1 – Cruel Summer

Taylor Swift includes Cruel Summer lyrics on a new mural in New York! pic.twitter.com/1qzgcMcJ4q

— Taylor Swift News (@Swift__Alert) August 22, 2019

“Cruel Summer” was teased in the “You Need to Calm Down” video via a fake tattoo on Ellen Degeneres’ arm, and has sparked so much excitement since, even becoming the first song that trended during album release day. It’s a song about the summer of 2016, which was a weird time for Taylor as it was simultaneously the season she fielded Kim Kardashian’s “Taylor Swift is Over Party” and got together with her long-time beau Joe Alwyn.

Considering that Taylor herself has been captioning photos with lyrics from this song and commissioning “Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes” murals in New York, it’s safe to predict this song is definitely going to be a single.

LSS lyric: “Said ‘I’m fine’ but it wasn’t true, I don’t wanna keep secrets just to keep you”

2 – The Man

Taylor Swift mentioning Leonardo DiCaprio as the definition of a double standard in “The Man” literally just made my entire day. pic.twitter.com/ZdremMmjNr

— Samantha S. Stratton (@SomehowSamantha) August 23, 2019

“The Man” is a work power anthem where Taylor sings about how her choices in dating, philanthropy, and business would be lauded if she were a man.

Dated nine famous people before hitting 30? Awarded Most Charitable Celebrity four years in a row? Lobbied for small artists to be paid fairly by streaming services? If these feats were listed under a man’s name, they’d be called accomplishments, not cries for attention. Taylor is sick of the warped perception surrounding powerful women’s actions and honestly – same.

LSS Lyric: “I’m so sick of running as fast as I can, wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was a man.”

3 – Paper Rings

When @taylorswift13 put out her Playlist by ME! on Apple Music she had “You’re The One That I Want” and it was a lyric Easter egg for Paper Rings!!!! #Lover pic.twitter.com/yGHPbUfTJb

— , The MANda |”So FUN!” (@TheMANdaLover13) August 23, 2019

“Paper Rings” is a favourite of Secret Sessioners – the lucky fans invited to listening parties at Taylor’s residences before release – and it’s not hard to see why!

This high-energy bop feels vaguely reminiscent of “You’re the One that I Want” from Grease, in that it has a similar hook and it would make so much sense on the soundtrack of a dancy high school movie.

LSS lyric: “I like shiny things but I’d marry you with paper rings, uh-huh, that’s right, darling – you’re the one I want!”

4 – I Forgot That You Existed

 

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There’s a lot of buzz about “I Forgot That You Existed” being the perfect album opener – it gives the reputation era closure lyrically while segueing sonically to the happy, bubblegum sound of Lover.

Taylor has written some dramatic, desperate ballads about holding on to her ex-lovers, but “Forgot” takes a detached “Hu u?” approach instead to. Some people…just don’t leave a mark.

LSS Lyric: “It isn’t love, it isn’t hate – it’s just indifference.”

5 – London Boy

 

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A post shared by VICTORIA (was Ready_for_swift) (@swiftie_victoria) on Aug 24, 2019 at 5:42am PDT

We’ve been treated to Taylor gushing over her Joe Alwyn’s British accent as early as “Gorgeous” in 2017. Here in “London Boy”, she proudly declares, “God, I love the English” and makes cheeky references to British slang and places like Camden Market, Highgate, Brixton, and Shoreditch. Features Idris Elba’s voice inviting you to drive around on his scooter.

LSS Lyric: “You know I love a London boy – boy, I fancy you!”

6 – Cornelia Street

Me camping out on Cornelia Street in NY/London because it sounds like an amazing song and I need to fully experience what Taylor was feeling when writing it#Lover @taylorswift13 @taylornation13 💗🏹💫 pic.twitter.com/XdynCL4fgT

— Hi This Is Brian (@brianNpikachu) August 16, 2019

Another Secret Sessioner fave, “Cornelia Street” talks about an unforgettable love you don’t want to lose, because “that’s the kind of heartbreak time would never mend”. If you’ve ever broken up with a person and had to purge everything from your favourite song to the street you used to rent an apartment on from your mind, you’d know the fragility that underscores this number.

LSS Lyric: “And, baby, I get mystified by how this city screams your name; and, baby, I’m so terrified of if you ever walk away I’d never walk Cornelia Street again.”

7 – Afterglow

What did i learned from Taylor Swift Lover video? That AfterGlow is the next single. pic.twitter.com/acbJpkSFiN

— Blue. (@_FoolMeTwice_) August 22, 2019

This slow, earnest song is coming for everyone who has ever said that Taylor Swift has never said sorry for anything going wrong in her relationships (as if “Back to December” didn’t exist?), because the entirety of it is an apology. Even the best of us mess up when it comes to the people we love – sometimes, the simplest thing that can fix it is saying, “Hey, it’s all me, I’m sorry that I hurt you.”

LSS lyric: “Fighting with a true love is boxing with no gloves; chemistry ’til it blows up, ’til there’s no us. Why’d I have to break what I love so much?”

8 – Daylight

 

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Taylor’s album closers are carefully chosen to leave a lingering, feel-good aftertaste with the listener (“Long Live”, “Begin Again”, “Clean”, “New Year’s Day”) and “Daylight” is no exception. This gentle song features a quote from an essay she wrote for Vogue earlier this year: “Step into the daylight and let it go.”

LSS lyric: “I’ll tell you the truth but never goodbye.”

Have you given this album a spin? Tell us what you think of it below!