A Love Letter to Taylor Swift

It is difficult to write an article when all you really want to say is that you are
in love. I fell in love this August. Her name? Taylor Swift. As my flatmates can
testify, I am struggling to contain my excitement at the prospect of writing this
article. Where do I even begin my ode to the Queen who has given us everything,
whose lyrics have patched up our broken hearts again and again and again? And how
do I get an article that is unashamedly a love letter to Taylor past a music editor
who, last week, ill-advisedly turned to me and expressed that, while he prefers her
to Kanye, “all her songs sound the same”. Off with his head. One morning in early
summer, I impulsively made the decision to lie on my kitchen floor and listen to
folklore from start to finish. It was a rollercoaster. I can’t really describe what
it was like to experience folklore for the first time, except to say that it was
dream-like. folklore is fairytale-esque, an anthology of songs speaking to each
other in the overlapping voices and perspectives of James, Betty, Inez, Rebekah,
Augustine, and unnamed others. It is easy to become lost in its melodies. She takes
her listener by the hand, and we follow her into the woods of the album’s cover. As
we wander, time itself is ‘sipped away like a bottle of wine’. There are moments in
this album that are just too much. She writes in ‘the lakes’, co-authored with Jack
Antonoff, that: ‘I want auroras and sad prose / I want to watch wisteria grow right
over my bare feet / ‘Cause I haven’t moved in years.’ Her lyrics tread an endless
tightrope between joy and hurt. With the hymn-like ‘epiphany’, she captures the
exhaustion of pandemic healthcare workers through the heart-wrenching image of a
hand held ‘through plastic now’ – but she colours this with her grandfather’s
memories of ‘crawling up’ the blood-soaked beaches at Guadalcanal in 1942. This is
storytelling that is honest and beautiful. Little did I know, as I lay in the
sunshine of my kitchen on that nondescript August morning, that I was falling down
a rabbit-hole. To my brother’s dismay, I spent the rest of the summer drowning in
the sea of Swift, sinking beyond the nostalgia hits of the 2013 school disco and
swimming into the lesser-visited corners of her nine studio albums. I fell in love,
the kind of obsessive love of which her songs would disapprove. When, in ‘Lover’,
she sings: ‘With every guitar string scar on my hand / I take this magnetic force
of a man to be my lover’. Ugh, the emphasis on the first syllable of ‘magnetic’ is
so good that it hurts. The internal rhyme that she manipulates into ‘London Boy’
with the pause in: ‘You can find me in the pub, we are watching rugby with his
school friends’, is mastery incarnate. She is my religion. At the moment, the line
that rips my heart from my chest every time I hear it (and I blame TikTok for this)
comes from ‘Last Kiss’ on Speak Now. ‘So I’ll watch your life in pictures like I
used to watch you sleep/ And I feel you forget me like I used to feel you breathe’
– it aches. Oh it aches. What’s more, no one writes bridges like Taylor Swift. The
audacity she has, to destroy us with bridge after perfect bridge, is staggering. It
would be remiss of me not to acknowledge ‘Getaway Car’ here – does anyone else
chant the studio conversation between Swift and Antonoff recorded in Netflix’s Miss
Americana a little too often on a night-out? – and, of course, honourable mention
for the award of ‘Best Bridge’ must be given to 1989’s ‘Out of the Woods’
(‘remember when you hit the brakes too soon…’). Nonetheless, and I am confident
that this is not an unpopular opinion, the bridge to end all bridges has to be from
the ‘champagne problems’ – the evermore tearjerker co-written with Joe Alwyn (cue:
heart eyes). The whole section, lasting from ‘Your Midas touch on the Chevy door’
all the way to ‘She’ll patch up your tapestry that I shred’ is out of this world.
If you listen to it, I bet you’ll agree. The release of lover, folklore and
evermore were all musical breakthroughs – and now we come to the re-recordings. I
think that what makes the Taylor’s Version re-releases of her early music so
exciting is that we have the Taylor who sang on the Lover track ‘Daylight’ that ‘I
once believed love would be burnin’ red / But it’s golden, like daylight’ singing
again that: ‘loving him was red.’ Taylor’s Version songs are characterised by the
self-awareness and retrospection of an artist looking back on her career. They are
love letters to her younger self, imbued with the hope that things will get better
in the end. Which brings us back to this weekend. Have your umbrellas ready because
Storm Taylor is on her way with a torrential downpour of tears and a short film.
Don’t let me down, Cambridge. I expect ugly-crying in Mainsbury’s, aggressive
theory-swapping in the queue for Café Nero, and frankly it would be a
disappointment not to see an undergrad lying in a puddle on King’s Parade murmuring
about being a ‘crumpled-up piece of paper’. That would be a guaranteed Crushbridge.
My dad has always said that listening to The Eagles takes him back to the hours he
spent listening to their music with his roommate in 1989 – and I think I know what
he means now, because the happiest memories of this time in my life have become so
interwoven with the music of Taylor Swift. So, ride out those Week 5 blues a little
longer. Red (Taylor’s Version) is on its way to fix up our chaotic, coffee-soaked
lives with a soundtrack of rustling autumn leaves, lost scarves, and heartbreak.

Rosalía teams up with The Weeknd for 'La Fama' music video

Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Rosalía is joined by The Weeknd in her new music video for
Spanish-language single "La Fama." Rosalía performs onstage at an upscale party
where she starts dancing near The Weeknd who is sitting at a table in the clip
released on Thursday. The Weeknd sings in Spanish and later joins Rosalía onstage
where he tries to kiss her. The singer responds by stabbing him with a dagger.
Actor Danny Trejo also makes a cameo apperance. "La Fama" will appear on Rosalía's
upcoming album titled Motomami, which will be released in 2022. The track is
available to stream through Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube, Tidal,
Deezer and Soundcloud. Rosalía and The Weeknd last collaborated on a remix to The
Weeknd's hit single "Blinding Lights." The Weeknd previously performed in Spanish
on Maluma's remix of "Hawái."

Taylor Swift's best lyrics, from her debut album to Evermore

Throughout nine albums, Taylor Swift has demonstrated her strong lyrical abilities
(in addition to everything else). Getty Images Taylor Swift's vast musical catalog
has something for just about everyone, from fans of bops (Alexa, play 1989) to
those who enjoy incredibly heart-wrenching lyrics (See: Folklore, Evermore). Each
time Swift releases an album, fans know we're in for a rollercoaster ride of
powerful emotion, strong storytelling and revealing personal narrative.   On top of
new album drops, Swifties now also look forward to rereleases of the singer-
songwriter's first six albums, which include never-before-released "From the Vault"
songs. (You can read about why Swift is rerecording her albums here.) The next
rereleased album is Red (Taylor's Version), which comes out Nov. 12 and will not
only include the long-awaited extended version of fan favorite track All Too Well,
but also a handful of other From the Vault songs that are sure to make us weep.
CNET Culture Entertain your brain with the coolest news from streaming to
superheroes, memes to video games. In the meantime, here are some of my all-time
favorite lyrics Swift has written. This of course doesn't include every great line
she's ever penned. Rather, these are lyrics I've often reflected on and discussed
with fellow fans, and found deep personal meaning in. The tearjerkers "You can plan
for a change in the weather and time, but I never planned on you changing your
mind." (Last Kiss)-- A poetic way of describing unforeseen heartbreak. "You call me
up again just to break me like a promise, so casually cruel in the name of being
honest." (All Too Well)-- I could quote this entire song because it's a lyrical
masterpiece. But I'm trying to be selective. "You tell me about your past thinking
your future was me." (All Too Well)-- OK sorry, I couldn't help it -- one more from
All Too Well. This is one of my all-time favorite lyrics. In just a few words, it
sums up the fallen dreams of doomed love.   "I was so ahead of the curve, the curve
became a sphere. Fell behind all my classmates and I ended up here." (This is Me
Trying) -- To me, these lyrics perfectly describe the restlessness of COVID-19
lockdowns. It can be challenging to feel like you're not able to do what you need
to get ahead and stay ahead. (Swift seems to be doing just fine, though. I think
releasing two surprise albums in a year proves that.) "You come away with a great
little story of a mess of a dreamer with the nerve to adore you." (Cold As You)--
From the earliest days of her career, Miss Swift knew how to nail a tearjerker.  "I
rewind thе tape but all it does is pause on thе very moment all was lost."
(Evermore)-- It can be difficult to overcome the moment everything fell apart and
we find ourselves replaying that pain over and over, rather than seeing the bigger
picture and the light at the end of the tunnel.  "If I'm dead to you why are you at
the wake, cursing my name, wishing I stayed?" (My Tears Ricochet) -- Chilling,
haunting lyrics. It's what Swift does best. "There'll be happiness after you, but
there was happiness because of you. Both of these things can be true."
(Happiness)-- A truly accurate characterization of both the optimism and struggle
of getting over someone.  "Wasn't it beautiful running wild 'til you fell asleep,
before the monsters caught up to you?" (Innocent)-- A tragic ode to innocence and
youth.  "Who could ever leave me, darling, but who could stay?" (Archer)-- Swift
poignantly depicts the dichotomy between feeling worthy of love and questioning
that very right. "You had a speech, you're speechless. Love slipped beyond your
reaches." (Champagne Problems)-- Oh, how quickly things can change and render our
dreams useless.  "You're not my homeland anymore, so what am I defending now?"
(Exile)-- Cold, sharp lyrics to convey the struggle of coping with detrimental
loss. Get you a girl who can make you rock out and then sob two seconds later.
Getty Images "I guess it's true that love was all you wanted, 'cause you're giving
it away like it's extra change. Hoping it will end up in his pocket, but he leaves
you out like a penny in the rain, oh, 'cause it's not his price to pay." (Tied
Together With a Smile)-- Symbolism is something Swift has always done quite well. 
"I don't like that falling feels like flying 'til the bone crush." (Gold Rush)--
How does one come up with a line this poetic? "Just because you're clean don't mean
you don't miss it." (Clean)-- Truer words on lost love have never been spoken.
"Take the words for what they are: a dwindling, mercurial high; a drug that only
worked the first few hundred times." (Illicit Affairs)-- Ah, the fleeting,
deceptive nature of ephemeral love. "It turns out freedom ain't nothin' but missing
you." (Back to December)--  This is a deep, personal admission of making a grave
mistake, which is never easy to own up to. "If I can't relate to you anymore, then
who am I related to?" (Coney Island)-- It can be all too easy to become so consumed
in a relationship that you feel lost when it ends. "Please don't ever become a
stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere." (New Year's Day)-- This level of
specificity is a vivid illustration of just how much she fears losing the love of
her life. "I hate to make this all about me, but who am I supposed to talk to? What
am I supposed to do if there's no you?" (Soon You'll Get Better)-- There's a reason
this song gets Swift choked up.  "Only 20 minutes to sleep, but you dream of some
epiphany." (Epiphany)-- This song, a moving tribute to health care workers during
the pandemic, never fails to give me goosebumps. "The old widow goes to the stone
every day. But I don't, I just sit here and wait, grieving for the living." (Ivy)--
Loss comes in all forms.  Love's a game, wanna play? "'Cause you know I love the
players and you love the game." (Blank Space)-- It takes two to tango. "You paint
me a blue sky and go back and turn it to rain. And I lived in your chess game, but
you changed the rules every day." (Dear John)-- Swift always does an incredible job
of conveying the game-like nature of love. These lyrics are particularly heart-
rending. "You did a number on me, but honestly, baby, who's counting?" (So it
Goes...)-- I love when she gets all poetic like this. "We never painted by the
numbers, baby, but we were making it count." (The 1)-- Another fun instance of word
play. "It's poker, you can't see it in my face, but I'm about to play my ace." (New
Romantics)-- Brilliantly clever. "We are alone with our changing minds, we fall in
love 'til it hurts or bleeds or fades in time." (State of Grace)-- That's pretty
much how it goes. "I love you, ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?" (Cruel
Summer)-- This epic track is filled with punchy lyrics, but this one takes the
cake. "Spinning like a girl in a brand new dress, we had this big wide city all to
ourselves. We blocked the noise with the sound of, 'I need you,' And for the first
time I had something to lose." (Holy Ground)-- The underlying fear of impending
loss here is so tragically brilliant.  "Love is a ruthless game unless you play it
good and right." (State of Grace)-- Another solid example of relating love to a
game.  "I walked out, I said, I'm setting you free. But the monsters turned out to
be just trees." (Out of the Woods)-- The illusion of fear is a tricky one to
overcome. "Fighting with a true love is boxing with no gloves, chemistry 'til it
blows up, 'til there's no us." (Afterglow)-- Here, Swift paints a clear picture of
the fact that hurting someone you love will harm both parties.  "You drew stars
around my scars, but now I'm bleeding." (Cardigan)-- Healing isn't always
permanent.  "So you were never a saint and I've loved in shades of wrong. We learn
to live with the pain, mosaic broken hearts." (State of Grace)-- Love isn't always
picturesque, but it can still be beautiful. (Yes, I realize I've now quoted State
of Grace three times but I can't help it.) "Remember when I pulled up and said,
'Get in the car,' and then canceled my plans just in case you'd call, back when I
was living for the hope of it all." (August)-- Many of us felt personally attacked
by these lyrics about holding onto love that was never really ours. "Life was a
willow and it bent right to your wind, but I come back stronger than a '90s trend."
(Willow)-- Taylor Swift: queen of the punchy metaphor. "I'm a mess, but I'm the
mess that you wanted." (Dancing With Our Hands Tied)-- This is what you signed up
for. Swift is a regular at the Grammys. Getty Images Haters gonna hate "If a man
talks shit then I owe him nothing." (I Did Something Bad)-- Preach. "I could build
a castle out of all the bricks they threw at me." (New Romantics)-- And they've
thrown a lot of bricks. "My castle crumbled overnight, I brought a knife to a gun
fight, they took the crown but it's alright." (Call it What You Want)-- That castle
she mentioned in New Romantics apparently wasn't built to last. But she has what
she needs in the love of her life, no matter what everyone else is saying about her
or doing, and that's true strength. "I bury hatchets but I keep maps of where I put
'em." (End Game)-- Forgive, but don't forget. "Band-aids don't fix bullet holes."
(Bad Blood)-- Keep your fake apologies. "Boys will be boys, then where are the wise
men?" (Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince)-- I wish I knew. "I had a
marvelous time ruining everything." (The Last Great American Dynasty)-- There's a
high likelihood you've either made this your Instagram caption or thought about it.
"I'm so sick of running as fast as I can, wondering if I'd get there quicker if I
was a man." (The Man)-- Same girl, same. "A red rose grew up out of ice frozen
ground, with no one around to tweet it." (The Lakes)-- This is such vibrant imagery
of regrowth following hostility, away from prying eyes and
skeptics. Life lessons "Never be so politе you forget your power. Nevеr wield such
power you forget to be polite." (Marjorie)-- These are words to live by. "Your
nemeses will defeat themselves before you get the chance to swing." (Long Story
Short)-- Don't get too caught up in the little things. "Nothing safe is worth the
drive." (Treacherous)-- Indeed. "When you're young, you just run, but you come back
to what you need." (This Love)-- Finding truth and purpose is everything, and it'll
all come in time.  "Time, mystical time, cutting me open, then healing me fine."
(Invisible String)-- Time really does heal all wounds, even the deepest ones. A
grown-up Swift now knows that. "Now I know why all the trees change in the fall, I
know you were on my side even when I was wrong." (The Best Day)-- This line (and
entire song, which is a heartwarming tribute to her mom) always makes me cry. It's
a touching description of unconditional love. "Don't you worry your pretty little
mind, people throw rocks at things that shine." (Ours)-- Always deflecting the
haters in the most poetic way. Now I see daylight "I don't wanna look at anything
else now that I saw you. I don't wanna think of anything else now that I thought of
you." (Daylight)-- That feeling of finding what you've been looking for is
everything. "All these people think love's for show, but I would die for you in
secret." (Peace)-- A nod to the critics who say her relationships are simply for
publicity, and an intimate declaration of genuine love.  "We bless the rains on
Cornelia Street, memorize the creaks in the floor." (Cornelia Street)-- Beautiful
detail is Swift's forte. This track is filled with them. "All my walls stood tall,
painted blue, but I'll take 'em down, take 'em down, and open up the door for you."
(Everything Has Changed)-- This vibrantly depicts the beauty and struggle of
letting your guard down. "I'm only up when you're not down, don't wanna fly if
you're still on the ground." (I'm Only Me When I'm With You)-- The truest
allegiance. "My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue, all's well that ends
well to end up with you." (Lover)-- Pure poetry. "Is this the end of all the
endings?" (King of My Heart)-- Finally, an optimistic outlook on a relationship
that appears to be going well.  "He's got my past frozen behind glass, but I've got
me." (It's Time to Go)-- The future is in no one's hands but her own.