Friday at midnight, Taylor Swift released single No. 3 from her imminent album Reputation to streaming services everywhere. And by Kanye, she’s got herself a hit.
Whereas lead single “Look What You Made Me Do” polarized the internet with its Jack Antonoff-assisted, Right Said Fred-licensing murder mystery, newbie “Gorgeous” is a home run. It was produced by Swedish pop genius Max Martin after all, and he’s the ultimate fixer when it comes to cranking out big ol’ hooks, writing more top-10 hits than the Beatles, Madonna, or Elvis.
Likewise Swift excels at writing about the anxieties of living in 2017 as a single, 20-something American woman. It’s scary-good observational humor: “You should take it as a compliment, that I’m talking to everyone here but you,” she sings. Then Swift gets Eurocentric and croons about the enduring appeal of “ocean-blue eyes.”
Given the ongoing news, where each day brings new allegations against powerful jerks using their status to coerce affection from young women or worse, it’s a needle-scratching moment to hear Swift sing “you should think about the consequence of you touching my hand in the darkened room.” But by the end of the song, she’s inviting this age-appropriate, power-adjacent white man over to meet her cats.
According to People, the song is about Joe Alwyn. According to Twitter, the song is an instant classic.
Taylor Swift did it again. ‘Gorgeous’ is another incredible upgrade we never knew we needed. It’s signature Taylor with a grown-up twist. 😍🙌
— Alex Goldschmidt (@alexandergold) October 20, 2017
“Can you wash the dishes for me”
— k. (@tonklinton) October 20, 2017
First of all, listen to Taylor Swift’s newest single Gorgeous.
Reputation hits the internet on Nov. 10. In the meantime, I’ll be in a sleeping bag outside the Apple Store.
