Album Synopsis
According to Swift, this album is full of “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout [Swift’s] life.” Released on Oct. 21, 2022 at midnight, Swift had a little more up her sleeve than just the standard edition, specifically the first special edition of this album: the “3:00 A.M. Tracks.”
3:00 A.M./Special Edition Tracks Review
“The Great War,” the first 3:00 A.M track, is a beautiful song, with a subtle drum fill running through the entire tune. This song is one of my favorites from this album, with the chords and Swift’s lower register matching perfectly. The scream-singing is the perfect representation of the feelings of betrayal depicted in the music.
A heart-wrenching ballad, “Bigger Than The Whole Sky” is filled with anxiety and guilt. Though the beginning of the song was initially jarring, Swift’s raw emotions describing her guilt about losing someone was moving.
A complete change in sound compared to the previous song, “Paris” starts with Swift allegedly hearing gossip about one of her ex lovers, but saying she has not heard any of it due to how distracted she was with love. The bridge in this track gives me butterflies, writing stories in my head with “swooping, sloping, cursive letters” and I love it every time.
“High Infidelity” tells a clearly detailed story of cheating, with Swift falling in love with someone, despite being in a relationship. Swift asks if “you really want to know where [she] was April 29th?” This line allegedly describes the night when she met Joe Alwyn (her boyfriend at the time of album release), but was still romantically involved with artist Calvin Harris. Though I do not condone the act of cheating, this song was on repeat when the album came out.
Opening with a funky guitar riff, “Glitch” allegedly describes how Swift fell in love with Joe Alwyn at the time she was least expecting it. Again, Swift’s use of lower register makes me love the rasp in the verses, especially in contrast to the breathy tone of the chorus. Swift recounting her initial denial to falling in love is entertaining, especially knowing how long their relationship lasted.
“Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” is a song that allegedly depicts Swift reflecting on her relationship with music star John Mayer. As the listener nears the bridge, the desperation in Swift’s voice increases. When the song reaches a peak at the bridge, Swift screams “give me back my girlhood, it was mine first.”
Replacing “Mastermind” as the album closer, “Dear Reader” is here to remind you to “never take advice from someone who’s falling apart.” Though I love this song, I believe it has a tendency to get a bit repetitive, which does knock it down a few levels.
Late Night Edition Review
“Karma (feat. Ice Spice)” was released while Swift was on her record-breaking “Era’s Tour” in East Rutherford, New Jersey on May 26, with the release of “Midnights: Late Night Edition.” Though this song led to immense backlash on social media, I have learned to love it for what it is, even going so far as to sing Bronx rapper’s verse while listening to the original version.
Also released on the “Late Night Edition” of “Midnights,” “Snow On The Beach (feat. More Lana Del Rey) was released due to fan requests of more vocals from Del Rey. I prefer this version of the song to the original, with this track having an ethereal soundscape. Del Rey’s vocals in this version were majestic and fully completed the track.
Finally, “You’re Losing Me” was originally a CD exclusive on the East Rutherford album. This song was released for streaming on Nov. 29. After listening to it, this song became the main standout of this album. These lyrics had so many parallels to her past music, especially the many love songs she had written over her relationship with Joe Alwyn. Which leads me — and many other Swifties — to guess that this song was about the end of their relationship.
