Swiftmas Review: Reputation

Welcome back to this Swiftmas Series where I am already at the halfway point of reviewing Taylor Swift’s albums. I hope you were all nice this Christmas because in this post we are going be a bit naughty. I am going to be reviewing Reputation which is one of the two albums that have not been re-recorded yet (Debut is the other one). I am sure Reputation will get a re-record since that is the album the fans are most anticipated for like they make so many theories online when it is coming, but so far, we haven’t gotten an official confirmation from Taylor herself. Before I go further, I do have to add a trigger warning since the next part mentions sexual assault.

Taylor Swift’s 6^th album, Reputation was released on November 10^th, 2017 by Big Machine Records at 27 years old (same age as I am now). Now, that is important because it was her last album that was distributed under that company before Taylor signed with Republic Records. It was also part of a big dispute where the albums were sold to Scooter Braun and created a whole bunch of issues with her ownership of music which led to her eventually re-recording her albums. This was the first album to that Taylor was the executive producer, and the first to be released after she took a break from releasing any music. Many speculated that Taylor took this break due to the ongoing feud between her, Kanye West, and Kim Kardashian. Basically, Kanye used her name in a vulgar lyric in one of his very explicit songs, and the reason it extended to Kim was because she revealed that there was a phone call between the two of them where he asked her permission to mention her name in a song without specifying. But when the song was actually released, Taylor and her entire team were outraged because she was never informed. Therefore, it put Taylor Swift in cancel culture (before it was even popular) with Kim Kardashian calling her a “snake.” Taylor was also involved in a sexual assault lawsuit against a former morning show personality who inappropriately touched her during the “Red” tour in which she ended up winning, and she also became Time’s “Person of the Year” in 2017 as part of the Silence Breakers that spoke up about sexual assault in the workplace. However, the real reason she took a break was because she briefly moved to London due to her relationship with Joe Alwyn at the time. Unfortunately, they broke up during her “Eras Tour” and he was one of the relationships that was mentioned in her “Eras Tour” docuseries.

I know am rambling on with all of this, but all of what she experienced during her break contributed to the title of this album. Reputation is referring to people knowing different versions of us as they see through their perspective. Before, everyone knew Taylor Swift as a sweet country music artist, but now she is a major pop star who is taking her own stand. At the same time people dislike her for many other reasons like her many relationships or her feud with some celebrity. That is when she takes all of that and reclaims her image with a whole new outlook for this album which is a dark and edgy aesthetic. She is saying I am not that same innocent country artist you are familiar with, but that is okay because I want to be strong and take a stand. In a way, it reflects how my life is where people know different versions of me both good and bad, but mostly “bad.” However, I use this blog to share my perspectives as a person expressing that I am not a bad person, I just went through some difficult times and people misunderstood me. Not only is the theme of reclaiming your image reflected in the album, there is also the theme of finding love throughout the darkest times. Sort of how I express my passions throughout the toughest times in this blog. Taylor Swift even said that this was an album she wanted to make for many years.

Reputation debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart and sold over 1.28 million copies in the first week in the US making Taylor Swift the only artist in history to have four albums debut with over a million sales in the first week. In a month, the record was certified triple platinum, becoming RIAA’s top-certified album of the year. The album won AMAs for “Favorite Pop/Rock Album,” “Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist,” and “Artist of the Year” which made her the most awarded female winner in AMA history. It also won a Billboard Music Award for Top Selling Album of 2018. However, it only received one Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album which lost to Ariana Grande that year. That led to many fans thinking this album was snubbed in terms of nominations and winning the award. Maybe if/when Taylor Swift releases her re-recorded version of this album, she could consider it to be nominated for the Grammys just like she did with Red (Taylor’s Version). Her Reputation Stadium Tour was also highly successful grossing $345 million globally becoming the highest-grossing tour in US history, and it also won an AMA for “Tour of the Year,” a Billboard Live Award for “Top US Tour” and a “People’s Choice Award for “Concert Tour of 2018.” By the way, while I was studying abroad in Japan, when I was visiting the Shibuya area, I saw a truck advertising Taylor Swift’s Reputation Stadium Tour, and it played one of her songs while it was driving around the area. It was also her last tour before the Eras Tour.

There are a total of 15 songs in this album which are listed below. It does not include any “hidden vault” songs since this album has not be re-recorded as of yet. However, on the same day when Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” docuseries and her Eras Tour: Final Show was released, fans noticed a couple of songs from this album had some of the lyrics changed in Apple Music. For one of the songs, “I Did Something Bad,” the lyric changed from “I don’t regret it one bit, cause he had it coming” to “and if he calls me a b*tch, then he had it coming.” The other change happened in “Delicate” which I will get to in a moment.

1.  …Ready for It?

2.  End Game (Ft. Ed Sheeran & Future)

3.  I Did Something Bad

4.  Don’t Blame Me

5.  Delicate

6.  Look What You Made Me Do

7.  So It Goes

8.  Gorgeous

9.  Getaway Car

10. King of My Heart

11. Dancing With Our Hands Tied

12. Dress

13. This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

14. Call it What you Want

15. New Year’s Day

To add to the dark and edgy aesthetic of Reputation, there are instrumental elements of electropop, synths, and trap beats making it a dark pop album which is the complete opposite from her last album, 1989. You can also hear elements of rock with the use of electric guitars to further add that emotion and rage.

Taylor Swift’s albums have that trend of having the 5^th song be the most vulnerable and emotional. For Reputation, that song is “Delicate” which is yet another shocking choice. That song also had a slight lyric change on Apple Music recently from “Oh damn, never seen that color blue” to “goddamn never seen that color blue.” I listened to this song a few times, and never did I think it sounded emotional and vulnerable. The one thing that is significant from the song is the iconic music video where at one point Taylor is doing a fun and goofy dance that I am sure has gotten viral recently. Once again, I would’ve gone with a different song in the album that fits the trend, but I still enjoy this song. In fact, maybe this album shouldn’t need a 5^th song trend because of the overall theme of getting back up to reclaim your image. Plus, this song is about the beginning of a relationship rather than the end, so that’s another reason. Also, how can you feel emotional and vulnerable when listening to this song at the Eras Tour when hundreds of fans are screaming, “1,2,3 LET’S GO B*TCH” during part of the song?

I know I keep saying there are a lot of good songs in this album in the last few reviews, but it is true as Taylor produces and creates these songs to match the theme of the album and executes it pretty well. However, my two favorite songs from this album are “Ready for It” and “Look What You Made Me Do.” Both songs sound especially great when performed live during the Eras Tour. “Ready for It” is a great motivation and hype song to prepare for any big moment like a race or going into battle. It is also a great way to start the album letting fans know that this is a completely different side of Taylor and that she is back and better. Even Simone Biles used this song as part of her floor routine in the Paris 2024 Olympics. “Look What You Made Me Do” was the first song I listened to when this album came out. This song has great lyrics, and great instrumentals that enhance the theme of this album. Even the music video is shockingly surprising especially when Taylor is standing on top of her past variants from previous albums and knocks them all down. It is even reflected during its “Eras Tour” performance. It shows that Taylor Swift is not messing around and she is cooking. I bet it would sound a hundred times better when she re-records it, in fact I think she should use the instrumentals and vocals from the Eras Tour and incorporate it in her “Taylor’s Version.” That will get fans really hyped and gain a lot of streams in music.

Although there are no hidden vault songs on this album, yet I do have some suggestions for them. DO NOT HOLD BACK ON THE SONGS! Reputation was created on the back of all the drama that revolved around Taylor Swift as she was taking her break. Therefore, the songs should release every strong emotion and feeling that is similar to the dark and edgy aesthetic theme. With that being said, none of those songs should be slow ballads because it takes away from that overall theme.

For my personal thoughts on this album, I got to be really honest. When I first heard some of these songs, I was a bit shocked at the major change Taylor Swift went with for this album. However, when I listened to them a few years later and being a little bit older, I do understand why she went that route with this album. Similar to Taylor Swift, I have been criticized, judged, and held to high expectations a lot in my life. I made a lot of mistakes which sometimes led to people putting pressure on me. It also made them create of version of me that is different from who I truly am. In some cases, I have been a victim of cancel culture especially since the first few years of this decade. That has caused me to isolate from people that don’t respect my boundaries or even understand what I am really going through. Most of the time, like at work, I am expected to be “perfect” and if I am not, I get major scrutiny from the higher ups. However, I have found my voice through this personal blog and if I publish some of my experiences, there is a possibility that someone could relate to what I have been through and appreciate all the different versions of me. For the first time, this is one of the albums that have stuck to me. Even though the album feels dark and edgy on the outside, that doesn’t mean “the old Taylor” didn’t die. She just gained more confidence and resilience compared to her first few albums. She still enjoys performing these songs in the Eras Tour, and I am sure she will have a more mature outlook on this era when she re-records this album. The only critique I have from this album are that there are some slow songs that deviate from the overall album theme. I am talking about songs such as “Gorgeous” where I feel should belong on a different album. I especially don’t know why this album have to end with “New Years Day” which is also another slow ballad. That is why I said earlier I don’t want to hear any slow ballads as part of the hidden vault release. It just feels a bit distracting and suddenly makes the album go all over the place, themewise.

For my final rating, it was very difficult deciding on one for this album because both Reputation and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) were so good in their own ways despite my few critiques. Therefore, for the very first time in my series, there will be a tie in the rating and final ranking with Reputation also getting a 14/15. Maybe if/when the “Taylor’s Version” of this album releases it might get a higher score depending on how good it is. Here is the final ranking listed below:

Ranking of Taylor Swift Albums:

1.    1989 (Taylor’s Version)

1.  Reputation

2.    Red (Taylor’s Version)

3.    Fearless (Taylor’s Version)

4.    Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)

5.    Taylor Swift (Debut)

At the end of every Swiftmas review, I always show a crochet amigurumi I made based off a symbol from the album I review. For Reputation, I crochet an amigurumi snake which is an iconic symbol that is shown throughout both her “Reputation Stadium” and “Eras” tours. It is also what Kim Kardashian called her in the feud with Kanye West. Basically, someone being called a “snake” means they are fake, treacherous, and untrustworthy. Taylor then used that image for the album as part of the theme of reclaiming your image and shedding all the negativity into revealing something greater because snakes shed. That is there are snake imagery for this era. It is both red and black which was the color of her bodysuit she wore during the Reputation era of the “Eras Tour” and the body has 13 color sections which is a reference to Taylor’s lucky number. Maybe once the “Taylor Version’s” album is released, I will crochet another version of this snake, but use black and gold which is the color of her second bodysuit that she revealed during the latter part of the Eras tour which was shown in the docuseries.

"Reputation" Amigurumi Snake

And that concludes another review for this Swiftmas series. I can’t believe I have made it this far in my series and if you have stuck around this long then I would like to say thank you very much for all your support. Remember to follow @pressure.shock to keep up with the latest in this series. Another reminder that my student loan challenge is going on, so for every like, view, and comment on this post and on the IG, I will contribute 13 cents each toward my student loans. I will leave you with the one thing that Taylor Swift said louder for those in the back: “We think we know someone, but the truth is that we only know the version of them that they have chosen to show us. There will be no further explanation. There will be just reputation.”