RED by Taylor Swift (Album Review)

I am really big Taylor Swift fan. I love her music, her persona, and her clothes. I love how real she seems and I love how fame hasn't gone to her head. I love how she sings about relatable songs. I love how she's not vulgar. So, when I heard that her new album was coming out I was obviously excited. Her new album, "RED" came out on October 22, 2012. I've listened to all of the songs, and overall it's a good album. It wasn't what I was expecting. Some songs had to grow on me, and others I just hated. However, there are a few I really, really love. I'm proud of Taylor Swift, and even though her sounds changing, it's worth a listen. I personally hope she grows out of the totally pop phase and goes back to being a bit of country and a bit of city. With that, I'm going to start the review: 

State of Grace:
I like this song. It’s fun, and the lyrics are good. The drums are excellent.  Her voice sounds like she’s singing about something epic. I love the lyrics “All we know is touch and go”. It’s so true. In today’s fast-paced world, we don’t really spend enough time getting to know anything or anyone. We just touch the surface, without getting deeper, and go on with our lives. “We learn to live with the pain”. That’s exactly what everybody in the whole world is doing. We all have a strange pain that follows us in life, whether it be somebody’s death or words not said. The only things we can do are ignore it and learn to live with it.  The chorus, I have a hard time accepting. I mean, it’s only two lines! Come on! I love the classic metaphors though, such as Achilles’ heel.  The metaphors are good and you have to unravel some, which is a great thing.

Red:

Honestly, I didn’t like the song the first 6 times I listened to it. Although, I must say after the 11^th listen I began to like it. It’s very catchy. And I like the line, ‘trying to forget you is like trying to know somebody I’ve never met.’ Other then that, I don’t have much to say about the song. I mean the metaphors are pretty simple, nothing to unravel. The ‘re-e-ed’ chorus is slightly irritating. There are much, much, much betters songs in this album. And sorry Taylor, not all of us know what ‘driving a new Maserati down a dead end street’ is like. I like the line about the autumn colors. The color-coordination of feelings is a bit controlling, but I like it.  The metaphors dealing with feelings, I liked. Overall, too much red.

Treacherous:
treacherous |ˈtre ch ərəs|

Adjective

Guilty of or involving betrayal or deception
 It’s not a miserable song. It talks about infatuation in a physical way, but I really like the tune. It’s really good, except one line. I dislike, for hate is a strong word, when she says ‘I, I, I like it.’ Why are you being so repetitive in all of your songs all of a sudden Taylor? Aside from all the repeating, I find this song rather mature. I especially like the line, “Forever going with the flow but you friction.” Why? Well, that’s for me to know and you to find out. Also, I feel like she’s stalking him with all the ‘follow you, follow you home’s'. Get em next time, Tay.

I Knew You Were Trouble:
Personally, I don’t like this song too much. The lyrics are good though. It’s relatable. Who hasn’t known that somebody is a bad influence but you go ahead and make friends with them anyway? They’re not such good people, but you find them fascinating anyway. In the end, when they disappoint you…well, you’re not surprised. It’s very dubstepish song. It’s not horrendous, but I don’t think it’s a Taylor Swift type of song. It sounds very commercial. Even the metaphors are over-used.

All Too Well

All too well. I know Taylor Swift all too well, through her songs. This is exactly the type of song she makes and I love that. This is the definition of Taylor Swift. There are metaphors, memories, and nostalgia. I love it. THIS IS TAYLOR. THIS IS WHAT I LOVE, WHAT ALL HER FANS LOVE. The raw lyrics, not too poppy or hyper. It’s beautiful. Forgetting anything/body we loved once is hard to forget. Be it a place or a person or an entire island, it’s all-hard to forget. It’s also hard to be forgotten, but it happens. We remember and it hurts, but we move on. I also love all the dancing, and especially the lyrics, “Time won’t fly, it’s like I’m paralyzed by it.” Honestly, these lyrics are all honest and beautiful.  I also like,” So casually cruel in the name of being honest”. I think it’s obvious that honestly is the best policy, but there is a limit. Being too honest hurts as much as a lie. Also, “After plaid shirt days and nights when you made me your own”. First of all, who HASN’T had their plaid shirt days? It’s a known fact that humans, at some point in life, have a slight obsession with plaid shirts. It’s one of the Seven Ages, for god’s sake! The second part of that line also has a meaning, “when you made me your own”. When you spend too much time with a person, you begin to adopt their odd habits or parts of their behavior. At the same time, they begin to adopt some of yours. You become each other, thus explaining, ‘you made me your own’. Those, ladies and gentlemen, are beautiful, thoughtful lyrics.  I love this song. I can relate to it, all too well.

22

What a hipster song! I actually, really love this song. It’s very dancy and fun. She also claims she is happy, free, confused, and lonely. That makes her look normal. I have a sister who’s almost 22, and I feel like if she liked Taylor Swift, she would like this song. I love how she owns up to the fact she dresses up like hipsters and makes fun of her exes. Also the line, “You look like bad news, I gotta have you”. She’s kind of poking fun at herself and it’s such an upbeat song that makes one feel truly happy and carefree. One problem though, I’m not exactly that age yet. Only if I was 22…

I Almost Do

Not one of my favorites, but I love her voice in this song. I also love how she’s confident enough to say that she’s betting he’s thinking about her. I mean, it’s an okay song. The lyrics are simple though, a bit bland. It’s basically her assuming what he’s thinking. It’s a catchy song, but I find it kind of … pathetic? Sorry Taylor! However, I think this song should have a letter for the better of all. Of course, some parts are good but as a whole… I don’t think so.  The first time I heard this, I was thinking about shutting it off after 2 minutes, and still I almost do. Just reinforcing this, but I really like the line about knowing he’s wondering about her, you’ve got courage girl!

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together:
When I first heard it; it was definitely not what I was expecting. But it’s a very dancy song. It’s also very fun, but not that relatable, to me personally. Other then that, it’s upbeat. I didn’t really like the music video. It wasn’t that good. It wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t that fun. It wasn’t that happy. That’s all. It wasn’t that.

Stay Stay Stay:
This song is incredibly playful, yet it is one of my least favorites. Comparably to the other songs, it’s strikes me a bit immature. The lyrics are simple and straight forward, no metaphors, no deeper meaning. The lyrics, ‘And I love you because you have given me no choice’ make it sound forced. The repeating of the words ‘mad’ and ‘stay’ weren’t that good. The repeating worked better for Begin Again. Yet, all the stanzas about ‘hanging out’ were simple, straightforward, but in a good way. ANY song from the Fearless album or even the Taylor Swift album is more mature than this. Also, Taylor, before you told him to stay, I don’t think he said anything about leaving. Assuming a bit too much, don’t you think?

The Last Time :
Before I start this, I want to inform everybody that I ABSOLUTELY adore Snow Pistol. The lead singer, Gary Lighbody, is featured in the song. I adore both of these singers, and the song is decent, yet I have a few problems. Firstly, I don’t like the beginning of the first chorus, it’s so high pitched, and it’s almost like screeching. But I really love the rest of the song. It’s about avoiding somebody you don’t wan to or cannot handle seeing a moment, but then there they are. It’s horrible, and they’re asking for a second chance because they messed up the first one. Then, even if you’re obviously handing your dignity over, you give in. But warning intruder! This is the Last Time I’m doing this! (Sure.) Other than that, not a bad song, decent enough.

Holy Ground:
THIS SONG IS HOLY-MOLY AMAZING. It’s truly a mature, improved version Taylor swift, but she’s still quirky. Her voice sounds really different, but I really love the new voice. It’s has an abundance of metaphors and the lyrics are gorgeous. It’s about somebody who’s not around anymore, and she really misses that person. It’s about the missing, and the aching that comes along with it.  As she states, she was reminiscing about all the good times she had with this specific person. I especially like the lyrics, ‘ when you’d been my poems like a perfect line.’  I don’t know if she’s saying ‘been’ by poems, or ‘read’ my poems. I like that metaphor anyway. As mentioned in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, poetry was originally the food of love. I think we can guess what that person meant to Taylor. However, that person does not have to be the same type for us. I like how she’s twists that in, by not saying any thing specific.  I also really like, “ the story’s got dust on every page” and “I see your face in every crowd”. Firstly, “the story’s got dust on every page”. It obviously means that these good times Taylor is talking about took place a long time ago. I really love what she does with the word dust. We connect the word dust with things that are old and forgotten. However, the story she’s talking about here is old, but obviously not forgotten. Now, ‘I see your face in every crowd’. It’s her twist of the story where you see a certain face in the crowd, and only that face.  Then she continues, “Tonight I’m goanna dance like you were in this room but I don’t want to dance if I’m not dancing with you ”. It’s obvious she’s missing that person especially while dancing. Yet, she sees the face of this person when he’s not even there. The person has obviously been dwelling in her mind for sometime. This song is really grown up and I enjoyed it immensely. Thanks for the metaphors, Taylor!

Sad Beautiful Tragic:

This song is ‘sad, beautiful, tragic.’ I loved this intro. One of the best intro’s I have heard from Taylor Swift.  “Words, how little they means, when you’re a little too late” was a great line.  It’s relatable. If you don’t say things when they’re supposed to be said, you never really get a second chance. Words lose their meaning after a certain time.  I despise the chorus.  The line ‘And you’ve got your demons and darling they all look like me’ is really sad, but beautiful, yet tragic. But really, I love the lyrics in this song, except for the chorus. She could have been way more creative. I feel like this whole song is about some great pain, none of us can really comprehend, but that’s why it’s beautiful.

The Lucky One:
The Lucky One is probably one of Taylor’s best songs. It has what some of her songs lack, depth. It’s not about infatuation or boys or anything superficial. It’s about a specific monster named fame. You see, fame is not what are looks like. As she says, “The camera flashes make it look like a dream”. Every line in the song is so meaningful. I mean, sure, there are a lot of movies and songs about how fame just sucks, but they don’t make it sound as lonely as she does. It’s like she appreciates everything, and she really wants to feel like she’s the lucky one because everybody is telling her so. One problem though, “you don’t feel pretty, you just feel used.” You’re confused and lost and fame is not fun. It’s great at first, you’re famous and you have fans that love you. Then, you become kind of lost and indulge in you newfound fame. You do stupid things.  Then, you’re judged. There are younger, more beautiful people coming up. You’re old news, and the fall from fame is horrendous. You’re being replaced and you can’t do anything about it. You’re trying not to ungrateful but you don’t feel all that lucky. Then you fade away, and buy a big house, and live the rest of your life like that. You’re forgotten until you’re dead. This song holds so much truth and meaning. Every line and every word is so horrendously honest. In her first line, she talks about ‘a town with a made up name’ and moving there. The town she’s talking about is ‘fame’. It’s not a place, but then again it is. The famous are at a whole another level, a different planet almost. It seems so fabulous at first. As she said, ‘Everybody loves pretty, everybody loves cool’. There is so much truth in that. Also, her voice sounds so much more grown up and beautiful. It’s even kind of husky at some points. The is the most mature song in this album, and I’m so proud of her. I’m kind of disappointed by some other songs, but this one makes up for it all.  Fabulous job Tay, sorry you have to be the lucky one.

Everything Has Changed:
This song features, Ed Sheeran. I’ve only previously heard the song A-team by Ed Sheeran, which I found okay. I especially like this song, even if the repeating of the words, “I just want to know you better” gets pretty old. I love the drums in the song, they sound so tribal and powerful. I love the line, “Your eyes look like coming home.” Some people spend lifetimes trying to find home? Isn’t it queerly wonderful that home would be somebody eyes? Eyes are the windows of our souls, a home to another. It’s a beautiful thought. “And all I feel in my stomach is butterflies, the beautiful kind.” I like this line, because it implies that having butterflies in one’s stomach isn’t always a good thing. It’s the truth too. I’ve had butterflies right before I threw up, so I’m glad she specifies. Overall, this is a pretty decent song with an amazing beat. The voices of Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran really harmonize well together.

Starlight:

WHAT A WHIMSICAL SONG! It’s gorgeous! She’s doing one of the things she’s best at, telling a story. What a whimsical and fun story it is! I also love the use of the word ‘marvelous’.  It’s a song that you can listen to feel better, yet it’s a song you can scream at the top of your lungs during a road trip.  I like the lines, “Ooh Ohh he’s talking crazy, Ooh Ohh dancing with me, Ooh Ohh we could get married, have ten kids and teach them how to dream”. It’s such a wild, crazy idea. I especially love the ‘teach them how to dream’ part. I mean, how many parents have a baby and thing, “hmm, I’m going to teach this kid to dream’. This whole song is so whimsical and wonderful. The bonus? It comes with a moral! In the song, the boy says, ‘look at you worrying so much about the things you can’t change. You’ll spend your whole life singing the blues if you keep thinking that way.” I mean come on guys, we all needed to hear that. We all spend so much time worrying and fretting over things we have no control over, and that does not get us anywhere. This is one of my favorites in this album. It’s so eccentric and quirky. The whole idea of dancing like starlight takes m breath away for some reason. It’s such a heavenly song though, and it’s definitely more mature than any song on her previous album, but it’s till Taylor Swift.  That was an incredibly enchanting song, Miss Taylor.  A must listen. Definitely my favorite. 

Begin Again:
This is a pretty decent song. The lyrics are amazing, like always. It’s like trying to be yourself when a really close person despises all that you love. Then you kind of pretend you don’t like those things, when you really do.  Out of l of the singles, I prefer this one.  I especially love the mention of James Taylor. Personally, I like the line, “I think it’s strange you think I’m funny cuz he never did.” Her voice sounds pretty good in the song. I’ve watched the music video and I love the clothes in it. However, it doesn’t really have a story line like some of her best videos. At first, the ‘I do’s’ were kind of irritating, but those also grew on me. Great song Taylor! 

I'm giving this album 31/2 stars. 

We Are All In This Together

In today's world all things are linked. The internet and other such modern innovations have made this link stronger and more powerful than ever. We trade and communicate with people we may never personally know. This not only makes the world a strong unit, but also a well linked one. The communication we are capable of today was not even a budding idea or possibility for our ancestors. This is the result of globalization. We all depend on each-other, no matter where we live. If all of a country's inhabitants are dependent upon each other, the countries themselves will also become dependent of the other.

As a result of globalization, countries either fall together or rise together. They can never escape each other. Fo a hypothetical example, two countries are neighbors. They are both on the border line of development, yet still considered underdeveloped. They trade often and reply on the other for products that they themselves can not proved. the two countries had about the same literacy rate. However, at one point in time, one of the countries decided to focus on education in order to develop. As the level of education and the literacy rate increased, other fields int he country also benefitted. The economy began to grow as the newly educated population began to form new,  innovative ideas for development. As the newly educated country began to develop, so did its trade neighbor. In this example we can see that as one country develops, other countries linked to this country also develops. This can be a blessing and a curse. If the neighbors of a country develops, the country itself will also develop. However, if the neighboring country does not develop, countries surrounded will be negatively affected.

For a literal example, America and Canada. As one develops so does the other. However the recession that America went through affected the economic development of Canada. It's the ripple effect, as one falls or rises, so do the others. The countries in the world are like a line of dominos. Delicate in the manner in which we rely on the others to succeed, because if they do, we will too.

Until this point, I've used examples of the economic development of a country affecting the others. However, the level of health, security, and safety of a country also affect its neighbors. If there is a civil  war happening in a country, its neighbors will be adversely affected.

Thus, I conclude that ever country in the world relies on other countries. They can never be completely independent of another, much like us humans. 

Wander Lusted Dreams

Do you ever feel like getting out of here (wherever you might be)? Not because you don't like your situation or the people involved in your life, but because you simply want a change? It's like you just want to get out of here, and see the world.

I love my life, I really do. I love my friends. I love the person who I am becoming, and who I am.  I especially love my family. However, at the moment I want to travel. I want to see the places I've never been to and meet people I have never met. I want to country hop. I want to listen to different languages, and eat different food. I want to get lost on a street, and finally find that I am where I'm supposed to be.  I want to travel.

I usually detest long car rides. I hate planes, as a general rule. I don't like staying at hotels or sleeping in a bed that's not mine. I have motion sickness. Usually, I love being homebound.  At the moment though, I want all of those things. I want to get on a plane, and I want that feeling I so much hate. I wan t my stomach to churn, just as the plane leaves. I want get off in the middle of the road because I feel need to balance myself, before I throw-up. I want to do all the cheesy, touristy things I usually frown upon. I want to spend hours in old, musty museums. I want to stand in line, in order to see a painting that's a thousand years old. I want to stare at a sky filled with fire-crackers and feel infinite. I want clean air, and green fields. I want to touch the ground where my feet never have.

I want to get out of this valley.

I want to meet people who talk about things that actually matter. They don't utter a word about who said what, when, and where. They don't drone on and on about how much calorie a specific food has or how their health is deteriorating. They don't care about who wore what where. They don't whine about things that they can't change. They don't talk ABOUT people, but TO them. They don't assume without the facts. They don't run their mouths and waste their words saying things without meaning. They don't talk about the same old things every single day.

The funny thing is, I want to go on an adventure. However, I don't want to go by myself: I want to drag my family along. I can't imagine traveling without my father's jokes or my mother's common sense. It would be against the point to go without my brother. I want to travel the world with those I love and know the best. I don't know how though, in today's world, it's asking too much.

I know this isn't currently possible. I mean, we have lives to live right? We all have daily routines to follow.  We have school books to memorize. Exams to take. Work to do. At the moment, this is just a dream. Someday though, it will be reality. I WILL dust my feet off of this place, and finally fulfill my wander lusted dreams. 

Friends Are Not Forever

Since elementary school, I've had a 'best friend'.  First, it was the girl who gave me a napkin to wipe my tears on the first day of kindergarten. Then, the one who LOVED to lecture me about American culture (Bratz, and how Barbie was SO not cool). She was followed by the animal lover, and then the neat freak. All of these folks, were my best friends. We talked about Hannah Montana, Curious George, and the Jonas Brothers. We all loved Miley Cyrus. We were all going to marry one of the JoBros (Nick was mine.) We made up dances to Rihanna songs. Chris Brown was still singing 'Forever' and hadn't beat anybody up yet. All of us loved school, some of us loved homework. We went home tired and happy, fulfilling a whole day learning and playing tether ball. A day was a life time. Everybody was friends. Boys had cooties. Long hair was cool. You HAD to know the lyrics to every single high school musical song (well the first one, the others weren't out yet). NOBODY wore dresses, those were for sissies. Goodbyes and hugs were exchanged on a daily basis. We had been friends since Kindergarten, we were going to be friends forever.  On the day of our 5th grade graduation, we all promised we'd keep in touch and be 'BFFs FOREVER'.

I think it's obvious that is not what happened. After that day, we'd call each other rather frequently. We'd still attend each other's birthday parties. We'd still make sure we knew all of the lyrics to the new Miley song. Hannah Montana was still our religion. Then, we all started at different middle schools. That's when all that 'forever and ever' stuff went down the drain. We began to make new friends, and become slightly new people. No longer were we longing for each other's company. Our phone calls got shorter and shorter, until they finally stopped. Hannah Montana was still a big part of our lives, but not THAT big. No more birthday parties. Nick Jonas, however, was still appealing. We all had our own lives now, we'd gone our separate ways. Personally, I didn't mind. Middle school was great. I had new friends, and new classes. I had different teachers for different classes. I had a locker. Lily finally found out Miley's secret. I loved life. I didn't really long for my elementary school days.

Then, at the the end of middle school all the crying and "BFFs FOREVER AND EVER" took place. Yes, again. However, this time I really meant it. I had had the same best friend for 3 years. The only difference between the elementary departure and the middle school one was that I was moving to a different country. Taylor Swift replaced Miley Cyrus (Fearless hadn't come out yet). Glee was the new Hannah Montana. The Jonas Brother were still big, Justin Bieber's 'One Time' had just come out. Everybody had a facebook, and skype was the new hype. All the pinky promises about Facebooking everyday were made. All the not-so crocodile tears shed. All the 'OMG I cant believe U R Gonna Go' and 'Im gonna miss you sooooooooooo much" texts sent. I finally left that sunny, April morning with blotchy skin and red rimmed eyes, most likely to never return. For the next few weeks, it went as promised. I facebooked and skyped with everyone, and told them all everything about everything.

We still seemed liked the best of friends.

Then eventually the Facebook messages got shorter and the inside jokes slowly began to fade into a distant past. They began to like Justin Bieber and I, the Beatles. One Direction became their Jonas Brother, while I discovered Coldplay, Oasis, and The Killers. I still loved Taylor Swift (till today, y'all). It soon became uncomfortable to even message a 'Hi' to my so called best-friends. (Except one. That one, I still talk to today and I think she's the only exception.)  I couldn't do more than 'like' a picture. That's about the time I began to realize something; nothing lasts forever. It can't. It's not possible for ANYTHING to last forever. Everything must end whether we like it or not. That is an epiphany that has helped me through the last few years. Also, I began to feel that Facebook created a distance instead of a connection. If Facebook hadn't been there, my friendships would fade away without the cutting nostalgia that takes place with every new picture uploaded.

Nothing lasts forever, especially in the field of friendship. Some friendships may endure time and succeed, but most won't. It's not a comforting thought, but we have to live with it. Honestly, at times, I find this fact of life rather refreshing. Today, I'm having a bit of a hard time unravelling my thoughts into words, but I'm just saying that when we said 'BFFs FOREVER', we weren't really kidding. Not then anyway. Our words truly held meaning at that moment, they just began to fade with time. We indeed were best friends forever, in our own little 10-year old infinity. Yet, that infinity finished and other, bigger ones came along. We all got over it all right.

Sometimes, I try to imagine what my 10-year old self would say to this (as in me being Facebook 'friends' instead of real friends with my ex-bffs ). This doesn't really work out too well, as it's hard for me to imagine myself in a different situation than the one I am in now. The thing about the friendships above is that there wasn't really a distinct beginning or end. I don't remember the exact moment I became best of friends with the people, whose statues I currently skim through on Facbeook. The ones who love make-up and are more typically-teenagery than I. Yet, I don't remember the moment where our supposedly perfect friendship sunk into the depressing sea of acquaintance-hood.  I know, though, that it had happened. I also know it maybe happening right now, and I'm sure of the fact it will happen again.

All in all, forever is a lie we tell ourselves to stay happy. But again, aren't most of us lying about the cause of our happiness anyhow?

( I would like to thank the JoBros and Miley Cyrus for beginning many of my childhood friendships. You too, Hillary Duff, even if I forgot to mention you. )