By Rohail Spear | | Managing Editor
At 3 AM on October 21st, after releasing the album Midnights, Taylor Swift released seven more tracks, dubbing the collection Midnights (3am Edition). She stated that she enjoyed sharing every stage of creating the album with her fans, including the process of choosing those magical thirteen songs on Midnights, which left us wondering: what about the unreleased songs? What do they sound like? Finally, we have an answer.
The 3 AM Edition starts off with “The Great War,” a catchy pop-indie song alluding to WWI. Produced by Taylor Swift and Aaron Dessner, the song resembles “Mad Woman” from Folklore in that the organic instruments build and build until all of a sudden they end, virtually falling off a cliff. “The Great War” is about a tumultuous relationship in which both parties are hurting: “There’s no morning glory, it was war, it wasn’t fair.” The best part, as often with Taylor Swift songs, is the bridge, where she uses her falsetto to elevate the song and its emotional impact.
“Bigger Than The Whole Sky” is a dreamy soft pop song about someone the speaker lost. Rumored to be about a miscarriage, Taylor sings about how “You were more than just a short time” and how “I’m never gonna meet / What could’ve been, would’ve been / What should’ve been you.” The song itself could put me to sleep: other than a slide guitar, “Bigger Than The Whole Sky” doesn’t offer much to keep the ear occupied. “Paris,” however, a pop song about how Taylor ignores the outside world and focuses on her lover, has a dynamic verse, chorus, and bridge. Taylor more or less speaks in the verses, leaving a radio-ready melody for the chorus and lyrics about subtly creating a manipulative narrative in her relationships in the bridge: “I wanna brainwash you / Into loving me forever.”
“High Infidelity” is a rather forgettable indie-pop song about how cheating inflicts pain on both the cheater and the cheated in a relationship. The song remains relatively flat throughout its almost four minutes, rarely altering in pitch and instrumentation, the latter of which is too reminiscent of other Aaron Dessner-Taylor Swift collaborations. However, the falsetto backing vocals add an interesting layer and the post chorus of those abrupt “oohs” contribute to its replay value. “Glitch” is a far more captivating pop track: electronic sounds are nicely inserted into a quasi-trap beat, with lyrics such as “Maybe I’ll see you out some weekend / Depending on what kind of mood and situation-ship I’m in” reflecting Taylor’s playfulness. Taylor’s squeaky falsetto makes a return here in the fun and boppy chorus, adding to the upbeat style.
“Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” could’ve and should’ve been on the main album. The track features something resembling a war horn and a dark, grungy guitar that rides underneath religious diction and a reflection of a complex, unhealthy relationship. Taylor’s loss of innocence is a major theme here: perhaps the most chilling part of the song is when Taylor cries out “Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first.” “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” is another song that builds and builds, going on longer than any other artist would have let it: it’s another classic Taylor Swift song that will never get old.
“Dear Reader” doesn’t deserve more than a sentence, so here goes: other than the fast-paced bridge and the experimental autotune and masculine vocals, the song falls flat on its droning production and plain melodies. It’s a skip for me.
Midnights (3am Edition) is, for the most part, a pleasant insight into the tracks that Taylor didn’t choose to be on the album. By no means did she need to release seven additional tracks, but now that she has I would be extremely disappointed if I didn’t hear “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” on the Eras tour.
Junior Rohail Spear is the Managing Editor. His email address is rspear@fandm.edu