"Shake it Off" was the first Taylor Swift lead single I did want to hear again right away to be honest.
Not much that hasn't already been said, but yeah, this is terrible. Bad lyrics, boring chorus, nothing at all stands out about it besides the fact that it interpolates I'm Too Sexy seemingly for the hell of it. Real mess of a track.
I think for me, it's moreso that the lyrics on this song lack the specificity of a lot of her best work. She's consciously leaning into this villain/dark persona which by every measure is a masterstroke in manipulating the public/music media (just look at all the hot takes she's getting WHILE selling this song at a record rate), but she doesn't really bring anything particularly memorable to that vibe imo. idk, overall to me this song felt a little cynical I guess? Maybe that's too strong of a word, but the clear pivot to "dark taylor" (the voicemail, the album art, etc.) feels (to me) like checking off boxes from the popstar playbook (see 90s/00s Madonna or Blackout Britney) without bringing a compelling song to go along with it. Again, her leadoff singles on the last two LPs haven't been my favorite so I'm not really trying to declare taylor "cancelled" or anything after this one song, I think I just was left cold? Also realizing now that a lot of this isn't even in response to you, just kind of a long word vomit from me so I apologize lol
That is one interesting interpolation, but it doesn't really go anywhere after that first "wait a minute, I recognize this" reaction. Maybe "boring" isn't the right word, but that chorus completely zaps the pre-chorus' momentum for me. Kinda just leaves me wondering why she did it.
Maura Johnston (as per usual) had a good nuanced take on this for the guardian: Acid gossip that borrows from better songs – Taylor Swift: Look What You Made Me Do review
Probably because we're all talking about it, but I am an unashamed "I'm Too Sexy" fan. I've had that chorus stuck in my head for over a decade. haha.
I'm sure in the last several pages someone has pointed out that Richard Fairbrass has a writing credit for this song, right?
Man, I couldn't get enough of that song for a few days. Same with "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together." I understand the criticisms people have for those songs, but they are just so infectiously catchy. I don't think this one is quite as much of an earworm, which is maybe why it hasn't won me over yet.
I don't think I have ever seen the term interpolated used in this context before. It seems like such a weird application. It feels like it would make more sense to say it's a derivation..
in modern pop music, interpolation is the term used for "the addition of new material in a performance or recording of a previously existing piece of music" see: List of interpolated songs - Wikipedia less than a sample, more than a reference
and here is where I went wrong. This cause I ain't modern enough for them contemporary popular compositions.
also, looks like the fork finally reviewed some T Swift: “Look What You Made Me Do” by Taylor Swift Review | Pitchfork
I've seen the term "Dark Taylor" thrown around when regarding her new persona. It sounds like a digimon evolution.