1. I Said I Love You First
My rating: X/5 Doesn't count toward score
Yeah, this doesn't count towards the score because it's a spoken interlude, but I like that it's included in the album. I won't say much about this one, moving on...
2. Younger And Hotter Than Me
My rating: 5/5 Great
Wow, we're off to a great start, because we're already to my favorite song on the whole album! This song is currently sitting in the top 10 on my personal Hallett's Hits chart, and if you listen to it, you'll be able to see why. It's a, surprise not surprise, piano ballad. And the lyrics are just gorgeous. This song is a reflection on fame and not fitting in at a party with stars who are titularly "younger and hotter than" her. I love how it evolves throughout, with the harmonies in verse 2 adding a layer of intensity. Definitely a favorite of mine, and a song that is not too far from topping my personal chart. Now, let's see if the rest of the album can even match up to the sheer quality of this fantastic song.
3. Call Me When You Break Up (with Gracie Abrams)
My rating: 5/5 Great
This is the "biggest hit" from this album, and I can see why. It's a fun, playful song about a friend whose time has been taken up by a partner, and secretly wanting them to break up to have more time with them. A common theory I've seen about this song is that it's about Taylor and Travis, which I can kinda see since Selena & Gracie are both good friends with Tay. I love the outro when the lyrics are more highlighted, and Selena acknowledges that these two people might have a strong relationship that could last a long time. The production is really cool and sort of feels like a Lover-era Taylor Swift synth-pop song. I can't decide whether I think the "your call has been forwarded to an automated voice messaging system, [blurred voice that sounds like "whoever it is"] is not available" in the intro is cool or cringey, but either way, it doesn't affect my opinion on the song. It's a great song and an awesome choice for a single.
4. Ojos Tristes (with The Marias)
My rating: 5/5 Great
Wow, an unexpected collab with The Marias. I will admit, some of the melody here sounds very similar to The Marias' No One Noticed, but I like that song and its melody so I don't mind that too much. The synth-pop production, stylized like The Marias' sound, is really cool to me. I love the way the melody is sequenced and fluctuated throughout the song. And the lyrics are beautifully written. I quite like the way The Marias sing parts of the song in Spanish. By the way, in case you were wondering, the title means "Sad Eyes". I'm a fan of this song and I hope Selena & Marias collab again!
5. Don't Wanna Cry
My rating: 3/5 Decent
Well, we've reached our first non-great song. This isn't my least favorite on the album... we'll get to that in just three more songs. It's a fine song but I don't enjoy it quite as much as the others. I think it's just kinda repetitive and forgettable. Most of the chorus is just "I don't wanna cry now", and the repetition works but just sorta falls flat after a while. Also, the production isn't very memorable. It's super generic and doesn't really go anywhere. So, the song isn't bad, it's just a bit boring.
6. Sunset Blvd
My rating: 5/5 Great
Big... big... hard... heart! Okay then... Really this is an awesome song. Yes, I think the aforementioned pre-chorus is a lot of fun. This song in general is just hilarious. It kinda reminds me of Chappell Roan, not just because of the playful lyrics and cheering, but also because of the synthy production and the way it builds. It's not the type of song I would normally "love" but this is just a lot of fun. This is the sort of song that I can see being a TS12 single, assuming Tayvis is still together by then.
7. Cowboy (with GloRilla)
My rating: 5/5 Great
GloRilla on ISILYF might just be the weirdest feature I've ever heard on any album by anyone. Anyway, this is another great song. It's a pretty chill ballad with atmospheric production, which I enjoy a lot. And it's another love song about Benny and their intimate moments together. This song just has such a nice vibe to it, and it's been a grower with repeated listens. And again, I don't know how GloRilla's outro is supposed to fit into this song and this album, but it actually does. Since she's not credited on the original version, that outro comes as a bit of a jumpscare, but it's cool. Another great song. Almost every song so far has been great...
8. Bluest Flame
My rating: 2/5 Mediocre
...yeah, this is my least favorite song on the album, unsurprisingly. I was disappointed especially because I thought the title sounded really cool. I will say, there is one huge redeeming quality to this song - that intro. The instrumentation is epic. But then, it turns into Charli XCX on steroids. The lyrics are just repeating the same eight lines for a good half of the song, and then at the end it's just... breathing? No idea why anyone would wanna listen to a million hours of HAH-huh-HAH-huh, and it seems to me almost like it's only there to get the song to a certain length, but maybe that's just ignorant me not understanding the appeal of hyperpop. Honestly if it weren't for the production near the beginning this may have been a 1 or even a 0. Anyway, moving on...
9. How Does It Feel To Be Forgotten?
My rating: 5/5 Great
Quickly back into the greatness. This is a song that I'm considering adding to Hallett's Hits. It's another ballad, but this time with a more angsty message. It's continuing the Selena/Benny romance story arc of this album, but this time touching on a new theme - another person who gets in the way of their relationship. I love how the lyrics are written, with the titular lyric pointing out the fact that Selena and Benny will ignore this person and stay in their own lavender haze. I love the production. It's bitter and sweeping with a highlight on the word "forgotten". I think it's really cool how the production in songs on this album evolve, and this is a great example of that. One of my favorites on the album that will likely enter Hallett's Hits soon enough!
10. Do You Wanna Be Perfect?
My rating: X/5 Doesn't count
Speaking of Hallett's Hits, this was my "Interlude Extra" one week this month. Now, although this doesn't count toward the score, I will say this is still one of my favorite moments on the album. The message here is great - no one is perfect, and no one should be - and it's told through a "commercial". Also, I know the backing track is just elevator music, but I genuinely would love to hear a proper Selena song with that bossa nova sound. Wow, my music taste is... interesting.
11. You Said You Were Sorry
My rating: 4/5 Good
So, this is alright. I don't have much to say about this song since it's honestly one of this album's most overlookable tracks. It's a good song, but I never see myself coming back to it. I mean, I guess it has a catchy melody and the evolution of the production, especially the percussion, has interesting elements, but ultimately there isn't much about this song that stands out enough for it to be "great". Moving on.
12. I Can't Get Enough (with Tainy & J Balvin)
My rating: 3/5 Decent
Don't worry, we'll be "out of the woods" soon. Again, this song is still okay. The Latin-influenced production, although repetitious, is fun. Tainy & J Balvin's feature moments are also a cool inclusion. However, this song is brought down by the repetition once again. While it's not near as egregious as Bluest Flame, this song repeats itself a lot and sometimes feels a bit too long. Also, side note, the phrase "I can't get enough" is such a cliche in songwriting. Can't Get Enough by Jennifer Lopez, Lunch by Billie Eilish, Shivers by Ed Sheeran, Crazy Stupid Love by Emei, I could go on and on. But anyway, this song is okay but in the long run it's pretty mid.
13. Don't Take It Personally
My rating: 5/5 Great
We're almost to the album's end, and now we have a song that's currently performing moderately on Hallett's Hits - soon to be higher because it's another grower with repeated listens. This is a song about a past relationship and how it affects the new relationship with Benny. It's meant to assure an ex that she and Benny are meant to be and not to take it as a personal offense as the title suggests. I think this reflective concept is a cool idea for a song. And the production... wow. Yes, it's similar to other songs on the album, but that doesn't mean it's not a gorgeous piano ballad. Another amazing song that I'll listen to a lot.
14. Scared Of Loving You
My rating: 5/5 Great
And now we've reached the first single and final track. This was the first song we all heard from the album when it was a very forgettable Hitbound dropout on Hits 1 earlier this year, and I wasn't sure about it at first. I wasn't too into that washed-out guitar sound, but it's grown on me so significantly. It's a short romantic ballad about fear in their relationship, but it's not a fear of love - it's a fear of loss. I know it's a common songwriting trope, but it works well. It's a sweet way to close out this quite romantic album, and also the kind of song I can certainly expect when TS12 comes along. Gorgeous!
Conclusion
Overall rating: 87% (Great Album)
Yeah, it's a pleasantly surprising great album! Like I said earlier and throughout the post, this is the kind of album I hope for with Taylor Swift's next record, likely after the rerecords. Although it's still on the "lower end" of the great spectrum weighed down by the few slightly forgettable songs scattered throughout, it still manages to land itself in the great category by three points! I'll definitely come back to a lot of these songs.
Favorite songs: Younger And Hotter Than Me, How Does It Feel To Be Forgotten, Don't Take It Personally
Least favorite songs: Don't Wanna Cry, I Can't Get Enough, Bluest Flame
That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!
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