Imagine Dragons Newest Album Shows Different Meanings in Music
Schuyler Kropp, Staff Writer
Music is everywhere. We listen to it for many reasons, including focusing or calming our minds. By listening to music, you allow rhythms to flow into your ears while jamming out. Songs and albums are meant to have hidden meanings and messages. Anyone can listen to the lyrics of a song and process them in many ways. Songwriters try to have a hidden message in their songs or albums by saying what they truly mean in a more creative way. It is common that these messages get jumbled up causing misinterpretation. Trying to coax out information or meanings is hard to do, but it allows your brain to understand other ways to look at things. This also helps you find what songs are your jam. The band Imagine Dragons is a good example of putting meanings into their music. Imagine Dragons is an American rock band formed in 2008, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is headed by lead singer, Dan Reynolds. The band has mostly upbeat and some mild to slow songs, often changing their pace in many different ways. They write songs that grab people’s attention. If the song is short and mournful, then people might feel sad singing along to the song. But, if the song is long and cheerful, people might feel happy and exuberated.
Schuyler Kropp, Staff Writer
Music is everywhere. We listen to it for many reasons, including focusing or calming our minds. By listening to music, you allow rhythms to flow into your ears while jamming out. Songs and albums are meant to have hidden meanings and messages. Anyone can listen to the lyrics of a song and process them in many ways. Songwriters try to have a hidden message in their songs or albums by saying what they truly mean in a more creative way. It is common that these messages get jumbled up causing misinterpretation. Trying to coax out information or meanings is hard to do, but it allows your brain to understand other ways to look at things. This also helps you find what songs are your jam.
The band Imagine Dragons is a good example of putting meanings into their music. Imagine Dragons is an American rock band formed in 2008, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is headed by lead singer, Dan Reynolds. The band has mostly upbeat and some mild to slow songs, often changing their pace in many different ways. They write songs that grab people’s attention. If the song is short and mournful, then people might feel sad singing along to the song. But, if the song is long and cheerful, people might feel happy and exuberated.
Imagine Dragons often disguise messages in the songs that they write and play. Their songs sound like they are happy, but in reality they are often not. Dan Reynolds often hides his cry out for help in his songs or lyrics. He sings about things that are a part of his life story and communicates that sometimes, people who are supposed to be happy with their life, really aren’t that happy. Anyone in the world can feel hidden emotions in their life, just like how the meaning of songs can be hidden. His newest album Loom is a perfect example of this.
Dan Reynolds often talks in his lyrics about being lonely, despite his fame. In his song “Fire In These Hills,” Dan Reynolds sings about feeling trapped, alone, tired, and scared while he does not want to open up to anyone. Despite the song being upbeat, he sings that “the more we try and the more we fail,”. This tells his audience that people can have high standards, and when you meet them they can lose interest or pull away. This is how people can become lonely.
In another line, he sings, “I’m so tired, can I please come home?”. This line communicates that high expectations can cause you to become tired and want to disconnect from the outside world. Many people expect Dan Reynolds and Imagine Dragons to be the best, putting pressure on him to constantly perform well. In his song “Gods Don’t Pray”, he says that “fortune is unfortunately volatile” and talks about how fame or fortune can be taken away from you, because of how high the expectations are. Reynolds is widely popular, but still feels like he has to constantly outdo himself to meet up to these high expectations. This can cause him to second think himself, and live in fear of being judged.
In these songs, Reynolds often talks about heartbreak and abandonment. In the song “Nice to Meet You”, Reynolds talks about wanting to talk to someone, but there is a divide between them. With this song, he tries to say that you need approval from yourself before others. Having approval from yourself means that you know that you are moving forward and taking your own advice to things. This is important in life because it allows you to be more independent.
In the song “Wake Up”, Reynolds talks about struggling on the inside and not showing it. In this song, he feels like he is “spinnin’-in-in’” and in the chaos of life, you struggle and feel like you can break apart from people or relationships. The song “In Your Corner” Reynolds talks about loyalty despite abandonment. An example of that is in the lyric “Gonna burn this down, every sober day,”. Reynolds shows that he is turning to substance abuse to cope with feeling abandoned by the people in his past and present life.
In the song “Take Me to the Beach”, Reynolds talks about independence, blocking out the world, relaxing, and doing his own things. He says that on this “people-pleasing' planet…you can have the mountains. I’ll take the beach,”. Reynolds wants to be independent and do his own relaxing, away from the expectations of the world.
In the song “Eyes Closed” Reynolds talks about independence and following what you believe by ignoring the expectations of everyone else. He sings, “I will spend these days as an island. Alone and far away,”. He wants to turn away and be alone in his life. In order to achieve this solidarity, he cuts himself off from his friends and family. This is his solution to getting away from the pressure of others. He also talks about wanting to change his mindset.
In the song “Kid”, Dan is talking about keeping your motivation up, despite facing struggles, and tells people to “take your losses as a win”. In that lyric he is stating that even if you lose at first, you can still find a way back to win later. The bottom line is that you have to keep fostering your motivation, despite the inevitable challenges you will face in life.
This album by Imagine Dragons is an example of how important it is to interpret more than one meaning in music. Everyone can interpret it in many ways, but I feel like the album is about how everyone struggles in life and it is okay to not meet high expectations. This is something that everyone can relate to, including myself. As he is singing it, people are dancing and rocking out, often completely ignoring the overall message. I can relate to this, because I feel cheated by people misinterpreting me in more than one way. I know I am not alone in this feeling, So, remember that it is okay to talk about it by singing about your own grief and pain. This is the overall message that Dan Reynolds is conveying in his album Loom.
A Tree Falls: A New Album
Austin Price, Editor in Chief
David. W Jacobsen is a singer / songwriter that continues to add onto his extensive musical collection with his recent album release, A Tree Falls. This album debuted on December 3rd, 2024, a year after his previous album, Music for the Masses, was released to listeners.
Austin Price, Editor in Chief
David. W Jacobsen is a singer / songwriter that continues to add onto his extensive musical collection with his recent album release, A Tree Falls. This album debuted on December 3rd, 2024, a year after his previous album, Music for the Masses, was released to listeners.
Click here to read my review of Jacobsen’s previous album, Music for the Masses
When given the opportunity to listen and review another one of his albums, I immediately jumped at the chance. I adore music and coming from a family of professional pianists and singers, I have a deep appreciation for music used as an artistic forum for expression, investigation, and reflection. The process of creating music, from writing the lyrics to making edits in post-production is an immense task, and one that each artist approaches differently. When I first listened to Jacobsen’s work last year, I instantly felt unique aspects of his music shown through unfiltered lyrics and explicit notes. This same feeling overcame me when listening to A Tree Falls.
Personally, I believe music is often censored way too much. Honest reflections on mental health, global conflict, political issues, and religious connotations are minimized by the music industry to keep up with the sensitivity of audiences and to increase their approval rates. I enjoy honest artists. I enjoy the bombastic attitude of Jacobsen’s music and the unapologetic outlook he has on life. Because of his unfiltered presentation, A Tree Falls continues the legacy of art without restrictions, evident in his previous work.
A Tree Falls is an album made up of 7 songs, with a full running time of 32 minutes and 59 seconds. The album is primarily made up of piano centric ballads, complete with humorous dialogue and elements of pathos. A Tree Falls is an album about being ignored. According to Jacobsen, the primary question that the album asks is "If a tree falls in a forest … does anyone give a @$#!?". Throughout the different tracks, a unanimous answer is given. The answer is no. If a tree falls in a forest no one gives a @$#!? And no one cares.
With the album proposing a bleak answer to a popular question that all of us face in our lives, it instills listeners with both hope and with reluctant resolve on the challenges of life. The album introduces a menagerie of situations in which we ask ourselves, “Does anyone really care about me?”
The opening track, “No Expectations” reveals the relentless self-doubt and questioning we face when being abandoned or ghosted in a relationship. Jacobsen sings with tones of expected disappointment, demonstrating the exhausted cycle of one-sided relationships. It shows the toll of neglected and unrequited feelings of love that we find in romantic situations. When reflecting on this track, Jacobsen demonstrates the awful truth that connections fray over time. This could be caused by distance, time, or various levels of dedication to the relationship. But, no matter what the cause, it hurts all the same when we lose those connections that once fueled and inspired us.
The next song I’d like to dissect is track 5, “Don’t You Call Us”. This is my personal favorite track of the album, mainly because of its relevance to today’s job market, but also because it pokes fun at the ridiculous process of job interviews and rejections. In addition, this track is a reenactment of situations I have faced in my personal life and was something I needed to hear.
“Don’t You Call Us” is about the outdated procedure and generic rejection shown to hopeful applicants for jobs in today’s market. Nearly halfway through the song, Jacobsen reads a paragraph out loud to listeners while the initial instrumentals remain consistent. The process for creating this song involved the examination of various, real job rejection letters that Jacobsen has received throughout his life. This level of vulnerability enhances the relatability of the song with listeners. Jacobsen says “I took multiple rejection letters and combined them. Every sentence was taken almost verbatim from an actual rejection email.” Spoken with false sincerity and artificial cheerfulness, Jacobsen reads the rejection letters, mimicking the attitude of hiring managers and business heads.
My favorite part of the song comes right after Jacobsen’s reading of the letters, and that is the sympathetic words of support, spoken by others to try and comfort you when you don’t get a job. Rather than read these programmed responses himself, Jacobsen gave the phrases to his wife to recite, giving her a special appearance on the album. This was a personal touch that showed the support Jacobsen’s wife has for his musical career, and parodies conversations many of us have had.
The final track of the album, aptly titled “A Tree Falls”, is over 13 minutes long, and is a raw representation of the struggles many artists face. Jacobsen says, “This is a song for anyone whose artistic aspirations are unrecognized, unfulfilled, and likely to remain so.” Jacobsen conducted this track using a variety of inspirations, but a major one was Harry Chapin's 13-minute epic, "There was Only One Choice." Both Chapin’s song and Jacobsen’s track show the crippling challenges artists face. While they are fueled by creativity, they are sustained by recognition. Sadly, most artists are not properly recognized, making an artist’s dream a discouraging nightmare.
Something I love about this final track is that it’s realistic. It’s angry, frustrated, desperate, and melancholy. It shows the grim reality many artists face, without censorship or placation for the audience. This is what makes Jacobsen’s work so insightful. It approaches both the highs and lows of life with the same amount of energy and attention.
A Tree Falls shows the shadows of society. The shadows of rejection. Something we can’t escape, and something we hate to confront. Jacobsen’s album allows listeners to meditate on their own experiences, and the nuances of their lives. While our situations differ, we often experience the same feelings of rejection, loneliness, jealousy, and sadness. However, Jacobsen presents these feelings with neutrality showing the validity to the mixed emotions of humanity. A Tree Falls is an anthology of poetic pieces and life lessons and can be appreciated by anyone who’s ever lived a normal life that offers both ups and downs. It gives validity to dark feelings we have, showing authenticity and humility.
To listen to A Tree Falls, visit the following links:
Music for the Masses: A New Album
By Austin Price, Editor in Chief
Singer / songwriter David W. Jacobsen is an accomplished artist with a menagerie of work to prove it. His latest album, Music for the Masses, was recently released in 2023. With 7 songs, and a listening time of 32 minutes and 54 seconds, Music for the Masses is a mixed genre album that combines humor with contemplation. Jacobsen sings of contradictions, opinions, and reflections through the lens of both a human, and an artist. The album has an unapologetic response to society’s confines and contains explicit topics. However, this raw and somewhat vulgar approach to his music gives Jacobsen an air of authenticity and a tone of realism. According to Jacobsen, “this album is about the contradictions of trying to create music that other people will like that you still like yourself,”.
By Austin Price, Editor in Chief
Singer / songwriter David W. Jacobsen is an accomplished artist with a menagerie of work to prove it. His latest album, Music for the Masses, was recently released in 2023. With 7 songs, and a listening time of 32 minutes and 54 seconds, Music for the Masses is a mixed genre album that combines humor with contemplation. Jacobsen sings of contradictions, opinions, and reflections through the lens of both a human, and an artist. The album has an unapologetic response to society’s confines and contains explicit topics. However, this raw and somewhat vulgar approach to his music gives Jacobsen an air of authenticity and a tone of realism. According to Jacobsen, “this album is about the contradictions of trying to create music that other people will like that you still like yourself,”.
David W. Jacobsen was introduced to music at a young age through his friends and family. He began playing guitar in high school. Jacobsen has a unique approach to his music that is based around his understanding of the human digestion of music and tolerance for understanding of art. He explains that he tries to give people something to remember about what they listened to. He says, “Whether it is a lyric, a melody, or a vibe, I try to leave the listener with at least some kind of a hook. It could be a laugh, a groan, a specific line, or an earworm melody, but I want them to be able to differentiate what they heard,”.
Music for the Masses starts with a track of the same name. An appropriate opener to the album, the song “Music for the Masses” gives listeners an unfiltered narrative that I’m certain Jacobsen experienced in his own personal reflection. “Music for the Masses” scoffs at the mere idea of creating and recording a track covering the events of the French Revolution, a track that takes slot 5 of the song listing on the album. This song gives a rare view into the creative process of a singer / songwriter and reveals the inner doubts that artists frequently experience. Jacobsen says, “The open track, while clearly satire, is still trying to say something, in the vein of ‘Dance 10, Looks 3’ from the Chorus Line. I’m going for a bit of humor but also a bit of a middle finger to the world by opening the album with a song that says no one wants to hear a song about the French Revolution and then I include 12-minute prog-rock song about French Revolution or more specifically, the revolutionaries attempt to change how we measure time,”.
The standout track of the album is Calendrier Révolutionnaire Française. With over 12 minutes of running time and an extensive instrumental opening, Calendrier Revolutionnaire Française is a historical reflection and moral examination of the French Revolution. Jacobsen tells listeners a story in this track and takes us through the intense violence and emotions of a monumental historical event. As someone who’s not particularly interested in the French Revolution, I will say that I certainly learned some things from this 12-minute track. Calendrier Revolutionnaire Française proves to be both entertaining and informative with consistent instrumental backing and easy-to-follow vocals.
As a self-described indie artist, Jacobsen recognizes that his unusual music may not be for everyone. However, he uses his unique sound to his advantage as an artist and as a storyteller. He highlights contrast and variance in this album, while still maintaining a sense of cohesion between the songs through his sound. Jacobsen’s inspiration for this album comes from an examination of history as he believes that it is hard for artists to always write about themselves and their own experiences. By telling tales of historic roots, Jacobsen is given a never-ending amount of content to pull from. Personally, I hope he covers more historical events in his work as I thoroughly enjoyed Calendrier Revolutionnaire Française and its examination of the French Revolution and the actions of people involved.
As any artist knows, the job is never done. Because of this, Jacobsen reveals potential projects he’s playing with. He says, “At the moment, I’m working on a collection called “A Tree Falls” which follows from “For Anyone Who Cares to Listen.” It has less of a cohesive feel and is largely a collection of piano centric ballads. I also have a collection of songs inspired by works of art that I may do for 2025 depending on whether I’m inspired to do something else,”.
All in all, I really enjoyed Jacobsen’s newest album, Music for the Masses. As an indie music fan, my interest was immediately peaked by the genre of his music. However, my interest continued to grow as I continued to listen. With his extensive utilization of the piano, humorous and informative storytelling, and personal exposition and artistic reflection, David W. Jacobsen takes listeners on a journey of honesty and enthusiasm in his artistry.
To listen to Music for the Masses, visit the following links:
The New Listener’s Guide to Taylor Swift’s Album Collection
By Austin Price, Editor in Chief
Taylor Swift is one of the most elite, successful, and well-known musical artists in our world today. Swift made history with her seamless transition between the genres of country music and pop music. In addition, Swift has also explored the indie and folk musical genres. She has received accolades for her songwriting, artistry, and entrepreneurship, all of which have majorly influenced the music industry and popular culture. Taylor Swift has released 10 original studio albums, 4 re-recorded studio albums, 5 extended plays, and 4 live albums. With such a massive amount of published material, I would argue that Taylor Swift is a genre all on her own. She certainly has enough music to support it.
By Austin Price, Editor in Chief
Taylor Swift is one of the most elite, successful, and well-known musical artists in our world today. Swift made history with her seamless transition between the genres of country music and pop music. In addition, Swift has also explored the indie and folk musical genres. She has received accolades for her songwriting, artistry, and entrepreneurship, all of which have majorly influenced the music industry and popular culture. Taylor Swift has released 10 original studio albums, 4 re-recorded studio albums, 5 extended plays, and 4 live albums. With such a massive amount of published material, I would argue that Taylor Swift is a genre all on her own. She certainly has enough music to support it.
As a die-hard Taylor Swift fan, I understand that her vast amount of music can be overwhelming and hard to follow. And so, I present to you a beginner’s tour of Taylor Swift’s work. You might say that I present to you a listener’s guide to Taylor Swift’s extensive album collection. Hopefully, this will break down her infinite catalog of work, and help dissect this wide library of songs, filled with heartbreak, hope, love, and joy.
The albums will be in chronological order, but with the Taylor’s Version albums replacing the original recordings. So, while the date may be different, the records are listed in the order that they were released, but with Taylor’s Version albums in place of the initial albums. This means we will go through 10 albums. Let’s get started.
Album: Taylor Swift
Release date: October 24th, 2006
Vibe: Childhood innocence
Personal favorites: Picture to Burn, Our Song, Should’ve Said No
Best lyric: “Was it worth it? Was she worth this?” (Should’ve Said No)
Summary: Kicking it off with our first album, Taylor Swift, Taylor shows her country music roots with songs of childhood innocence, adolescent feelings, and immature emotions as she writes a narrative of a young, country girl, finding love for the first time.
Album: Fearless (Taylor's Version)
Release Date: April 9th, 2021
Vibe: Highschool crush
Personal favorites: White Horse (Taylor’s Version), You Belong with Me (Taylor’s Version)
Best lyric: “Now it's too late for you and your white horse to catch me now.” (White Horse)
Summary: This is the ultimate high school album. With songs dreaming of running away with the high school quarterback and comparisons to the timeless love story, Romeo and Juliet, this album is perfect for that teenage angst when you think you know everything about love.
Album: Speak Now (Taylor's Version)
Release date: July 7th, 2023
Vibe: Young love
Personal favorites: Mean (Taylor’s Version), The Story of Us (Taylor’s Version), Better Than Revenge (Taylor’s Version), Haunted (Taylor’s Version)
Best lyric: “I've never heard silence quite this loud.” (The Story of Us)
Summary: This album takes us from the chaos and drama of high school to the stage in your life where you’re technically an adult, but you still wish you were a kid. Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) brings songs of broken fairytales, shattered dreams, and lost promises, all of which were destroyed by the harsh realities of the real adult world.
Album: Red (Taylor’s Version)
Release date: November 12th, 2021
Vibe: Day-to-day life in love
Personal favorites: Red (Taylor’s Version), I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor’s Version), We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Taylor’s Version), Holy Ground (Taylor’s Version), Sad Beautiful Tragic (Taylor’s Version), All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)
Best lyric: “And I guess we fell apart in the usual way and the story's got dust on every page.” (Holy Ground)
Summary: Just as the seasons of weather change, so do the seasons of love. Red (Taylor’s Version) breaks out of the imaginary love ballads and enters a more realistic, day-to-day romance with a reflection on the seasons of life and how change impacts love. It is a bittersweet album.
Album: 1989 (Taylor's Version)
Release date: October 27th, 2023
Vibe: Beach party with your lover
Personal favorites: Blank Space (Taylor’s Version), Bad Blood (Taylor’s Version), Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version), Wonderland (Taylor’s Version),
Best lyric: “Cause darling I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream.” (Blank Space)
Summary: 1989 is arguably Taylor’s top party playlist. With upbeat lyrics, fast paced tempos, and clever narrative, this album is the musical embodiment of the “it couple”.
Album: Reputation
Release date: November 10th, 2017
Vibe: Revenge
Personal favorites: Don’t Blame Me, Gorgeous, This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things
Best lyric: “You’ve ruined my life by not being mine.” (Gorgeous)
Summary: Reputation is the ultimate revenge playlist. Complete with soundtracks for sabotage and schemes, Reputation is the badass of the album collection.
Album: Lover
Release date: August 23rd, 2019
Vibe: Puppy love in the honeymoon phase
Personal favorites: The Archer, Paper Rings, Death By A Thousand Cuts
Best lyric: “All the king's horses, all the king's men, couldn't put me together again.” (The Archer)
Summary: Lover is an album written by someone in love, for those who are in love. Lover hosts meet-cute love stories, reflections on society’s stereotypes, and a feeling of joy colored with shades of bubble gum pink.
Album: Folklore
Release date: July 24th, 2020
Vibe: Fables and fairytales
Personal favorites: the last great american dynasty, august, invisible string
Best lyric: “Time, mystical time, cutting me open, then healing me fine.” (invisible string)
Summary: Folklore is the perfect album for rainy days and walks in the forest. Taylor tells fictional tales of whimsy and wonder in this fantasy album, built for fables and folktales to be shared around the campfire.
Album: Evermore
Release date: December 11th, 2020
Vibe: Cabin in the woods
Personal favorites: Willow, Champagne Problems, long story short, marjorie
Best lyric: “Never be so kind, you forget to be clever. Never be so clever, you forget to be kind.” (marjorie)
Summary: This album was built for Colorado girls. Wrap up in a cozy flannel, make some hot chocolate, and enjoy this magical album with tales of witchcraft, true love, and life lessons. The album is complete with gentle vocals and haunting melodies.
Album: Midnights (The Til Dawn Edition)
Release date: May 26th, 2023
Vibe: Late night thoughts
Personal favorites: Vigilante Shit, Mastermind, The Great War, Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve
Best lyric: “Draw the cat eye, sharp enough to kill a man.” (Vigilante Shit)
Summary: Midnights is a compilation of late-night thoughts, deep regrets, new ideas, and most of all dreams, both good and bad. Undertones of maturing revenge and parting thoughts give this album both a nostalgic look at the past and a hopeful view of the future.
Midnights: The Taylor Swift Album to Rule them All
By Sandra Vo, Staff Writer
At midnight on October 21, Taylor Swift released her tenth studio album “Midnights”, to a world who had long been awaiting her return. Under the power of a dedicated fanbase, “Midnights” crashed Spotify upon its release and sold over a million copies in just one week. For Swifties everywhere, “Midnights” was the culmination of everything that Swift represented: love, heartbreak, self-realization, and raw, personal emotion.
But what exactly makes “Midnights” a distinctly Taylor Swift album? For one, the usage of musical elements from Swift’s previous music breathes both new life and nostalgia into her latest tracks, reviving the pieces of Swift eras long gone.
In “Anti-Hero”, Swift embraces the gated reverb, a muted electronically modified drum sound that originated from the 1980s. As a result, the song becomes reminiscent of her 1989 album, her previous ode to the funky pop of the 80s. She juxtaposes the upbeat pop melody with lyrics about how her own self-confidence wavers in her day-to-day life. Her music video portrays two versions of herself that interact with each other in a mentor-mentee relationship, where one Swift teaches the other about the cynicism and the fact that she, herself, is the problem in all of her relationships. At the end, three Swifts convene on a rooftop to share a drink, resolving her struggles with self-esteem with a simple toast.
This interaction between multiple versions of herself isn’t contained to just “Anti-Hero” however. Swift also addresses herself again in “You’re On Your Own, Kid” which initially appears to be about her naivete as a young woman and the bitterness that she has developed in her later years. However, later in the song, Swift subverts her original narrative by saying that her independence is actually a strength that’ll allow her to move past any moment by herself as she sings, “You’re on your own, kid. Yeah, you can face this. You’re on your own kid. You always have been.” Swift fans who can recall the song “Fifteen” from her namesake album will immediately spot the similarities to the ending of “Fifteen” where she tells her former 15-year-old self to “Take a deep breath girl. Take a deep breath as you walk through the doors.” The theme of her future self reassuring her former self of their resilience pervades throughout her experiences and journey as a musician.
In “Snow On The Beach” (ft. Lana Del Rey), Swift and Rey sing about dreamlike romances and surreal moments during love. Both of them have a light, airy melody line that aligns with the theme about being in the hypnotic clutches of love. Combined with the soft, lower-pitched instrumentals that accompany their voices, this song sounds a little bit like it belongs in her “Evermore” and “Folklore” albums. She utilizes the same gentle rhythms and tender percussion to give “Snow On The Beach” a comforting, warmer feeling.
And perhaps the most obvious nod to her former music is the song “Vigilante Sh–” The spoken, monotone words followed by a bass drop is definitely an element that she explored in her “Reputation” album. Knowing that “Reputation” embodied the idea of being a “bad b—-,” it’s no surprise that the message of “Vigilante Sh–” is all about revenge and independence.
But even despite the wide range of musical elements and themes, Swift wraps her Midnights album nicely with one overarching theme: the simultaneous ending and beginning of her journey. She reflects on her previous experiences (“Midnight Rain” and “Question..?”) but also notes the direction that she wants to move forward (“Labyrinth” and “Lavender Haze”). And perhaps there has never been anything more “Taylor Swift” than to know that reflection does not trap a person in the past, but instead, gives them an avenue to move forward.
Why Taylor Swift is Re-recording
As many of you may have noticed, whether through TikTok trends or ex-girlfriend’s dm, Taylor Swift has released a re-recorded version of her album Fearless. The album, first released in 2008, was Swift’s first album of the year and acts as the first of many upcoming re-recorded albums.
By: Sarah Gomez, Staff Writer
As many of you may have noticed, whether through TikTok trends or ex-girlfriend’s dm, Taylor Swift has released a re-recorded version of her album Fearless. The album, first released in 2008, was Swift’s first album of the year and acts as the first of many upcoming re-recorded albums.
Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is the first of five upcoming re-recorded albums we can expect from Swift in the coming year, a sixth being eligible for re-recording next year. Swift has been working on re-recording these albums since 2019 and is rumored to be releasing her second album of the year, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) later this year.
Though at first glance this may seem like a ploy for extra money without doing any new writing, the reasoning behind Swift wanting to re-record goes beyond simply finances. Taylor Swift's first 6 albums are currently owned by Ithaca Holdings and offered to trade her masters for her first album with brand new ones. They essentially offered to give her back what belongs to her if she gave them something new of hers. Swift rightfully refused the offer, but that left her masters with Ithaca.
The solution? Though the masters belong to someone else, Swift still owns all the rights to the music itself. By re-recording her music, which she legally owns, she can regain artistic ownership over her past work. In re-recording, Swift is able to reduce the value of the original and once again own her original songs. The re-recording will not only have the re-recorded classics loved by fans but also incentives put into place to make Taylor’s version more appealing than the original.
Fearless (Taylor’s Version) was not merely the same songs recorded, but the addition of never-before-heard songs. Swift released the single “Mr. Perfectly Fine,” one of the never-before-heard songs and has seen a remarkable response both on the charts and various social platforms. The added songs were written at the same time as the rest of the album but simply did not make the initial cut. This added to the appeal of the new version, increasing the appeal through the exclusive content. These types of never-before-heard songs are going to be a common theme as Swift re-releases her remaining albums.