By Kendyl Brower
There’s no denying that Taylor Swift is a romantic. No matter the genre, her eclectic discography seems to always circle back to beautiful ballads of intimacy. From the appropriately named album, Lover, to countless romantic songs with obvious themes (I am looking at you, “Love Story”), Swift clearly adores writing about newfound, passionate, or even unrequited love. Yet, the closer of Reputation, “New Year’s Day,” pull the heartstrings even more than her usual love songs, evoking tears in my eyes every listen. The lyrics are poetry, an ode to her partner, and simply put, art.
Verse 1:
There’s glitter on the floor after the party
Girls carrying their shoes down in the lobby
Candle wax and Polaroids on the hardwood floor
You and me from the night before, but
Swift promptly sets the scene: a messy house post-celebration, complete with all the lingering decorations. Here, she begins the major motif of a New Years’ Party representing some sort of magical love juxtaposed with the messy remains after the festivities, the realities of romance. The polaroids on the ground may be a nod to the end of her preceding 1989 album era, which consisted of a polaroid picture album cover and included lyrics regarding them on track 4, “Out Of The Woods.”
Chorus:
Don’t read the last page
But I stay when you’re lost and I’m scared and you’re turning away
I want your midnights
But I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year’s Day
T.S. often describes her relationships as tales, with the most evident signs being her songs titled “long story short,” “Love Story” and “The Story of Us.” On “NYD,” she advises her partner to “not read the last page,” focusing on their current love rather than worrying about how their story might end. Spoiler Alert! Swift reveals how the book ends anyways–she sticks with her lover through trying times despite feelings of loss or insecurity.
Rounding out the chorus for the big finish, Swift notes that she wants the midnights of New Year’s, the big kiss at 12, the magical fairytale moments with her partner. However, in the titular lyric, she will equally love the mundane, the difficult, the tedious, the “cleaning up bottles on New Year’s Day” of her relationship. Tidying up is a realistic, loving gesture, and if cleaning doesn’t say “I love you,” I am not sure what does.
On “NYD,” Swift highlights the importance of loyalty in love, which contributes to the larger theme of the album–friends will come and enjoy the highs of life but true companions stick around even after the glitz and glam disappear. In 2017, it felt as if the entire world hated Taylor “snake” Swift after the infamous Kanye West phone scandal, unsavory press, and #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty trending on Twitter for weeks. Swift’s reputation was shattered. The album Reputation, named accordingly, recognizes the real people in her life who continued to support her despite the end of her role as America’s sweetheart. These friends are helping to clean up her messy reputation, just like picking up the bottles on New Year’s Day.
Verse 2:
You squeeze my hand three times in the back of the taxi
I can tell that it’s gonna be a long road
I’ll be there if you’re the toast of the town, babe
Or if you strike out and you’re crawling home
And here comes one of my favorite lyrics of all time: “you squeeze my hand three times in the back of a taxi.” Subtly, Swift alludes to her lover saying “I love you” via the three complementary hand squeezes. The “long road” symbolizes the long-lasting course of the relationship. Then, in a vow-like fashion, T.S. assures her partner that she will stick with him in sickness and in health.
Chorus:
Don’t read the last page
But I stay when you’re lost and I’m scared and you’re turning away
I want your midnights
But I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year’s Day
Post Chorus:
Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you
Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you
Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you
And I will hold on to you
Taylor Swift tells her partner to just “hold on.” T.S.’s anaphora emphasizes her rational fear of friends leaving in times of hardship, and her wishes for her partner to reciprocate loyalty. She assures her lover to stick through the messiness, perhaps by reflecting on all their wonderful times together. Throughout the song, Taylor repeatedly refers to holding or losing valuables. From the partygoing girls losing their heels in verse 1 to holding hands in the back of the taxi in verse 2, the use of “holding/losing” adds to the theme of devotion throughout “NYD.”
Bridge:
Please don’t ever become a stranger
Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere
Please don’t ever become a stranger
Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere
Using an oxymoron–a recognizable stranger–Taylor admits her worries about still knowing, loving, and caring about someone, but losing them anyway. Again, we see the holding/losing pattern.
Verse 3:
There’s glitter on the floor after the party
Girls carrying their shoes down in the lobby
Candle wax and Polaroids on the hardwood floor
You and me forevermore
Repeating her first verse, Taylor calls back to the aftermath of the party but with a different ending. Unlike the “You and me from the night before” from verse 1, which alludes to the enchanting New Year’s Eve party, Swift declares her relationship “forevermore,” lasting far beyond the celebration, into the realities of life, and beyond.
Chorus:
Don’t read the last page
But I stay when it’s hard or it’s wrong or we’re making mistakes
I want your midnights
But I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year’s Day
Post Chorus:
Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you
Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you
Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you
And I will hold on to you
Outro:
Please don’t ever become a stranger
(To the memories, they will hold on to you)
Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere
(Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you)
Please don’t ever become a stranger
(Hold on to the memories, they will hold on to you)
Whose laugh I could recognize anywhere
(I will hold on to you)
Combining her bridge and post chorus, Taylor sings a beautiful outro, which of course concludes the track with “I will hold on to you.” Throughout Reputation, the highly produced, danceable music mirrors the chaos and excitement of dating a celebrity, the New Year’s Eve party. But, on New Year’s Day and correspondingly, the end of the tracklist, we are given an authentic, low production ballad– the beautifully down-to-earth reality. Using an intelligent extended metaphor, Taylor Swift’s “New Year’s Day” captures commitment, love, and the realisticness of relationships in a 3 minute and 55-second melodic masterpiece.