Etcetera OG ✎ COMPLETE

; taylor swift "reputation" album re-review

         Hello, hi, it me.

         Does anyone remember the last album review I did? Because it was Taylor Swift's Reputation. That's how inactive I've been. How embarrassing.

         Anyway, for the first time ever, I'm about to do a re-review. What's a re-review, you ask? Pretty self-explanatory but I'll spell it out for you anyway. A re-review is where I review an album I have already reviewed. I've never done this before because my thoughts usually don't change for an entire album so drastically.

         In the past, I've been pretty frank about how sometimes I'll dislike a track or two but it'll grow on me in a few listens. With Reputation I disliked almost every song, but like I knew they would, my thoughts on almost every track have changed. So I'm going to revisit the album without reading my first review. If you want to see the comparison, feel free to jump back and forth between the two reviews – they're right next to each other in the chapter/part list. But if you want to see a comparison without jumping back and forth, I will list my first rating and then my new one; you just won't get any comments with it.

         So without further adieu, here is my first re-review, brought to you by the coffee and large McDonald's Dr. Pepper I just drank.

01: READY FOR IT...?

Without looking at my first review, I still remember liking this song enough to give it a higher rating. I still like it now, but as it was one of the first released, it's one of the first I've grown tired of hearing. It isn't in my playlists anymore and I usually skip it if it comes on shuffle somehow, but like. I still like it. I know it's a strong and interesting song. I haven't given it a listen in a while, but even with the distance I'm still itching to skip it. So I wonder...is it actually as strong as I thought it was? Maybe I just haven't taken enough time away from it. Let's move on. Favorite lyric: "I forget their names now / I'm so very tame now / never be the same now"

OLD RATING: 9/10       NEW RATING: 8.5/10

02: END GAME feat. Ed Sheeran, Future

I've been looking forward to re-reviewing this one most, because it's one of the songs I viscerally liked the least initially. One thing that remains the same is that I think my favorite verse is still Ed's. I just like the way his voice sounds with this song, and the lyrics are some of the strongest there. Another thing that remains the same is that I still don't like Future's verse. At all. But on to the interesting parts: I am no longer physically repulsed by the "big reputations, ooh you and me we got big reputations" chant. I've managed to reach a point where I am able to no longer picture Taylor singing that part, which makes it not only more tolerable but also sort of fun. I also don't hate her verse anymore where she sort-of-raps. While I like Ed's verse more, hers is most fun to sing. I knew this one would be a single, so I'm glad I transcended the hateful place I was in when I first heard this song and was able to enjoy it purely at surface-level, which I believe is how it's meant to be enjoyed. Favorite lyric: "And you understand the good and bad end up in the song"

OLD RATING: 5.5/10       NEW RATING: 9/10

03: I DID SOMETHING BAD

                  There was something about this song that I swear I remember almost being offended by. I'm not sure what that thing was anymore, but I've definitely grown to appreciate this one. It's a surprisingly fun roadtrip song to jam to, especially at night when no one else can see you singing in your car. I'm a big fan of most of the lyrics – they're insightful as far as Taylor's actual reputation is concerned, and even though the chorus is repetitive, it's nice enough. I still don't think the "they're burning all the witches even if you aren't one" part was a good move for the bridge. First of all it's just not tasteful, and second of all, like...they don't even sound like they fit? Tune-wise? I genuinely believe Taylor herself wanted those included so badly that no matter who told her they literally do not belong in that part of the song, she was like *shrug emoji* too bad. Anyway. I also still hate the fox noise. It's gotta go. Is it too late to re-release it, Taylor? Please. Favorite lyrics: "This is how the world works / you gotta leave before you get left"