Taylor Swift’s reputation: Revisited | Track-by-Track Review

With a new Taylor Swift album coming in a few months, it’s about time we went back to her last album to see how it’s aged.

A year and a half ago, I reviewed the then newly-released reputation and gave it a C+, indicating “underwhelming.” A myriad of critics shared the same sentiment, considering it the worst record by Taylor Swift. Still, many others put it on their year-end “Best of” lists. While revisiting many Taylor Swift songs for the review of her new single “ME!”, I found that after a year, my opinion towards many songs on reputation changed from my first review of the album. Hence, we will go through the album in this article and see how my opinion has changed or stayed the same.

1. “…Ready for It?”

What’s changed: “…Ready for It?” actually is an appropriate opener, in that it reveals the two main themes of the album: the bad girl persona and the complicated relationships. However, the effort to connect these two themes is abortive, creating an ambiguous and incoherent narrative. It has a pretty dreamy and glittering chorus as well as some good lines, such as the analogy “Burton to this Taylor”, but these are few and far between.

Still the same: I still quite like the production on the track, but still think that it’s structurally messy. The bass drops are out of place; Swift tries too hard to sell the dark persona, and some imageries in the lyrics are clichéd.

2. “End Game”

What’s changed: Okay, the “big reputation” hook is not that bad. The pre-chorus and chorus are quite nice, but the “play” melisma that transitions between the two parts is soulless and tasteless.

Still the same: All of the verses are forgettable, and the background ad-libs are still vexing and redundant.

3. “I Did Something Bad”

What’s changed: “I Did Something Bad” is actually the one that portrays the dark persona the best. The gibberish hook works quite well, but the idea of chopping up and pitching down Swift’s vocals to make it sound like she’s exacting vengeance could have been executed better.

Still the same: The chorus is hard-hitting, catchy hook, while the verses are unapologetic and unabashed. However, the lyrics are vague and fluffed up quite a bit. Instead of fleshing out a full-bodied sound and narrative, Swift simply dabbles on the murky waters of the bad girl story.

4. “Don’t Blame Me”

What’s changed: The clichéd “love is drug” metaphor did not age well, especially when Swift keeps on dabbling and brings nothing new to the scene. At least it has a clearer narrative than “I Did Something Bad”.

Still the same: The use of her lower range is appreciable, and the song is quite catchy.

5. “Delicate”

What’s changed: Five songs in, and Swift already uses the trick of putting the hook at the beginning of the song three times. She does this again in later tracks on the album, and on her new single “ME!” as well. Granted, she changes it up so that it is the exact same hook that would appear later in the song, but when she does it this often, it feels formulaic and calculated. And a Taylor Swift song is not enjoyable when it comes off as calculated.

However, I came to like the song much more than I did initially, as it has some of the best lyrics on the album. The verses are filled with details, which is what makes a Taylor Swift song gratifying. The pre-chorus is vulnerable, earnest, and memorable. The chorus, on the other hand, gives me mixed feelings. I like the sentiment behind it, the shyness and anxiety coming into a relationship when Swift knows she does not have a good reputation. However, the actual word choice and phrasing irks me.

Lastly, it seems odd to place “Delicate” in the first half of the album, between “Don’t Blame Me” and “Look What You Made Me Do”, given its brisk and bouncy sound. It would be better off as the centerpiece, after “So It Goes…”

Still the same: Ugh the dated production. I need to correct myself here, as I wrote in my original review that it has elements from dancehall music. This is true, as it prominently features the Dembow drum pattern, but its use of synthesizers and uplifting sound places it closer to tropical house, which was at its peak in popularity in 2014. This makes the song unsatisfactory in two ways. Firstly, it rides on the dancehall trend at the time, which feels tacky and out of place on the album. Secondly, tropical house is basically white-washed, dumbed-down, culture-appropriating music. Other instrumentation, such as the use of xylophone in 1989’s “Clean”, can achieve the same effect without being generic.

6. “Look What You Made Me Do”

What’s changed: The lead single off reputation is another track on the album that did not age well. It does what it needs to do: intriguing the public, while still being a coherent and catchy song. However, it does not offer anything more than that. Moreover, it does not represent the album well and hence is quickly forgotten as people explore the rest of the album.

7. “So It Goes…”

Still the same: I did not give much attention to “So It Goes…” originally, and I still do not care much for it now. It has the potential to be interesting, but in its current form, it gives nothing but lethargy. If anything, it bridges the first half of the album filled with darker, more hip-hop tinged track with the latter half of more pop-forward songs pretty well.

8. “Gorgeous”

What’s changed: Over time, “Gorgeous” has taken on the position of “All You Had To Do Was Stay” on 1989. It does not feel redundant enough to be left out of the album, but at the same time, it does not bring anything to the album anything different from other tracks.

Still the same: I still have problems with some of the lyrics on the song, such as the hollow filler “Whisky on ice, Sunset and Vine”, or the callow hook “You’re so gorgeous/ I can’t say anything to your face/ ’Cause look at your face/ You’re gorgeous.” However, it has a better production than “Delicate,” achieving the same bright and clear sound without relying on some dated trends.

9. “Getaway Car”

What’s changed: Even though it is arguably the most well-written song on the album, it feels a bit formulaic. It opens with a distorted line from the chorus, similar to many other songs on this album, while its theme and structure are similar to those of “Out of the Woods” from 1989. Narrative-wise, it does not seem to be based on something personal, or if it were, the storyline of a couple on the run detaches it from reality and makes it harder to connect to than other cuts such as “Dress”, “Delicate”, or “New Year’s Day”.

Still the same: As stated, it’s still arguably the most well-written song on the album: the lyrics are imaginative and substantive; the song structure and melody is well-built; the production is detailed and embellished. Its “bad girl” narrative is also more believable than on the previous tracks. All in all, still a highlight on the album.

10. “King of My Heart”

What’s changed: If “Gorgeous” is the new “All You Had To Do Was Stay,” then “King of My Heart” is the “How You Get The Girl”. Same situation of not bringing enough, but more forgettable. Nothing much to complain about the lyrics though.

Still the same: The track actually has a good chorus and post-chorus with nice inclusions of percussion.

11. “Dancing with Our Hands Tied”

What’s changed: I actually have no memory of listening to most of this song. The only part I can recall is the hook; the rest sounds totally new to me. It’s that unmemorable. Listening to it now, I quite like the idea behind the song as well as the hook. However, the pacing of the song is off: the verse and the pre-chorus feel too long-winded. The song has potential, but definitely not something I would go back to.

12. “Dress”

The good: It has some of the best couplets from the album (“All of this silence and patience, pining and anticipation/My hands are shaking from holding back from you”), as well as punchy lines (“I don’t want you like a best friend”, “Only bought this dress so you could take it off”).

The bad: Even if we ignore that it is a meaningless filler, the “ha-ah” in the pre-chorus and the chorus already sounds a bit off, but that non-word line is so stretched out in the post-chorus before the bridge it’s irksome. Also, the verses are unmemorable and the transition to the pre-chorus is quite abrupt, making it sound like Swift is rushing through the verses.

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

Still the same: This track is rather sluggish and vapid. It’s not horrible, but not striking either.

14. “Call It What You Want”

Still the same: It would have been more memorable in a shorter tracklist, as the album has petered out by this point. The song is pleasant but doesn't make any significant impact in the grand scheme of things.

15. “New Year’s Day”

What’s changed: Some of the lyrics have aged well, such as “You squeeze my hand three times in the back of the taxi” or lyrics of the chorus, but some others did not age that well.

Still the same: It’s a lovely closer with sparing piano and confessional, vulnerable lyrics.

Verdict: Most of the problems with reputation are still apparent: lackluster lyrics, lengthy tracklist, and rough production on some tracks. Even though they are just over three minutes long, many of the songs feel long-winded. Still, I appreciate the second half of the album a lot more, picking up more personal and thoughtful lyrics as well as some interesting melodies and instrumentations.

Rating: B-

Essential tracks: “Delicate,” “Getaway Car,” “New Year’s Day”