On Aug. 23, pop singer and songwriter Taylor Swift released her seventh album “Lover.” With 18 songs, it’s the longest album she has created. 

Personally, I’m not an avid fan of Swift, but no matter where I go or how old I am, I can’t seem to stop hearing about her, whether it’s her new music video, a new fight with a celebrity or — gosh, who is she dating this time?

While my life in first grade consisted of my friends and I blasting “You Belong With Me” at the playground while we took turns using the glider, since then, her songs haven’t particularly stood out to me. I’d like to think I’m not the only one who believes this, with people all over the Internet saying “I miss the old Taylor!” to which she promptly responded with “The old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? ‘Cause she’s dead.”

After watching her music videos from her album “Reputation,” I was a little disappointed. I remember when to me, Swift’s music meant love and innocent relationships. Then “Look What You Made Me Do” came out with its generic tune and accusatory lyrics, and it reminded me of scandal and deceit. Thus, when I first watched the music video for “Lover,” I was taken aback. Sitting alone on the couch in my living room, the old-fashioned melody and soft guitar, along with its wholesome lyrics, instantly transported me back to that colorful playground in elementary school.

Although I’m not anything of an expert in love, when she said “swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover,” I felt like I could relate, like I had been in a long-term relationship for years and that perhaps, even in this chaotic and busy world, happily-ever-afters could exist. 

Playing the songs in order from the beginning of the album, I first met the catchy, whimsical intro to the song “I Forgot That You Existed.” I was instantly engrossed in the playlist, and this turned out to be my favorite song from the album, the one I blasted in my car nonstop for days after my first listen. With the nonchalant lyrics, she expresses the freedom in just caring less about everything.

In her song “The Man,” she provides a contrast to her longing for a man as shown by older songs such as “You Belong With Me,” by directly showing how much easier she would capture success if she were a man. She confidently states that as a man, she’d be “the man.” She would dominate every setting she was a part of, with no one daring to stop her. 

With “Cornelia Street,” I could immediately sense nostalgia in her words. Cornelia Street represents her hometown in Nashville, TN, but also links back to another Cornelia Street in New York, where she experienced the bulk of her infamous scandal with Kanye West. “Cornelia Street” is a masterful, somber tune, bridging her past life with her present. 

She continues this melancholy mood with “Death By a Thousand Cuts” and “Soon You’ll Get Better,” providing a dark contrast with the beginning of the album — a refreshing twist of sorrow in an overwhelmingly cheerful genre of pop. 

Following these are the most famous songs of her album “You Need to Calm Down” and “ME!,” where she brings back the nonchalant, cheerful mood she presented in the beginning of the album. Her empowering messages “I promise that you’ll never find another like me” and “we all got crowns” lifted my spirits in the form of catchy pop tunes. 

As for her final song, Swift herself writes “I chose ‘Daylight’ as the last song on the album because it recognizes past damage and pain but shows that it doesn’t have to define you.” After experiencing her rollercoaster of emotions through the “Lover” album, I couldn’t have said it better.

Through her long career in the music industry, Taylor Swift has experienced massive style shifts, backlash and scandals, along with unwavering support from her millions of fans, known as Swifties. “Lover” adeptly ties all of her past and present experiences together — it’s a biography of her life thus far, packaged into a collection of tunes for others to enjoy. 

And enjoy it, I did. 

Listen to Swift’s entire album below: