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johnny1248

hot take: the reputation era has been a mess

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  Before i begin, i just wanna make it clear that what i'm about to say, is based from my opinion and nothing else. Off we go then. As you can imagine, i was looking forward for the reputation era. It was not gonna be just an era, it was gonna be her comeback era and i couldn't help but speculate that she was gonna drop flames left and right with her album and the amount of promo she was gonna give considering that her previous eras have been something to behold and her idea of deleting her social media posts was a pretty smart marketing move. However, from the moment she dropped the Look What You Made Me Do, i had bad feeling that her comeback era was gonna be a shambles. And i say that cause i HATED, Look What You Made Me Do, and i still hate it now. I find the song to be an absolute disgrace to her discography.

 

 However, hope and anticipation was built for the VMAs 2017 due to the fact that she was nominated there and also for the fact that the possibility of attending AND performing there was very likely. How wrong we were. Not only she skipped the show for no reason but she also didn't even bother to make a small video message to thank her fans for winning the Best Collaboration award. Despite that, i thought to myself that it was only the beginning and that things could only get better in the next few months. But sadly, things kept on going downhill even further. From the release of another underwhelming single like Ready For It, her nonexistent promo rollout, the ticketmaster verified fan sh*tstorm, the lack of award show appearances, her album being an absolute mess imo and above all else, IT WAS BORING. Taylor Swift has been legitimately silent as if she has disappeared forever. The only sights of Taylor was when she went to SNL and wanted to make The Swift Life App. 

 

 November 12th 2017 will live long in the memory as one of the darkest days of the fandom. Not only Taylor skipped the MTV EMAs so she can be on SNL, but she also lost 6 of her nominations to Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello. After weeks of voting and anticipation, for some dumb reason her label thought it was a good idea to go SNL instead of attending an award show like the MTV EMAs where she was nominated for 6 AWARDS. It was simply a horrible day to be a swiftie.

 

 As for the album itself, it was a mess. The problem was not necessarily her lyrics or her message. Her lyrics are pretty good and i find the idea of being with the right people despite having a big reputation as a pretty interesting concept, but the production didn't do her any favors as she mostly opted to follow the formula of generic trap pop music that has plagued the music industry since 2016. Half the time is GARBAGE (songs like I Did Something Bad, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Look What You Made Me Do, End Game, Ready For It, So It Goes) and half the time is really good (Delicate, Getaway Car, Call It What You Want, King Of My Heart, Gorgeous, Dress). I understand that people find I Did Something Bad as ''single worthy'' because it's a bop but for me, it's generic trap pop as it gets and it's an insult to her discography. Good grief......that song feels like a Post Malone reject. 

 

 Now, i do get it that Taylor wanted to stay off the spotlight and not risk facing another public backlash, but on the other hand, this was supposed to be her comeback era. Why make a comeback without making really a comeback? Why plan everything when you are not feeling like you are in the best place mentally? I wonder if her record label is filled with a bunch of dumbf*cks because some of their decisions that they've made during the era has been shocking!!! From the ticketmaster verified fan controversy, the lack of promo for her singles, her POOR choice of singles and also The Swift Life app which has quickly forgotten in the space of a few months.

 

  The fact that her appearance at the BBMAs is her best moment of the era by A LONG MILE, is a really sad thing. The reputation era should have been the comeback era to end all comeback eras. It should have been an era that was gonna be exciting and truly memorable. And all we got was an absolute mess.

 

  ''But hey. the album was successful and her reputation tour is her best yet!!!'' Well, it's no doubt a good thing that she's been doing well commercially and managed to prove everyone wrong that she is ''cancelled'' but it doesn't really make up for the lack of promo, the lack of award shows appearances etc. Oh and also, i couldn't care any less about her tour since i couldn't manage to go to one of her concerts in the UK (i'm from Athens, Greece ffs. we are not at our best financially). 

 

  But in the end, i do have hopes for a possible appearance at the AMAs, if not, i want the era to end as quickly as possible. Look, i don't wanna seem harsh because i love Taylor Swift to pieces and i became a fan in Autumn of last year when i decided to listen to her discography and take a look at ther previous eras but the reputation era has been a disappointment and a shambles from start to finish. Because of this, i can't help but have doubts for the TS7 era. For some swifties, the era was memorable and fair enough. But like i said, my take on the era is only my take and nothing. Feel free to respond to my critique of the era if you want :p

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''But fam, Taylor Swift has claimed her narrative. People don't talk crap about her anymore. reputation sold well and her tour is her best yet'' If only the era was exciting in the same way as the tour that people (who attended the tour) claim to be. 

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  If anything else, the reputation era felt like Liverpool's shambolic 2014-15 season when we finished 6th in the Premier League compared to the 2013-14 season when we nearly won the league as we finished 2nd. That's how bad the reputation era has been. It went from an exciting, sparkly and enthusiastic era like 1989 to a boring, miserable and above all else, disgraceful era. Not trying to be harsh but i gotta be honest with myself lads. The reputation era has been utter shite. It has been so shite that i find it ridiculous. I am hoping that TS7 will offer what reputation has been missing. Not just a better era but also a better album, because hip hop influenced pop music and ESPECIALLY rapping are not a good fit for her. Like, AT ALL.

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Well, while I do understand your sentiment towards 2017/18 Taylor's time-line and everything you feel about the album itself, I think we should realize that she couldn't exactly match the monumental status of everything 1989-related. She was very well aware of that as well. I am actually glad she decided to step back, because she was simply everywhere during her 1989 era, so being everywhere now, when her image was disrupted, wouldn't be smart idea and it would harm her even more. This is good kind of cooling down. She presented album, left songs to the public, went on tour and every single of those things speak for itself. I wouldn't say she didn't make comeback though. She did come back with a roll out similar to her pre-1989 era. Look What You Made Me Do may be polarizing, not the stablest song on the charts and among the audience, but it sure left a mark. There is no way to think about Taylor now without bringing into mind that song and its video. 

Album itself is not perfect, but it perfectly captures everything she wanted: harsh, cold, dark, bitter, sad feelings while also mixing it well with falling in love with someone who might be a keeper. I mean, Call It What You Want is jab at other people while at the same time emphasizing love interest who finally captured her heart. While 1989 is shiny, light album, reputation is its stormy, wintery cousin. For example, I Did Something Bad is gloomy and rough counterpart of Blank Space.

 

However, you wanted to experience all of those feelings about promotion, awards shows and everything related to it as a new fan, so her lack of appearances didn't probably left enough strong of impression on you. But, that's how she probably envisioned all of this. We got her feelings through these 15 songs. She decided to be conventional and mainstream enough while maintaining her true essence through songwriting ( which you also noted she accomplished ). 

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1 hour ago, johnny1248 said:

Look What You Made Me Do, i had bad feeling that her comeback era was gonna be a shambles. And i say that cause i HATED, Look What You Made Me Do, and i still hate it now. I find the song to be an absolute disgrace to her discography.

Tea

1 hour ago, johnny1248 said:

So It Goes

It’s not garbage lol it’s her magnum opus

1 hour ago, johnny1248 said:

''But fam, Taylor Swift has claimed her narrative. People don't talk crap about her anymore. reputation sold well and her tour is her best yet'' If only the era was exciting in the same way as the tour that people (who attended the tour) claim to be. 

Tea

59 minutes ago, johnny1248 said:

  If anything else, the reputation era felt like Liverpool's shambolic 2014-15 season when we finished 6th in the Premier League compared to the 2013-14 season when we nearly won the league as we finished 2nd. That's how bad the reputation era has been. It went from an exciting, sparkly and enthusiastic era like 1989 to a boring, miserable and above all else, disgraceful era. Not trying to be harsh but i gotta be honest with myself lads. The reputation era has been utter shite. It has been so shite that i find it ridiculous. I am hoping that TS7 will offer what reputation has been missing. Not just a better era but also a better album, because hip hop influenced pop music and ESPECIALLY rapping are not a good fit for her. Like, AT ALL.

Football fan? clap2 I hate Liverpool though

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1 hour ago, Ghostface said:

Well, while I do understand your sentiment towards 2017/18 Taylor's time-line and everything you feel about the album itself, I think we should realize that she couldn't exactly match the monumental status of everything 1989-related. She was very well aware of that as well. I am actually glad she decided to step back, because she was simply everywhere during her 1989 era, so being everywhere now, when her image was disrupted, wouldn't be smart idea and it would harm her even more. This is good kind of cooling down. She presented album, left songs to the public, went on tour and every single of those things speak for itself. I wouldn't say she didn't make comeback though. She did come back with a roll out similar to her pre-1989 era. Look What You Made Me Do may be polarizing, not the stablest song on the charts and among the audience, but it sure left a mark. There is no way to think about Taylor now without bringing into mind that song and its video. 

Album itself is not perfect, but it perfectly captures everything she wanted: harsh, cold, dark, bitter, sad feelings while also mixing it well with falling in love with someone who might be a keeper. I mean, Call It What You Want is jab at other people while at the same time emphasizing love interest who finally captured her heart. While 1989 is shiny, light album, reputation is its stormy, wintery cousin. For example, I Did Something Bad is gloomy and rough counterpart of Blank Space.

 

However, you wanted to experience all of those feelings about promotion, awards shows and everything related to it as a new fan, so her lack of appearances didn't probably left enough strong of impression on you. But, that's how she probably envisioned all of this. We got her feelings through these 15 songs. She decided to be conventional and mainstream enough while maintaining her true essence through songwriting ( which you also noted she accomplished ). 

 

  Fair point but at the same time, her comeback has been highly anticipated. It wasn't just a comeback, it was supposed to be the comeback to end all comebacks after the 2016 public fallout which supposedly ''cancelled'' her career. Considering Taylor's standards, i expected something so much better. I don't disregard Taylor's mental health because looking after yourself is the most important thing but at the same thing you shouldn't forget to please your fans. I mean, i saw plenty of swifties feeling alienated for the fact that Taylor has been silent throughout the era. It's not just the fact that i didn't experience the excitement as a new fan but it's also the fact that there was barely anything exciting about that era compared to her previous ones.

 

  ''the album captures everything she wanted: harsh, cold, dark, bitter, sad feelings'' As i've mentioned previously, i think she does a pretty good job in conveying those feelings through her lyrics and i do believe that on the 1st half of the album, she subtly says a ''f*ck you'' towards the media by playing the character based from media's perception of Taylor. However, the feeling of darkness should have been conveyed much more effectively with much more interesting instrumentals. I mean come on fam, how can you expect me to buy into ''Taylor's darker look'' when she decides to follow the route of generic trap pop music with IDSB, LWYMMD, So It Goes and End Game? These songs feel like as if they are leftovers from Post Malone, Cardi B etc. 

 

  A more effective way of conveying dark feelings, is adapting a dark synthwave sound. it's a billion times much more interesting than doing generic trap pop. 

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4 minutes ago, johnny1248 said:

  Fair point but at the same time, her comeback has been highly anticipated. It wasn't just a comeback, it was supposed to be the comeback to end all comebacks after the 2016 public fallout which supposedly ''cancelled'' career. Considering Taylor's standards, i expected something so much better. I don't disregard Taylor's mental health because looking after yourself is the most important but at the same thing you shouldn't forget to please your fans. I mean, i saw plenty of swifties feeling alienated for the fact that Taylor has been silent throughout the era. 

 

  ''the album captures everything she wanted: harsh, cold, dark, bitter, sad feelings'' As i've mentioned previously, i think she does a pretty good job in conveying those feelings through her lyrics and i do believe that on the 1st half of the album, she subtly says a ''f*ck you'' towards the media by playing the character based from media's perception of Taylor. However, the feeling of darkness should have been conveyed much more effectively with much more interesting instrumentals. I mean come on fam, how can you expect me to buy into ''Taylor's darker look'' when she decides to follow the route of generic trap pop music with IDSB, LWYMMD, So It Goes and End Game? These songs feel like as if they are leftovers from Post Malone, Cardi B etc. 

 

  A more effective way of conveying dark feelings, is adapting a dark synthwave sound. it's a billion times much more interesting than doing generic trap pop. 

I think Look What You Made Me Do provoked enough tremors and buzz. And like I have already stated, being silent is not pleasing for us, but it is the best way to remain credibility. If she was media present, she would receive all kind of questions and small amount of them would be about her new songs. People would start with what she gave us, but it would quickly turn to being about personal stuff. It would be publicity, but it wouldn't help her case, because by doing that, she would be basically giving chance for everyone to be again so close to her. I just feel it would be turmoil and not because she wouldn't know how to maintain it and remain stable, but because people would see she is willing to entertain publicly all scandals and that's just more space for media to be even more crazy about her. Her album would be overshadowed.

 

The thing is... Taylor is not actually perfect match for darkness you want in this case. She can entertain the idea of it within the context of satire. And she mostly succeeds. Reputation actually shows her sexier look, more mature and self-explored persona. Instrumentation was right in my opinion. It is loud, blingy, rough, just how she feels about all of this. It happens to be what is trendy now, but she chose right moment to embrace current music trends with this album. 

That being said, I would also be open for sound you think it would fit better. But I can't say I dislike the route she chose to go ( at least for the major part ). 

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1 minute ago, Brinty said:

The essays jumped outnicki5

 anyways I agree it’s been very messy I feel like most of it is because of the shitty single choices tbh

Well single choices could have been better ( sans lead single and Delicate ), but hey Getaway Car is upon us. gaga13

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