aka Joe Alwyn), takes a hopeful turn at the end when Swift sings: “I had a feeling so peculiar / This pain wouldn’t be for / Evermore.” All three of these songs are masterpieces that everyone can relate to, regardless of if they have gone through heartbreak or hard times.
However, “evermore” isn’t just an album to cry to. It also has music that you can dance to alone in your room while screaming the lyrics. One of my favorite songs is “ivy.” While the song is technically about an affair, it is so upbeat, and the lyrics are absolutely beautiful; I had no choice but to fall in love with the song. Another one of my favorites is “long story short,” which could probably be found on her “reputation” album. The lyrics describe someone with past regrets who is now looking forward to a new chapter of their life with new people.
In order to truly appreciate the beauty behind Taylor Swift’s music, it is necessary to understand the underlying story behind it all. Some are more complex than others, but each song leaves you with something different to think about. One of my favorite things about Swift’s music is how hard it makes you think and reflect on your own life, something “evermore” is able to do very well.
