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The Badger Herald

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The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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Taylor Swift is back, like it or not, ‘Reputation’ is the bee’s knees

Swift isn’t afraid to claim her past wrongdoings, showing humor, grace
Taylor+Swift+is+back%2C+like+it+or+not%2C+Reputation+is+the+bees+knees
Courtesy of Flickr user Paolo Villanueva

Taylor Swift is back in the spotlight after a three years long hiatus, and she is not afraid to talk about the things that we’ve all been talking about.

While her pre-released tracks might have split crowds, the album is less controversial than tracks such as “Look What You Made Me Do” and “Gorgeous.” There are dance tracks that one can party all night to, and there are more mellow ones for those easy listening days.

There are also songs that veer into different genres, with songs like “Don’t Blame Me” having a strong gospel aspect to it. There are also songs like “New Year’s Day” which has a softer, more melodic sound to them.

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There are some flaws with the album, mostly centering around Swift’s obsessive lyrics about her newest man toy. Out of the 15 songs on the album, 13 of them are either about her boyfriend or mention him at some time during the song.

An open letter to Taylor Swift: We kind of miss the ‘old Taylor’

For someone that has been deemed man crazy in the past, it is clear that Ms. Swift is not afraid to show her love for her new beau. As a fellow female, I would advise Taylor to not show her true crazy colors until they’ve been dating for a little more than a year.

Reputation is a great rebirth for Swift, and I personally applaud her for not only being able to make fun of herself and her past wrongdoings but for also not being afraid to call out those who threw her under the bus for their own gain. Swift did not allow herself to become a victim, as so many claim she often is, but instead rose above all of the noise and claimed her image back.

While I love Taylor Swift, and am super excited for the new album, there is one song that I do admit has many issues. The song “Gorgeous,” is probably one of the worst songs that Swift has expelled put into the universe.

For someone who used to write songs about all of the guys who treated her wrong, and how it was not acceptable to treat a girl as nothing more than a pretty face, Swift sure did a 180 when it came time to write this song.

In “Gorgeous,” Swift essentially states that it is OK to act like a 12-year-old boy with a crush on a girl. Picking on the person, ignoring them and making fun of various attributes becomes OK now, so long as you like the guy.

The Badger Herald reacts to Taylor Swift’s new singles

Taylor, why did you write this song? You know that this is something that girls constantly go through and that it is not endearing whatsoever. Why would you advocate that it is OK to treat another human being like this?

Just say you like the guy and move on. Making fun of the way he talks will most likely cause the guy to walk away, and those who don’t need a serious boost in their self-esteem levels.

If you took “Gorgeous” out of the list, Reputation would be the perfect album. Even the best make mistakes though, and hopefully, this will just be a learning curve for the great songstress.

Rank: 4.2/5

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