“Lover” is Taylor Swift’s latest and it’s a case of what you see is what you get: a woman in the throes of love and passion, a topic that’s been put to song since the dawn of popular music.
Sometimes there is magic and sometimes a song just falls flat. In this case, it’s the former: In its first week of release, “Lover” became the best-selling album of 2019.
Whether it’s her three year relationship with British actor Joe Alwyn or other parts of her life that inspired her to write “Lovers” 18 songs, she sure sounds like a woman in love. This is a “slow” song: romantic, subdued, intimate.
Have I known you twenty seconds or twenty years?
Can I go where you go?
Can we always be this close forever and ever?
…I’m highly suspicious that everyone who sees you wants you
I’ve loved you three summers now, honey, but I want ’em all
Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand?
With every guitar string scar on my hand
I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover
… at every table, I’ll save you a seat, lover
Swift’s writing frequently reflects her personal life, including former lovers, which is a whole other vibe than this: here she sounds sweet and soft and tender.
Swift’s coming off two hit singles from the new collection and now the title song is catching fire with the super-star’s worldwide fan base. “Lover” is #18 on Top 40 and #25 on Adult Top 40.
Rewind to 1961 (more than 30 years before Swift was even born) singer Ketty Lester covered a 40’s tune, “Love Letters,” and delivered a soulful performance that was also laced with passion and romance: The sound of a woman in love.