Taylor Swift - Reputation (November 10, 2017) Album • Page 152

Craig Manning · Oct 23, 2018

bradsonemanband said:

"Bad Blood" would have been one of the better songs on Reputation

I wouldn't go that far, but it would not have been in the bottom three.

bradsonemanband · Oct 23, 2018

Craig Manning said:

I wouldn't go that far, but it would not have been in the bottom three.

haha, I just really dislike the vast majority of Reputation and "Bad Blood" is somewhat tolerable to me sometimes.

I just made a playlist with your suggested track list for 1989. I'm gonna run through it and see how it flows! The only other song that I can see myself taking off/switching out for something else would be "Shake It Off." That one doesn't really fit the rest of the album either, in my opinion.

Garrett · Oct 23, 2018

Opening with Wonderland, substituting the Kendrick Bad Blood in, and swapping New Romantics with This Love was mine fwiw

Craig Manning · Oct 23, 2018

No way, you’ve gotta keep “This Love.”

St. Nate · Oct 23, 2018

This Love is good

Matt Chylak · Oct 23, 2018

Craig Manning said:

Eh, I think “Welcome to New York” and “Bad Blood” are way worse than anything on Red. I’ve really come to love every track on that record, even the ones I didn’t like at first. And the peaks are higher on Red, and there are more of them. The peaks on Speak Now are also higher for me than the ones on 1989, but that album really does have consistency issues, which I don’t think Red does.

Agreed on those two songs, as well as "I Know Places" which I've always disliked. I do think the back half of Red is weak ("Stay Stay Stay", "The Last Time", "The Lucky One", "Everything Has Changed", "Starlight") and "I Knew You Were Trouble" sounds realllly dated now.

Matt Chylak · Oct 23, 2018

kaylasananjou said:

it's amazing how much better 1989 is with "new romantics" as the opener and "wonderland" in place of "bad blood"!!!!

I should try this.

Garrett · Oct 23, 2018

I like This Love a lot, but it’s always felt out of place sequenced there.

iCarly Rae Jepsen · Oct 23, 2018

I prefer Harder To Breathe

Sorry

Craig Manning · Oct 23, 2018

Matt Chylak said:

Agreed on those two songs, as well as "I Know Places" which I've always disliked. I do think the back half of Red is weak ("Stay Stay Stay", "The Last Time", "The Lucky One", "Everything Has Changed", "Starlight") and "I Knew You Were Trouble" sounds realllly dated now.

I will not stand for “Everything Has Changed” or “Starlight” being labeled weak! I love both of those songs.

My bottom three are probably “Stay Stay Stay,” “The Lucky One,” and “Trouble.” Agreed the latter sounds dated. The first two are perfectly enjoyable (“The Lucky One” especially has grown on me over time) but I think the b-sides are better. Got a soft spot for “The Last Time,” though.

Tim · Oct 23, 2018

Red is a perfect album.

Except I don't personally like anything about "We are Never Ever Getting Back Together" besides the chorus, but at least it's a dang good chorus.

I personally have always been a fan of "I Knew You Were Trouble." *shrug*

ComedownMachine · Oct 23, 2018

Perfect album if you ignore 22’s verses

And Starlight has been ruined for me ever since my girlfriend pointed out the similarities to that 3oh!3 hit

Craig Manning · Oct 23, 2018

"22" is her best pop song, don't @ me.

St. Nate · Oct 23, 2018

Only songs I'd remover from Red are "22" and "Trouble"

"The Last Time" is one of my faves.

Serh · Oct 23, 2018

Singles (sans the title track) are the only things I'd remove/skip from Red. Agreed with IKYWT not aging well, assuming it was even good then

Matt Chylak · Oct 23, 2018

Craig Manning said:

"22" is her best pop song, don't @ me.

N-E-V-E-R understood why that wasn’t a #1 hit.

Craig Manning · Oct 23, 2018

Matt Chylak said:

N-E-V-E-R understood why that wasn’t a #1 hit.

It makes no sense to me, especially considering what she's taken to the top of the charts since.

iCarly Rae Jepsen · Oct 23, 2018

Craig Manning said:

"22" is her best pop song, don't @ me.

You're feeling 22

Matt Chylak · Oct 23, 2018

Craig Manning said:

I will not stand for “Everything Has Changed” or “Starlight” being labeled weak! I love both of those songs.

My bottom three are probably “Stay Stay Stay,” “The Lucky One,” and “Trouble.” Agreed the latter sounds dated. The first two are perfectly enjoyable (“The Lucky One” especially has grown on me over time) but I think the b-sides are better. Got a soft spot for “The Last Time,” though.

Mini story. I just got back from ten days in Egypt with my girlfriend, and when we first got to Cairo our main concern was safety. The taxi situation at the airport were super sketchy, with random folks in the darkness who didn’t speak English well all trying to aggressively out-negotiate each other.

After finally settling on a driver we were arbitrarily comfortable with, we sat in the back of a Honda Civic in silence as the driver took us (presumably, we had no way of knowing for sure) towards our hotel. Finally, after about 15 minutes into our ride, he switched on the radio and turned it to an American station, where “Everything Has Changed” was somehow(?) playing. We relaxed and the tension we’d felt instantly disappeared.

Craig Manning · Oct 23, 2018

iCarly Rae Jepsen said:

You're feeling 22

I don't know about you...

Matt Chylak said:

Mini story. I just got back from ten days in Egypt with my girlfriend, and when we first got to Cairo our main concern was safety. The taxi situation at the airport were super sketchy, with random folks in the darkness who didn’t speak English well all trying to aggressively put-negotiate each other.

After finally settling on a driver we were arbitrarily comfortable with, we sat in the back of a Honda Civic in silence as the driver took us (presumably, we had no way of knowing for sure) towards our hotel. Finally, after about 15 minutes into our ride, he switched on the radio and turned it to an American station, where “Everything Has Changed” was somehow(?) playing. We relaxed and the tension we’d felt instantly disappeared.

Safe to say I would be shitting my pants in this situation.

Matt Chylak · Oct 23, 2018

Craig Manning said:

Safe to say I would be shitting my pants in this situation.

Haha my girlfriend was nottttt happy. The rest of the 10 days felt super safe though. Egypt is incredible.

Kiana · Oct 23, 2018

I didnt like 22 upon its release but I love it now I mean it's my user title I think lol idk maybe I've changed it I guess I'll see when I hit post. It's just a cute like single having fun being all coy and cute and liking someone and it feeling like a fun adventure with ur friends and being hopeful and optimistic where life might go. It's nice because in reality everything is awful and not fun lmao.

On a related note, I tend not to like her big singles so much. Like I'm sorry but shake it off is a kidz bop lite mess. It is a low point for 1989. Her big singles are always massive bops like not denying that but imo they bring down the quality of her albums as a whole because they often feel so out of place and childish compared to everything else idk idk.

Matt Chylak · Oct 24, 2018

Haters gonna hate ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

personalmaps · Oct 26, 2018

Another board I frequent has a “Producer Anon” who writes really interesting technical insights into Taylor’s music. I’m not super familiar with that side of music, so I find them really interesting. Here’s the one she did for NYD:

A little backstory: I first listened to Reputation during a long drive through a remote part of Southern California. Because I’m in the business of music production and sound design, whenever I engage with a new creative work—be it music, a film, an audio book—I like to first take it in wearing my “consumer hat,” in that I simply listen passively, with attention solely on the content and my honest reaction(s) to it at any given point. If I hear something I like, I return to it later wearing my “producer hat” and break the segment down, deconstructing exactly what it was that caught my attention, and why. On this trip, Reputation played uninterrupted from beginning to end—not unlike the way I imagine Taylor envisions it should be heard, since it unfolds like a concept album. Like many posting here, my initial reaction was “wow, this ain’t 1989” in that the overall mood of the album is far darker and more complex—more adult, frankly—than its arguably lighter, more fun younger predecessor.

When New Year’s Day cued up, two things immediately caught my attention:
1) The song was performed (and likely, though not necessarily, written) in the key of C major.
This is unusual, because—although C major is arguably the easiest key in which to play or compose on the piano—it’s rarely used, if for no other reason than the fact it IS the simplest key. C major’s unwarranted reputation is that of the short-bus of musical keys; but unlike the cloying candy-pop of B-flat major or the ridiculous amount of accidentals in F# major, it brings to the party an unusual magic, a kind of wistful, child-like innocence that makes it the perfect key for nursery rhymes, or, in this case, tales of unvarnished intimacy (we’ll return to this theme later).
2) Unlike most of the other tracks on Reputation, New Year’s Day opened with virtually no fanfare or foreshadowing.
In fact, the song proceeds almost immediately to Verse 1 (“There’s glitter on the floor”), stripped down to its bare essentials of lead vocal and muted piano.
A primarily half-note bass line is added at Chorus 1 (“Don’t read the last page”), to give the bottom end a little weight and add gravity to the lyrics. After a minimal interlude, we move to Verse 2 (“You squeeze my hand”), reverting back to piano/vocal, followed by Chorus 2, in which the arrangement again builds with bass, but is now accompanied by acoustic guitar and lead vocal harmonies. As we enter Post-Chorus 1 (“Hold on to the memories”), a light, legato string-like synth pad is added to the mix. The purpose of the gradual layering of instruments/vocals is to draw you deeper into the music and lyrics emotionally—a simple but effective, time-honored arranging/production technique.

As the song progresses to the Bridge (“Please don’t ever become a stranger”), the arrangement breaks down again, retreating to a 4-bar solo piano cycle. Replacing the lead solo vocal is a two-part harmony vocal, which becomes three-part on the second pass, serving to build depth and urgency. The song segues to Verse 3, which shares the same structure and lyrics as Verse 1, except for the last line: “you and me from the night before” becomes “you and me forevermore,” bringing the song’s narrative full circle to a place of resolution (forevermore). The final Chorus uses the same instrumentation and lyrics as Chorus 2, and passes again through the Post-Chorus, which uses lyrics identical to its predecessor.

The end result at this stage of the song’s evolution is a cycle of motifs that build and release, moving the listener through each section while focusing attention on the song’s very honest lyrical storytelling, creating an appealing, simple piece of music and production work that sails predictably along. But then, something extraordinary happens—something you rarely hear in popular music: the Post-Chorus repeats, but its lyrics are sung in a simultaneous rondo (two different melodies sung over each other) with the Bridge. Rondos are not uncommon in classical music; but the last time I recall hearing one used in a contemporary musical context was probably when I was 12 and our Girl Scout Troop leader initiated a mash-up of “Heart and Soul” with “Make New Friends, But Keep The Old”—a train wreck, to be sure, but memorable. And as the second pass through Swift’s rondo began, something else happened, unrelated to faraway merit badges and Thin Mints: Producer Anon started tearing up. Let’s just say I’m not the weepy type; yet there I was, navigating a two-lane back highway, trying not to hit any roadrunners while I scavenged for a Starbucks napkin to dab the corners of my eyes.

And that, my friends, is the very definition of art. Inspirations such as these are the latitude at which art and design separate, the soul opens, and you fall within. There is no amount of “technical,” no cardinal rule, no academic formula, algebra, or string theory that pulls you into this space. You just feel it.

So—what exactly caught my attention and made me cry like a girly-girl? Let’s deconstruct:

For starters, the song’s tempo is approximately 95bpm—in the “Goldilocks Zone” for a pop ballad—but because the performances are dominantly analog, the feel is much more fluid, and not as tightly clocked as Reputation’s digital productions. This gives it more of a live, “imperfect” feel— which is, frankly, perfect. By far the most noticeable and critical component of New Year’s Day’s production is its stripped-down arrangement—which works, because the most important element of this track is its lyrical story. The singer’s delivery is clear and direct; she’s saying exactly what she wants you to hear. There are no sonic distractions, no smoke and mirrors, only the raw honesty of her words as they weave a quite literal narrative.

The actual recording of Taylor’s voice also contributes heavily to this sense of intimacy. All singers have characteristics that make their voices unique and recognizable. Taylor’s timbre has gotten deeper and more raspy with age, and has a very tiny sibilant lisp that’s most prominent when she sings softly. It’s an artifact that’s actually quite charming, and it serves this song beautifully. Throughout the mix, the lead vocal is very present, with little or no digital reverb to suggest any kind of spatial environment (other than what sounds like a bit of room reflection from what I assume are the walls of Jack’s studio—I doubt she was in a vocal booth). I suspect Jack miked her to take advantage of what’s called proximity effect, in which a microphone is placed very close to the mouth, with little more than a pop screen in between, to create the sense that the singer is right there, almost singing in your ear. You can literally hear the crackling of her tongue pulling away from her teeth as she sings “the” of “in the lobby.” Sonic ephemera like lip separations and small breaths are usually something you try to eliminate when miking vocals, or certainly remove in post—but not if the objective is to create heightened intimacy. In the hands of a good engineer/producer, these sounds can be as profound as a kiss in a quiet room as you listen to the music of your partner’s sighs, her breath, and the delicate sonance of her lips parting before joining yours. Add to this perfect imperfection the piano’s sustain pedal, which you can actually hear as it’s pressed, clicking and kind of sticking particularly at the beginning of Verse 1. There’s no noise gate, no RX 6 noise reduction—just the instrument’s raw sound, captured in the moment.

Bottom line: If these “imperfections” had been “fixed”—the lip noises, the clumpy pedal, even the hanging sustain on the synth pad in the Post-Chorus—they would have compromised the rawness of the track. New Year’s Day is a great example of why you shouldn’t let the tools of an art form supercede the art; as a recording artist friend of mine once noted, sometimes it’s best to avoid digital perfection, or “you just wind up painting on top of the painting.”

Lyrically, the narrative alternates between observation, confession, and plea. The lyric “Don’t read the last page” is the key: it’s a gentle admonition from the singer to the singee to stay in the moment, to take the long walk instead of the shortcut. It’s what you might say to someone who skips to the end of a novel to see how a story “ends.” Of course, doing so robs you of experiencing the journey—especially in this case, since the singer’s firm position is “I’m not leaving, no matter what”:
Don’t read the last page
But I stay when you’re lost, and I’m scared
And you’re turning away
Don’t read the last page
But I stay when it’s hard, or it’s wrong
Or we’re making mistakes
The song’s title cements its purpose in the Chorus’s hook, juxtaposing New Year’s Eve as a metaphor for good times—“I want your midnights”—with New Year’s Day as a metaphor for the real-life commitments that make a relationship work:
“I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year’s Day.”

Finally, let’s analyze the song’s harmonic structure. Most composers are too chicken to write in the key of C major—it’s so primary! All those white keys ... but as mentioned, it can also be simple and elegant, like a white cotton shirt. In the Verses, the chord structure starts gamely with the I chord, C major, and stays with it in the treble clef while the left hand (or bass clef piano notes) walk down the C scale underneath it, from C, to A, to G, and finally landing on an F. The end result is that the 2 and 4 bars of the Verses resolve to a C/F chord, or expressed another way, an Fmaj9. As if maj7 chords weren’t loaded with melancholy enough, when they switch it up with their BFF, the 9th note … get the Kleenex! Or a Starbuck’s napkin. The heartbreak is irresistible.

It’s also important to note the 8-bar chord structure of the Chorus:
(Bars 1-2) Cmaj (I) / Amin7/G (VI) / | Fmaj7 (IV) / Cmaj (I) /
(Bars 3-4) Cmaj (I) / Amin7/G (VI) / | Fmaj9 (IV) / / /
(Bars 5-6) Cmaj (I) / Amin7/G (VI) / | Fmaj7 (IV) / Cmaj (I) /
(Bars 7-8) Cmaj (I) / Amin7/G (VI) / | Fmaj7 (IV) / Cmaj (I) /
Notice in Bar 4 the chord structure sits on that wistful Fmaj9, in keeping with the plaintive lyrics in either Chorus:
lost and I’m scared and you’re turning away
hard or it’s wrong or we’re making mistakes
But also note that the Chorus always resolves to C major, the Happiest Chord In All The Land—which, we assume, portends well for our narrative. Consider, similarly, Liz Story’s piano solo Church of Trees—same journey, different genre. Throughout its nearly 6-minute arc, Church of Trees faithfully resolves to its tonic—A major—no matter what circuitous road it takes to and from its relative minor. It always comes home to its I major chord, its place of completion and peace.

Except, of course, this is Taylor Swift—and there’s a catch. And that catch is the literal ending of New Year’s Day, which does NOT resolve neatly on the tonic. In fact, on the album cut, it doesn’t resolve at all. It loops and fades out, teasing a resolution, but … oh, well. More stunning—or depressing, depending on your point of view—is the sole live broadcast of New Year’s Day to date, from The Tonight Show on November 13:
Video from show
Here, the song ends on the IV chord. Yep, you heard me—New Year’s Day’s final chord is the Fmaj9. Instead of resolving to C major’s happy place, Taylor leaves you hanging on an extended IV chord. It’s the train in the station in which your lover stands, while you’re on the platform, and the door’s about to close. Do you leap in, or wait for her return? ‘Cause there’s glitter on the floor after the party, and empty bottles to pick up. I’d think twice about reading that last page, though—it might be a tear-jerker.

Sorry, C major. Here’s a Starbuck’s napkin.

I’d be happy to paste over the other posts if these are interesting- she’s written about Ready For It, DWOHT, This Love, and End Game as well.

bradsonemanband · Oct 26, 2018

kaylasananjou said:

I’d be happy to paste over the other posts if these are interesting- she’s written about Ready For It, DWOHT, This Love, and End Game as well.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE

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