The love I have for Taylor Swift is, embarrassingly, one of my main personality traits. My friends know me as the crazy “Swiftie” who forces them to listen to all of her albums and hear my ridiculous fan theories any time we drive anywhere. 

Clearly, I was ecstatic when Taylor announced that her brand-new album Midnights would be premiering in October of 2022. I counted down the days in my notes app on my phone, waiting patiently for the album to drop at midnight, which was all ruined by a nap.

I set 18 alarms with the loudest setting, hoping it would wake me from my after-school nap slumber. Spoiler: it didn’t.

However, I woke up in a daze at 12:30 that night realizing I had missed the initial drop. Once I fully gained consciousness, I opened up my screen and squinted at the bright light my phone radiated in my once-dark room. I opened Spotify faster than I ever had before and clicked on the brand new album title under Taylor Swift’s name while simultaneously ignoring all the texts I was getting from my sister and other fellow Swiftie fans rating each song.

As soon as I threw on the album and heard the indie upbeat tune of “Lavender Haze,” I knew I was in love. 

As you can imagine, I was ecstatic as I woke up from school the next morning to see a new Instagram post by Taylor announcing she released an additional 7 songs to the album. Midnights (3 am Edition) quickly found its way into my everyday routine driving to school.

The additional songs Taylor added to the original 13 help progress the story of 13 sleepless nights more than I could imagine. My personal favorite that was added on is “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve.” 

The song reminds me of a 1989 and “Lover” with an unsuspecting indie tune. In addition to this, it also keeps the pop and anger aspect, which makes it perfect to scream at the top of my lungs while driving. 

A more somber but still equally as wonderful song is “Bigger Than the Whole Sky.” This song has a more chill drab feeling to the track as it touches on deeper issues. The song is perfect for anyone who has lost a loved one too soon. The song encapsulates that feeling in a beautiful way by perfectly comparing them to the sky. It talks about what would have been or what should have been but sadly was taken too soon. This song is a perfect comfort grief song because sometimes, all you need is a good cry.

A song on the 3 am Edition that sadly left me feeling disappointed was “The Great War.” I found it to be quite similar to her old work on Evermore and Folklore and simply quite boring. I thought the song didn’t match the overall indie pop vibes Taylor had displayed on this album and, honestly, was just a flop in my opinion.

Regardless of what Taylor puts out, she has a strong fan base by her side supporting her every move because she is the Shakespeare of breakup tunes, and now more than ever, I hope to see her glistening on the stage as I watch from the crowd, crying while she performs her iconic album Midnights.