She’s at it again: the stars align as the legendary Taylor Swift and her new album fill speakers and earbuds at midnight, October 21st. Midnights is her tenth studio album. A master songwriter, Swift always creates deeply heartfelt stories in her music, Midnights being the next chapter.
Taylor Swift is a 32-year-old singer-songwriter, producer, director, actress, and businesswoman. Her relatable songwriting and beautiful voice has given her an extremely successful career. Over the years, Swift has received 11 Grammys, 34 American Music Awards, 29 Billboard Music Awards, and many, many more accolades. And from the looks of it, her success is likely to grow.
Known for hiding ‘easter eggs’ in her music and dropping hints and clues as to her next projects, Swift usually builds up heavy anticipation for the release of her music. The release of her new studio album, Midnights, was announced in her acceptance speech for MTV’s “Video of the Year” award, which she won for the “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)” music video.
The announcement was followed up with a social media post of the album cover (pictured above) and the following statement: “We lie awake in love and in fear, in turmoil and in tears. We stare at walls and drink until they speak back. We twist in our self-made cages and pray that we aren’t – right this minute – about to make some fateful life-altering mistake. This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams. The floors we pace and the demons we face. For all of us who have tossed and turned and decided to keep the lanterns lit and go searching – hoping that just maybe, when the clock strikes twelve… we’ll meet ourselves. Midnights, the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life, will be out October 21. Meet me at midnight.”
The idea of “midnight” has actually been a common theme throughout a lot of her previous music. Danielle Pascual of Billboard recorded everytime Swift mentioned either “midnight” or “middle of the night” in her music: 13 songs made the list. It is hard to say whether or not this was planned, but it still shows the importance of themes to Swift and how she incorporates them into her music.
The Midnights album consists of thirteen songs: “Lavender Haze,” “Maroon,” “Anti-Hero,” “Snow on the Beach” (feat. Lana del Ray), “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” “Midnight Rain,” “Question…?,” “Vigilante Sh*t,” “Bejeweled,” “Labyrinth,” “Karma,” “Sweet Nothing,” and “Mastermind.” The Deluxe Edition of Swift’s album also includes bonus track “Hits Different,” and two remixes: “You’re On Your Own, Kid” (Strings Remix) and “Sweet Nothing” (Piano Remix).
Swift was very excited to announce her “Snow on the Beach” collaboration with singer-songwriter Lana del Rey, and she explained in an Instagram post that “the fact that I get to exist at the same time as [Lana del Rey] is an honor and a privilege and the fact that she would be so generous as to collaborate with us on this song is something I’m gonna be grateful for for life.”
Four different versions of the Midnights albums, each with a different album cover and uniquely patterned vinyl record or CD, can be ordered on taylorswift.com along with some new Midnights merchandise. An exclusive “Lavender” edition vinyl record is also available for purchase at Target. The digital version of the album is also available on music streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music.
It is hard to say exactly what can be expected from Midnights due to Taylor Swift’s extensive musical capacity, ranging from country to pop to folk. What Midnights is sure to provide, however, is a talented, heart-felt array of songwriting that will continue to win over the hearts of listeners from many walks of life.
