Lover is all about love

Artists complaining about having to do too much to promote a film or an album should take a cue from Taylor Swift. This girl sells records by the millions but she still goes all out to make her every new release a memorable event. Note also that it has now become the fashion to make surprise releases by simply uploading songs on digital platforms and then waiting for sales to happen. But not for Taylor. In spite of her stature, she went through the whole “old school” promo campaign for the Aug. 23 release of her seventh album Lover.

Taylor did live performances in events like the MTV VMAs and the Teen Choice Awards. She did specials for Amazon and the BBC. She guested in several TV shows like Good Morning America and Saturday Night Live. She did press interviews including an entire issue of Vogue devoted to lots of things Taylor. She had listening parties in several places for her fans. She even collaborated with designer Stella McCartney on a special collection inspired by Lover. And many more.

Taylor also made buying the album an event. There are four different de luxe packages of Lover. Depending on which one you buy, these can contain the complete album, audio memos by Taylor, entries from her personal journal, handwritten lyrics, photos, a poster, the complete lyrics of the songs and a blank journal for the buyer. The boxed set comes with a tote bag, a phone stand, postcards and temporary tattoos. 

And these packages have the albums in CD editions. So who says that the CD is out? The CD is very in as far as Taylor is concerned. Also the Korean pop idols like BTS and other big names. You can stream and download Lover but you will not get any of those Taylor Swift goodies without buying the CD copies.  Calling all those laptop makers, car manufacturers, etc. There is no reason why digital platforms cannot exist with the CD. So bring those disc players back.

Now back to Lover. Thanks to Swiftie’s promo binge, Lover is now the biggest selling album of the year and the biggest since Taylor’s own reputation from two years ago. It sold a million copies in China alone, most of them on CDs. Globally, it is expected to hit three million copies on its first week out in the market. Taylor’s tireless campaign and the “old school” promo really worked to the max. But we also have to give credit to this girl who came up with an album that lives up to the hype. It is one grand package of 18 new originals that shows her at her best as a matured artist.

A recent interview quoted Taylor as describing her new album Lover as a “love letter to love in all its maddening, passionate, exciting, enchanting, horrific, tragic, wonderful glory.” And I say it is. From I Forgot That You Existed, the bye-bye song opener down to the bright sounding Daylight that closes the set, Taylor explores love masterfully in all its moods with an assortment of pop sounds in one sleek fully-loaded package. 

Think of the fear and excitement of a summer romance in Cruel Summer, the disillusioned lover of Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince, the broken-hearted of Death by a Thousand Cuts or the imaginary gender-change in The Man and the apologetic lover of the ballad Afterglow. These topics keep company with the funky rhythm of I Think He Knows, the quiet piano accompanied Cornelia Street, the country steeped Soon You’ll Get Better featuring the Dixie Chicks, the R&B slides of False God and the laid-back indie-inspired It’s Nice To Have A Friend.

Stand-outs, of course, are the singles, ME!, Taylor’s collaboration with Brendon Arie of Panic! at the Disco, the LGBT inspirational You Need to Calm Down, and the dreamy country waltz of Lover. All of these were released accompanied by excellent videos so I am really excited to find out which single she will release next and what video will come with it. 

And then there is London Boy which guests stars Idris Elba and James Corden and is about all things Brit. Talks have it that this cut is about or perhaps dedicated to the British actor Joe Alwyn, who Taylor is currently dating. She sings, “They say home is where the heart is/ but that’s not where mine lives… you know, I love a London Boy…” She must really be in love.