Story by Kristen Brothers / Contributing Writer
Taylor Swift warned us years ago in her 2010 “Speak Now” album that there is nothing she does “Better than Revenge.” And late Thursday evening, she proved those words weren’t just lyrics with the release of her new single, “Look What You Made Me Do,” which almost instantly reached No. 1 on the iTunes charts.
The sweet, innocent girl that used to leave teardrops on her guitar and ride shotgun in the front seat of his car apparently couldn’t just shake off the haters this time, and she is taking matters into her own hands with this edgy and in-your-face single, which teases her complete album, “Reputation,” expected Nov. 10.
“Reputation” will be Swift’s sixth album release, and it is highly anticipated after she broke her own tradition of releasing an album every two years, which left her fans feeling distraught last fall when there were no sign of new music. But in true T. Swift fashion, the release of her new single created utter chaos.
After deleting all her social media accounts and completely disappearing from the online world, three days later Swift tweeted a video of the end of a snake’s tail shaking, followed by the same video with the full snake’s body in view. By this time, the Twitter world was watching intently as the final video released was the snake’s head emerging from darkness ready to strike its prey.
And strike she did with the release of a single unlike any before. Swift broke the silence in hopes of silencing her critics, calling them out and pronouncing, “The old Taylor is dead.”
When I first listened to the song, I have to admit that I was completely caught off guard. I wasn’t expecting such a hard-hitting tone after the silence, but I guess the snakes should have clued me in. After listening to the song a few times through, I eventually grew to appreciate where the Queen of Pop was coming from.
It’s no secret that the single is different from her previous work, but aren’t all Swift’s albums different? We never expect what’s coming. When she released “Shake It Off,” we thought the single should have been more serious, and she heard us and answered our requests in a big way with her latest single.
As Swift listeners, we are accustomed to her unmistakable talent of making hits out of her past lovers who have done her wrong, but with this single she takes it to the next level, calling into question the actions of anyone who has ever crossed her path, specifically the critics. The song has an eery tone and gives almost a haunting vibe as she proclaims, “All (she) thinks about is karma.”
Even the truest Swifties are still trying to decide how they really feel about Swift’s hardcore turn in direction, but one thing is for sure: America’s sweetheart isn’t so sweet any more. It leaves us feeling like maybe she’s changing her “Reputation.”
Swift’s album is available for pre-order on iTunes. Listen to “Look What You Made Me Do” here.
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