Taylor Swift’s “Reputation” Does Something Bad, And It Sounds So Good

Our in-house Swifty gives her honest track-by-track review of the pop star’s sixth studio album.

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UTIOM

8 min readNov 15, 2017

Taylor Swift released her sixth studio album, Reputation, last Thursday night, selling over a million copies in just four days. The album dropped a little earlier than the midnight release I was expecting (Praise!). This album has been long awaited by fans who are used to Taylor releasing albums every two years — her last album, 1989, was released in 2014.

The album’s title is very appropriate, as Taylor uses the album to address her own reputation. With such a huge following, Taylor lives under a microscope in the public eye. She has been publicly scrutinized for having many boyfriends, being a serial relationship killer, and exposing these men in many of the songs she writes. She’s been called a snake, feuding with celebs like Kayne West, Kim Kardashian, and Katy Perry, created her own girl squad with A-list members like Karlie Kloss, Gigi Hadid, Selena Gomez, among others. She constantly makes headlines no matter how private she attempts to be; it’s part of her life and something that she must carry around with her — it’s her Reputation.

Back in August, Swift released the album’s first single, “Look What You Made Me Do.” Three days later, the song’s video was released, depicting a reality of Taylor’s life if all of the rumors, exaggerations, and tabloid headlines that surround her daily life were all true. If nothing else, the video is hilariously produced and makes the mediocre song much better. It was all a preview of what was to come from her album.

Now, without any further ado, let’s walk through these songs track-by-track. I’ll be giving you my honest feedback on my favorite lyrics and songs off this project.

1. …Ready For It?

“…Ready For It” was the second single released off Reputation, and I immediately wanted to get up and move once it started playing. The upbeat opener is a catchy song that readies the listener for the rest of the album. It begins with a strong, intense beat, followed by Taylor rapping into the bridge, singing the “In the middle of the night, in my dreams” part, which is my favorite. Taylor historically writes her songs about her personal life, and this song seems like no exception with mentions of her dreams and being together with this person. The only question is, “is he ready for it?”

7/10

2. End Game (feat. Ed Sheeran & Future)

I was shocked to see a collab with Future but pleasantly surprised with the result. All three rap in the song: Future takes the first verse, Ed the second, and Taylor the third. The lyrics talk about everyone having their own reputation or baggage, be it a “bad boy” persona, issues with insecurities, craziness, drama, etc., but through all of that, wanting to move this relationship forward seriously. I really enjoyed this collaboration.

Taylor is known for having many exes, and she takes that narrative head on in “End Game” by expressing that she wants to be the one in the end, and even though people talk about her she’s not trying to play any games. I love the direct message because ain’t nobody got time for that! #playnogames

8/10

3. I Did Something Bad

This song is sassy and I am a fan of it. She’s talking about how she can play the player.

“If a man talks shit, then I owe him nothing/ I don’t regret it one bit, ’cause he had it coming”

I like that she calls out men for playing her, and she’s not gonna stand for that. The chorus relates to the theme of the album referencing her reputation: “They say I did something bad” referring to all the haters and the outrageous media stories. Taylor is defending her actions by responding “I’d do it over and over and over agin if I could It just felt so good.” The conviction and strength that she sings this song with makes the message of reclaiming her reputation extra powerful.

9/10

4. Don’t Blame Me

OBSESSED! The intensity of this song hooks you in. I love the way she uses her lower register in this song, but then shows off some high notes at the end to show the emotion of how hooked into this love she is. She describes the kind of feeling that consumes your whole body and mind. You think you are crazy because all you can do is think about that person!

”Don’t blame me, your love made me crazy/ If it doesn’t, you ain’t doing it right- Lord save me, my drug is my baby I’ll be usin’ for the rest of my life”

Ughhh, so good — ALL OF THE FEELINGS ❤

10/10

5. Delicate

This might be my favorite song off the whole album (I’m indecisive). I love the dragging beat and her voice has a cool effect that I’m drawn to. Normally I’m not a fan of auto-tune, but it really works in this song.

“Is it cool that I said all that?/ Is it chill that your in my head?/ Cuz I know that it’s delicate”

The song depicts the beginning of a relationship — the unknown, scary feeling of not knowing what a person has heard about you and what they think about you, and the uncertainty of moving forward. You are hesitant because you don’t want to mess anything up or break it because it’s, well, delicate.

10/10

6. Look What You Made Me Do

You can read my full review here — but I’ll just say I was underwhelmed. Yes, it’s catchy and good for a SoulCycle class, but I was left wanting more.

6/10

7. So It Goes…

I’m a big fan of this song. It’s very sensual. I think the chorus tells it all:

“And all our pieces fall right into place/ Get caught up in a moment/ Lipstick on your face/ So it goes… I’m yours to keep, and I’m yours to lose/ You know I’m not a bad girl, but I do bad things with you/ So it goes…”

Need I say more? Damn Taylor, haha.

9/10

8. Gorgeous

This was the third song released to tease the album. Clearly, Taylor is singing about some hottie she is crushing on, but she is tongue tied until she makes an inviting move. I enjoy the drums and melodic tones of this song. It’s pretty chill and a decent track. Nothing super emotional to draw you in, though.

7/10

9. Getaway Car

This song tells the story of a short-term relationship. The high adrenaline rush that you’d experience driving a getaway car, all the while knowing this is not the long term solution. I think the comparison works nicely and I like her story-telling lyrics.

9/10

10. King of My Heart

Not going to lie I was unsure about this song at first, but it’s undoubtably catchy. I like the message of being fulfilled in a relationship. This connection has all the physical, mental, and emotional pieces to it

“All at once, you are the one I have been waiting for/ King of my heart, body and soul”

Taylor makes a huge statement about her feelings here and throughout this entire album. You can tell that she has significantly grown more mature emotionally. She’s not a silly little girl singing about teardrops on her guitar anymore — LOVE that song, but those days are behind her and she is a grown woman.

8/10

11. Dancing With Our Hands Tied

This song makes me want to nerdily sing and dance in my kitchen! The song has a natural groove to it and I like her short staccato lyrics that increases the intensity of the song. Again, she is the queen of catchy pop music! To me, this song is talking about a relationship that was probably a bad idea, but just going for it because it was fun in the moment and there is nothing wrong with that. If circumstances were different perhaps things could have worked out, but regardless there are no regrets.

8/10

12. Dress

Not particularly a fan of this song. I find her voice a bit whiny in this song and I just don’t have a desire to listen to it again — probably one of my least favorites on the album. “Only bought this dress so you could take it off.” Taylor, I think we can do better?

5/10

13. This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

Also disappointed with this song. I could see it blowing up because it’s catchy and she is referring to the end of one of her relationships and how it went badly, and she is telling her side of the story through this song. But I just don’t connect with this one like the others on this album.

6/10

14. Call It What You Want

Out of all the teasers this has to be my favorite. It’s exactly what I have come to expect from Taylor Swift — a personal story told through music. She talks about being at an emotional low point and someone being there to help her through. This song probably refers to her public break up with Calvin Harris and the toll the media comments took on her, and how she found someone new (quickly) and built herself back up despite what people were saying.

“All my flowers grew back as thorns/ Windows boarded up after the storm/ He built a fire just to keep me warm”

9/10

15. New Year’s Day

I caught a preview of this song when she teased it on TGIT on ABC, and I got so excited for the album. This song is great and reminds me of the old Taylor I know and love. I really enjoy this song because of its stripped down tone — It’s just Taylor and her piano, and she sounds authentic and real.

“Please don’t ever become a stranger, whose laugh I could recognize anywhere”

and

“Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you/ I will hold on to you”

These are two of my favorite lyrics in the album. They talk about not wanting a relationship to end even though you know it’s probably for the best. You have to let go, but you will always hold on to memories that you had together. People in your life come and go, but it’s the memories that remain and that you must be thankful for. They are what made you into the person you became today and that’s pretty amazing.

10/10

Overall, Reputation delivers on its promise and I am pleasantly surprised with the content. No I’m not in love with every song but I’m obsessed with a few and enjoy the majority! I’d highly recommend a listen on your next road trip— that’s one of my favorite ways to listen to Taylor’s music because I can belt the emotional lyrics in my car and dance jam out to the fun, poppy beats. Swifty or not, it’s hard to deny Taylor’s talent as an artist; from writing, to singing, and marketing her brand. The theme of reputation was certainly carried along throughout the album and was the perfect title for this album. Well done Taylor. Can’t wait for the concert!

Reputation is currently available for purchase on iTunes.