Taylor Swift has once again gifted the world with yet another collection of original songs straight from her heart. Her 6th album, “Reputation,” is her first album that has appeared three instead of two years after her previous album. It includes 15 new, diverse pop songs ranging from more ballad-type melodies like “New Years Day,” to upbeat ones such as “Gorgeous” and “King of My Heart,” to darker, more alternative-pop sounding songs like “…Ready For It?,” “Don’t Blame Me” and “I Did Something Bad.”

“…Ready For It?”

This is a darker, harsher and more intense melody in which Swift creates the visual of “a robber” joining forces with “a killer” and running off into a world of danger and excitement. Strategically making this song the first in her album, Swift daringly asserts that “the games” are beginning as Swift comes back from a major setback with a new game plan and mindset.

“End Game (feat. Ed Sheeran & Future)”

In this collaborative and upbeat multi-genre jam, Swift admits that she does in fact have a “bad reputation” but nevertheless tries to convince her audience that what people say about her doesn’t define who she is. She even dabbles in a little bit of rap in this song as she swears she “doesn’t love the drama,” but rather, “ it loves [her].” This beat is a fearless declaration of her brushing off the haters and insisting that she doesn’t just have a new game plan, but fully intends to end up back on top.

“I Did Something Bad”

Throwing shots at an untrustworthy society and pop-culture, Swift changes her tone up a bit and underlines her indifference to what people think about her actions and choices. She emphasises the culture’s tendency to point fingers, assign blame, and destroy reputations by saying “they’re burning all the witches even if you aren’t one.” She then turns and declares that she still doesn’t care or value their opinions by daring them to “light [her] up.”

“Don’t Blame Me”

This one is a personal favorite. This alternative-sounding song could be interpreted as a satirical representation of a version of Swift contending to the popular opinion that she always plays the victim. She even goes as far as to call herself “insane” and strategically refers to her lover as her drug that she “uses” which indicates her awareness of people accusing her of constantly using men as “playthings.” She then goes on to claim that she has found a new man that has brought something new to the table and has won her infatuation thus further entertaining her man-using reputation.

The Making of #Delicate ✨ #reputation #TaylorSwiftNow https://t.co/tn78pMCoVV

— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) November 15, 2017

“Delicate”

With this softer tune containing the steady thrum of base in the background, Swift portrays the fragility and tentativeness of being with someone romantically when the whole world is watching. She underlines the difficulty of dating whilst having a bad reputation as she says “[her] reputation’s never been worse,” so any significant other must love Swift for who she truly is.

“Look What You Made Me Do”

This song is the first single Swift chose to release before dropping the entire album. Taking on a vengeful tone, Swift recounts an experience of being stabbed in the back and learning from that betrayal. Incorporating harsher beats, Swift emphasizes that despite some major drawbacks, she “rose up from the dead” and assures her betrayers that what comes around goes around.

“So It Goes…”

Taking an echoey/far-away sound, Swift describes the thrill, resignation and consequences involved in being in a toxic relationship. Ultimately, the couple in the song frequently “break down” and then “fall [back] into place” in a rigorous cycle of manipulation and passion, perhaps throwing shots at those who support Swift’s reputation for going through men in a cyclic manner.

“Gorgeous”

Probably the most light-hearted, cutesy and fun song on the album, Swift wrote this simplistic song as a tribute to some individual she has a high opinion of. She sings about admiring a man from afar and experiencing inner conflict as she is “furious” that a certain someone has grabbed her attention, yet seems unattainable.

“Getaway Car”

In another personal favorite, Taylor recounts her experience of being caught up in a sort of love triangle when she jumped from one relationship to another in a short period of time. Taylor explains that her getaway driver was the one that took her away from her last relationship. She says that her and her getaway driver never really would have made it considering where he “first met” her, which was when she was running away from her last relationship. She tells her getaway driver that he shouldn’t have been surprised when she was “the first to leave,” because “nothing good starts in a getaway car.”

“King of My Heart”

This is another simplistic and upbeat pop song that tells the story of Swift finding love after accepting that she is “better off being alone.”

“Dancing With Our Hands Tied”

Swift wrote this song about a past relationship that she had a “bad feeling” about but still tried to make work even though she knew it was doomed from the start. Swift says that she and her significant other “loved without reason” but she would still dance with him “as the room burned down” showing how desperate she was to make things work against all odds.

“Dress”

In probably the most blatantly sultry song she has ever written, Swift talks about the “pining and anticipation” of being involved in a secret romance with someone.

“This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things”

This song bears a similar message to that of “Look What You Made Me Do” except it is more upbeat and light and carries a more wistful rather than vengeful tone. Swift says that the reason she “can’t have nice things” or trust anyone, is because people tend to “break” said “nice things” and turn on her, causing her to be unwilling to let her guard down.

“Call it What You Want”

Swift declares that after she “brought a knife to a gunfight” and ultimately had her character and reputation called into question after a lot of drama, she has made a comeback and is “doing better than [she] ever was” before. She once again doesn’t care what people say because her new boyfriend loves her for who she is and people can “call it what [they] want” but she knows she’s going to be just fine.

“New Year’s Day”

Concluding her album with this ballad, Swift takes on a nostalgic tone and basically says that most actions render consequences that she knows she will have to face. She talks about a love interest that she doesn’t want to “become a stranger” even though she knows “it’s gonna be a long road.” Perfectly tying the whole album together, Taylor states in different ways that she will “stay when it’s hard” indicating perseverance through tough times, and says that she will “hold onto the memories” both the good and bad.

Given all the drama that has gone down involving Swift in these last fews years, she has undoubtedly suffered a few blows but still managed to come back just as strong and resilient. She has proved once again that she has a way with words and shows nothing but talent as she defends her integrity whilst declaring that she knows who she is, even if everyone else is swayed by pop-culture’s ever-changing opinions regarding her and her reputation.