We can’t believe it’s been two years since Taylor Swift surprise released evermore and completely altered our lives forever. There isn’t a day that passes by where we don’t hear ‘coney island’ playing in the back of our minds. And there also hasn’t been a day since that we haven’t shed a tear over ‘happiness.’ But the way Taylor’s music makes us feel is simply one of the many reasons why she is one of the loves of our musical lives. And ‘evermore’ is a true emotional masterpiece and the iconic sister album of our dreams.
We’re going to be breaking down some of our favorite tracks off the record, and the emotional lyrics that forever lodged them into our hearts and brains. Let’s buzz on in!
‘gold rush’
Where does one even start when talking about ‘gold rush?’ The pulse-like beat of this track paired with Taylor’s whimsical vocals immediately sweeps us off our feet and takes us to a forest filled with freshly fallen leaves. This one makes you want to spin in circles wearing a huge flowy dress while you throw handfuls of leaves into the air. The track depicts snapping out of a lovestruck daydream and realizing the truth of the person you’re chasing. Sometimes someone can be so enticing, welcoming, and invigorating to be around but their dedication to remain that way is exactly why they’re so unreachable in the first place.
“Everybody wonders what it would be like to love you. Walk past, quick brush. I don’t like slow-motion double vision in a rose bush. I don’t like that fallin’ feels like flyin’ till the bone crush. Everybody wants you, but I don’t like a gold rush.”
‘tolerate it’
Lay the tables with the fancy sh*t, and grab your tissue box while you’re at it, because we’re talking about ‘tolerate it’ next. This track painfully and honestly talks about what it’s like to love someone who only puts up with you in return. The feeling of never truly breaking through to them, or being genuinely loved or appreciated by them, is soul-crushing the say the very least. Not to mention the way the bridge rips your heart out of your chest. Falling to the floor in agony is our natural response every time we hear it, can you blame us?
“While you were out there building other worlds, where was I? Where’s that man that through blankets over my barbed wire? I made you my temple, my mural, my sky. Now I’m begging for footnotes in the story of your life. You assume I’m fine, but what would you do if I?”
‘happiness’
Of course, we’re talking about this track. It blows our minds that this was the last song written for evermore. But it also makes sense at the same time. The peaceful and zen-like background of this track makes it healing even if the lyrics are painful to hear. Falling out of love with someone, whether it was your choice to end that relationship or not, is so hard to do. Finding a way to live in peace with what was, and what is, is a task that is a nightmare to accomplish while you’re doing it. But realizing that by loving someone, you allowed yourself to experience something rare and beautiful that no one else will ever get to experience the same way you did, is such a beautiful thing. And sometimes finding that new me, and that place of ‘happiness’ takes us longer than we imagined it would. But, and we think Taylor would agree with us here, it’s always worth it.
“I can’t make it go away by making you a villain. I guess that’s the price I pay for seven years in heaven. And I pulled your body next to mine every godd*mn, now I get fake niceties. No one teaches you what to do when a good man hurts you. And you know you hurt him too.”
‘closure’
Yeah, we got your letter, and yeah we are doing better! But we still need to talk about ‘closure’ anyway. Closure is something that only you can give to yourself at the end of the day, and no one understands that more than Taylor Swift. You can’t expect someone to ever fully understand the ways they’ve hurt or wronged you. And you can’t count on them to give you the apology you feel you need or deserve to hear to let yourself heal. And you also don’t have to reconcile with someone to heal, forgive, or have that closure. It’s on your terms, and you decide what that means to you.
“I know I’m just a wrinkle in your new life. Staying friends would iron it out so nice. Guilty, guilty, reaching out across the sea. That you put between you and me, but it’s fake and it’s oh so unnecessary.”
‘evermore’ feat. Bon Iver
Who would we be if we didn’t close this out by talking about the title track of evermore? This one hurts, and it hurts in the best way. When you’re in the pits of depression, sometimes it truly feels like it’s going to be never-ending. Replaying every mistake you’ve made or the moments you wish you had gone differently is a human response from anyone in that position. You’ve conquered every battle that has ever come your way in the past, and you can beat whatever comes your way next. But sometimes in the thick of it, that’s easier said than done to cling to.
“Can’t not think of all the cost and the things that will be lost. Oh, can we just get a pause? To be certain we’ll be tall again. Whether weather be the frost, or the violence of the dog days. I’m on waves, out being tossed. Is there a line that I could just go cross?”
What are some of your favorite tracks or lyrics from evermore? We need to know exactly what makes you fall to the floor clutching your chest like ‘tolerate it’ does to us. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below! Or you can let us know on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram!
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