Review: Do We love Lover?

By Abby Dziura, 2020

Published 09/30/19

I didn’t know what to expect after Taylor Swift dropped the single ME! featuring Brendon Urie back in April of this year, but it certainly wasn’t Lover.

Taylor Swift’s Lover is her seventh and longest studio album, coming in at eighteen tracks. While not as good as Swift’s 2014 album, 1989, Lover a return to her songwriting prowess on earlier albums. The theme of the album--love, as it seems--is mostly consistent throughout, and there are some stellar tracks. The biggest problem, which ultimately drags down the album as a whole, is the filler. Songs like “I Forgot that You Existed”, the aforementioned “ME!”, “Death by a Thousand Cuts”, and “The Archer” could have been cut at no detriment to the album; I’d even argue that cutting these songs would have improved the album in terms of theme and production cohesiveness.

Let’s break it down:

“I Forgot That You Existed”: This easily ranks as one of my least favorite songs on Lover. As the opening song, it doesn’t introduce us to the theme of the album; rather, it plays on an antagonist to love: indifference. The production is lacking and feels unfinished.

“Cruel Summer”: A decidedly “Taylor Swift” song. The bridge of the song is my favorite part, and the vocal mixing is really pretty. Such a shame that the album was released in late August instead of, you know, the summer...

“Lover”: The title track and my favorite single. The song has a distinct, almost pop-country feel, similar to songs from Red or Speak Now. The imagery and lyricism are reminiscent of “New Year’s Day”, the closing track and a personal favorite from Swift’s 2017 album Reputation.

“The Man”: This would be much better if it didn’t feel out of place in the album. The song’s message fits the production well and I like the chorus, but it sticks out like a sore thumb between “Lover” and “The Archer”. It almost sounds like a Reputation reject, but I still dig it.

“The Archer”: Boy, this song is boring. It goes nowhere and makes a Humpty-Dumpty reference.

“I Think He Knows”: Why this wasn’t a single is absolutely beyond me. It almost sounds like something you’d hear in a Forever 21, but in a good way. The snapping is a great addition to the production and the breathy vocals add to the overall vibe.

“Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince”: Rumor has it this song is about the 2016 election, but I won’t impose any theories on you. Like “Cruel Summer”, this sounds like a “Taylor Swift” song. My favorite part is the “Go! Fight! Win!” in the bridge.

“Paper Rings”: It’s cute, but it sounds like something you’d hear in a Macy’s commercial.

“Cornelia Street”: I love the build that this song creates. It’s pretty, shows off Swift’s range, and has some of my favorite lyrics.

“Death by a Thousand Cuts”: I find this song unmemorable. That’s really all I have to say.

“London Boy”: It’s super cheesy, but I can’t get over how catchy it is. The lyrics are a little cringey, but I’m still going to sing along.

“Soon You’ll Get Better” featuring the Dixie Chicks: Probably the rawest song on Lover, “Soon You’ll Get Better” sounds like something my mom would cry over in the best way possible. My only wish is that Natalie from the Dixie Chicks sang more.

“False God”: If only the song kept the opening fiddle at the forefront.

“You Need to Calm Down”: Taylor’s second single off the album and a slight step up over ME!. It’s fine.

“Afterglow”: Hands down, my favorite song off Lover. It will most definitely go down as an overlooked deep cut, but the lyrics, production, and vocals are stellar. You won’t regret listening to it, I promise.

“ME!” featuring Brendon Urie: The biggest travesty of the modern age is the fact that the “Hey kids! Spelling is fun!” line was cut on the album version. Seriously though, this is one of Swift’s worst singles to date. Brendon Urie outshines her, the lyrics are shallower than a puddle, and whoever decided that this was going to be the lead single off the album was crazy.

“It’s Nice to Have a Friend”: The stripped-back production is gorgeous, but I wish Swift showed off her vocals a bit more, à la “New Year’s Day”.

“Daylight”: The callback to “Red” was nice, and I enjoyed the ending monologue (it summed up the point of the album well), but I don’t have much else to say.

In closing, this album needed to be shorter. It had direction, it had the lyricism with a dash of Taylor-esque cheesiness, and it had some fun production moments. The bloated track length dragged it down overall.