It's no longer a "Cruel Summer"

It was Thursday night. It had been a horribly long week, so I had a cup of chamomile tea, went to bed early and started dreaming about a singing penguin only to be startled awake when I remembered that the Queen herself, Ms. Taylor Swift, was finally releasing “Fearless (Taylor’s Version).”

In a dazed stupor, I rushed to grab my phone, desperately trying not to wake my sleeping roommate (which proved much harder than originally thought). After dropping my headphones, almost knocking a book off my bed and smacking my hand really hard on the wall, I finally got the album pulled up on Spotify and pressed shuffle.

For the first few seconds, I thought perhaps I was still dreaming, maybe even ascending to heaven (or Valhalla, if you prefer). It was nostalgic, beautiful and everything that I hoped it would be.

I grew up with Taylor Swift. She was constantly there during car rides to Publix, or when I wanted to impress my friends so I played the “Speak Now” album over and over in my room until I memorized all the lyrics. She’s always been a role model for me as a musician, so the re-release of an album that is so personal for me has been something to look forward to.

It didn’t disappoint. This album, although I’ve already heard most of the songs thousands of times, felt new, exciting. It was like a breath of fresh air or a glass of iced tea on the porch in summer. Lyrics that I related to when I was an acne-ridden freshman in high school brought back the same feelings of falling in love, falling out of love and finding yourself in a world that seems to always be against you.

It was also super exciting to see how much Taylor Swift has grown vocally. Notes that she used to struggle to reach when she was 16 came extremely naturally in these re-recordings — her voice carries more maturity and it’s fun to compare the two albums side by side. Along with that, it’s cool knowing that this is an album that she owns completely.

So, if you haven’t listened to “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” yet, put down this newspaper right now (but make sure to read the rest of it later), and go listen. It’s fun, catchy and will take you back to simpler times.