How Lover Rebuilt Taylor Swift

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Had to post this on the day of Lovers! What was your fave song or moment from Lover?!

[@the.love.of.my.life.]

Love cruel summer girly and also death by a thousand cuts 🩷

[@EljohnMacaranas]

@@the.love.of.my.life.death by a thousand cuts 😭 a classic

[@CatNagTaylorsVersion]

Cruel summer, paper rings, soon you’ll get better, afterglow, and paper rings are gonna go Tripple platinum on my phone to this day so Any one of those, take your pick

[@noneapplicable1327]

Paper Rings and Afterglowwwwwww

[@damonchampion823]

Lover, Cruel Summer, Paper Rings, Cornelia Street, Death by a Thousand Cuts, You Need to Calm Down

[@IAmAli-xoxo]

And also Lover was the era where she decided not to keep her mouth shut in fear of the criticism of others. She definitely reached "idgaf" level with this album and era, especially when we look at 'Miss Americana'. That's also why I'm so happy she started off The Eras Tour show with Lover, not only picking up from where she 'would've' left off (tour wise, rip Lover fest) and her first owned album, but also beginning with the era where she really found her voice like you said. Thank you for this video. 💖

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Thank you for watching and tbh I’m so glad she walked the walk on this one bc Rep for all I loved it was talk the talk about not caring but this era felt v idgaf

[@IAmAli-xoxo]

@@EljohnMacaranas Yessss I agree!! While we all know Rep for what it was, when we see the doc we can see she was still struggling with letting other's opinions get to her, but as soon as Lover came around i think she knew that she can't allow people or criticism to overshadow her life and what she stands for anymore.

[@seannanana84]

Beautifully said. There's so much more confidence in Lover than the prior albums and maturity and I love it. It's a perfect first album for her to own in my opinion but it's also one of my favorite albums. It's also an album I feel like I could have a non Swiftie as a prime example of her range lyrically and musically while also showing the kind of woman she is.

[@survivorbest4589]

Kind of but she still ended up removing hey kids spelling is fun just because of backlash and it felt like she was embracing politics because she wanted everyone to know she's not a bigot... Folklore to midnights she's really putting out what she wants and not doing what she's supposed to

[@kylieeeeep]

Also Lover (the song) continues to be one of her best songs imo. I'm OBSESSED with the romantic, old soul vibe

[@EljohnMacaranas]

For real, I will be hearing it for years at weddings!

[@graced.6711]

It's the ultimate first dance song! It's so pure that it makes me cry.

[@purpledinosaurs801]

Lover was before it’s time, it marked a major change in Taylor’s attitude towards music and really saw the beginning of her being able to do whatever she wanted with her albums. Love lover

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I think Midnights is just Lover but pared down and all Jack

[@ZoeyPaigeLunaPhD]

@@EljohnMacaranasMidnights is more musically and lyrically mature and less mainstream. She has outgrown 4 chord bubblegum pop anthems Thank god

[@danameyy]

Lover is the first album Taylor released while I was in a romantic relationship. The songs really resonated with me about that relationship. And now I have been with my husband for 5.5 years and married for 1.5!!! My husband even got me a custom music box that plays Lover ❤️ this is such a beautiful album if Taylor had just cut a few songs or made them bonus tracks it would’ve been much more well received. I hope she releases Need or some other vault songs for the 5th anniversary of Lover later this year!

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Awwwwww 💖 I’m so happy for you 🥹 I feel like sometimes an album becomes an anchor and conduit for a period of your life becoming its own era 😭

[@ccampbellmusic]

Omg same!! I relate so much!! The summer Lover came out my (now) husband and I had just moved in together and “this is our place, we make the call” became our mantra. Been together 7 years this year and married 1.5, we had Lover as our first dance 💖 this whole album is so special to us

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Awwwww omg 😭🥰

[@inklingboy2583]

This was def an album that grew on me i genuinely i love most songs now and while i still dont like ME! much i cannot believe the internet forced her to remove the "spelling is fun" line😭

[@EljohnMacaranas]

It’s so awkward having that little empty drum fill

[@ThomasWillett1]

For whatever reason, "Lover" was the first album that clicked with me from Swift. I've listened to every album since "1989" and found them fine up until this point. I'm not calling it her best, but I found revisiting it recently that I had some strong emotions around it. For starters, I was also born in 1989 and am a few months older. In 2019, I was turning 30 and looking back on my 20s with mixed emotions and trying to figure out what I wanted to bring to my next decade of life. I guess as scary as it was, there was a sense of self-acceptance and maturity that I had to face, and I think I read into that on "Lover" in a way that makes me feel like we were both determining what mattered to us (me-hee-ee!). The vulnerability and celebration in equal measure makes me like this record more. Because of that, it's a very nostalgic record that I don't have with a lot of her work. That, and oddly the aforementioned pandemic that ended Loverfest makes the record hit harder. I can't explain it, but the hope and joy it had is at times bittersweet not just because of who I was but how the pandemic feels like an emotional shift in some ways for me. It reminds me of happier, more innocent days. I'm doing fine now, but I love how naive it makes me feel about myself and motivates me to search for that optimism again.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Wow, I think it’s so cool Lover was sort of the tipping point for you and tbh based on how she felt about the record itself especially towards her birthday in 2019, she definitely probably really did build the record from the same standing point you were in! I think Swift’s works really hit particularly hard when they match the season of your life you’re in.

[@Hi-lu5vf]

Making a humpty dumpty reference as devastating as it was should've earned lover that song of the year just by association

[@EljohnMacaranas]

It’s kinda crazy how good The Archer is like it really was Proto-Folklore

[@graced.6711]

​@@EljohnMacaranas I can't believe I used to hate archer once upon a time, now I just let it break me

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I literally think it’s one of those aged like fine wine tracks

[@graced.6711]

@@EljohnMacaranas agreed!

[@SnowDee17]

lover is the album that made me a swiftie. passively listening to her songs on the radio and never having a real interest in her immediately changed when i saw the lover music video on a whim. i felt like i never gave her enough attention to even consider her songwriting and her abilities beyond her singles. this album, while it's not one of my favorites now knowing all of her music, will always hold a special place in my heart.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Awwww, also yesss! Lover is such a brilliant entry song into who Taylor Swift is beyond a pop star!

[@kosm1ic]

IVE BEEN WAITING YEARS FOR THIS FINALLY A LOVER VIDEO

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I adore Lover and feel so bad it had to be the experimental stage of sorts! Midnights being a slam dunk is proof this definitely would have had like 4 number ones in an alternate timeline

[@Sacto1654]

I think at the time, there were mixed feelings towards _Lover_ because as we saw in the _Miss Americana_ documentary, there were people, that included Swift herself, who thought this album was the final chance for her to stay relevant as a major pop music star. In a way, the pandemic created an artistic "reset" for Swift, who kind of used her Country music roots to go into the Indie Folk genre that showed she really was an awesome lyricist. The success of _Folklore_ and _Evermore_ was what finally made many doubters appreciate her artistic skills.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I feel like Lover’s initial rejection was that depressive sense of a last grasp at relevancy. The understated and artistic focus on the Folkevermore duology really did give her the clearance she never had with the general pop and skeptics. I’m glad they happened and wish Tortured Poets will reflect a happy medium between her post Max Martin Jack Antonoff pop and the Dessner work she did.

[@Sacto1654]

@@nony_mation I think it's because it was just _so_ different than _1989_ , _Reputation_ and _Lover_ because they weren't "pop" albums. Like I said earlier, Swift used her Country music experience in delving into the Indie Folk genre, and it was welcomed by many of her fans.

[@Teemo6544]

@@nony_mation I think FL and Evermore are definitely not as catchy and good sounding as her pop albums but lyrically they’re much more superior

[@nicole-midnights]

Cruel Summer is such an important song for me. Also, Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince is one of her most hauntingly beautiful songs, in my opinion. I always listened to Taylor since the OG RED era, but I became a Swiftie with folklore. I re-descovered Lover in the last years and I think it's a very important bridge between her "old" albums and her new era began with folklore. It's such a sweet, intimate album 💕 also, I think that the song Getaway Car, just for its pop sound, could fit perfectly in Lover, even if it's from Rep era.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I feel like Lover and Red had some interesting parallels in their looser structures and roles in transition for her

[@westcoastavenger]

If you subtract Me! and replace it with Getaway Car, it would be a 10/10

[@taylorxnoel]

Lover is my FAVE album ! I enjoyed this video so much, they way you worded everything in this video is amazing. The Lover era was truly a fever dream. I have a "you are what you love" tattoo, can't wait to get more

[@EljohnMacaranas]

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I think "you are what you love" is so simple and clean and still so true and meaningful (as is much of the record itself)

[@Hiiiiiiiiieeee]

This will always be in my top three Taylor albums. Lover is so well done, and still brings me to tears even just sitting here watching you discuss the songs and not listening to them directly.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I think the sentiment behind the record is stunning and still one of her purest moments, unrefined sure but really just her

[@karenvalentino3412]

My favorite song on the album is False God. I love its sensuality, and its feeling of a kind of unreality, like doubling down on something you know might turn out to be a mirage. In the end we all get to choose what we believe in, and in this song Taylor chooses with her eyes open.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Wait I love that take omfg

[@danteenlasnubes]

if me came out in 2021-2023 it would’ve gone #1 doubtless

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Oh for sure but it may have not had Brendan on it, maybe Hayley Williams and a different production

[@danteenlasnubes]

@@EljohnMacaranas now i need that (locals lowkey want lover tv. it’s me, hi im locals)

[@VerSpielterWolf05]

@@danteenlasnubes Lover TV? That won‘t happen 😅

[@danteenlasnubes]

@@VerSpielterWolf05 ik im not stupid i was alive in 2019. but wouldn’t it be fun? like…

[@VerSpielterWolf05]

@@danteenlasnubes It would be fun if we gave ME! the Cruel Summer treatment. Let it be #1 in the Charts

[@yummiburritobowl]

& that’s why lover is my fav album (and also because there are straight bangers on that album, idc)

[@EljohnMacaranas]

It’s an album and an era that slayed but never maximized that slay

[@yummiburritobowl]

@@EljohnMacaranas MHMMM!!! That’s what I was thinking too

[@hughhugh7988]

Lover is the album that gets me through 2019. I will have a bright mindset after streaming the whole album.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

One of those records made to play on a chill nice lovely day

[@kylereddell]

Another excellent video essay! Lover was interesting to me, as I had only truly fallen in love with Taylor due to Reputation...and Lover was a huge departure from that (I know I know, Reputation was the actual departure). I loved a few tracks from this album, but the title track is definitely the highlight of the album and deserves its praise for creating that "slow dance at the end of a high school prom in the 60s" feel. thanks for another great breakdown, Eljohn!

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Thank you! And omg you have such a unique vantage point starting from Rep! The title track off Lover is definitely a classic like it’s so good! The old timey vibes 😭

[@kylereddell]

haha for sure! my favorite pop albums tend to be the "disenfranchised artist takes wild new direction to clap back or remain relevant." ones. Britney Blackout? Christina Bionic? Katy Witness? Taylor Reputation? Yes please. All of em.

[@emmytea-uv5ne]

Lover was the first album I listened to from Taylor. I never listened to albums at that time, only songs I grew up with or whatever I liked on the radio. This era of Taylor made me a fan of her again. I think this record contains some of her greatest songs ever. I also like how she blended different genres on some songs such as False God with Jazz, Lover with Country and Paper Rings with Rock. My favorite track was always Cruel Summer, and I was pleased to see it blow up last year. I think Death By A Thousand Cuts is taking that spot now.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Death By a Thousand Cuts should have been a late single release or something in an alternate timeline the pandemic never happened. This era was really a great reintroduction to Taylor.

[@thiagoteles980]

I LOVE AFTERGLOW!! It´s one of my favorites songs of Taylor.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

One of her best 😭

[@gracielaayala2226]

For me the theme is very cohesive

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I found it meandering in the sense the singles were picked, I think she could have done a far more successful conventional “every song is a love song” run

[@kailiasage]

Lover is such a great album and I am beyond happy that Cruel Summer got the love it deserved last summer! That said, I have fallen in love with The Archer since city of Lover and on eras tour. Taylor making this song about the fans and us staying making me so emotional. Cornelia Street is my favorite song on Lover and one, if my all time, favorites by her. To me, it’s such a real emotion because we do connect a person/experience to a song or city or even an article of clothing. Also, I love your longer videos! You have a great way of conveying your thoughts and I’m excited to see what you think of TTPD!

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Aaaah all your faves are mine! Like The Archer is such a dense beautiful song and Cornelia Street still breaks my heart. Thank you! I’m trying to become a bit more comfortable with breaking my traditional formula of under 20 mins and kinda let my thoughts sprawl out a bit!

[@philjan23]

This year I'm gonna be celebrating all Independence War related dates hehe 🤭

[@arinm4444]

Thank u for the video!!! I have been a defender of Lover since it came out. It's nice to know that I'm not alone.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Lover defense squadron! We rise! 💖

[@Mimurai13]

what do u mean lol only a vocal minority of 'stans' bash this record. Asian fans and the gen public love it. it was 2019's best selling in the US alongside Billie.

[@solarsystym1167]

yesss lover slowly grew on me over time & I'm glad it did. also i agree that it's nice to have a friend is definitely underrated & i love how it has this slow-burn feel to it. i actually dedicated it to my best friend & it's like "our" song lol but lover was definitely refreshing & I hope she releases Need!

[@EljohnMacaranas]

WE NEED "NEED!" And agreed on the It's Nice to have a Friend even on a platonic sense, it's such a sweet story about friends who have roughed it through the years to become lifelong partners in a way.

[@sharpayevans3818]

lover means so much to me i can’t even put it into words

[@EljohnMacaranas]

It’s an instant classic 😭

[@philjan23]

Thank you for this video! I *just* experienced a professional downturn, in you and Taylor *_just_* reminded me of what I really should focus on: "you are what you love". I need o here this again, thank you! 💘🤔💡

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I’m so sorry to hear about your downturn, I’ve been in a period of darkness myself and this album has been a form of daylight for me during it. I’m wishing you all the best! 💘💖🫡

[@Shelbadelbasingsong]

It’s crazy thinking now that my first listen of Lover wasn’t my favorite, but now it has many of my favorite TS songs ever. Cornelia street live in Paris GETS ME EVERY TIME. And DBATC is such a classic. Some of Jack’s best work! Love your analysis :)

[@damonchampion823]

Refreshing to hear a SwifTuber praising this album

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I think it’s an easy target! That’s really it!

[@damonchampion823]

@@EljohnMacaranas I think people would have felt differently if there was a tour

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Oh hands down!

[@101supersmiley]

this video is soooo good wish i could repost is 1000000x! i am so protective of this album because it came out during a really rough time for me and ironically, got me through a really bad breakup. i've been a swiftie since 2010 but didn't really join taylor online discourse until covid and was SHOCKED to see how many people didn't like this album. the fact it's getting it's renaissance right now makes me so happy because it was truly ahead of its time and you are 1000% right - taylor's artistry would not be what it is if it wasn't for this album. this album set the scene for folkmore, midnights (which i think is her sister) and ttpd. i'm soo happy it's getting its flowers rn. also absolutely LOVED when you talked about all the vocal and production versatility on this album, people really write it off based on three songs

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I think there way too much to the record to write it off as a throwaway when it really established her to a younger audience and wasn’t bad. The single choices were bad but the record itself… stronger than most would expect!

[@johncooper4874]

As someone who became a proper fan of Taylor in the Rep era, I could tell how Lover was setting up the foundation of Taylor as we know today. She gave us an album where she was being more genuine than ever, and ultimately started the ultimate critical acclaim she would come to receive. The way Lover and Cruel Summer became two of her most known and respected songs shows how much this album has stood the test of time. This album in many ways will always have a special place in my heart

[@QuestionableLifeChoices]

I dont think she actually has dismissed the institution of marriage. Midnight rain was about a past relationship when she was still much younger and striving for fame and she rightfully and understandably had a different vision of her future. Lavender haze, in retrospect, seems to be more about the anxiety of leaving the honeymoon phase of a relationship, especially when paired with the line "i wouldnt marry me either, a pathological people pleaser" from you're losing me, which implies that she DID want marriage but that she put it on the backburner or tried to bury that desire so she could be with joe

[@xRanAngel]

23:38 I always thought there were a tape being paused 😅😂

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Kinda mirrors I Know Places’ usage of tapes

[@Charlie-jl3ur]

I don't know why but this record feels like a moment in time. The singles, the promo, the esthetic - all of them reminds me of 2019. And after listening to the record in full many times I've come to realize that 2019 was, arguably, the happiest time of my life - being 17, still going to high school, having people around that, at least at the time, cared for me and I cared for them (fun fact: these people would give me the physical copy of Lover for my 18th birthday in January 2020), experiencing my first s3xual encounters, starting to accept myself as a person, with all my quirks and flaws - IT WAS A MOMENT that I'll forever be greatful for.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

We never forget our formative coming of age records!

[@nathy0308]

I've been a swiftie since 2006. Taylor and i are a few months apart. I remember her myspace page at 16 when she was coming onto the scene. She said something like "i have a little brother who says hi" in her about me lol. All this to say, Reputation was the album that threw me off a bit (though it did grow on me) and Lover is the album that brought me straight back, full throttle. That title track is my all time favorite of hers, right up there with All too Well for me ❤

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Lover really is one of her best tracks and also omg that reminds me of how Lorde and I are months apart 😭 like the relationship I have with her music and art is so distinct bc it’s cool having an artist also be your contemporary in age

[@nathy0308]

@@EljohnMacaranas yes!! Like you've grown up together 🥹

[@ATWTMVTVFTVSGAVRALPS]

You reminded me of how much i loved this album when it was releaseed 5:30

[@EljohnMacaranas]

It was honestly a lot of fun seeing the launch when you don’t have a 60 pound twink yelling flop era

[@CatCatCaat]

Cornelia Streets was my no.1 song on Spotify in 2022 and 2023

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Yessssss

[@simplymatt13]

og lover stans we will ALWAYS WIN.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I still have my signed Lover Booklet from Me! Autographed copies and it’s my most prized Taylor posession

[@Nena-mr4km]

Lover was the first album of Taylor's that I bought. I had been casually listening to her music since Rep, but Lover really resonated with me. I had just started dating my current boyfriend at the time and the themes of being euphoric in love but also terrified of losing the person were literally what I was feeling. I get so confused when people call this album a flop, because this album is what drew me in, it's what made me a Swiftie, and it will always have a special place in my heart

[@michelleheadley2911]

I’d say Reputation, Folklore, and Evermore grew on me. All other albums are usually a right away love for me. But as i got a little older and had a chance to listen to them i realized i needed to just give them a chance in order to love them. And now they’re on repeat

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Those three were very initial faves of mine! But honestly I do agree timing affects the way we love records, like Fearless really became a fave of mine last year in the fall! For reasons I don’t get but it felt right for the first time since like it came out years ago.

[@CGMomo]

Thank you for this video, I feel like there wasn't enough talk about Lover, it had mixed feelings by a lot of people but it was the first album that I officially became a Swiftie and listened to it from beginning to end. It made me want to know more about Taylor, knowing all about her lore, and really just got me excited to what she has done and will continue to do. I love this era so much 🥰 I truly believe this album was the Pheonix rising from the ashes for her career.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

We didn’t realize it was really a beginning of a renaissance until the first part of the Eras Tour!

[@Sequoya]

Great video and excellent pacing! There’s a lot to cover and you got it all. I adore this record, and listen to the deep cuts all the time.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Thank you so much! Haha I wanted so badly to be succinct but stuff kept coming up!

[@buckdotjpeg]

personally I think this tracklist would've made it a strong AOTY contender: 1. cruel summer 2. lover 3. the man 4. all of the girls you loved before 5. the archer 6. miss americana & the heartbreak prince 7. paper rings 8. cornelia street 9. false god 10. afterglow 11. you need to calm down 13. daylight (deluxe tracks) 14. i forgot that you existed 15. i think he knows 16. death by a thousand cuts 17. london boy 18. it's nice to have a friend 19. ME! (probably target exclusive) 20. need

[@mr.rogerscardigan]

Lover is my wedding song and we used the vinyl as our guest book ❤

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Awwwww, that’s a genius idea 💖

[@d173adpool]

Ive been a fan of TS since 2023. Lover is my fave album.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Yaaaas

[@ivaluska]

As an older viewer in this space, I want to point out how artists gain inspiration from one another, specifically, how Lover gained inspiration from Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You." Check it out and let me know if you agree. This is in no way discrediting the talent and insight that Taylor brings to her songs.... just thought it interesting to point out how artists form their styles though influence. For the record, I think Taylor will go down in history as a master story-teller through song.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I need to revisit that

[@pizzapanic1]

Lover, especially Me!, holds a special place in my heart since its the song (and album) that brought me back to Taylor Swift after my disappointment with LWYMMD (and the whole of Rep as a result).

[@lyolya_vorzovic]

"Lover" was the first Taylor's album which launch I was able to witness as an appreciator of her music (I was 15) I can remember every feeling I got from listening song and watching music videos Now it feels like from the other life.... love and support from russia❤

[@EljohnMacaranas]

These past almost 5 years have been insane, so it really does feel like a lifetime ago

[@emilyvince8504]

Lover is my favorite TS album; has been for years.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Yaaaas

[@kylieeeeep]

The Archer went from being a skip song to one of my favorite songs. It's breathtakingly, painstakingly honest and introspective. It's maybe the song of hers I relate to hers the most, and I almost yearn for the time when it didn't make sense to me

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I think it's such a heavy piece because it speaks to the deepest insecurities that I think everyone universally at some point experiences. I think the closer I reach Taylor's age at the time of this records recording (as I have for all her recordings with 26 being a year marked by my personal Reputation renaissance) I find each album more compelling.

[@rory_crj727]

Yesss for me if I could cut 3-4 tracks to create a standard version then this album would be a 10. The artistic range in Lover is incredible and it deserves so much more respect for how it set her up for folk/more and her second 'imperial' era of stardom (in terms of both artistry and her brand). Also like this is the album I go back to most because there's a song for every mood and that makes me happy

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I def agree with trimming down to a lean standard like some of these tracks definitely felt like bonus tracks or semblances of another record she wanted to make alongside the final product

[@CaptainPond]

Thanks, I loved this video! ❤

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Thank you for watching! 🔥🔥🔥

[@jillsarah7356]

Also the Lover aesthetic is unmatched. I very often have a Lover era photo as my phone background. Currently it’s the one of her w the unicorn earrings!

[@EljohnMacaranas]

It’s kinda timeless in a way, very emblematic of the pre pandemic world to me

[@aaravyadav3748]

I really think that a shorter, cleaner track listing will help Lover to be better understood. My Lover album is as follows: 1. Cruel Summer 2. I Think He Knows 3. Girls You've Loved (AOTGYLB is shortened in title) 4. The Man 5. Lover 6. False God 7. Afterglow 8. Paper Rings 9. Cornelia Street 10. Death By A Thousand Cuts 11. Miss Americana (Title is shortened) 12. Daylight This track listing I feel is more intimate and cohesive and literally screams Pop Bible. The Deluxe will be as follows: 13. Soon You'll Get Better 14. Need 15. London Boy / The Archer 16. You Need To Calm Down 17. Only The Young 18. ME! By having the diversity of Lover shifted to the deluxe, I feel the standard will be more appreciated for its cohesion while the deluxe will be praised for its inclusion of various pondering ideas Taylor might want to confess. Lover might also have a chance to win atleast Best Pop Vocal Album if not AOTY with Cruel Summer avenging for ROTY and Lover battling and maybe winning SOTY. Also, my Fantasy Era: 1. ME! is the standalone single for differentiating the Rep and Lover aesthetics. 2. Cruel Summer is the lead released 3-4 weeks after ME! in March 2019 and debutign atop the chart, dethroning Old Town Road and spending atlest 10 weeks there. 3. The Man is the second single released in May 2019. After the masters controversy, I feel it will gain even more traction and with many live performances as well 4. Paper Rings, the cute little bop it is, will be the third single dropped in Late July-Early August of 2019, 2-3 weeks before the album is released. 5. Girls You've Loved (AOTGYLB is shortened, also All Of The Girls feels a little basic) is the fourth single released, in September or October of 2019 6. Lover will be the fifth single, released in November with the tour announcement and will climb it's way to the top of the charts in January and February with the Valentine's boost. 7. Miss Americana will the last single of the standard, released in Feb, 2020 accompanying the documentary which will be delayed to Feb, 2020. 8. In May of 2020, You Need To Calm Down will be released just before pride month and will become a classic LGBTQ+ anthem. 9. Need is the second single of the deluxe, released in June with the Deluxe release. 10. The LoverFest will continue Lover's momentum through 2020, although I feel this timeline has ignored COVID, at least the deluxe album has. Grammy Wins I think we might have: BPVA: Lover ROTY: Cruel Summer BPSP: Cruel Summer/ Lover In End, trimming of Lover to a standard and a deluxe will help both, gaining acclaim for cohesion and sprerading messages with diversity.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

This reads more in line with how her older management would have done the record (though honestly they’d never let her record Me! or YNTCD let alone the man) but this would have extended the era and also cemented a less juvenile view of her. I think the one two punch of Me and YNTCD did harm and a serious track in between would have helped

[@aaravyadav3748]

@@EljohnMacaranas If Lover was released by Big Machine, then I don't think Miss Americana or The Man or even Daylight outro would not be a part of the album. But yes, ME! and YNTCD as continuous singles really harmed the era. Cruel Summer should've been the second single and YNTCD could've followed it. Then Lover and Paper Rings and Afterglow. They had such great songs on their hands and could've had a pop bible 1989 2.0 if they calculated their moves.

[@paarthm9681]

this was an amazing video!!! imma be very biased here because lover is my all time favourite album, but it really is pop perfection in my opinion. i think he knows and paper rings belong in 2000s romcoms and that is a compliment. death by a thousand cuts and cornelia street will always break my heart, and ill still go back to them. imo, cruel summer and afterglow are her best synth pop songs, i have no words for those two songs except perfection. i know me! isnt a favourite but i will defend it unto death. its just fun. lover and daylight are songwriter pro max and her best love songs till date. also the sax on false god, pretty damn good. lover, you will forever be iconic.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Lover has so many cool different dimensions and vibes to it, it’s a shame that it never got its tour dedicated to it where we got to see all the songs come to life in the way Rep did 😭

[@paarthm9681]

@@EljohnMacaranaslover fest wouldve slayed but alas

[@aidentan6547]

Lover aged like a fine wine

[@EljohnMacaranas]

It really did!

[@nikeee318]

Listen, I love 'The Archer' but had she not been on lover she was never getting tickets to the folklore tracklist!

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Oh probably not but This Is Me Trying is like her more refined sister

[@bobaboba1760]

I love this video. Your analysis on how although Lover isn't as coherent as one big story, like Reputation, but instead of some of her masterpieces as individual songs is exactly what I've been saying for YEARS. Lover is what truly got me into Taylor Swift, and I will be ready to defend Lover for my life.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Thank you! This means a lot to me! I do not get the overt hate for it years after the fact like it’s the foundation for modern Swift!

[@pheela]

Lover is the only taylor swift album I feel I absolutely MUST blast on speakers. None of the other albums demand to be set free from headphones and into the free air like Lover does.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Literally made for outdoor weather and adventures in a way Folklore is for me, Rep is hella headphones coded

[@pheela]

@@EljohnMacaranasYou can't even hear most of rep without headphones, it's true. folklore has those in the dark around a cozy fire vibes, almost every song feels like it's whispered confessions -- and 1989 is just a completely different experience on speakers and headphones.

[@michaelcain9324]

The Man was amazing live from that Paris concert. ❤

[@EljohnMacaranas]

OMG and that version of Daylight! I’m so mad she never toured it proper

[@kevinrudy]

"me!" made me not interested in the album at first for whatever reason. but ounce I finally listened it's got some of her best imo (i forgot that you existed, cruel summer, i think he knows and miss americana & the heartbreak prince)

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I felt that Me! and YNTCD maintained this somewhat juvenile image of her going and kinda derailed people from discovering the depths of her work

[@justarandomperson78]

I would argue the Lover era or the album was never a flop... the era was really important for her career and the album was a masterpiece... it just didn't receive as commercial success as 1989 or midnights due to its marketing. I think that's where it kinda went wrong.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

It honestly never was a flop in general, it was a “flop” by Taylor Swift standards 😭 which eventually like it overcame but the marketing was foul… looking back there were mistakes made and I’m glad bc Midnights proved she learned and listened!

[@slayyyyyyyyyyyyyter]

my favs from the album are false god and i think he knows!

[@EljohnMacaranas]

The taste 😭 yessss! Faves!

[@steffi1833]

I always felt like death by a thousand cuts might have had something to do with the almost breakup from The Great War

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I never bought the Someone Great story tbh the movie is good but it doesn’t quite fully fit the story aside from maybe the bridge, like I recall wondering if they broke up after hearing the song 💀

[@albertalfaro]

Maybe they had multiple fights before where she almost saw an ending to their relationship, Cornelia Street, Hoax and Champagne Problems might have been written during one of those fights.

[@paintingdreams290]

@@EljohnMacaranas i always saw DBATC as inspired by the movie but more of a what if we broke up? this is how i'd feel rn, which would keep in line w her songwriting remaining autobiographical

[@imabaaaaddddddnews]

I love ppl like u who loves lover u r my fav kind of person

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I still cannot believe there are people who consider this her worst record of all time

[@sidhantkalia2556]

idk how to say this without giving a man credit for a woman's success... but dating joe, moving countries, learning herself, reading about great british poets really let taylor perfect her lyricism. She had all the ingredients and due to whatever went down and how she found joe, it further helped her master her pen. I in no means want to credit joe for her improvement, but I guess she wouldnt have been able to do all this if she kept living in her celeb nyc bubble.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Tbh I think every ex we have expands our horizons but Taylor definitely always had an interest in like literature and such, it just helped she had distance and the drive to pursue those

[@Twineandribbon]

Thanks for the video! Lover is the point where I really became a Swiftie.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

That’s great! I thought it was a lovely era to kick off with!

[@noneapplicable1327]

is it bad that me is my fave and i kinda wished it’d been my surprise song like on piano

[@EljohnMacaranas]

It’s a cute song! The piano version from the doc sounds good!

[@niicoxvz]

lover is my fav album but it's true that the tracklist is kinda a mess. i think the tracklist should've been something like this 1 cruel summer 2 i think he knows 3 paper rings 4 lover 5 cornelia street 6 afterglow 7 dbatc 8 ma&thbp 9 london boy 10 inthaf 11 false god 12 aotgylb 13 sygb 14 the archer 15 daylight loved the video btw

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I’m saving that tracklisting for my own use! 🥰💖

[@david.grever]

I completely agree with track 5 cornelia street, like that song mirrors 'all too well', it needed to be track 5.

[@cave386]

I agree but I would swap ITHK and Cruel Summer. Her track twos are typically bangers (picture to burn, fifteen, sparks fly, red, blank space, not end game, cardigan, champagne problems, & maroon) which are all very solid tracks with maybe the exception of red and end game, but especially end game. So cruel summer belongs in the track 2s and I also like the connection of ITHK and Lavender Haze so both being track 1s works.

[@ivycream7228]

I know that a lot of people hated Lover and said that she should’ve had just Rep straight to Folklore… but without Lover’s experimental sounds, Folklore would’ve sounded way different in an alternate universe… But yeah , I love Lover and it’s on my top 5 😊

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Lover was definitely a bridge and a transition from like Rep to Folk honestly would have came off so weird

[@LaurenLover81]

Clearly, I didn’t give thought to the intricacies back in 2019, I will say that LOVER was a return to true Taylor Swift, albeit with more controversy, a TS canceled era, REP OG era which I apparently didn’t like, and promo solicitation than I’d be comfortable with looking back now (almost where Olivia Rodrigo is with her GUTS album promo as a whole). Thanks to COVID-19, and unedited phone ☎️ conversations finally released in 2020, TS13 used FOLKLORE more urgently and much less solicited than with LOVER, and it hit all the marks TS needed with charts and GRAMMYS. Plus, the immediate FOLKLORE approach was used in a more curated and still urgent way with MIDNIGHTS, plus TS13 had more control and say than ever, using her own team at this point than with LOVER since TS13 had just joined REPUBLIC RECORDS, a subsidiary of UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP (UMG). A good takeaway from LOVER to MIDNIGHTS was CAPITAL ONE sponsorship, complimenting TS all the way.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

The unedited phone calls legit exonerated her so bad like

[@CatNagTaylorsVersion]

I love this era. I wish she had played the era out differently, this era had a lot to do and i don’t think she stuck the landing perfectly and I think only after the world shattering eras tour, plus the more lover chapter, and the cruelest summer. This era definitely got to caught up in being the anti reputation, and she does it somewhat successfully but tracks like The archer, Soon you’ll get better, Afterglow, and Cornelia street feel like bullets drenched in anxiety which I think works on these tracks, and don’t get me wrong it coveys the shattering emotional gut punches on those songs combined with the harsh brash hits of Daylight, Cruel summer, and it’s nice to have a friend makes lover feel like reputation with a pink fairy light filter on it. I think it’s a messy and imperfect album that’s captured perfectly and I wished the track listing had reflected that better. This is my least favorite Taylor record but it’s not bad by any means, even on a bad Taylor record you still get 3-4 songs that could be the Crown Jewels of her discography which not many artist could do. I don’t think she has a bad era but I can’t help but wonder how this era would’ve been perceived if the track list would’ve been like this 1. Afterglow 2. Lover 3. Paper rings 4. Cruel summer 5. Cornelia street 6. London boy 7. I think he knows 8. You need to calm down 9. Miss Americana and the heart break prince 10. The Man 11. Death by a thousand cuts 12. Soon you’ll get better 13.The archer 14.it’s nice to have a friend 15. False god 16.I forgot that you existed 17. Me! 18.Daylight With a single roll out with 1.Cruel summer-begins the era 2. You need to calm down 3. Me! 4.Miss Americana and the heart break Prince 5. Lover+ album drop 6. The man 7. The archer 8. Paper rings 9.afterglow- ends era

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Oh I agree this era definitely just didn’t land the way it should have like Cruel Summer was a free hit (as proven last year) so it was frustrating seeing the era be botched!

[@CatNagTaylorsVersion]

@@EljohnMacaranas plus not to mention she made us wait so long between singles in an era where are attention stands are shortening

[@chelsea5226]

I bought this on CD 💿 (I was cheap, my car doesn’t have Bluetooth ). It’s such a happy album.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Yaaaaas CDs

[@alohaisland9999]

Lover is always such a special album to me but I agree, I think it needs to be cut to about 13-15 tracks a reserving the rest for a deluxe edition because it's such a bloated album with a bit of tonal dissonance between songs. Like it goes from London Boy to Soon You'll Get Better to False God and if that's not whiplash I'm not sure what is.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I feel like Midnights bonus tracks were better overall stronger than most of the core tracks but also didn’t fit the overall story the standard told hence them being 3am tracks, I’d imagine the bonus on Lover would belong to another collection that’d allow a standard to be a more straightforward record

[@skinnyscorpio6652]

Lover isnt made to be album of the year, its just an album taylor wants everyone to held on to at their heart for me the tracklist is perfect and i don't want anything to get cut off from it. This album i really can't relate to but i would say the different kinds of love through out the tracks is just perfect. It's a sentimental album💘

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Oh, nah, I think she actually did want to win Grammys for it bc in the Miss Americana doc she did say she was gonna build a better record after Rep struck out but everything else you said resonates. Like I adore Taylor but she actively seeks out acclaim and isn’t ashamed of it!

[@the.love.of.my.life.]

Happy Valentine’s Day ❤️😘😍🥰💕♥️💖💙

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Happy Valentine’s Day! 💖💖💖💖

[@watchmedo635]

Iirc london boy wasn't originally on the album and was added later. I love the sugary feeling to it, a bop for sure! But I do agree with you (and Taylor at first it seems) that it might have been better left off or saved for a deluxe. Same for you need to calm down, a bop but leaves a bad taste in my mouth considering her recent silence.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Oh I agree with the deluxe picks in my own cut YNTCD is not there

[@paulceloso6948]

Excellent video

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Thank you 💖

[@karipaschke353]

"Lover" is amazing because she was in love with Joe. Her songs are about him. I miss you Joe. You are so classy and "Gorgeous".

[@EljohnMacaranas]

He also inspired a bunch of Midnights’ saddest tracks 😭

[@karipaschke353]

He is a true gentleman and so talented. A real class act. Kelce not so much.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Oh that’s not 😭

[@goldengirl1212]

this is one of her best CD, hello, this was the best

[@JennaNiho85]

I will always be a Lover 🩷🩵💛defender.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Yesssss 💖💙💛

[@zachreeve]

Lover was a good album dont get me wrong but.... i feel 2020 and folklore was definitely her come back (a reset for all ages especially gen z) this brought he rback to roots and her song writing in other peoples stories and perspective its her true talent lyrical writing.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Lover was more of a soul rebuilding experience tbh with the whole label switch and realizing what she could do as a pop artist like Folk was the reset but this was the reboot

[@wybie1216]

lover is my favorite t.s. album

[@EljohnMacaranas]

It’s a fine choice alongside the other soon to be 10

[@mahekshah2175]

it's really iconic that cruel summer ended up topping the charts in 2023. what she wanted for ME! ended up being cruel summer

[@EljohnMacaranas]

And YNTCD too! But to be fair, her charting 2 top 2 hits then (without OTR, she would have had 2 easy number ones)

[@thevilkids]

Afterglow is one of her best songs.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Spill… it’s so underrated

[@maribellea13]

another awesome video essay ♥

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Awww thanks! I had so much fun making this!

[@sydalyssawatson2839]

HUGEEEEE Flash Warning at 2:48 Holy shit, it caught me so off-guard, lol

[@BrookePage1992]

As the years have gone on I’ve come to love the lover album more and more, I think at the time the singles made me dodge it. I understand ‘ME’ was aimed to show the playfulness of LOVER, but it basicly ruined it personally

[@EljohnMacaranas]

I think Lover should have been dropped earlier or Cruel Summer as the lead and she should have chose between Me! or YnTCD but not both

[@westcoastavenger]

Has become one of my most listened to records of hers. I do think the single release strategy was odd. Obviously everything worked out almost immaculately for her but I will never understand how the single releases didn’t go something like: 1. Cruel Summer 2. Lover 3. The Man 4. The Archer 5. You Need to Calm Down Great video though. Glad KZbin suggested it. Now I’m going down a rabbit hole of your other Taylor Swift videos.

[@goldengirl1212]

i love this album of her, reputation is also my other favorite, i actually prefer her newer albums in comparison to her older albums. but seriously, lover album is the best best best. and the music videos are the best, she was having fun and it shows .

[@newecreator]

The London Boy slander... Anyways this is my favorite Taylor Swift album because it's so wonky and I like its aesthetics.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

London Boy is cute but like just… so… especially with recent context

[@CatNagTaylorsVersion]

Happy Valentine’s Day

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Happy Valentine’s Day! 💖💛🩵💙🧡❤️💜

[@themaddiecommittee]

Loved this video ❤ Lover means a lot to me. It's my partner's favorite album and I have such sweet memories of him playing the guitar as we sang Lover together. Your video inspired me to pop this CD in while I ran errands today and I happy cried while listening to it.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Awwww, reading this comment really warmed my heart and made me glad to have made the video.

[@maddoxseudenjean]

When a madonna review? Starting with confessions on a dance floor 2005. Do it. U have videos with 6k so.... why not madonna? Don't be afraid about low views anyways bring madonna to a new generation.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Honestly I had a Confessions video planned for May or June (March is too stacked)

[@maddoxseudenjean]

@@EljohnMacaranas thank you

[@adonistv15cantu]

Lover is my favorite Taylor Swift album, I said what I said 💗

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Honestly it’s not the worst pick, the hate on Lover this far into its history is insane

[@jaydflay4809]

First of all, love the video. But I think that since there’s a loose theme between all the songs, they fit very well with one another, so I would like to think of the “13 track album with bonus tracks” would be trying to actively separate the songs, so I think Taylor voted against doing that.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Oh I’m just speaking from a strategic sort of marketing place, artistically speaking I do get why she wanted to evoke the sort of freeform track listing she did with Red.

[@jaydflay4809]

@@EljohnMacaranas ok that makes much more sense now

[@malaaronka]

it makes me sad that ME! got such a bad reviews, sometimes song can be just fun, no mega deep meaning, plus it's (if i know correctly) first song SHE OWNED

[@EljohnMacaranas]

It is her first owned single! 😭 I Don’t Wanna Live Forever is still owned by Republic I believe

[@Sg92-m4h]

I get judged every single time I tell someone Lover is my favorite album of hers lol.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

No one should judge you for that, every album she does is stunning even debut (which was a bit uneven)

[@matheusmacario9423]

frankieme!museumgay its such an icon

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Really it is!

[@cosmoslady]

One of my favorite things about Lover is how political she went. MAATHBP is my favorite song off that album. A love story with a political twist!? Hell yeah! Lol! I do think she dropped the ball on not putting All the Girls You Loved Before on the actual album. Great song! Unfortunately though, Lover does have my least favorite song of hers... The Archer. 😬 I don't know what it is but I just can't with that song. 🤷‍♀️ I do wanna comment on one song off Lover and that's It's Nice to Have a Friend. I think this song could have been so much better had it had a forth verse. We go from being kids in an innocent friendship to being maybe teens and that friendship becoming more romantic to getting married. I think we are missing a grow old together verse at the end. That last verse would have elevated that song in my opinion.

[@EljohnMacaranas]

Oh that note on It’s Nice to Have a Friend is so real! I kinda wish they’d done an epilogue?

[@caangelesPH]

But The Archer is all about anxiety 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I understand the reason why people don't like the song though 😔 It's 'cuz of the growing intensity of the beats which reflects growing anxiety and tension

[@cosmoslady]

@@caangelesPH For me it's because it's too boring. She has a lot of anxiety ridden songs that I enjoy. The Archer and Mirrorball are two songs most Swifties love that I can't listen to because I get bored.