New MusicTaylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’ Album Tells the Story of ‘Sleepless Nights’: Song and Lyrics Breakdown

‘Lavender Haze’

“I happened upon the phrase ‘Lavender Haze’ when I was watching Mad Men and I looked it up because I thought it sounded cool, and it turns out that it was a common phrase that was used in the ’50s where they would just describe being in love,” Taylor told fans in an Instagram video. “Like, If you were in the ‘Lavender Haze,’ that meant you were in that all-encompassing love glow, and I thought that was really beautiful.”

She added, “I guess theoretically when you’re in the ‘Lavender Haze,’ you’ll do anything to stay there and not let people bring you down off of that cloud. And I think a lot of people have to deal with this now — not just, like, quote-unquote public figures -— because we live in the era of social media and if the world finds out that you’re in love with somebody, they’re gonna weigh in on it.”

The singer went on to compare the track to her own experiences.

“My relationship for six years, we’ve had to dodge weird rumors, tabloid stuff, and we just ignore it,” Taylor said. “And so this song is sort of about the act of ignoring that stuff to protect the real stuff. I hope you guys like it.”

‘Maroon’

This track appears to be a breakup song with Taylor referencing a past lover, singing, “The rust that grew between telephones / The lips I used to call home / So scarlet, it was maroon.”

‘Anti-Hero’

Taylor referred to this track as one of her “favorite” songs that she’s ever written, noting that it’s a “real guided tour throughout all of the things I tend to hate about myself” in an Instagram video.

“I don’t think I’ve delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before,” the singer added. “I struggle a lot with the idea that my life has become unmanageably sized, and not to sound too dark, I struggle with the idea of not feeling like a person.”

Taylor concluded her explanation of the song, saying, “We all hate things about ourselves, and it’s all of those aspects of the things we dislike and like about ourselves that we have to come to terms with if we’re going to be this person. So I like ‘Anti-Hero’ a lot because I think it’s really honest.”

‘Snow on the Beach’ featuring Lana Del Rey

Taylor told fans that she is a “massive” fan of the “Young and Beautiful” songstress in an Instagram video about the song.

“‘Snow on the Beach’ is about falling in love with someone at the same time as they’re falling in love with you, sort of in this sort of cataclysmic, fated moment where you realize someone feels exactly the same way that you feel … at the same moment,” the songstress said. “Kind of like it would be if you were to see snow falling on a beach.”

‘You’re on Your Own, Kid’

This track appears to be a message from Taylor to her younger self, with her singing about how far her career has come.

‘Midnight Rain’

“He wanted a bride / I was making my own name / Chasing that fame,” she sings on this song, which appears to be about a past relationship that ended after they wanted different things.

‘Question … ?’

Taylor seems to be singing to an ex-lover, asking them questions point blank.

‘Vigilante S–t’

Giving fans Reputation vibes, Taylor kicks off this song singing, “Draw the cat eye sharp enough to kill a man / You did some bad things, but I’m the worst of them.”

“Better Than Revenge” walked so this song could run.

‘Bejeweled’

After leaving a past romance, Taylor makes it clear that she still shines on her own.

‘Labyrinth’

Referencing the cycle of breaking up and making up, Taylor appears to sing candidly about getting over one love and moving on to another.

‘Karma’

“So one of the themes about Midnights is how you’re feeling in the middle of the night and that can be intense self-hatred you go through these very polarizing emotions when you’re up late at night and you’re brain just spirals,” Taylor said of the track during an episode of New Music Daily on Apple Music. “It can spiral downward or it can spiral way up and you can just be really feeling yourself and ‘Karma’ is written from a perspective of feeling like really happy really proud of the way your life is, feeling like this must be a reward for doing stuff right and it’s a song that I really love because I think we all need some of those moments you know we can’t just be beating ourselves up all the time. You have to have these moments where you’re like you know what karma is my boyfriend and that’s it.”

‘Sweet Nothing’

The absolute perfect love song that’s even cowritten by Joe Alwyn.

‘Mastermind’

It appears Taylor is singing about her current romance and how the love came to be because she’s a “mastermind.”

‘The Great War’

Taylor appears to be referring to both an actual and metaphorical war, explaining how she’s gotten through it with a romantic partner by her side.

‘Bigger Than the Whole Sky’

“You were bigger than the whole sky / You were more than just a short time,” Taylor seemingly sings to a past lover, explaining to them that they were more than just a fling.

‘Paris’

As Paris is the city of love, Taylor is referencing a romance that was so full of adoration and good times.

‘High Infidelity’

Fans are convinced that Taylor is referencing a past romance in this song.

‘Glitch’

The classic track about going from friends to lovers.

‘Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve’

Taylor references one of her early albums Speak Now early on in this track.

‘Dear Reader’

Ending the bonus tracks with a sweet message of advice to her listeners.