Our list looks at the Real Meanings Behind Songs On Taylor Swift’s Lover Album. Lover is Taylor Swift’s seventh album. The album came out in 2019. Taylor Swift loves to talk about so many different things on her albums. She gives her fans an inside look on her life. We’ll discuss what the meanings are behind the songs on this album once we get to our list. Taylor Swift talks about love, heartache and political issues. The album features country, folk and pop music. She won awards for the album. The album peaked at number one on the Billboard 200 charts. Lover sold 867,000 copies in its first week. Taylor Swift became the first female artist to have six albums sell more than 500,000 copies in one week.
Lover sold over three million copies worldwide. The album features the singles “Me!,” “You Need to Calm Down,” “Lover” and “The Man.” “Me!” broke records when it soared up the charts. The song rose from 100 to number two on the charts.
Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Taylor Swift’s Lover Album
# 1 – I Forgot That You Existed
The first song on our list of the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Taylor Swift’s Lover Album is “I Forgot That You Existed.” The song has a pop sound. The song is about the relief she feels about the end of a relationship. The up-tempo song is about her being free from heartbreak. She wants her listeners to shrug off the things you’ve been dealing with in your life. She talks about how great she felt when realized the person who broke her heart hasn’t been on her mind. She also talks about being happy that the person isn’t on her mind anymore. The lyrics aren’t about bitterness. They are about feeling indifferent towards the person who hurt her.
She thought it would hurt deeply to forget about the person who broke her heart. She was relieved to find herself not thinking about the pain she felt because of the person who broke her heart. Taylor Swift talks about the things she would have done for the person she loves. People used to laugh at her and make fun of her for defending the person. She is glad the person showed their true colors so she could get away. She explained how the relationship did teach her something. She learned that major heartbreak doesn’t last long. She also learned that we are still living even if the person is gone. What you learned will stay with you long after the person who hurt you is gone.
# 2 – Cruel Summer
The next song on our list of the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Taylor Swift’s Lover Album is “Cruel Summer.” The song has a synth pop sound. The song is about her having a summer romance while going through painful issues in her personal life. She talks about what pop stars deal with because of the paparazzi. There were hints this song talks about what she went through because of what happened with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. She talked about the “cruel summer” of 2016. One part of the song is about her romance with someone. She fell in love during a time when her life was under scrutiny. She was going through backlash from people because of her issues with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian.
The other part of the song talks about her depression. She talks about what she went through during her public meltdown in 2016. She battled depression during this time and she wanted to share it with her Swifties. Taylor Swift wanted to talk about a love that was destined to fail as soon as it started.
# 3 – Lover
The song has a country and folk beat. This is the third single from the album. This is a genuine love song. The song is considered a wedding song. She wanted to write about a committed relationship. She talks about wanting to be close to her “lover” forever. She wants to commit to someone and love the person for the rest of her life. Taylor Swift talks about being free and meeting the new “lover” in her life. She explains they can make the rules when it concerns their love. The singer explains what type of things they can do to make up their own rules.
She hints at being ready for marriage with her “lover.” She goes into detail about what happened during their past relationships. She talked about how she couldn’t believe no one else wanted him in the past. She wondered what was wrong with the women before her. Taylor Swift explains that she wants to have the perfect wedding with her “lover.” She uses verses from wedding vows indicating that she’s ready to make a strong commitment with her man. The song peaked in the Top 10 on the Billboard 100 charts. “Lover” sold over two million copies.
# 4 – The Man
The track has a synth-pop beat. This is the fourth single from the album. The song is about sexism. She believed that if she did the things she did as a man, no one would say anything. She believed the media would have been kinder to her if she were a man. She would be considered fearless and a leader if she were a man. She wants to know what it’s like to get a free pass for being a man. She goes into details about how she faces double standards in the music industry. Taylor Swift explains what type of things she could get away with doing if she were a man.
Taylor Swift wanted to tell a story about women not receiving the same type of treatment as men. If a man did the things she did, he would get a pat on the back. If she did the things, she would be called every name in the book. She gave examples of the situations that a man could do that would be okay. She singled out actor Leonardo DiCaprio and talked about his relationships to discuss the sexism in Hollywood. The singer felt like he could date multiple women and no one would say anything. If she dates a lot of men, she’s considered loose. She wants to explore the double standards that concern women. The song reached number 23 on the Billboard 100 charts and sold over one million copies.
# 5 – The Archer
The next song on our list of the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Taylor Swift’s Lover Album is “The Archer.” The song has a pop beat. “The Archer” is about her vulnerability and insecurities that she faced throughout her life. She talks about being the hunter as well as the hunted. The song is about a reflection of herself. She talks about being prey when people come after her. She acknowledges the good things about her, but she’s aware that there are bad things about herself. She wonders who would leave her and she wonders who would want to stay with her.
She knocks herself down, but she also builds herself up. She knows relationships can come and go. She knows people can see through her and she hates her reflection. Taylor Swift has an epiphany because she knows that she’s far from perfect. She makes mistakes. She has been “the archer.” She has started drama with people, but people have done things to her too. She doesn’t want to end up being alone. Taylor Swift is paranoid that her lover will leave her. She questions whether he will stay with her. She gets confident in the song when she realizes that her lover will stay.
# 6 – I Think He Knows
The song has a pop sound. The track is about the beginning of a relationship. She doesn’t admit that she loves her boyfriend. She’s convinced he knows how she feels. She expresses how happy she is as she strolls down memory lane about her life. The songwriter talks about how he’s her first crush. She delves into how she feels while she’s skipping down the street thinking about the guy she loves. She wants him, but she hasn’t come out and said how she felt. She is confident and excited about the love she feels for her crush. She talks about her lover’s eyes throughout the song. She also mentions her hometown.
She wants her listeners to know how she feels about her first love. He makes her feel like she’s a teenager when you first fall in love. She talks about how it feels to fall in love with the perfect guy. She follows him and smiles at him until it’s obvious that she has feelings for him. Taylor Swift explains her long-term goals in the second half of the song. She talks about possibly getting married to him. She warns that she won’t wait long for him if he doesn’t marry her. This is possibly a message for her boyfriend to propose to her.
# 7 – Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince
The song has a pop beat. The song opens with her struggle with love. She talks about alienation. She uses high school as a way to describe how it feels to be hopeless. She talks about inequality just like in school. The songwriter wrote this song about disillusionment as well as inequality. She talks about high school as a metaphor to explain how it felt to be there and in different social circles. She found the one person who could understand her beliefs. She considers herself “Miss Americana” because she represents everything that’s good about America.
Her lover is the prince because there’s a chance he could break her heart. She compares him breaking her heart to him being a potential king. She wants the fans to know that they aren’t alone. She wants them to know that someone is there for them. Taylor Swift believes you will find someone to support you no matter what other people say. Taylor Swift also tackles political issues in the song. She didn’t talk about politics in her songs until this track was recorded. She was afraid of dealing with backlash from her opinions. She felt like she didn’t have enough knowledge about politics to express her opinion about it. She took a chance recording this track. The track peaked at number 49 on the Hot 100 charts.
# 8 – Paper Rings
The song has a pop beat. “Paper Rings” is about her relationship. She talks about how much her lover means to her. She loves the person so much that she would marry him even if he gave her a “paper ring.” She is ready to spend her life with him whether they face good times or bad times. Despite their flaws, she wants to be with him. Their past relationships manage to strengthen their relationship. Taylor Swift saw that love is not about material things. She is in love with her boyfriend and not his money. Taylor Swift discusses liking shiny things, but she would marry him even if he didn’t have any money.
This song is possibly written to her current boyfriend. She would give up on her love of jewelry for a ring made of paper just for the man she loves. The singer and songwriter makes reference to painting a room blue. This is something Taylor Swift did with her boyfriend. She helped him paint his brother’s bedroom so the lyric is a nod to her relationship with her boyfriend. Taylor Swift wrote this song to express how strong her relationship is with her boyfriend because they have accepted each other’s flaws.
# 9 – Cornelia Street
The track is a pop song. “Cornelia Street” is a song about things that happened and the memories she has about the street. The song is about nostalgia. Taylor Swift used to live on the street. This is a personal song for Taylor Swift. She talks about never wanting a love to go. She talks about how they shared their ups and downs together. She said if they broke up, she would never be able to walk down that street again. She informed her Swifties that this was one of her most personal songs. Swifties suspected this song was about her relationship with Joe Alwyn because she was dating him when she rented her apartment on Cornelia Street.
She sticks with her formula where she discusses leaving if things don’t work. She ends the relationship without saying goodbye when she thinks he’s not being honest with her. When she leaves her lover calls her and talks her into getting back together. Years into the relationship, she’s worried that she will mess up and lose him again. She informs her fans that she wouldn’t be able to walk that street again.
# 10 – Death By a Thousand Cuts
The next song on our list of the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Taylor Swift’s Lover Album is “Death By a Thousand Cuts.” The song has a pop beat. The song is about a bad breakup and she’s comparing it to a death. She talks about being heartbroken about the breakup. She compares the heartbreak to the way she would feel if she were to die. The song is about a fictional couple that are breaking up. She has to end the relationship, but it’s hard because she doesn’t want to do it. She’s still in love with him, but they grew apart from each other.
Taylor Swift compares the song to torture. Ending her relationship is like going through torture. She is having a hard time getting over her ex-lover. He holds a special place in her heart. She is depressed over the breakup and does questionable things to get over it. She starts drinking and partying to get over the pain. Taylor Swift wrote this track based on a movie that she watched on Netflix. She watched a movie called Someone Great and it helped inspire this track.
# 11 – London Boy
The song has a Brit pop beat. “London Boy” is about a country girl who is in love with a boy from London. She mentions places in London and America that she loves. She mentions different records throughout the track. She talks about loving different activities in London. She expresses her love for fashion designer Stella McCartney’s clothes. She also loves doing English activities.
The singer talks about falling in love with a “London boy.” She lets her fans know how they got together. Swifties speculated that this song is about Joe Alwyn since he’s from London. She goes into details about what happened when they got together. She explains how she embraced his culture once they fell in love with each other. Here is a fun fact about the song. British Actor Idris Elba appears at the beginning of the song.
# 12 – Soon You’ll Get Better ft. The Chicks
The song has a country beat. The song is a heartbreaking tale informing her fans about her mother’s illness. As Taylor Swift’s fans know, her mother is battling cancer. She talked about how she felt when she found out that her mother’s cancer returned. She discussed the hospital visits that her mother had to endure. She talked about the guilt you feel about losing the person you love. She explains that the pain of losing a loved one is nothing compared to what the loved one is going through. This song was hard for her to write. She talked to her family before she recorded the song for the album.
Taylor Swift revealed that she was inspired to work with the Chicks because she enjoyed their music. She thought they were great representatives for feminism. She learned to play the guitar to one of their songs. The first song she played was “Cowboy Take Me Away.” She sang a song with Natalie Maines onstage after her mother’s first cancer diagnosis. It was only natural for them to work together on a track that meant so much to the singer.
# 13 – False God
The track has an r&b sound. The song is about the way she feels about the man she loves. Taylor Swift compares their relationship to God. She uses religious comparisons to express her love for her boyfriend. When they are happy they are in Heaven and when they are angry they are in Hell. She gives details about how she and her lover took a big risk getting together. She’s afraid that he’s losing interest in her. She’s confident they will get past her insecurities about his feelings waning for her. Taylor Swift wanted to express how much her lover means to her.
She realizes that her love isn’t on the same level as religious devotion, but they love each other very much. She thinks their love is their own religion. She gives intimate details about her relationship with her lover. She explains how good he feels when they are together. She compares her love to having blind faith in someone. She has to trust in her partner for their relationship to last.
# 14 – You Need to Calm Down
The song has a pop beat. The song is the second song on the album. This song is about bullying. She sings about the way people are treated in social media. She talks about bullying. The song is told in three parts. In the first half of the song, she talks about what she went through because of the cancel culture. She expresses her disgust for people who are Internet trolls and people who talk about others.
Taylor Swift makes reference to what happened to her when she was facing her uphill battles in 2016. She dealt with public scrutiny after her issues with Kanye West and Kim Kardashian. Taylor Swift wanted to know why people spend so much time badmouthing people they don’t know. She lets the people know they are wasting their time badmouthing her because she doesn’t care about what they say about her. She insists that she’s stronger than most people. She says words may hurt, but they won’t break her.
The second half of the song shifts gears. She expresses her anger at people who are against the LGBTQ+ community. She used this song to support the LGBTQ+ community. The singer talks about the way people bully members of the LGBTQ+ community. She doesn’t like the fact that people are cruel because of who they choose to love. She wants the community to know that she supports them. The third part of the song is about the media pitting female celebrities against each other. They are all confident about who they are. They don’t need the media to make them turn against each other.
# 15 – Afterglow
The next song on our list of the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Taylor Swift’s Lover Album is “Afterglow.” The song has a pop beat. “Afterglow” is an apology song. She is apologizing to her lover and wants him to forgive her. She says that she’s still in love with him. She wants him to be patient with her. She gives details about her relationship. She admits that she hurts him and overreacts to things that happen. Even if she hurts him again, she still loves him. It would break her heart if she loses him forever. She named the track “Afterglow” because they made up after one of their major blowups. They get together and they are at peace in their love.
Taylor Swift doesn’t want her lover to take what she does seriously. She feels she’s suffering from a split personality. If she loses him because of her own actions, it would be her worst nightmare. She wants to keep the romance alive in her relationship. She hopes they could get together so their relationship can shine once again.
# 16 – Me! ft. Brendon Urie
The track has a pop beat. This is the first single from the album. The song is about embracing yourself and owning it. The track is about self-love as well as acceptance. Taylor Swift wants you to embrace your individuality. She’s in control and she’s self-confident. Taylor Swift is older and more mature so she’s ready to accept the mistakes that she’s made in life. She also makes reference to her past relationships. She owns up to the mistakes that she made in her past relationships. The singer and songwriter also talks about her current relationship. Taylor Swift talks about being a handful, but he wouldn’t find another one like her. She lets him know that no one would love him the way she does.
Brendon Urie talks about the same thing. He tells the story from his point of view. He insists that she won’t find another one like him. He said he’s the only one like him. They explain that people aren’t always meant to be together. They talk about problems in their relationship. They make things about them. They want listeners to know that you have to accept your lover for their faults. The single peaked at number two on the charts. It broke records because it was one of the fastest rising singles on the Billboard Hot 100 charts in history. The single sold over two million copies.
# 17 – It’s Nice to Have a Friend
The song has a pop beat. “It’s Nice to Have a Friend” is about friends who fall in love and get married. She opens the song talking about what they did when they were younger. The second verse is about the friends becoming teenagers. The teenagers deal with stress. They were there for each other, which led them to fall in love. The third verse is about the friends getting married. She talks about them being happy together. Taylor Swift talks about how they bonded as friends before they became a couple. The song is an example of romanticism. The singer was inspired by a married couple who knew each other when they were kids. She took a chance to write this song in parts. She wrote the song from the beginning stages of their relationship.
# 18 – Daylight
The last song on our list the Real Meaning Behind The Songs On Taylor Swift’s Lover Album is “Daylight.” The song has a pop beat. The song is about a couple acknowledging past damage and pain. They have forgiven each other for what they’ve done in the past. They are committed to everlasting love. They want to commit to each other because they don’t want to be with anyone else. They both realize that the other has been hurt in the past, but they want to work things out together. They want to leave their pasts behind for something better. Taylor Swift wrote this song about redemption and love.
She has a hard time loving people because the people around her didn’t know about love. She admits that she’s done things that she shouldn’t have done. She wants to be honest with him because she doesn’t want the relationship to end. “Daylight” has brought her out of the darkness. She regrets that she hurt people and trusted the wrong ones. She wanted to clear the air and make things better. She realizes that they’ve dealt with commitment and trust issues. They hurt people, and they’ve learned from their mistakes. They are convinced things will be brighter because it’s morning.
Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Taylor Swift’s Lover Album article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022
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