“End Game (feat. Ed Sheeran and Future)”

This song is a bop. A definite transition from her opener, “…Ready For It?,” “End Game” dives into Swift’s more playful side as she experiments with Hip Hop. The line “Big reputation, big reputation/Ooh, you and me, we got big reputations” immediately became stuck in my head with its catchy melody. However, while the song may seem light and romantic (I wanna be your end game), Swift makes sure to emphasize the all-time low of her reputation (Aah, and you heard about me/Ooh, I got some big enemies) and wrestles with whether it will affect her relationship with a future lover (I don’t wanna touch you, I don’t wanna be just another ex-love you don’t wanna see). Featuring Ed Sheeran and Future adds another layer of catchiness to the song as the rap element allows End Game to appeal to more mainstream music listeners and Ed Sheeran’s mix of lightly rapping and singing creates a perfect transition between Swift’s sharp chorus and voicing her true intentions behind the song.

“Don’t Blame Me”

In “Don’t Blame Me”, Swift begins with light, rich, electropop sounds. Compared to previous albums, “reputation” seems to introduce its listeners to all that she is capable of doing with her voice and “Don’t Blame Me” is a prime example. The song soon turns dark, even relating her love to an addiction to drugs (Lord, save me, my drug is my baby/I’ll be usin’ for the rest of my life). Swift urges listeners to forget everything they know about her as they simply, well, cannot blame her for falling in love with somebody. Taylor even pokes fun about her previous dispute with Kanye West and his song, “Famous,” with “I would lose my mind/ They say, “She’s gone too far this time.” While not as sharp cutting and derisive as “I Did Something Bad”, Swift continues on her path to show both fans and enemies her side of the story.

“Delicate”

From the title of this track, it is clear of Swift’s intentions. With soft electric vibes, Swift makes sure her listeners know that even though her reputation is at an all-time low (My reputation’s never been worse so, you must like me for me), she questions if it was the right thing to release “reputation.” However, Taylor also uses “Delicate” to emphasize even she sometimes questions her love life and if she did the right thing. Swift shows that even though she is a popstar, she still has her doubts like a normal person. Her voice is not heavily altered and creates a sense of trust between the listener and Swift. The end of the song leaves listeners a little bit more understanding of Swift’s situation but is immediately cut short by the revenge thirsty “Look What You Made Me Do.”