Hi friend! Welcome to Alex Knepper’s Newsletter. If you are new here, you may want to subscribe so we can be penpals. This is a weekly newsletter dedicated to writing, storytelling, and general fun & nerdiness.
Last week, I shared a few of the things I am obsessing over right now. One piece of media in particular was taking up a lot of brain space (and word count) so instead of trying to squash my inner fangirl, I decided to share a full post on exactly why I am freaking out over Miss Taylor Swift’s newest release: Midnights.
You may know Taylor for her break-up songs, but true fans will tell you that’s not why they stick around.
Taylor’s secret weapon is ✨STORYTELLING✨.
And here, on the newsletter, that is precisely what we like to talk about, so shall we?
Midnights is a concept album based around several different times in her life that have kept her awake at night. She’s been giddy with love, heavy with heartbreak, seething with revenge and just about everything in between— the common thread being this internal struggle with oneself, one’s situation, or the people around you and the sleepless nights that accompany those relentless thoughts. Sound familiar?
As a result of this concept, the album works as a sort of tour du Taylor. We get flavors of her different eras over the years. If you are familiar with her work, you will hear smatterings of 1989, Speak Now, Reputation, and Folklore throughout Midnights. This is no mistake, as some of the songs are half written concepts from those years.
Lost diary pages from a bygone era— now come to light in this new album. If you aren’t familiar with her evolution of sound, then maybe the difference in focus, maturity, and subject matter will clue you in to the subtle differences of each journal entry, as it were.
And yet, we still have a cohesive album. 🤌
I absolutely love my vinyl of Midnights. I only ever buy vinyl of albums that I truly, truly love. Plus it came with this lovely confetti in the box! How cute!
If you are looking for a reason to splurge on the vinyl. Look no further— I will absolutely encourage you to go for it. It comes in four different album designs: Blood Moon, Mahogany, Jade Green, and Moonstone! (I got the moonstone, even though all four are beautiful!).
If you use these links and make a purchase I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I think you’ll find that these vinyls will spruce up any vinyl collection!
Many of you will be familiar with the lead single “Anti-Hero”. It blasted across radio stations and dominated the charts for over 6 weeks around Thanksgiving last year and it is still pulling in strong numbers.
“Anti-Hero” is sort of the flagship song of this album. It perfectly encapsulates the tossing and turning in the middle of the night, the invasive thoughts, and the self-sabotage that we all feel. She sings:
I have this thing where I get Older, but just never wiser Midnights become my Afternoons
The song captures insecurity at its finest— the feeling of falling short, the feeling of knowing that even if you don’t know specifically what you are lacking, that you lack anyway. The self-awareness is staggering and completely sympathetic:
I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror
And of course, there is the crippling fear that everyone else is talking about how much of a problem you are:
It’s me, Hi! I’m the problem, it’s me. At teatime everybody agrees.
I’m going to attempt to dissect this album as a whole but that could take a book, so we will just settle with my favorite tracks off of the album. I will analyze and rank the songs at the same time. Sound like fun?
#1: Maroon
I have to admit, this was one of my least favorite songs at first. I grew up on Celine Dion and Whitney Houston. I like songs that have a Big Bang! A Glitzy, showy vocal finale. And this song stays fairly even tempered throughout which was an immediate turn off for me.
After months of digesting the album, however, I finally caught on to the lyrics. *Swoon*. It tells the story of a passionate love affair turning sour. Here’s the chorus:
And I chose you The one I was dancing with in New York No shoes Looked up at the sky and it Was The burgundy on my t-shirt When you splashed your wine Into me And how the blood rushed Into my cheeks, so scarlet it Was The rust that grew between telephones The lips I used to call home So scarlet, it was maroon
She croons about this devastating, whirlwind romance with such delicious detail, it keeps this song on repeat for me.
Many believe that this song is about Jake Gyllenhaal because her earlier album Red was their break-up album. And “Maroon” being a much darker, sexier, edgier shade of red shows the growth, maturity, and rosé tinted glasses that Swift uses to reflect on the relationship.
#2: Anti-Hero
What can I say? I like the hits. And that bridge? I shout it every single time (from hell) 🔥
#3: Bejeweled
I wasn’t super impressed with this song the first time around. It was too bubble-gum for my tastes initially. You might notice this becoming a theme. I’ll agree, my first instincts with music aren’t always spot on. My ears like the catchy stuff and I got really tripped up on the:
Familiarity breeds contempt Don’t put me in the basement When I want the penthouse Of your heart
It’s not very singable. However, It’s incredibly catchy and glitzy and fun. Like most of Miss Swift’s songs, it deserved a second look. Feeling like you aren’t important to someone doesn’t mean you have to diminish yourself. And come on, “What’s a girl gonna do? A diamond’s gotta shine!”
I like to think of this song as “Karma’s” more mature, complex older sister. Speaking of which…
#4: Karma
It’s so catchy. I love it when Taylor goes for really high notes, and there’s something very satisfying about this snarky, superior, entitled Taylor that makes this song highly singable.
Personally, I think this song is about Kanye and the Kardashians (scroll down to “Vigilante Shit” for all of the tea). However, I have read some really compelling arguments that this actually about her beef with Scoot Braun.
If you don’t know the drama here it is: Big Machine Records had a six album deal with Swift, culminating with Reputation. Scott Borchetta of Big Machine sold Taylor’s masters to Scooter Braun (for $330 million dollars, mind you).
They could do this because copyright law protects the song as an idea and the song as an audio recording separately.
Taylor still retains the copyright to song as a pre-recorded entity, but Big Machine owned the masters aka the audio recordings of her songs.
Apparently, Taylor was offered the masters as an afterthought but the terms weren’t acceptable to her. We don’t know why.
Taylor then signed with Republic Records, where she now owns the copyright to both the masters and the songs itself (for Lover, Folklore, Evermore, Fearless (Taylor’s Version), and Red (Taylor’s Version)).
Consequently, she was not allowed to perform her old music at the 2019 American Music Awards or in her documentary Miss Americana because of the drama surrounding the situation. Obviously, as an artist you want to be able to perform your music. Especially your greatest hits! This conflict led Taylor to find a loophole to protect her music.
Then Scooter sold the Masters to Shamrock Holdings, but he would still receive a royalty payment on the music. Taylor was again offered equity in the masters from Shamrock but she declined because Braun would still be making money off of them.
So she decided to re-record her old albums despite being warned by Borchetta that her access to the original masters would be threatened if she made “knock offs”. (Swift alludes to this encounter in other tracks: “Somewhere in the haze/got a sense I’ve been betrayed”- The Great War and “Ladies always rise above/ Ladies know what people want/ Someone sweet and kind and fun/ the lady simply had enough” - Vigilante Shit).
Because she owns the copyright to the songs as a pre-recorded entity, she is able to re-record the songs without infringing on Shamrock Holding’s rights. This is why you see Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version). Both albums are being done with Republic Records (along with Midnights).
All this to say, when Taylor sings in “Karma”:
Spider-boy, king of thieves Weave your little webs of Opacity My pennies made your crown Trick me once, trick me twice Don’t you know that cash ain’t the only price?
I think we have a good idea of who she is talking about.
#5: You’re on Your Own, Kid
I had “Maroon” syndrome with this song. I didn’t have the patience to really listen to it, and I prefer songs that have a little more movement. However, upon further listening, it appears to be a gut wrenching cataclysm of sadness and nostalgia. Not to be dramatic or anything.
First, let’s examine the recurring refrain of:
I searched the party of better bodies
Which is followed by
Just to learn that you never cared/ Just to learn my dreams weren’t rare
In the first and second verse respectively and followed by the punchline:
You’re on your own, kid
You always have been
Let’s just look at this. “Better bodies” was something my ears skipped over initially, but Christ, paired with the bridge we can see what a devastating self-image she is portraying here. And the worst part is I can *feel* how pained this is even though its more or less a throw-away line.Have you ever scanned a room and just evaluated everyone, and picked them apart? Subsconsciously, you rank yourself as either better or worse than the others. How sickening is that? I’m going to need to shake that off.
Sorry, I was trying to find a funny gif to relieve the tension. I couldn’t resist this— she’s literally doing the comparison thing in the “Shake it Off” video. 😳
Okay, moving on. One of my favorite poetic things is when a recurring idea is reframed. We see this with the alternating second line: “Just to learn that you never cared.”
Ouch. Not terribly original, but it still has a sting. By the time we get to the second chorus, she sings “Just to learn that my dreams aren’t rare.”
Taylor, I would like to introduce your knife to my heart that you just stabbed. This is the stuff of moody writing you’d hear in college poetry readings in dark rooms where everyone snaps. You know the ones.
There is something about the idea that your dream not being original that hurts. As if, because someone else wants the same thing, it doesn’t really belong to you in the first place. 😭
And then she concludes: “You’re on your own, kid. You always have been.” This is the purest form of self-isolation. Realizing that you are completely alone, and any belonging or dependency you’ve felt is an illusion. You are always on the hook for your own experience. Yikes.
In a way it’s beautiful, you’re life is what you make it. In fact, that’s how she concludes the song. You’re going to burn bridges, you won’t ever control how people think of you, “so make the friendship bracelets/Take the moment and taste it/ you’ve got no reason to be afraid.”
This hopeful end note is almost enough to douse the dumpster fire of the bridge. Almost.
I’m just going to leave it here:
I gave my blood, sweat, and Tears for this I hosted parties and starved My body Like I’d be saved by a perfect Kiss The jokes weren’t funny, I Took the money My friends from home don’t Know what to say I looked around in a blood- soaked gown And I saw something they Can’t take away
Phewwwww. I think I need to sit down.
Actually, I’m a little embarrassed because this Midnights analysis has taken a life of its own and I am not even close to done geeking out about this album.
I also realized while I was writing this book length post on Midnights that I haven’t even talked about the story structure of the album. So next week, we will continue down my list of favorite songs with focus on the references and influences of each song. Then I will share my structural/plot breakdown of the album from a storytelling point of view. Sound good?
In the meantime, let me know in the comments which Midnights song is your favorite!
Read Part II!
"You're on Your Own, Kid" is my fave 👏
💕