Anticipation was high for the clock to strike midnight on Oct. 21 for Taylors Swift’s 10th studio album, “Midnights” and eventually at 3:00 a.m. for a “special very chaotic surprise,” promised by Swift to the fans. 

Swift is known for her two-year plan for releasing albums but fans were still shocked to find out about “Midnights,” after her sister albums, “Folklore,” and “Evermore,” were released back in 2020.  

All across the globe, Swifties were preparing themselves until finally in the first track on the album, “Lavender Haze,” they are greeted with the words, “Meet me at midnight” as an invite into the sleepless nights throughout her life that inspired this album.

Many tracks relate to her relationship with Joe Alwyn, her boyfriend of six years, with ‘‘Lavender Haze’’ being about finding comfort in the glow of intimacy. 

Thematically, Swift delves into the idea of relationship expectations and the toll those expectations can take.  “All they keep asking me is if I’m gonna be your bride” clearly resonates with the latter sentiment. But for Swift, being in a relationship is about being present and secure with another person and not letting the outside noise affect it. . 

“I happened upon the phrase ‘lavender haze’ when I was watching ‘Mad Men’- If you were in the lavender haze that meant you were in that all-encompassing love glow. I thought that was really beautiful,” said Swift on Instagram when commenting on her inspiration for the the album’s first track. 

Living half her life in the music industry, Swift has gained many unique experiences that most will never face. Being put on a pedestal constantly for the world to see has made her feel as if she was no longer a person.

Though her fans won’t understand that feeling, everyone has felt the emotions that she is able to capture perfectly. “Anti-Hero” delves into self-perception and individual insecurities. 

“I really don’t think I’ve delved this far into my insecurities in this detail before, I struggle a lot with the idea that my life has become unmanageably sized,” said Swift when describing the meaning behind “Anti-Hero” on her social media. 

The fifth track on any Taylor Swift album is known for being the most hard-hitting, gut-wrenching song on the entire album, and “You’re On Your Own Kid” fits that title perfectly. 

The song covers a wide variety of feelings from wanting to feel seen to being at peace within yourself to craving to feel loved.

 “I gave my blood, sweat, and tears for this. I hosted parties and starved my body.” Swift wrestles with the sacrifices it takes to win those internal  battles we all go through and the acceptance that we must face them alone.  “You can face this, you’re on your own, kid.” 

Reflecting is what “Midnights” is all about. From being taken advantage of in past relationships to taking revenge on people who’ve wronged you, Swift covers a wide variety of her experiences. 

Though most songs are based on darker moments in Swift’s past, she does write about the feeling of falling in love to the comparison of seeing snow on the beach. 

When Swift announced that Lana Del Ray would be collaborating with her on “Snow on the Beach” fans were hoping for a verse. Many were disappointed in the collaboration only including backup vocals. 

“It’s about falling in love with someone at the same time as they’re falling in love with you in this sort of cataclysmic, fated moment, where you realize someone feels exactly the same way that you feel at the same moment. You’re kind of looking around going, ‘Wait, is this real? Is this a dream? Is it really happening?’ Kind of like it would be if you were to see snow falling on a beach,” Swift said on social media.

Planning in advance is what Swift is known for and she reminds us of that in the last song of the album, “Mastermind,” a song that details a diabolical plan to get a guy she meets to fall for her the moment she laid eyes on him. “What if I told you none of it was accidental? And the first night that you saw me nothing was gonna stop me.” 

Swift herself ends the album with a line that describes her the best: “’Cause I’m a mastermind.” 

Though fans had theories on what the “special very chaotic surprise” at 3 AM could have been ranging from another album to tour to a documentary, fans were correct in a way. Everyone can now stream ‘Midnights (3 am Edition)’ with seven extra songs that were 7 extra sleepless nights.