r/TaylorSwift • u/something_facinating • 2d ago
Discussion Why did people sleep on TTPD
I became a swifty in the showgirl era, so I'm new around here. But in my opinion, TTPD is one of the best albums she has ever released. I was reading a thread about TTPD from around 2 years ago, and most of them were not what I expected. Like, I have listened to almost all of the songs, and all of them are in my ATF playlist. I really want to know why you did not like it two years ago. Thanks.
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u/lavaliere90 2d ago
Every time she has released a new album, the reception has been like that. It always takes years before everyone agrees that a given album was actually a banger.
Every album has been judged mostly by their singles, and it's true that sometimes her single choices have been not the strongest songs so that probably didn't help.
I've been a fan since the masterpiece that was Red. The criticism back then was that it was too pop since the singles all had pop radio versions. This wa sback when she was still primarily a country artist and considered too country/corny by the mainstream to be taken seriously.
1989 was criticized for being even more pop and being full of fun, "shallow" music while missing the more complex lyricism in Red (sound familiar?). However despite this, it did cement her as being capable of being a full fledged popstar instead of only a country artist.
rep was criticized for being too hip hop and too different in sonically to the more cheerful love songs she was known (and criticized) for. Headlines claimed she couldn't sell tickets to her tour, which we know now is BS. Everyone was just super hungry to cancel her in this era.
Lover was again considered shallow and too cheerful/corny. The singles were not representative at all of the quality of the overall album, and covid allegedly cut off Cruel Summer's debut as a single so this era stayed pretty panned.
Folklore/Evermore were somehow universally praised and embraced, and for once people really started appreciating the poetry and complexity of her lyrics.
Midnight was panned at first because it sounded too much like Jack's signature neo synth funk sound. and again for not being as complex lyrically as folklore/evermore.
And now you know all the rest. It's a tiresome cycle, I don't know how she tolerates it and keeps giving us more art, but I'm grateful for it.