MOLLY VANDENBERG
Staff Writer
If you haven’t been living under a rock or, at the very least, have social media, you have probably heard about Taylor Swift’s new single that dropped Aug. 24 titled “Look What You Made Me Do.”
This is the first single from her upcoming album “Reputation.” The music video was released Aug. 27 at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards.
Prior to the single’s release, Swift deleted everything from her Twitter and Instagram and posted three clips of a slithering snake.
“For all the serpent-themed hype leading up to the launch of the song, Swift’s words lack venom, fangs and smoothness. They have the consistency of wet flour, and their meaning could be converted into a series of impotent hisses without any loss of translational,” said Frank Guan in “Review: Taylor Swift’s New Single ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ Is Dead on Arrival” for Vulture.
An interpolation of “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred is featured in the chorus. While I can admit that it’s catchy and will get stuck in your head, it’s nothing groundbreaking.
“Look What You Made Me Do” attempts to be an angsty address at the way Swift has been perceived in the public light. It’s true that she has been involved with a number of feuds over the years; the most ongoing has been with Kanye West. However, in recent news, it appears that West could not care less about the single, even if it was directed towards him.
It’s important to note that Swift was recently involved in a court case where she accused a radio host of lifting her skirt and grabbing her from behind. The jury ruled in favor of Swift.
“I’m not going to let you or your client make me feel in any way that this is my fault. Here we are years later, and I’m being blamed for the unfortunate events of his life that are the products of his decisions, not mine,” said Swift to the radio host’s attorney.
“Look What You Made Me Do” counteracts that entire statement. People being held accountable for their actions don’t come up with excuses. With everything Swift has been through, you would think she wouldn’t go there. But, she did.
“[The single] surrenders agency, rather than reclaiming it. It relinquishes control. It shirks responsibility. It victim-blames,” said Heidi Stevens in, “Taylor Swift’s New Song Sounds An Awful Lot Like Victim Blaming,” for the Chicago Tribune.
At the end of the day, I can admit I was a fan of Swift’s first album, which was self-titled and came out in 2006. That album was the most honest work she has ever released to date. There was nothing overly produced about “Tim McGraw” or “Our Song.”
As Swift’s career began to really take off, I think she lost a lot of what made people fall in love with her in the first place. Everything started to become more about the money and not actual artistry.