Hello, hi, it me.

         Does anyone remember the last album review I did? Because it was Taylor Swift's Reputation. That's how inactive I've been. How embarrassing.

         Anyway, for the first time ever, I'm about to do a re-review. What's a re-review, you ask? Pretty self-explanatory but I'll spell it out for you anyway. A re-review is where I review an album I have already reviewed. I've never done this before because my thoughts usually don't change for an entire album so drastically.

         In the past, I've been pretty frank about how sometimes I'll dislike a track or two but it'll grow on me in a few listens. With Reputation I disliked almost every song, but like I knew they would, my thoughts on almost every track have changed. So I'm going to revisit the album without reading my first review. If you want to see the comparison, feel free to jump back and forth between the two reviews – they're right next to each other in the chapter/part list. But if you want to see a comparison without jumping back and forth, I will list my first rating and then my new one; you just won't get any comments with it.

         So without further adieu, here is my first re-review, brought to you by the coffee and large McDonald's Dr. Pepper I just drank.

01: READY FOR IT...?

Without looking at my first review, I still remember liking this song enough to give it a higher rating. I still like it now, but as it was one of the first released, it's one of the first I've grown tired of hearing. It isn't in my playlists anymore and I usually skip it if it comes on shuffle somehow, but like. I still like it. I know it's a strong and interesting song. I haven't given it a listen in a while, but even with the distance I'm still itching to skip it. So I wonder...is it actually as strong as I thought it was? Maybe I just haven't taken enough time away from it. Let's move on. Favorite lyric: "I forget their names now / I'm so very tame now / never be the same now"

OLD RATING: 9/10       NEW RATING: 8.5/10

02: END GAME feat. Ed Sheeran, Future

I've been looking forward to re-reviewing this one most, because it's one of the songs I viscerally liked the least initially. One thing that remains the same is that I think my favorite verse is still Ed's. I just like the way his voice sounds with this song, and the lyrics are some of the strongest there. Another thing that remains the same is that I still don't like Future's verse. At all. But on to the interesting parts: I am no longer physically repulsed by the "big reputations, ooh you and me we got big reputations" chant. I've managed to reach a point where I am able to no longer picture Taylor singing that part, which makes it not only more tolerable but also sort of fun. I also don't hate her verse anymore where she sort-of-raps. While I like Ed's verse more, hers is most fun to sing. I knew this one would be a single, so I'm glad I transcended the hateful place I was in when I first heard this song and was able to enjoy it purely at surface-level, which I believe is how it's meant to be enjoyed. Favorite lyric: "And you understand the good and bad end up in the song"

OLD RATING: 5.5/10       NEW RATING: 9/10

03: I DID SOMETHING BAD

                  There was something about this song that I swear I remember almost being offended by. I'm not sure what that thing was anymore, but I've definitely grown to appreciate this one. It's a surprisingly fun roadtrip song to jam to, especially at night when no one else can see you singing in your car. I'm a big fan of most of the lyrics – they're insightful as far as Taylor's actual reputation is concerned, and even though the chorus is repetitive, it's nice enough. I still don't think the "they're burning all the witches even if you aren't one" part was a good move for the bridge. First of all it's just not tasteful, and second of all, like...they don't even sound like they fit? Tune-wise? I genuinely believe Taylor herself wanted those included so badly that no matter who told her they literally do not belong in that part of the song, she was like *shrug emoji* too bad. Anyway. I also still hate the fox noise. It's gotta go. Is it too late to re-release it, Taylor? Please. Favorite lyrics: "This is how the world works / you gotta leave before you get left"

OLD RATING: 6.5/10      NEW RATING: 9/10

04: DON'T BLAME ME

                   This is one of the first songs from the album outside the tracks I had already heard that I liked. I won't have much to say here because mostly my feelings haven't changed. It still sounds like a 50 Shades soundtrack reject, is still sonically a lot stronger than most of the songs, etc. Despite liking it, I've come to find it a little boring if I'm being honest. It was one of the first to be removed from my playlists. Favorite lyrics: "I once was poison ivy but now I'm your daisy"

OLD RATING: 8.5/10      NEW RATING: 8/10

05: DELICATE

                  Alright. Like "End Game", this is a track where almost all of my feelings have changed. I remember that originally one of my biggest criticisms was that it was super boring, but y'all. I've done you a mistake. This is now, in my opinion, one of the strongest songs on the entire album. Her voice is super pleasant during the verses – like, shockingly pleasant – and even though "isn't it" is the strangest thing to repeat in a chorus, it works? I love the simplistic "'Cause I like you" background echo, I love the use of modern words like "chill" paired with slightly more old-school words like "delicate" (yes, I know people still use that word, but come on – tell me it's as common as something like 'soft' instead). I never expected it to be a single, but I understand now. I get it. Here is my public apology for sleeping on "Delicate", she deserved better. Favorite lyrics: "Handsome, you're a mansion with a view"

OLD RATING: 6/10      NEW RATING: 10/10

06: LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO

                  Do you guys ever just re-watch this music video because you live for drama and love being petty, even if you're doing it vicariously through someone else? Me too. Seriously though, this music video is potentially one of my favorite music videos I've ever seen (nobody is more surprised about this as I am). But moving on, my thoughts haven't changed much here either. I think by the time I reviewed this for the first time I had already come to like it even though my first listen was...it was an experience. I still like it. I think I'd rather listen to this one than "Ready For It...?" which is not how I felt during the first review, I think. So. P.S. I've named my Taylor Swift Spotify playlist "oh, 'cause she's dead!" and I have no regrets. Favorite lyrics: "Honey I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time"

OLD RATING: 8.5/10      NEW RATING: 9/10

07: SO IT GOES...

                  Here's the thing with this song: I still think it's annoyingly boring in a way, but another part of me also really loves it now? Like "Don't Blame Me" I think this one also sounds like a 50 Shades soundtrack reject song, and like, please know that both times I've said this it isn't an insult. I've only seen one 50 Shades movie, but the soundtracks are all generally so good? I don't understand why artists give their talents to this franchise, but they do, and so the soundtracks are bomb. Anyway, I know that the main reason I enjoy this song more now is this particular part: "Come here, dressed in black now / Scratches down your back now". I love the tune there, and I especially like it the second time it occurs because it's layered with her higher octave, and I swear it kind of gives me chills sometimes. Singlehandedly the thing that made me add it to a playlist. That part is also my favorite lyrics, so I'm going to skip that.

OLD RATING: 5/10      NEW RATING: 8.5/10

08: GORGEOUS

                  Y'all, I loved this one originally and I still love it now. It's super fun, super catchy, super cute. My feelings haven't changed even a little. It's still in a few playlists. I still hate the baby voice at the beginning. Favorite lyrics: "I feel like I might / sink and drown and die"

OLD RATING: 9.5/10      NEW RATING: 10/10

09: GETAWAY CAR

                  If you were curious, this is still my favorite song on the album. It's really hard to beat considering the main reason I adore it is due to the Jack Antonoff influences, like. I'm a slut for basically everything that man does musically. And I know he produced more than just this track, but I especially hear him here, and man. I don't know. It's like with "Out of the Woods" from 1989. That's hands down my favorite track from that album, and it's all because of Jack Antonoff. But yeah, so, nothing's changed here. It's still my favorite. Favorite lyrics: "In shades of gray and candlelight / I wanted to leave him / I needed a reason"

OLD RATING: 10/10      NEW RATING: 10/10

10: KING OF MY HEART

                  I actually can't wait to look back at my first review of this song, because I can't remember at all how I felt about it. But I do know that now I'm a big fan. It still kind of sounds like three songs in one (the verses sound like one, then the pre-chorus, then the chorus), and the production is a little wild, but like. She's the crazy friend who's always a little drunk, you know? We all have one of those. You love that friend in a special way. That's what loving this song is like. There's also something I really love about using "all at once" rather than "suddenly", which is a more common way to phrase it. It makes "all at once" super effective for some reason. I'm into it. Favorite lyrics: "And all at once you're all I want"

OLD RATING: 8.5/10      NEW RATING: 10/10

11: DANCING WITH OUR HANDS TIED

                  For the most part, my feelings haven't changed here either. I'm a huge fan of the verses and the pre-chorus. I love the amount of the lyrics, love the content itself, and then...the chorus. I still feel like she missed a great opportunity there for a killer track. As it is now, it's fine. But I never got to a point where I wanted it in my playlists, like I'm that disappointed by the lackluster chorus. I just wanted more than what she gave. But I've learned I'm mostly alone in this opinion, so if you love this track, know that I'm jealous I can't get to that point as well. Favorite lyrics: "I'm a mess but I'm the mess that you wanted"

OLD RATING: 7.5/10      NEW RATING: 7.5/10

12: DRESS

                  I remember being told this was one of the better songs on the album before my first listen, and then I remember being extremely disappointed upon finally hearing it myself. But since then I've formed a very specific relationship with this song, and it's one of my favorites now. Without going into many details, I think a fairly general consensus here is that it's relatable and her falsetto in the chorus is lovely. I will admit that the falsetto took me a while to enjoy, but I got there eventually. Part of me wishes she either sang it down the octave or just belted it, but the other part of me has come to terms with the way it is. I'd say that's my only complaint, and it's not even a huge one. Anyway. Favorite lyrics: "All of this silence and waiting / pining and desperately waiting / my hands are shaking from holding back from you"

OLD RATING: 8/10      NEW RATING: 10/10

13: THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS

                   Guys, I truly love this song. It gets funnier every time I listen to it, and I think petty!Taylor is my favorite Taylor. She does fun vocal things, revisits modern lingo a la "Gorgeous" a few times, and really just Goes There. I love it. I really do. I think I loved it the first time too, so sorry if you expected a different opinion this time around. Favorite lyrics: "And there are no rules when you show up here / bass beat rattling the chandelier / feeling so Gatsby for that whole year"

OLD RATING: 10/10       NEW RATING: 10/10

14: CALL IT WHAT YOU WANT

                  So...here's the thing. If this song comes on my Taylor Swift playlist shuffle, I won't skip it. But know that it's still not in any of my other playlists and I still don't really love it. It's underwhelming and I still think her voice in the chorus is annoying and nasally on purpose, and like. Why did she record it like that? I don't get it. I don't want to sit here and hate on this song though because I know a lot of people like it, so just know that probably all of my initial feelings still stand and I'm sorry. I wish I loved it, but I don't. Favorite lyrics: "All my flowers grew back as thorns / windows boarded up after the storm"

OLD RATING: 8/10      NEW RATING: 6.5/10

15: NEW YEAR'S DAY

                  I'm about to make another public apology: I'm sorry for sleeping on "New Year's Day", she deserved better even more than "Delicate" did. I called this a Red bonus track reject previously, but I think in actuality it would never belong on Red. There's a different maturity here that isn't always present in Red (don't get me wrong – Red is absolutely my favorite Taylor album, one of my favorite albums ever actually, and I still firmly believe Reputation as a whole doesn't hold a candle to it), and a certain sadness that wasn't always there either. It's hard to explain, but I'm sure most of you understand. One of my friends straight up sobbed upon hearing this song for the first time, and though I'll never have that kind of reaction to it, I get it. It's a definitely a much nicer song than I gave it credit for. A great album closer. Favorite lyrics: "Please don't ever become a stranger whose laugh I could recognize anywhere"

OLD RATING: 7.5/10      NEW RATING: 9.5/10

         And there you have it. My very first re-review ever. It's now nearly three in the morning and I have no regrets, because I always meant to get this out to you. It's been a little over five months since Reputation was first released, and I think that's a lot of time to sit on an album and grow an appreciation for it.

         Have any of your opinions changed on these songs? I'm wondering if it was just me or if this is a pretty universal reaction to the album.

         Anyway, thanks for reading if you did and see you soon with something or another. x