"So, I'm not a massive Swiftie."
Have I become a "massive Swiftie" in the seven and a half months since then? I think so. You also may remember this revelation I made in my album review for another Taylor Swift album, Midnights, which states:
"You all know Taylor Swift, and you all know that I've recently become a Swiftie, but what you may not know is that since it released, I've considered Midnights one of my top three albums of hers, along with Speak Now & Red."
Did I also decide that there's another Taylor album that I like even more than those three I mentioned? Definitely yes. In the past few months, I decided that Evermore is by far my favorite TS album. Every song on it is a good song at the very least, a vast majority are amazing, a good number of them are probably in my top 30 favorite Taylor Swift songs, at least three of them would definitely be in my top 13, and one of them might just be my second favorite after All Too Well. The lyrics and aesthetic on this album are also great for the holiday season, if you like sad winter songs as much as I do. And I also have an unpopular opinion that it's very different from Folklore. I acknowledge that this and Folklore are complementary to each other, but I still think of them as very distinct albums. To me, Folklore feels more deep, mellow and haunting, while Evermore is slightly brighter and also more sonically experimental. I like both of those albums, but Evermore is still my favorite by far. Alright, now let's get started with the album review.
1. Willow
My rating: 5/5 Great
Alright, we're starting off with a very strong song. I'm glad this was the lead single (there are a few other songs that would've worked as a single but this is definitely a strong choice). One thing that in my opinion differentiates Folklore and Evermore is that Evermore's production tends to have more country elements. There are songs later on that would be more aptly considered "country", but this song has some elements of it. I love the guitar production and the subtle synths in the background. And the lyrics are amazingly written. It's a love song (probably about Joe Alwyn) with a chorus that seems to significantly parallel Lover. And yes, I can even get behind that line that everyone else cringes at - "I come back stronger than a 90s trend". I'd like to add that the music video is incredible. I think this song has my second favorite Taylor Swift music video, just after the All Too Well short film. Great way of starting this album, but the best is yet to come.
2. Champagne Problems
My rating: 5/5 Great
So... this used to be my favorite song on the album. Has that changed? Well, yes, but I'd say it's still at least one of my top 5 favorites. It's a great song. It reminds me of All Too Well (aka my favorite TS song) with the dense storytelling, and it's in the same key with the same chords. I consider this song almost like a sequel to All Too Well, and a prequel to the ten minute version. The lyrics are the main strong point of this song. It tells a story of a failed love due to a rejected marriage proposal in front of a crowd of friends, and ends with Taylor reflecting on how the ex-love will find someone who's ultimately better for him. I love when Taylor changes a chorus slightly throughout the song. This song does it (and so does All Too Well) and it really adds a lot of depth to the lyrics. Overall, although it's not my favorite anymore, it's a fantastically written song.
3. Gold Rush
My rating: 5/5 Great
This song is magical. As you probably all know by now, I love songs with production that evolves throughout. This song is a wonderful example of that. It begins very subtle and atmospheric but grows into an epic orchestral soundscape. The way the sound builds itself up throughout is incredible. And the lyrics are also beautiful - I love the powerful simplicity. While some think the lyrics are too simple, as almost every line is repeated, the simplicity really works. It uses the same chorus and verse twice, but with slight lyrical changes. As I mentioned previously, I love when Taylor does that. It's one of my favorite songwriting techniques, and it's done so well here, transforming a love song into a breakup song with just a few subtle changes. Wonderful song.
4. Tis The Damn Season
My rating: 5/5 Great
Other than Christmas Tree Farm and the holiday EP, this is considered Taylor's most "holiday-y" song. I almost added it to my Christmas playlist I made last week but I figured there were already enough Taylor songs on that. I used to not particularly love this song but it's significantly grown on me with multiple listens. I don't necessarily think of it as a Christmas song, more so just a love song that happens to be taking place during the holiday season. It's about visiting an ex-love over the holidays and reconnecting, and it's got really cool-sounding country-rock production going on that I want to hear more from Taylor's newer music. Another great song, but the best is near...
5. Tolerate It
My rating: 6/5 How Could I Ever Just "Tolerate" This Song That's Amazing And Very Few Songs Can Top It Because It's A Heartbreaking Masterpiece
Alright, now here's where things reach top 13 territory. Track 5 is always an emotional hard-hitter (Cold As You, White Horse, Dear John, All Too Well, All You Had To Do Was Stay, Delicate, The Archer, My Tears Ricochet, You're On Your Own Kid, So Long London) but this is one of my favorites of the bunch. First of all, let's talk about this production. It's mostly based around a simple piano line, and not only is it in my favorite key (A major) but it's also an unusual 5/4 time signature, contributing to the uncertainty of this song. It evolves so nicely, with subtle strings as the emotion progresses, and a slight drum beat picking up toward the end. And let's talk about these lyrics. They are absolutely devastating in the best way possible. The concept is that Taylor does everything for her partner, but he doesn't reciprocate it - he just tolerates it. This song describes relatable relationship scenarios breaking down in such a straightforward yet masterful way, and Taylor's vocal delivery really supports that so nicely, with her signature "talking" style of singing working so well to get this message across, and the ranting bridge is simply amazing. This is definitely one of my top 13 songs of Taylor's discography... but my #1 favorite song on the album is still yet to come.
6. No Body, No Crime (with Haim)
My rating: 5/5 Great
In theory, it should be nearly impossible for Taylor Swift have a song that I can still think of as "great" when it's sandwiched right between two of her greatest songs ever. But I think this is one of my top 5 favorite songs on the album. Taylor somehow manages to effectively convey a deep, complex fictional crime story in a three and a half minute song. Simply put, the storyline of this song is told from Taylor Swift's point of view about Este Haim and her husband. Este tells Taylor that her husband seems to be cheating, but she can't prove it. Then, Este goes missing, and after her ex-husband's new mistress moves in, Taylor suspects that he murdered Este to get away with his infidelity, but again can't prove it. Taylor then murders Este's ex-husband for his wrongdoing and hides his body in a lake to cover up the scene, and then nobody can prove who murdered him. Taylor's storytelling skills are truly impressive. I love the way she uses essentially the same chorus throughout the song to mean different things - "I think he did it but I just can't prove it", and then later "They think she did it..." and "She thinks I did it...", not to mention the way the country production complements the song so well. I love it.
7. Happiness
My rating: 6/5 Listening To This Brings Me Unexplainable Happiness Even Though It's A Really Sad Song Which I Absolutely Love Because It's Absolutely Incredible
Yes. Yes. Just yes. Not only is this my favorite consecutive three-track run of Taylor Swift's entire discography (Tolerate It - No Body, No Crime - Happiness) but this song is my favorite song on Evermore, and I've recently decided it's my second favorite song of Taylor's entire discography, right after All Too Well. As I've been saying a lot here, Taylor Swift's songwriting is incredible. So, I'll just put the whole chorus here: "There'll be happiness after you, but there was happiness because of you / Both of these things can be true / There is happiness past the blood and bruise, past the curses and cries / Beyond the terror in the nightfall haunted by the look in my eyes that would've loved you for a lifetime / Leave it all behind and there is happiness." This song also uses the songwriting technique I mentioned earlier where Taylor changes the chorus slightly to show a different point of view: "There'll be happiness after me, but there was happiness because of me / Both of these things I believe / There is happiness in our history / Across our great divide there is a glorious sunrise dappled with the flickers of light from the dress I wore at midnight / Leave it all behind and there is happiness". This is one of Taylor's most poetic songs, and it works so well. The emotion here is so raw, giving authentic delivery of finding hope while still having sadness and anxiety running through the whole time. Not to mention the genius of this production - it's only two chords for most of it, which can be boring if done wrong, but in this case it adds to the buildup, and it begins with just one very soft synth under Taylor's vocals, giving an otherworldly sound quality, but then a piano comes in, and numerous synthesizer sounds begin to build on top of it until it reaches the bridge - I consider it the "climax" of the song, and it's the quietest little climax ever, and I'm obsessed with it. And the quiver of her voice when she says "No one teaches you what to do when a good man hurts you and you know you hurt him too" is not talked about enough. This song is just an absolute masterpiece and it's easy to see why. Whew... that is now officially my second-longest song review ever, just after my Mamushi rant.
(TL;DR - This is my second favorite song Taylor Swift has released, just after All Too Well, containing some of Taylor's most authentic emotion and genius production.)
8. Dorothea
My rating: 4/5 Good
Welp, even Evermore by Taylor Swift isn't perfect. This is probably my least favorite song on this whole album, and it's still good. I quite like the lyrics about reflecting on a previous relationship and wanting to potentially reconnect with an ex-love, but Taylor has better songs with this concept. Also, I like the piano production. However, this song feels a bit repetitive and boring at times. It's not bad at all, just not one of the songs I'll be listening to frequently. Anyway, moving on.
9. Coney Island (with The National)
My rating: 5/5 Great
Apparently this was a single? Weird considering it seems to have gotten almost no recognition on pop radio. Anyway, it took me a while to grow into this song, but I've decided I actually quite like it. It's got an interesting sound to it that Taylor doesn't seem to do much of - it's like a dark, alternative, folk ballad. The lyrics are really well-written: it's about being surrounded by memories of the relationship while metaphorically "on a bench in Coney Island", i.e. watching people having fun making her more sad. It's such a relatable concept and it's executed well here. And Taylor and whoever's singing in The National sound oddly good together. Way better than their more recent collab on The Alcott.
10. Ivy
My rating: 4/5 Good
Okay, I guess this is kind of the "weaker" part of the album, which is not saying much since it's one of my favorite albums of all time. Trust me, this is about as low as it'll ever get here. The lyrics of this song are extremely... wordy? It parallels The Lakes in that it's overly poetic, almost Shakespearean in a way. I like the way the lyrics are written in some parts, but overall it can feel a bit cluttered at times. The production is also slightly boring, but I like how it ends. I guess this is one of my "least favorite" songs on this album but that's saying almost nothing as it's still a solid song.
11. Cowboy Like Me
My rating: 4/5 Good
So, I've been saying throughout this review that I love the country influence on this album. This song is very country-influenced, but it's not necessarily my favorite. I guess it's mostly just because the production here is moderately boring and doesn't do much. I like the lyrics, although I do agree with many fans who think Taylor could've come up with better lyrics than "the tennis court was covered up with some tentlike thing." I feel like this song could've been improved in a few ways but it's still a good song altogether. Alright, from this point on we're mostly back to great songs now.
12. Long Story Short
My rating: 5/5 Great
Almost all of this album is considered sad and slow-paced (in a good way, in my opinion), but this is the most upbeat song on the album. I really like the storyline behind this song. It's a love song likely written about her relationship with Joe Alwyn and how it helped her escape from significant drama arising in her life. Although I am notoriously known to not enjoy upbeat poppy production as much as more acoustic production, I actually like the way this song blends folk elements with electronic pop sounds. Great song.
13. Marjorie
My rating: 5/5 Great
I'm surprised that Taylor was even able to play this on her Eras Tour, as it seems like the kind of song that would be excluded simply due to being "too sad". But I'm so glad she did. This is such a heartfelt song. While the subject material is obviously very heavy (it's written about her late grandmother, opera singer Marjorie Finlay), it's ultimately a really uplifting song about holding onto good memories and being able to feel like Marjorie is still alive in her head. I like the production, and Marjorie's actual vocals being sampled at the end is a nice touch. A wonderful tribute all around.
14. Closure
My rating: 6/5 Yes I'm Doing Better After Listening To This Top-Tier Song And I Don't Care What People Say About This Song Because I Will Defend It To The Grave And Beyond
Alright, now it's time for another song that I absolutely adore. This seems to be the most widely hated song on this album, and I guess I see why people hate it, but I love it because... well, I'm Hallett. I love songs that everyone hates. This feels so experimental in a lot of ways - the obvious unconventional percussion sounds, but also the way they constantly fade in and out throughout the song, and how it's always switching between piano, atmospheric synths, and that percussion. Also, it's in 5/4, like Tolerate It, and as an added bonus it's also in A major, my favorite key. But it's not just the sheer uniqueness of the production that makes me love it, although that's the primary reason. The lyrics are also super well-written and not talked about nearly enough. You can just hear the anger when she sings "Don't treat me like some situation that needs to be handled, I'm fine with my spite and my tears and my beers and my candles". The lyrics could be thought of as being about a breakup, but mostly seem to be about Scooter Braun, which makes sense. The whole concept is that she knows it's over, and doesn't need any reminder that she was once involved with him. Also, as some random YouTube commenter suggested, the sounds at the beginning might represent... a Big Machine breaking? Okay, I love this song, and I don't care if everyone hates it, I love it, I love it, I love it.
15. Evermore (with Bon Iver)
My rating: 4/5 Good
*sigh* And now this one. This used to be one of my favorite songs on the album, but I firmly believe Exile is the better Taylor/Bon Iver collab, and I still like Renegade with Big Red Machine (Justin Vernon's other band) better than both of those. It seems like most people who don't particularly love this song mostly dislike Justin's verse, saying it's too chaotic and his voice doesn't sound his best. Ironically, that's actually my favorite part of this song. I love that little piano buildup, and it really works nicely. The main problem is the rest of the song - this can't be said of many songs in my opinion, but it's just simply too slow and dreary. Something about Taylor's high falsetto vocals here just doesn't seem to blend well with the low-pitched piano line, and it sounds like it's missing something. Maybe if it was in a different key I would like it slightly more. Also, I just want to point out that I love when she rhymes "catching my breath" with "catching my death". I wish she used it in a different song though. Anyway, that's it for the main album...
Deluxe Edition
16. Right Where You Left Me
My rating: 5/5 Great
This seems to be somewhat of a fan favorite on this album. I used to not understand all the appeal, but now I love this song. I love this story. It's a unique concept I haven't really seen anywhere else - being so caught up in a breakup that you feel like time stops moving, and you're right where you were left... It's really bizarre and I love it. The lyrics tell a really intriguing story and use the "changing chorus" technique I keep mentioning. And I love how the production goes along with it - it's very country-sounding and the vocal stylizations actually support this so nicely. If you don't love this song at first, it'll probably grow on you if you pay attention to the lyrics. Alright, almost done!
17. It's Time To Go
My rating: 5/5 Great
And we've arrived at the finish. I feel like this works so well as an album closer. It's sad, but one of the more hopeful songs on the album. This is widely thought to be another Scooter Braun song, and this is about how sometimes when situations become difficult, it might be best to just leave, using a simple refrain of "You know when it's time to go". The bridge has some really great quotes - "Sometimes giving up is the strong thing / Sometimes to run is the brave thing / Sometimes walking out is the one thing that'll find you the right thing." It's got a beautiful synth-folk sound to the production that feels like the end of a long journey, signaling that Taylor believes that, well, it's time to go... Amazing way to close out this powerful album.
Conclusion
Overall album rating: 99% (Great Album)
This album now has the second-highest score of any album so far on my blog, just behind my revised review of Olivia Rodrigo's Guts. I just noticed while I'm finishing up this post that this is Taylor's 9th album, and it's the 9th day of Christmas. I swear that was a complete accident.
Favorite songs: Happiness, Tolerate It, Closure
"Least favorite" songs: Dorothea, Ivy, Cowboy Like Me, Evermore
That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!
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