Taylor Swift - "Cruel Summer"

[g8erboi]

The chorus really reminds me of Cool by the Jonas Brothers, but I LOVE this. I hope it’ll be pushed eventually.

[Choco]

Switch this with ME!, keep the rest of the era the same and it would have been so much better... though this probably wouldn't have overtaken OTR either.

[austin]

Aug 23, 2019 19:22:08 GMT -5 Taylor. said:

I just remembered there was speculation Drake was on this track. Maybe they're going to re-launch the era with a remix? It's short enough that they could add a Drake verse and not cut anything out.

The song is perfect as it is though, so...

Could be - I remember some speculation.

I think the Drake pin from the EW cover was just because she mentions him in Forgot That You Existed, so I’m thinking maybe nothing is coming.

[Ty]

Tbh this sounds like the "Getaway Car" of Lover.

[pancakes]

Knowing that both Antonoff and St. Vincent are involved, couldn’t help but be underwhelmed with a half cooked chorus that echoes “Cool,” which is a flop song.

[Choco]

Aug 29, 2019 12:41:19 GMT -5 Ty said:

Tbh this sounds like the "Getaway Car" of Lover.

Spotify apparently agrees because...

[rainie]

i was NOT expecting something on the level of this. its like Out of the Woods + Wildest Dreams + Style, and considering the quality of those three songs...yeah this slaps hard.

i actually dont hear lead single from this, but i do think it would do quite well if released after Lover. it better be!!

[theflying]

I feel like they’ll want one more single after Lover before this. I wonder what they’ll go with — probably The Man.

I can see it being, if this stretch it far:

ME!
You Need To Calm Down
Lover
The Man (Jan 2020)
Cruel Summer (March/April 2020)
Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince (August - Election 2020)

[Butterflies & Hurricanes]

Bananarama cover?

[kimberly]

[Choco]

This one is lowkey going viral on it's own. Should have been the lead.

[NeRD]

Sept 6, 2019 2:03:42 GMT -5 kimberly said:

Wtf is this mess?

[theflying]

This has reached the level of replay ability of the 1989 singles. It’s THAT good.

[Choco]

She apparently said on a radio show that this is very likely going to be a single... next summer.

[Linnethia Monique]

Sept 16, 2019 17:25:03 GMT -5 Choco said:

She apparently said on a radio show that this is very likely going to be a single... next summer.

So is she riding out Lover until Spring because this is the only single I hear from the album.

[Choco]

Miss Americana would be a good choice IMO. Or I Think He Knows.

[𝕡𝕙𝕖𝕖𝕓𝕤]

I'm already hearing this on the radio.

[Mayman]

The Man will probably be after Lover.

[NeRD]

This got a Pop add last week and another one this week.

[theflying]

Good God, this is still SUCH a shot of adrenaline. It STILL hasn’t burned on me at all. What a fantastic pop song - deserves to be one of her career standouts. The lyrics, the pulsing, the desire, the climax, the storytelling - it all comes together here.

[insen_13]

Always plays this at least once a day. Love the rush!

[Okay]

Weird that once winter starts I start coming back to this song more and more often.

[MissAmericana]

This should've been the second single, released around May with The Man being the lead single and released in March. It would've been perfect for this summer, especially if it had a remix with a hot rapper down the line.

[Ty]

Dec 2, 2019 22:13:29 GMT -5 MissAmericana said:

This should've been the second single, released around May with The Man being the lead single and released in March. It would've been perfect for this summer, especially if it had a remix with a hot rapper down the line.

Neither this nor "The Man" sounds like the right song to switch up from Reputation to Lover, so I don't blame her for going with "ME!" despite that song being...a choice on so many levels.

[theflying]

Do Swifties even defend Me?

[MissAmericana]

Dec 3, 2019 7:48:58 GMT -5 theflying said:

Do Swifties even defend Me?

No, we don't.

[Deleted]

Honestly ME! only truly sucks cause of its pre chorus, chorus, and bridge

The verses were honestly fine and could have been given to a much better song

I think YNTCD could have been the lead tbh even though I personally don't care for it.

Would have been cool if she led this project with a total curveball like False God

[Deleted]

Honestly, if Taylor wanted a lead single to represent the ‘snake to butterfly’ transition while not giving away the sound of the album, she should have gone with “Paper Rings” instead. It fills the same function as “ME!”, thematically speaking (‘I want your complications too’), and it’s just as fun and uplifting, but without the more ‘childish’ aspects that were a turnoff to fans and critics alike. Heck, I can even imagine Brendon Urie featuring in it.

As much as I find “ME!” to be a cute song, it’s clear she only released it for the plethora of Easter Eggs, be it the direct namedropping of the album title or release date hidden in the ‘Spelling Is Fun’ bit. Unfortunately, it damaged the success she could have had with an otherwise amazing album, and “You Need To Calm Down”, despite doing better chart-wise, didn’t change these initial impressions.

After much thought, I imagined “The Man” would be an appropriate follow-up (and a much better introduction to Taylor’s political side), and then “Cruel Summer” before the album release instead of “Lover”, the latter which would then be an October/November release to coincide with the winter season (the perfect climate for ballads).

[BB🌕]

Dec 3, 2019 8:45:09 GMT -5 MissAmericana said:

Dec 3, 2019 7:48:58 GMT -5 theflying said:

Do Swifties even defend Me?

No, we don't.

Yes we do

[Future Captain]

Paper Rings feat. Brendon Urie as the lead single of the album sounds so dope and would probably a much better choice over Me! even though I didn't hate Me!