Taylor Swift – Lover

[Mark]

I Forgot That You Existed is becoming my fav on the album. What even is happening?

[kimberly]

Today I'm appreciating "Death by a Thousand Cuts" a lot, along with my ex-least fave "False God". So far, "ME!" is the only song I keep skipping, and even that got like 2 streams from me this week (3 if you count the time when I listened to confirm spelling is no longer fun)

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

Ok where’s the first impression rankdown

[Deleted]

Aug 25, 2019 18:45:03 GMT -5 Mark said:

I Forgot That You Existed is becoming my fav on the album. What even is happening?

Rob Sheffield at Rolling Stone dragged it in the last paragraph of an otherwise impressive analysis of the album. I can’t fully understand why, because the song is good at best and innocuous at worst.

ETA: Sonically, it further coheres and album and serves as a smooth opener.

[Caviar]

[Rose "Payola" Nylund]

False God is a real mood but it truly does need the right setting.

[Ivy Leegue™]

Just watched 3 young, Hispanic guys do a reaction video for Lover. All I heard was ignorance, constant complaints that they are "not from Taylor's world" (well...duh?), lack of basic research (WTF IS CORNELIA STREET? WTF IS A PAPER RING? TAYLOR DOES NOT LIVE IN OUR WORLD!!1! She has one N word in her video! Wait, she's been dating him for 3 years?!), and body shaming. This generation is DOOMED. #anythingforclout

[Au$tin]

Aug 25, 2019 1:08:23 GMT -5 Snowbeast said:

Aug 25, 2019 0:58:25 GMT -5 aussie1 said:

LMAO, the fact I can see her team actually doing this  . 

To save her from the PR ridicule and “she’s over” headlines- money well spent.

Ah, yes, the headlines of her being over with the highest opening of the year. Better make sure all 2 of those articles can't exist!

[Snowbeast]

Aug 26, 2019 0:23:03 GMT -5 Au$tin said:

Aug 25, 2019 1:08:23 GMT -5 Snowbeast said:

To save her from the PR ridicule and “she’s over” headlines- money well spent.

Ah, yes, the headlines of her being over with the highest opening of the year. Better make sure all 2 of those articles can't exist!

This is Taylor Swift? The highest opening of the year won’t matter. Every article will hint at diminishing returns, and close with how she’s re-recording her masters amongst the Scooter Braun drama.

**plays The Man**

[surfy]

oh my god i feel like every time i listen to this album again, i appreciate a different song each time.

early favorites after the first weekend:
Cruel Summer
Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince
Paper Ring
Death By a Thousand Cuts
False God
Afterglow
It's Nice To Have a Friend

basically the whole fucking album, par for the course with taylor <3

[Au$tin]

Aug 26, 2019 0:35:40 GMT -5 Snowbeast said:

Aug 26, 2019 0:23:03 GMT -5 Au$tin said:

Ah, yes, the headlines of her being over with the highest opening of the year. Better make sure all 2 of those articles can't exist!

This is Taylor Swift? The highest opening of the year won’t matter. Every article will hint at diminishing returns, and close with how she’s re-recording her masters amongst the Scooter Braun drama.

**plays The Man**

Sorry, I just don't buy into the idea that her label would buy hundreds of thousands of copies of her album to avoid a few articles nobody that matters is going to take seriously. Even if every damn news outlet in the world wrongly reported on diminishing returns with no context to the current state of the music industry, no one would actually care other than people who already hate her. No harm, no foul, she's still making bank. It's not even remotely a big deal and her label won't care.

[Keelzit]

Overall it was a pleasant listen for the most part but it lacks the highs of reputation. The first thing I wanted to do after it was done was to play Ready For It because I was in need of an adrenaline boost. Main thing that bothered me is that the production in most tracks is kind of muffled and the vocals sound like they were recorded underwater. Idk it just lacks that umph that reputation had which was to be expected since the subject matter is different this time around but as a casual supporter of hers I was hoping for something a little more energetic but not in the Out Of The Woods way or the juvenile lyrics that she's known for. That said, The Man is the s**t! I love its retro futurism and the melodies. Soon You'll Get Better is another standout and ME! remains a mega bop.

[deepston]

Even if she doesn't open with 1M she has been slaying Spotify and AM. Her transitioning to the streaming era is arguably much more beneficial than having another 1 million opening.

[YourFaveIsAFlop]

Aug 26, 2019 4:16:04 GMT -5 Keelzit said:

Main thing that bothered me is that the production in most tracks is kind of muffled and the vocals sound like they were recorded underwater.

That's Antonoff. It's his thing.

[deepston]

Spotify First-Week WW Streams

Day 1: 54,830,823
Day 2: 39,874,893 (-27%)
Day 3: 32,474,452 (-18.56%)



Great showing for her overall. Streams always decrease on weekends, I'm expecting her to drop very little tomorrow or even increasing.

[Deleted]

She still has 6 tracks in the US Spotify top 10:

1(=) Lover 1,517,393 -21%
3(-1) The Man 1,242,669 -23%
4(=) Cruel Summer 1,123,586 -23%
5(=) I Forgot That You Existed 1,057,628 -25%
9(-1) You Need To Calm Down 925,494 -21%
10(-4) Paper Rings 920,178 -23%

[born]

That's great numbers for songs that are basically bubblegum/synthpop. I love "Lover"s success.

[justlurkingaround]

False God clicked me the other day. The album was instant and it keeps on growing one me if that’s even possible... the talent.

[deepston]

And the VMAs are tonight! I'm expecting a big surge if she performs Lover.

[Mike]

She should do a medley tonight and give people a taste of what’s on the album.

[deepston]

Aug 26, 2019 9:15:00 GMT -5 Mike said:

She should do a medley tonight and give people a taste of what’s on the album.

Cruel Summer -> Lover -> The Man would be incredible. 
I know it won't happen though.

[born]

Updated projections on 'Lover':
775-850k SPS; 650-700k pure


Glad to see the numbers going up!

[ampersand]

Really hoping she can hit 1 million because it may be the last time it ever happens (depending on how long Adele waits to return).

[tryexp]

Aug 26, 2019 10:31:42 GMT -5 ampersand said:

Really hoping she can hit 1 million because it may be the last time it ever happens (depending on how long Adele waits to return).

Also because I don't think reputation deserves to be remembered as the last TS album to sell more than 1M on its first week.

Global sales of 2M how does that compare to the last album?

[Deleted]

Firstly, before I get chewed out, I want to say that I love Taylor; I own “Fearless” and “1989” in CD form and purchased “Reputation” via iTunes. I think she’s talented and makes great songs, however, this new album isn’t doing anything for me, there isn’t a song that I LOVE or has repeat value for me. It’s not a bad album, just isn’t clicking with me.

I’m kinda shocked to see/hear that the songs she’s released thus far are among the best on the CD. I’d say this album is a grade “C” for me. My favourites are the singles and Cruel Summer.

[Ivy Leegue™]

Metacritic score went down to 78, based on 16 reviews. I hope it can go back to 80 or even higher, but for now, it's hanging on to its highest-rated album crown.

[YourFaveIsAFlop]

Aug 26, 2019 10:33:48 GMT -5 tryexp said:

Aug 26, 2019 10:31:42 GMT -5 ampersand said:

Really hoping she can hit 1 million because it may be the last time it ever happens (depending on how long Adele waits to return).

Also because I don't think reputation deserves to be remembered as the last TS album to sell more than 1M on its first week.

Global sales of 2M how does that compare to the last album?

reputation moved about 2M units worldwide its first week.

[Deleted]

So I love most of the album but I got some main problems

1. The ordering of the tracks goes all over the place, so some of the transitions are jarring or feel misplaced. I feel like I'd get better ordering if I literally just pressed shuffle play on Spotify.

2. The album has some weak unneeded tracks that just extend the listening time.
Mainly I Forgot That You Existed (a retread of what I didn't like about reputation), It's Nice To Have A Friend (I feel like this is supposed to be an interlude but its placed too late in the album and feels utterly useless)

Aside from those two, I like everything else on the record but I feel like some of it could have been chopped off

For starters, Paper Rings is really cute but doesn't fit in the album sonically for me
Death By A Thousand Cuts is nice but honestly if I could I'd probably also remove it from the tracklist.

And then lastly, someone please euthanize ME!, worst song on the album for sure.

Aside from that, the album lyrically is well done and I think I liked some of the more experimental things as opposed to the tracks that feel a little bit of 1989 retreads at times.

Mainly False God (I need more of this R&B esque sound plz), Afterglow(I love the vocal work on this), Lover(I just imagined this from the first time I heard it as a late night winter song you'd hear at karaoke, it just felt charming), and Soon You'll Get Better (shit man this one mad good, reminded me of Ronan, which is one if her best).

[born]

She'll be opening the VMAs tonight.

My ideal Taylor Swift performance would be her opening on piano with "Lover" before a costume change and a massive performance of "The Man" with female dancers in suits a la "ME!".

Knowing her though she'll just do "You Need To Calm Down" with an extended intro :(

[Koochie]

Why are people shitting on it’s nice to have a friend.. do y’all not have friends omg 😭 losers