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You Are In Love: Why its Taylor's most vulnerable song | Essay by Honey

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Here's a long winded opinion about a very under appreciated song called "You Are In Love", how it defines the core of Taylor as person and how it is the most vulnerable song that she's ever written. 

Don't believe me? Let me explain.

Taylor's category is filled to the brim with fantasy love scenarios, some that get us all giddy, teary-eyed, or even hopeful. She usually uses first person and describes her very common life experiences, making her so attractive and relatable to most listeners. Though one thing that differs about You Are In Love is that it is mostly told in third person, all except for one line (which I will mention later on); one of the only songs of her category to do so.

In YAIL she is telling a story of a couple that appears to be perfect, in fact the song is about her best friends' relationship. "You guys are like the benchmark of actual, real true love," is what she tells her friend Jack.

If not obvious, Taylor is fascinated, intrigued, and even saddened on the topic of love. Many see a girl who is a schemer, a "snake," and an all out fake person. But let's be real, people aren't born that way. Beneath the hard exterior of a tootsie pop is the sweet chocolate center. The girl wants love. Though the way she approaches and achieves love has changed and evolved over the years (which it should) the concept remains the same. 

Taylor is known to shake off (hehe) her bad experiences, minus a few grudges, but she always comes back swinging. As vulnerable as she can make herself, she still is a hard wall to break through. That can be seen by just how professionally monitored her life is. Everything is perfect, she (while playing a victim at times) essentially is untouchable. For example, the Kanye incident of 2016. She didn't respond, she didn't lash out, she just fell silent and let it roll off. Very clean cut, emotionless. It'll even show in her songs, they all seem to be snippets of fantasy, her emotions, her life, her experiences that she can control whether to tell or not. But with YAIL it's no longer about her, but about her friends that have achieved what she was long hoping for. If you listen to the song one way, she seems very happy for the lovers in the song, but also very sad herself. The line that shows her sadness is in the bridge, "And why I've spent my whole life trying to put it into words." In a way this could just be seen as a nod to her past music, but there is another way to analyze it. She didn't have to include that line in order to make the song any more romantic. That line, in a way, is her most vulnerable and powerful lyric that she's written. Why? She builds a huge beautiful love scene around two lovers, especially in the bridge, just to cut it off with her referring to herself back into the first person. What's the difference between this song and Enchanted, or Love Story? It's not her. She's not experiencing this, something she's always wanted. Without that line it could have been speculated that it was about an experience she has had. But instead she offers up that she doesn't have it all, she isn't 100% happy with the life she has, she isn't the impenetrable wall of steel she makes herself out to be. That line says she is not the know-it-all of love (considering most know her for her love songs as stated above), she's been trying to explain it, but she can't seem to grasp it. She has been through countless relationships and has yet to find a steady one. She is congratulating her friends' miraculous love, but is pensive about her own love. Ever been in a situation where you are the third wheel to your best friend and their gf/bf? Happy for them, but sometimes (depending on who you are) wish you could have the same thing. That is the way Taylor undoubtably feels seeing her friends getting into successful relationships, something her money and fame can't buy her. 

In conclusion, YAIL is her most vulnerable song and defines her core as a person because it allows her vulnerable and wide eyed innocent wishes of love to shine through, even if only for a brief line. Her hope for true love, even though tried, is still shimmering bright, even through such supposed scaly skin. 

 

"I write a lot of songs about love and I think that’s because to me love seems like this huge complicated thing. But it seems like every once in a while, two people get it figured out, two people get it right. And so I think the rest of us, we walk around daydreaming about what that might be like. To find that one great love, where all of a sudden everything that seemed to be so complicated, became simple. And everything that used to seem so wrong all of a sudden seemed right because you were with the person who made you feel fearless" (Taylor Swift).

______

Sorry FOTP I just really need that out of my system fall2 feel free to disagree!!! Oh, and don't go with the TL;DR thing because no reason to even comment for discussion dead2 but if you seriously don't have time to read, just skim the conclusion.

what do you all think? wub1 

Spoiler

@Yuna what do you think??

 

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YAIL is definitely one of her most mature songs (with songs like WANEGBT in her catalog it's not hard but still) and yeah I never realised how although Taylor speaks around the topic of love in so so many ways she usually, almost exclusively talks about experiences of her own. quite a cool new perspective to look at this song tbh, I appreciate it more after reading this.

but something still can't be changed and it's that it's still a bit of a snoozer on the instrumental, which is a shame! sia3 

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I used to LOVE this song.  The part that got me themost was towards the end when her voice strains a bit more and she says "you can hear it in the silence" and everything stops for a second. oprah2

 

Anyway, this was going to be my ex-fiance and I's actual wedding song so now I can't listen to it anymore wendy4

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@Honey I loved your analysis of this often slighted track! I can tell you put a lot of consideration into choice of lyrics and what Taylor has chosen to share of her own experiences in love. I've seen people either hate it or love it, with not much in between. I definitely sense and can relate to that yearning too. Especially the lyrics "One day he says, "you're my best friend", and you knew what it was, he is in love" sob1 

 

I remember reading that Taylor has a difficult time writing love songs (ala Ed Sheeran) hence why her motifs are breakup anthems, sad ballads and fantasy. Maybe we'll get to see that side of her in her music one day, if as you say, she can allow herself to be vulnerable sia3 

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2 hours ago, Yuna said:

@Honey I loved your analysis of this often slighted track! I can tell you put a lot of consideration into choice of lyrics and what Taylor has chosen to share of her own experiences in love. I've seen people either hate it or love it, with not much in between. I definitely sense and can relate to that yearning too. Especially the lyrics "One day he says, "you're my best friend", and you knew what it was, he is in love" sob1 

 

I remember reading that Taylor has a difficult time writing love songs (ala Ed Sheeran) hence why her motifs are breakup anthems, sad ballads and fantasy. Maybe we'll get to see that side of her in her music one day, if as you say, she can allow herself to be vulnerable sia3 

hug1 I'm glad you liked it ❤️❤️❤️

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8 hours ago, RandomosiTAY said:

I used to LOVE this song.  The part that got me themost was towards the end when her voice strains a bit more and she says "you can hear it in the silence" and everything stops for a second. oprah2

 

Anyway, this was going to be my ex-fiance and I's actual wedding song so now I can't listen to it anymore wendy4

Why can't you listen to it anymore? 

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15 hours ago, Breathless Mahoney said:

I wish I liked anything even half as much as you like this song.

 

13 hours ago, Urbanov said:

Same

Haha!! I just have a lot of passion about things. fall2 got a lot of love to share 

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I really LOVE the lyrics of the song, especially the part "One night he wakes, strange look on his face, pauses then says, "You're my best friend" and you knew what it was, he is in love."

Its probably because I'm such a hopeless romantic and I like romance stuff like that and low key want that to happen to me but yea I do agree with you that the lyrics are amazing. I often over exaggerate my dislike for the song though for a kii but it really isn't as bad as people make it out to be!

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8 minutes ago, Hannah said:

I really LOVE the lyrics of the song, especially the part "One night he wakes, strange look on his face, pauses then says, "You're my best friend" and you knew what it was, he is in love."

Its probably because I'm such a hopeless romantic and I like romance stuff like that and low key want that to happen to me but yea I do agree with you that the lyrics are amazing. I often over exaggerate my dislike for the song though for a kii but it really isn't as bad as people make it out to be!

Hopeless romanticism can be the worst and best feeling at times. hug1 I'm glad you agree that you like the lyrics! Also thank you for reading 

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I really like the song. But I think it's telling that Taylor has clarified repeatedly that's it's not about her experience. Something she said in one of the interviews about it being about a couple who was best friends and how that must be good but also not good made me lowkey sad because maybe she doesn't look for a solid component like that in her partners.

Regardless, it's a wonderful song.


Posted from my iPhone using the FOTP app

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On 7/17/2017 at 10:50 AM, RepuTAYtion said:

I used to LOVE this song.  The part that got me themost was towards the end when her voice strains a bit more and she says "you can hear it in the silence" and everything stops for a second. oprah2

 

Anyway, this was going to be my ex-fiance and I's actual wedding song so now I can't listen to it anymore wendy4

 

On 7/17/2017 at 7:04 PM, witchcraft. said:

Why can't you listen to it anymore? 

Okay looking back on this I was such a flop and didn’t read what you wrote right fall1 sorry if that sounded crazy insensitive. hug1 

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Here's a long winded opinion about a very under appreciated song called "You Are In Love", how it defines the core of Taylor as person and how it is the most vulnerable song that she's ever written. 

I wish I liked anything even half as much as you like this song.

While you did bring up some really good points, I just... can't get over the fact that it was written about Lena Dunham of all people


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