"the much-maligned swiftie considers her options" by Stephanie Burt
There's a repeating line in the poem that certainly points to a specific album: "I'm in my reputation era."
I can't remember where I read it, but I really found it interesting that someone pointed out that Taylor's lead singles rarely ever actually match the tone or the message of the accompanying albums. A few to consider: "Shake It Off," "Look What You Made Me Do," "ME!" "Anti-Hero." They're almost red herrings, and "Look What You Made Me Do" certainly was one. The song was released on August 24, 2017 with the music video following just a few days later on August 27. It had been three years since she'd released 1989, and I was in a state of constant anticipation to get any tidbit I could about the single or the album in the days before its release. Her Instagram went black, then there were the snake images. I was so into it. Admittedly, I didn't really know what to think about LWYMMD on the first few listens, but the music video certainly added another layer to it. I was in, hook, line and sinker. The marketing and imagery were so brilliant, but it really was a "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain" moment, because reputation was most definitely an album about a blossoming relationship and not one about revenge, like we'd all been expecting. Either way, it became an instant fave, and to this day, there's still not a track that I skip on it.
All that to say, that if there's a track that symbolizes reputation in anyone's mind, I think it has to be "Look What You Made Me Do."
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