[Summer Special Day 31] FINALE: I will never be the same after this 2018 album...

Hi! Welcome to the final post of July and the finale of my summer special! (Wow, this series went by quickly.) Thank you all so much for... wait, this can't be right. Nearly 20k views?! This series was to commemorate 13k, which means just the summer special alone got more pageviews than my entire first year of blogging. So, to close out the series, since I started with an album review, I'm gonna end with an album review. It's my 22nd full-length album review, and it's another "older" album.

If there's one artist I adore and I feel like I haven't shown enough love to on this blog, it's Camila Cabello. You all saw my review of C,XOXO and know how I feel about the different direction Camila went in last year, but to be quite honest, when I look at Camila's entire discography, overall she's one of my favorite artists. My opinion on her from 2018 to 2022 was essentially like how I feel about Taylor or Olivia now. Her self-titled debut album has been one of my favorites since 2018, Romance is a masterful exploration of love of all kinds that I would be super interested in reviewing in the future, and Familia returns to her Latin roots in a fantastic way. Unfortunately, in the time that I was blogging, the only new music she put out was C,XOXO, which... wasn't... bad? And there were a lot of great songs on it, but the hyperpop shift felt very "trying to fit in with the trends" and not exactly authentic to her. I could be completely wrong however.

Now, let's get into my review of Camila Cabello's debut album, Camila!

1. Never Be The Same

My rating: 5/5 Great

And we start with one of the signature hits from the album. This right here is a great opening track. It's got lyrics about falling in love and going insane, which is a concept I tend to like whenever I see. And the production sets up the rest of the album, being mostly synth-pop with some Latin elements. Honestly, both musically and lyrically, this song reminds me a lot of Gorgeous by Taylor Swift (aka my favorite song on Reputation) which makes sense since they were popular around the same time. I'm not even sure which one I prefer. I might like Gorgeous ever so slightly better, but this isn't even my favorite song on this album. It's amazing though.

 

2. All These Years

My rating: 5/5 Great

And now we get our first ballad, and an immediate shift in mood. One thing I love about this album is that it doesn't have much of a defined genre, but it still flows well together. Most of the production here is a simple guitar line but it sounds really good. The vocals and melodies in this song are a strong point for this album overall, and the lyrics about missing someone even when seeing them are super relatable and well-written. So far so good.

3. She Loves Control

My rating: 5/5 Great

Wow, another great song! If I'm being 100% honest, I think this is my "least favorite" song on the entire album, but that's saying nothing because this album is amazing from start to finish. This song is very reggaeton-infused Latin synth pop and it's quite fun. The lyrics are about someone (possibly Camila from 3rd person) who is strong and independent and does things her way. It's my least listened song on the album, but it's far from a skip. Wow, this album gets better every time.

 

4. Havana (with Young Thug)

My rating: 5/5 Great

And now... this song. Crying In The Club, Camila's debut single, was originally intended to be the lead single for this album, but this song became so successful that CITC ended up getting completely cut from the album, which is really saying something about how inescapable this song was in 2017-18. No, overplay didn't ruin it. In fact, I wish it was still getting played more often as a recurrent. I think it's cool how this song is simultaneously an "in love with a dangerous person" song and a heartfelt tribute to her heritage, and Young Thug's verse is surprisingly really good. But the coolest thing in this song is the production. That piano is gorgeous, and there are so many layers and not one feels unnecessary... other than mayyyyyybe the one faint background sound that sounds like someone trying to hold in a sneeze? Am I the only one who hears that? Anyway, a standout track that was one of my favorite hits of the 2010s decade.

 

5. Inside Out

My rating: 5/5 Great

Track 5 arrives, and it's a (surprise-not-surprise) 5/5. This is another song with a really cool piano line and gorgeous production. This song has a lot of parallels to other songs - the production and lyrics suggest a connection to Havana, and also My Oh My, the later Romance track that's almost definitely about the same person as Havana, is referenced in verse 2 (sky high, sky high, oh my oh my oh my my). For some reason I've always loved the line "now I can't see you without me". I feel like this album has such a nice story line. It's been mostly love songs so far... is that about to change?

 

6. Consequences

My rating: 5/5 Great

Well, now here's one of the saddest songs on the album. Really the only production is the absolutely incredible vocals and the reflective and hard-hitting piano line. The lyrics are super well-written, and again, these vocals... wow. I love the twists between each chorus, from "Loving you was young and wild and free / Loving you was cool and hot and sweet / Loving you was sunshine, safe and sound / A steady place to let down my defenses" to "Loving you was dumb and dark and cheap / Loving you will still take shots at me / Loving you was sunshine but then it poured / And I lost SO MUCH MORE THAN MY SENSES". Another gorgeous song.

7. Real Friends

My rating: 5/5 Great

And now for the most personally relatable song on the album. This song reminds me of what is now one of my top 10 favorite songs of all time, Lyn Lapid's In My Mind, and while I don't love this song as much, it's really good. This song has moderately strange production, which I'm a fan of. It's based around a guitar that cuts in and out, and some whistling synth effects. And the lyrics are a highlight on this album. I've always loved this concept of wanting real friends but not being able to find them, which I feel like isn't sung about enough (more often than not, it's songs that are explicitly about wanting a lover) but this might just be one of the most well-written songs on this whole record. I love it.

 

8. Something's Gotta Give

My rating: 5/5 Great

And now... for the most hard-hitting song on Camila by Camila Cabello, and what may just be my favorite song on the album looking back. It's another piano ballad, with powerful synths & beats that build up as it goes on. This song is about, once again, a really relatable concept about being in a relationship of some sort (doesn't necessarily only apply to romance, can be interpreted as about friendship or even a conflicting family relationship) where something just has to change but the one she loves just won't get better, and she's feeling really hurt. It's simple and straightforward, and right to the point while giving a ton of emotional depth. The more I listen to this album, the more I realize that Camila is a bit of a lyrical genius. "Know you're lying when you're lying next to me" and "no reason to stay is a good reason to go" might be my two favorite lines on the whole album. You know what? I've made up my mind. Surprise not surprise, Something's Gotta Give is my second-favorite Camila Cabello song after First Man.

 

9. In The Dark

My rating: 5/5 Great

Alright, we just got my favorite song on the album, and now we have the strangest song on the album. The song lives up to its title, with the production being very dark and uncertain-sounding, a bit like NBTS but less bass-heavy. The lyrics are really well-written, and I love that it's inspired by encountering someone at her show who was literally in the dark. I will admit that I misheard one of the lyrics for a long time - the real line is "you can strip down without showing skin" and I thought for a long time it was "you can sit down without your own skin", which is kinda funny. Not much else to say here, it's a cool song.

10. Into It

My rating: 5/5 Great

And we finish with a song that's conceptually a bit like Never Be The Same. (No, I'm not including the remixes of Never Be The Same or Havana in my review, but surprise not surprise, they would not affect the album's score at all if they were included.) I feel like the vocals and melody are a strong point as per usual. The lyrics are... well, a lot more sexual than any other song on this album, but it's honestly pretty subtle, unlike C,XOXO. The lyrics are quite clever actually. All I can say for this is... I'm into it.

 

Conclusion

Overall album score: 100% (Fantastic Album)

Wow. This album will forever have a special place in my heart, and now I've reviewed it and it becomes my second 100%-rated album, tying Guts for my all-time favorite album.

Favorite song: Something's Gotta Give (and everything else of course)

"Least favorite" song: She Loves Control (even though I still adore this song)

...

...

...and just like that, my longest blog series to date has concluded. Thank you so much for reading my blog, I can't believe I've already gotten to nearly 20,000 views, please remember to submit to Bubby's Summertime Showdown event, and, well, that's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

[Summer Special Day 30] It's been a long time coming... Hits 1 Weekend Countdown 7/26/25

Hi! Welcome to the penultimate post of the summer special, and as the series comes to its close, we have a bit of a throwback... I'm doing my first countdown review post in almost half a year! No, this will not become a regular series again (I will have a new biweekly series soon however), but this is to catch you up on how I feel about the current Hits 1 scene. Yes, I will be reviewing every song on the countdown in today's post. Overall, I think the music is pretty good right now... let's get into it.

Exits:

Tate McRae - Just Keep Watching

Jonas Brothers - Love Me To Heaven

Miley Cyrus - End Of The World

#30: Olivia Dean - Nice To Each Other

#29: AJR - Betty

#28: Blackpink - Jump

#27: Justin Bieber - Daisies

#26: Huntr/X - Golden

#25: Jessie Murph - Blue Strips

#24: Sombr - Back To Friends

#23: Audrey Hobert - Sue Me

#22: Morgan Wallen & Tate McRae - What I Want

#21: Charli XCX - Party 4 U

#20: Alex Warren & Rose - On My Mind

#19: Mgk - Cliche

#18: Alessi Rose - Same Mouth

#17: Lewis Capaldi - Survive

#16: Tate McRae - Revolving Door

#15: Maroon 5 & Lisa - Priceless

#14: Miley Cyrus - Easy Lover

#13: Benson Boone - Sorry I'm Here For Someone Else

#12: Sabrina Carpenter - Busy Woman

#11: Myles Smith - Nice To Meet You

#10: Jonas Brothers - No Time To Talk

#9: Sombr - Undressed

#8: Ed Sheeran - Azizam

#7: Ariana Grande - Twilight Zone

#6: Benson Boone - Mystical Magical

#5: Ravyn Lenae - Love Me Not

#4: Alex Warren - Ordinary

#3: Rose - Messy

#2: Role Model - Sally When The Wine Runs Out

#1: Sabrina Carpenter - Manchild

Tate McRae's Just Keep Watching & Jonas Brothers' Love Me To Heaven left this week and will not be missed. Miley Cyrus' End Of The World also left and had a good run here but deserved to be a bigger hit outside of Hits 1.

I was pleasantly surprised by Olivia Dean's first appearance on Hits 1 with Nice To Each Other. Of course, none of the many many Olivias will ever come close to the Olivia...

Bubby said in their countdown review that they like every song called Betty. I'm the opposite, with even Taylor Swift's song of the same name being among her very weakest. Betty from AJR is just way too overproduced and I don't like the vocal effects.

Jump is one of the better non-solo Blackpink songs I've heard. Of the genres that I've just kinda come to like this year, k-pop is among them.

Justin Bieber's long-awaited comeback Daisies is getting too much hate. I quite like it, particularly the production.

Huntr/X is a rare appearance of a fictional band getting radio success. Golden is one of my favorite songs from the pretty stacked Kpop Demon Hunters soundtrack.

Jessie Murph's Blue Strips continues the noticeable trend of "country-rap" in the past few years that may have arisen due to Beyonce's album, and so far no one has matched up to her in my opinion.

Hits 1 finally picked up on my second-favorite Sombr song, Back To Friends. I wish We Never Dated would get more traction, but I'll gladly take this.

Gracie Abrams' friend & cowriter Audrey Hobert might be one of the new contenders for artists who might have Chappell Roan moments. Sue Me has the potential to become one of the biggest songs of the year. I'd love it if Bowling Alley could become just as, if not more, successful.

Wow, Morgan Wallen & Tate McRae. Riveting collab there. But actually... What I Want isn't that bad? It's honestly a lot better than I expected from these two artists.

Party 4 U, a Charli XCX song from five years ago that is becoming viral for whatever reason, is my second-least favorite song currently in the top 30. I genuinely do not get the appeal in songs that are this repetitive.

On a better note, On My Mind, a surprise-not-surprise amazing collab between Alex Warren & Rose, is my second-favorite song in the top 30. This doesn't even play that much on Hits 1 but it just so happens to be playing every time I turn it on lately, and with every listen I like it more.

The idea of a song called Cliche is hilarious to me, but Mgk actually does it quite well.

Same Mouth is giving major Fearless-era Taylor Swift vibes, and I am here for it. Alessi Rose should be one of the big new artists of the year.

"Until the day that I die, I swear to God I'll survive" - Lewis Capaldi, 2025. This former AT song has faded on me slightly just because I can't unhear that.

Revolving Door is (unfortunately) my favorite Tate McRae song since Run For The Hills, as I've been underwhelmed by her recent music. This song is nowhere near Run For The Hills or You Broke Me First, but it's pretty good and has only grown on me. Also, am I the only one who hears a Wii sound effect playing multiple times in the intro, first verse, and outro?

I like the sound of Priceless from Maroon 5 & Lisa. It's not a song I listen to often, but I enjoy it whenever I do. This could debut AT soon.

Easy Lover is no End Of The World, but it's a nice Miley Cyrus song. The melody here reminds me a lot of Million Dollar Baby by Ava Max, but I really like that song so I don't mind.

You all know my opinion on Sorry I'm Here For Someone Else. Benson Boone has yet to make a song I don't like.

...and speaking of yet to have a song I don't like, Sabrina Carpenter had yet to do so until Busy Woman. I kinda liked it on first listen, but unfortunately when I listened to the lyrics I realized just how annoying it is. It's not my least favorite Sabrina song now though.

Nice To Meet You by Myles Smith suffers from an unfortunate combination of distracting vocal effects and a production style that blends in with everything else on Hits 1.

The Jonas Brothers' No Time To Talk has one of the weirdest samples I've ever heard, using Staying Alive in a way that I wasn't even sure whether it was a sample or not at first listen.

I've been moderately conflicted about Undressed, as Sombr has far better songs, but right now I've been really liking it.

Azizam is my least favorite Ed Sheeran single in a while, but it's still pretty good, particularly production-wise.

Twilight Zone feels like a strange single choice from Ariana Grande's deluxe album when Dandelion was right there.

"MOONBEAM ICECREAM" - Benson Boone, 2025. Yeah, Mystical Magical is one of my favorite songs charting right now, and I want it to hit #1. Unfortunately this song has a pretty avid crowd of haters.

Some of you might be surprised to find out what my least favorite song on Hits 1 is right now, because from a distance it seems like a song I would like. Unfortunately, due to pretty grating vocal effects, repetitive lyrics, and a clunky, discordant melody, Ravyn Lenae's Love Me Not ultimately feels like a song I'd create in a dream, which is not exactly a compliment. As it enters the top 5 and is performing very well everywhere right now, I fear this will be our next #1.

Alex Warren's Ordinary has faded on me quite a bit.

And now for my favorite song on Hits 1 right now... Rose has had quite a few songs that I've been a fan of, but Messy takes the cake for my favorite. If this technically counts as k-pop, this may just be my all-time favorite k-pop song. The lyrics have a surprising amount of emotional depth, and the production reminds me a bit of Taylor Swift's Reputation non-singles like Dancing With Our Hands Tied or This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things but honestly a bit better produced than those. I wish this could get to #1 soon.

Sally When The Wine Runs Out by rising star and Laufey collaborator Role Model would be green-tier if it weren't for the bridge. I'm moderately surprised Hits 1 didn't pick up on Role Model & Laufey's The Longest Goodbye, and I'm starting to think Laufey may only get one Hits 1 song.

*sigh* And our #1 is Sabrina Carpenter's Manchild, aka my least favorite Sabrina song I've heard. I don't know why, but this song just really doesn't hit for me. The lyrics seem moderately clunky and the production & melody don't really capture me... but it's not a bad song. I like the folk-infused bridge, and some of it is kinda funny. But I do hope we get a new #1 song soon.

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

[Summer Special Day 29] Finally revealing my 13 favorite Taylor Swift songs

Hi! Welcome to the third-to-last post in the summer special! (This is also my 82nd post of the year, which is notable because that means I've now posted twice as much as last year already.) So, earlier in the series, I shared my 13 least favorite Taylor Swift songs. Well now it's time to look at my favorites. These likely won't come as a surprise to anyone.

Honorable mentions - songs that were once in my top 13 but faded on me:

The Other Side Of The Door

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived

Timeless

Tolerate It

#13: Begin Again

#12: Forever Winter

#11: Death By A Thousand Cuts

#10: Clean

#9: Last Kiss

#8: Closure

#7: The Way I Loved You

#6: Right Where You Left Me

#5: Epiphany

#4: The Best Day

#3: Enchanted

#2: Happiness

#1: All Too Well (both versions)

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

[Summer Special Day 28] Laufey's A Matter Of Time tracklist reveal + my predictions

Hi! Welcome back to the summer special! So, I thought it was best to go into the summer special with a full day-by-day plan, but there have been a lot of changes as I've gone on, for a number of reasons. Some of the posts that didn't make it were simply too big to finish and will be saved for a future series, and some were removed just to make room for... well, posts like this. Inevitably, there has been a lot of unforeseen news in the musicverse this month, and this was something I just had to talk about even though it literally just happened five hours ago. 

Earlier today, Laufey uploaded the above video, revealing the entire tracklist for her A Matter Of Time album, and intriguingly, the first note of every song. This will be my third AMOT prediction post, but in a new style, with a track-by-track rundown of my thoughts. I will be sharing what I predict/hope for each track, and some things that I got right in my previous predictions. I have those posts linked below for reference:

• This is the more concise, first-impression-y HFE94's Version concept I made of the album in May, still a few days before the release of Tough Luck or even the confirmation of the album title and release info.
• This is the bingo card I made earlier this month as the second entry in the summer special, which was more formulated and "objective", but was also less about the album lineup and more about its accompanying tour.
  

Alright, let's get into these predictions!

1. Clockwork (partially teased)

First note: C

Well, I was already almost correct about something. The first track in my original concept/"prediction" for this album was Tick Tock On The Clock, which if I remember correctly was the actual name of a track of which a snippet was posted. Many promo videos for this album include an ominous tolling bell instrumental, and it's possible that the title was changed over the course of the album. As for my predictions about this song, aside from obviously keeping with the titular theme of time, I immediately thought of Mastermind by Taylor Swift. ("I laid the groundwork, and then just like clockwork...") Clockwork is a common metaphor in lyrics for a repeating pattern, and interestingly, a single line from this song was apparently revealed in a New York Times article: "Words I'll forget, deeply regret, he'll run away". This line makes me think this song will follow a sort of "every time I fall in love, this is what happens" concept, like, for example, Kenya Grace's Strangers. This means I might have gotten a second prediction from my first L3-centered post partially correct, as one of the conceptual tracks was titled Every Time I Fall In Love and would follow this same concept. Of course this probably won't feature Sydney Rose like I "predicted", but... anything can happen.

2. Lover Girl (released)

First note: A#

We all know and love Lover Girl already so I won't say anything else here, other than that I did correctly predict that track 2 would be a pre-album single, although I had the wrong single.

3. Snow White (debuted live)

First note: D

Now, here is an interesting one. A lot of these songs have had snippets or lines teased, but two of the unreleased tracks have actually been officially debuted in full! Laufey premiered the song Snow White on June 30th in London on one of her more exclusive shows in her "Laufey's Serenades" mini-tour, and I gotta say, it's gorgeous and I can't wait to hear the studio recording of it. The concept is straightforward - it's essentially the same theme as Olivia Rodrigo's Jealousy Jealousy or Pretty Isn't Pretty - and unsurprisingly, there is a lot of emotional depth packed into this short song. I love when songs take a simple theme and explore many aspects of it, and this song does a very good job at exploring how this theme relates to herself, to people in her life, and to society as a whole. In the first verse she sings about being dissatisfied in her own appearance, then the chorus touches on how society pressures people to conform to standards, and then the second verse introduces a Magnolia-like character representing beauty standards who Laufey feels inadequate compared to. Excited to hear how this fits in with the rest of the album.

4. Castle In Hollywood (unreleased)

First note: F

So this is the first song we've gotten to that we truly have zero confirmed information about beyond the title. This title conjures a powerful image to me, but I'm still not quite sure how this could form an entire song. One idea that I had is having a bewitching encounter with someone near the actual Hollywood Castle, which seems most likely. Another thing that came to mind was the Hollywood Bowl performance with the symphony, and this song possibly being a tribute to her fans and/or her jazz idols, but... that doesn't really feel like a track 4 to me. A very broad and personal concept like that seems better suited for an opening track, closing track, or maybe a bonus track. So this could really go any direction.

5. Carousel (partially teased)

First note: D

Another song we apparently got a line from in the New York Times - "Such a spectacle you signed up for". The prediction I had for this song was a sort of concept similar to Goddess (and also numerous Taylor Swift songs, particularly those about Joe Alwyn), that's essentially about how fame can complicate relationships. A carousel could symbolize something that's fun at first, but eventually becomes dizzying. That would definitely fit the line that we got, as being in a relationship with someone famous has its obvious pros and cons. They "signed up for" this relationship knowing that it would have everyone watching them.

6. Silver Lining (released)

First note: E

We all know and love Silver Lining already so I won't say anything else here.

7. Too Little, Too Late (unreleased)

First note: Bb

Another song that we have no information about beyond the title, which also somewhat vaguely keeps with the overarching theme of time. I'm gonna guess that the title of this is just self-explanatory, and it's probably a sad and/or angry song about someone who broke her heart by not giving enough. However... I will propose a probably unlikely suggestion that the title might be a bit of a bait-and-switch, and is actually about Laufey herself realizing that she gave too little, too late? Or maybe it's about how past partners gave too little, too late, and this one isn't? We don't know anything about this song for sure yet, and I'm probably overthinking it.

8. Cuckoo Ballet (Interlude) (unreleased)

First note: F

I correctly predicted that there would be an instrumental interlude, and based on the title, I was probably right about it being a more peppy, upbeat-sounding one. I love the double-meaning of the title, referring to being insane in the head when in love, and also referencing a cuckoo clock to continue the "time" motif. Our last instrumental composition from Laufey was the Nocturne for solo piano on Bewitched, but for some reason, I think this will be a multi-instrument interlude, with similar fun tropical instrumentation to Lover Girl. It will likely do what the Nocturne did and incorporate melodic themes from other tracks. Maybe it'll sample the sound of a cuckoo clock also? We'll have to wait and see.

9. Forget-Me-Not (unreleased)

First note: G

I knew forget-me-not was a type of flower, and I did some research on it to come to two very different predictions about this song. Forget-me-not flowers are often used to symbolize eternal love for someone, so this could be a very romantic and saccharine, Silver Lining type of song about being with someone forever and always. But I also came up with a much more dark, sad theory. The forget-me-not flower is also famously known as a symbol of loved ones who have died. I don't want to speculate too much about this as this very well could be an incredibly devastating and heart-wrenching song, or it could be a fun cheesy song about spending the rest of her life with a lover... but either way, I think the big takeaway is this is about someone she really loves and doesn't want to forget.

10. Tough Luck (released)

First note: Db

We all know and love Tough Luck already so I won't say anything else here.

11. A Cautionary Tale (unreleased)

First note: B

Well, this might just be the vaguest title on the entire album, and it doesn't help that we know nothing of it beyond the title. Maybe it's about a similar concept to my prediction for Carousel, that you should proceed with caution when pursuing a relationship with Laufey. What I think is more likely is the opposite, that Laufey herself should proceed with caution in relationships. Although I was half joking in my ranking post when I said "imagine if Silver Lining and Tough Luck are about the same person"... maybe this completes the story arc of the dangers of being with a person who isn't exactly the nicest? Or maybe it's not about relationships at all, but rather a cautionary tale about the journey to stardom? It's hard to say when all you have are three very common, familiar words, but there are a lot of interesting ways this could go.

12. Mr. Eclectic (unreleased)

First note: A

I immediately thought of Mr. Electric Blue by Benson Boone when I saw this. The term "eclectic" essentially means someone who takes inspiration from a wide variety of sources. (So, the opposite of Avery Anna's Mr. Predictable?) Honestly... I'm finding it hard to think of a good prediction for this. The best thing I could think of was someone who sort of "does it all", which can be a positive and a negative - of course it could have a more... risqué meaning, or in a completely different light it could mean there's a lot of different versions of him and she never knows which one she'll get. So again, a lot of ways this could go especially not knowing anything about this song besides the title.

13. Clean Air (debuted live)

First note: A

The second song here that has been premiered in the Laufey's Serenades concert series, and I am already impressed. Honestly this song has some of the strongest lyricism of Laufey's entire discography. It's a similar idea to Tough Luck about keeping a toxic person out of your life and breathing "clean air". There's a lot of metaphors and clever double-entendres in this song and especially considering it's not released yet, I haven't taken the time to really break it down, but when I do my complete review of AMOT when it releases, I'll go into further detail.

14. Sabotage (partially teased)

First note: Eb

The final track, thought to be a chaotic revenge song, and a song that I am... honestly not quite emotionally ready for! For all my music nerds out there, I think it's kinda cool that the two songs before this start on A, and this song starts on Eb, which are a tritone apart, creating a noticeable tonal dissonance. For all my non-music nerds out there, basically the two songs before it will likely start with a similar sort of atmosphere and the song that follows is a huge shift. Seven supposed lyrics from the song were revealed in New York Times - "Cold bloody bitter sabotage / It's just a matter of time till you see the dagger / It's a special of mine to cause disaster / I don't understand / I'm my own worst enemy / You assure me you love me / And steal it with a kiss". W O W. Some powerful lines there, featuring the long-awaited reference to the album's title as this will be Laufey's first full-length record without a title track (as I correctly predicted!) and in addition, Laufey stated that this song will end with about a whole minute of Beatles' A Day In The Life-inspired experimental instrumentation. Probably gonna be different from anything we've heard from her before. I am... excited for this one to say the least.

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

[Summer Special Day 27] AllTheHits 7/27/25 + Summer Celebration Playlist

Hi! Welcome to the final AllTheHits of July and final AllTheHits and summer playlist of my summer special. Wow, I can't believe it's already almost the end of my first (and probably last) monthlong daily series. Thank you all so much for the... wait a sec, am I reading this right? 18.6k views? The reason I started this series was to commemorate 13k views, and just these posts alone have gotten more pageviews than the entire first ten months of this blog... wow. (Well, people also seem to be spamming my mistake post to make it my most viewed post, so that's part of it, but that still only has about 200 views as of last time I looked earlier today.)

This week's AllTheHits is paired with the long-awaited summer celebration playlist, a 13-song collection of fun and upbeat pop songs for however you celebrate summer. As for AllTheHits itself, this week we got the chart debuts of three viral songs that had been in Almost There for a relatively long time, and the big surprise of the week - a rising hit from my favorite k-pop-turned-mainstream artist, and what I've just decided is my favorite song currently charting on Hits 1, making a giant return to the chart after its short-lived appearance two months ago. There was also a pretty stacked Almost There this week, with 11 great new songs debuting.

Now before we get into this week's fresh 30, I wanted to promote a blog event that has been lacking submissions. Please submit to Bubby's Summertime Showdown event if you haven't already! There have been too few entries and the deadline to submit is the end of this month. Anyway, now let's see what this week's hits are!

HitsForEvermore 30

Exits:

Sombr - Back To Friends (1 wk: Peak #30)

Michael Clifford - Cool (4 wk: Peak #18)

Conan Gray - This Song (4 wk: Peak #18)

Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club (22 wk: Peak #1 for 1 wk)

#30: Evanescence - Afterlife (-2) (11 wk: Peak #28)

#29: Mariah The Scientist - Burning Blue (Debut) (1 wk: Peak #29)

#28: Mikayla Geier - Piano In The Sky (Debut) (1 wk: Peak #28)

#27: Moliy, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea - Shake It To The Max (-2) (4 wk: Peak #25)

#26: Ejae, Audrey Nuna & Mei Ami - Golden (=) (4 wk: Peak #21)

Golden Extra: Lyn Lapid - Producer Man

#25: Pinkpantheress - Illegal (Debut) (1 wk: Peak #25)

#24: Benson Boone - Mystical Magical (=) (7 wk: Peak #11)

#23: Ejae & Andrew Choi - Free (-2) (3 wk: Peak #21)

#22: Caroline Polachek - On The Beach (+1) (4 wk: Peak #22)

#21: Benson Boone - Momma Song (-2) (8 wk: Peak #12)

Underground Extra: Rachel Chinouriri & Sombr - All I Ever Asked

#20: Hayes Warner - Threw Me Away (+7) (14 wk: Peak #15)

#19: Debbii Dawson - You Killed The Music (+3) (15 wk: Peak #2)

#18: Doechii - Anxiety (-2) (3 wk: Peak #16)

#17: Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers - Balcony (-2) (11 wk: Peak #7)

#16: Benson Boone - Reminds Me Of You (-3) (4 wk: Peak #10)

Rising Extra: Lady Gaga - How Bad Do U Want Me

#15: Benson Boone - Take Me Home (-5) (4 wk: Peak #9)

#14: Alex Warren & Rose - On My Mind (-2) (4 wk: Peak #11)

#13: Finneas - Same Old Story (-4) (22 wk: Peak #2)

#12: Favors - The Hudson (+2) (2 wk: Peak #12)

#11: Lyn Lapid - Fix (=) (12 wk: Peak #9)

Almost There Extra: Lorde - Man Of The Year

#10: Sombr - We Never Dated (+7) (3 wk: Peak #10)

#9: Rose - Messy (Re-entry) (3 wk: Peak #9)

#8: Faouzia - Porcelain (-1) (11 wk: Peak #2)

#7: Lyn Lapid - Buttons (+1) (11 wk: Peak #7)

#6: Role Model & Laufey - The Longest Goodbye (-2) (3 wk: Peak #4)

Summer Celebration Extra: Taylor Swift - 22

#5: Laufey - Silver Lining (+1) (16 wk: Peak #1 for 4 wk)

#4: Favors - The Little Mess You Made (+1) (5 wk: Peak #2)

#3: Laufey - Lover Girl (=) (5 wk: Peak #1 for 1 wk)

#2: Lyn Lapid - Floater Friend (=) (14 wk: Peak #2)

#1: Laufey - Tough Luck (=) (11 wk: Peak #1 for 10 wk)

Biggest jump: Hayes Warner - Threw Me Away & Sombr - We Never Dated (+7)

Biggest drop: Benson Boone - Take Me Home (-5)

Starlight Seven

Removed: Alex Warren - Ordinary

#7: Rose - Messy (Debut)

#6: Ejae, Audrey Nuna & Mei Ami - Golden (+1)

#5: Alex Warren & Rose - On My Mind (=)

#4: Benson Boone - Mystical Magical (=)

#3: Sombr - Undressed (=)

#2: Doechii - Anxiety (+4)

#1: Benson Boone - Sorry I'm Here For Someone Else (+1)

Almost There

Lorde - Man Of The Year (Debut)

Lady Gaga - How Bad Do U Want Me (Debut)

Lola Young - One Thing (Debut)

Miley Cyrus - More To Lose (Debut)

Mgk - Miss Sunshine (Debut)

Matthew Ifield - Start From Scratch (Debut)

Jade - Plastic Box (Debut)

Josie Edwards - High Hope (Debut)

Sienna Spiro - You Stole The Show (Debut)

Olivia Dean - Nice To Each Other (Debut)

Rachel Chinouriri & Sombr - All I Ever Asked (Debut)

Ridgely - Hot Cakes (2)

Em Beihold - Brutus (2)

Ejae, Audrey Nuna & Mei Ami - How It's Done (3)

Audrey Hobert - Bowling Alley (2)

Haim - All Over Me (6)

Lyn Lapid - Where Is My Mind (2)

Dropouts:

Addison Rae - Times Like These (1)

Lenay - Miami (1)

Maroon 5 - California (1)

Peggy - Friends To Lovers (1)

Renee Rapp - Why Is She Still Here (1)

Tyla - Bliss (1)

Will Linley - Cinematic (1)

Mgk - Vampire Diaries (2)

Maren Morris - Lemonade (4)

Abyss

Alessi Rose - Same Mouth (re-entry)

Benson Boone - Sorry I'm Here For Someone Else

Connie Francis - Pretty Little Baby

Sombr - Undressed

Taylor Swift - ...Ready For It? (newly added - I decided this song is technically eligible for the abyss since it's considered a Hits 1 abyss song and may be experiencing resurgence now that Taylor owns Reputation, but I won't consider this song eligible for AT or the top 30 just yet, similarly to Pretty Little Baby)

Summer Celebration Playlist

Taylor Swift - Shake It Off

Olivia Rodrigo - So American

Miley Cyrus - End Of The World

Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club 

Taylor Swift - Bejeweled

Moliy, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea - Shake It To The Max

Benson Boone - Mystical Magical

Sabrina Carpenter - Please Please Please

Taylor Swift - Gorgeous

Alessi Rose - IKYK

Miley Cyrus - Midnight Sky

Jessie J & B.o.B. - Price Tag

Taylor Swift - 22

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

[Summer Special Day 26] ERAS: The Album (HFE94's Version)

Hi! Welcome to another installment in my final week of summer special posts, with a concept for an Eras tour live album, one of the potential upcoming releases that I didn't mention before (see this post and the comment I left on it for further details about the Taylor Swift July release theories). I'm not sure entirely how this would work out since the Eras Tour had such a long set, and the surprise songs make it more complicated, but I hope you like this concept.

Also, just something I want to reiterate. I'm sure everyone knew this already, but just so I don't get accused of spreading misinformation or whatever, I just want to make it very clear that all posts marked "HFE94's Version", such as this post, are unconfirmed, fanmade designs, and not officially announced material. They may contain elements that have been speculated or even confirmed, but they are mostly just concepts to get us excited about future albums. This is also very much not meant to pressure the artists into releasing new music as soon as possible. This is just to look forward to the future.

There will be no further explanation. There will just be... ERAS: The Album. 

(The album cover I designed has a massive Easter egg that would definitely have all the Swifties talking if it was real, so look for that if you're one of those people.)

ERAS: The Album - Long Time Coming Edition

1. Long Time Coming / Miss Americana (Tour Intro) (Live From The Eras Tour)

2. Cruel Summer (Live From The Eras Tour)

3. The Man (Live From The Eras Tour)

4. You Need To Calm Down (Live From The Eras Tour)

5. Lover (Live From The Eras Tour)

6. Fearless (Live From The Eras Tour)

7. You Belong With Me (Live From The Eras Tour)

8. Love Story (Live From The Eras Tour)

9. 22 (Live From The Eras Tour)

10. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together (Live From The Eras Tour)

11. I Knew You Were Trouble (Live From The Eras Tour)

12. All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Live From The Eras Tour)

13. Enchanted (Live From The Eras Tour)

14. Long Live (Live From The Eras Tour)

15. ...Ready For It? (Live From The Eras Tour)

16. Delicate (Live From The Eras Tour)

17. Don't Blame Me (Live From The Eras Tour)

18. Look What You Made Me Do (Live From The Eras Tour)

19. Cardigan (Live From The Eras Tour)

20. Betty (Live From The Eras Tour)

21. Champagne Problems (Live From The Eras Tour)

22. August (Live From The Eras Tour)

23. Illicit Affairs (Live From The Eras Tour)

24. My Tears Ricochet (Live From The Eras Tour)

25. Marjorie (Live From The Eras Tour)

26. Willow (Live From The Eras Tour)

Surprise song bonus tracks

27. Getaway Car / August / The Other Side Of The Door (Live From The Eras Tour)

28. Mirrorball / Epiphany (Live From The Eras Tour)

29. We Were Happy / Happiness (Live From The Eras Tour)

30. Carolina / No Body, No Crime (Live From The Eras Tour) 

31. Come Back... Be Here / The Way I Loved You / The Other Side Of The Door (Live From The Eras Tour)

ERAS: The Album - I'm Still Bejeweled Edition

1. Long Time Coming / Miss Americana (Tour Intro) (Live From The Eras Tour)

2. Style (Live From The Eras Tour)

3. Blank Space (Live From The Eras Tour)

4. Shake It Off (Live From The Eras Tour)

5. Wildest Dreams (Live From The Eras Tour)

6. Bad Blood (Live From The Eras Tour)

7. But Daddy I Love Him (Live From The Eras Tour)

8. So High School (Live From The Eras Tour)

9. Who's Afraid Of Little Old Me? (Live From The Eras Tour)

10. Down Bad (Live From The Eras Tour)

11. Fortnight (Live From The Eras Tour)

12. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived (Live From The Eras Tour)

13. I Can Do It With A Broken Heart (Live From The Eras Tour)

14. Lavender Haze (Live From The Eras Tour)

15. Antihero (Live From The Eras Tour)

16. Midnight Rain (Live From The Eras Tour)

17. Vigilante Shit (Live From The Eras Tour)

18. Bejeweled (Live From The Eras Tour)

19. Mastermind (Live From The Eras Tour)

20. Karma (Live From The Eras Tour)

Surprise song bonus tracks

21. Tim McGraw (Live From The Eras Tour)

22. Fifteen / You're On Your Own, Kid (Live From The Eras Tour)

23. This Is Me Trying / Labyrinth (Live From The Eras Tour)

24. Death By A Thousand Cuts / Getaway Car (Live From The Eras Tour)

25. Us (with Gracie Abrams) (Live From The Eras Tour)

26. Long Live / New Year's Day / The Manuscript (Live From The Eras Tour)

Make The Whole Place Shimmer edition bonus tracks

27. Eras

28. Welcome Home

29. Thank U

30. Tim McGraw (Taylor's Version)

31. A Message From Taylor

[Summer Special Day 25] (Christmas In July) Conceptual lyric video designs for Taylor Swift Holiday Collection (HFE94's Version)

Hi! Welcome to the Christmas In July edition of the summer special if that's something you like to celebrate, and my 13th HFE94's Version post! For the day of Christmas In July, I've compiled my conceptual lyric video designs for if Taylor ever were to re-record the holiday collection, in the same style as my Reputation and Debut posts!

Let me know which designs are your favorites! I think they all turned out pretty well, and I like CWYWM, Santa Baby and White Christmas the best. (The one for Last Christmas kinda looks like an Italian flag...)

1. Last Christmas

2. Christmases When You Were Mine

3. Santa Baby

4. Silent Night

5. Christmas Must Be Something More

6. White Christmas

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

[Summer Special Day 24] (Christmas In July Eve) XMAS: An Olivia Rodrigo Holiday Collection (HFE94's Version)

Hi! Welcome to the final week of the summer special, and merry Christmas In July Eve if that's something you celebrate. For my Christmas In July Eve post, this post is a conceptual Olivia Rodrigo holiday collection, titled XMAS to fit the four-letter theme, and containing six tracks (a recurring theme in Christmas EPs), some of which are covers and one of which is an actual song Olivia wrote as a child.

Also, a few things to get out of the way. I'm sure everyone knew this already, but just so I don't get accused of spreading misinformation or whatever, I just want to make it very clear that all posts marked "HFE94's Version", such as this post, are unconfirmed, fanmade designs, and not officially announced material. They may contain elements of leaked unreleased songs and sometimes officially publicly released components, but they are mostly just concepts to get us excited about future albums. This is also very much not meant to pressure the artists into releasing new music as soon as possible. This is just to look forward to the future. Also, after the last two posts mysteriously ended up being two of my biggest flops in terms of pageviews, I really hope this one gets more than 13 views, but if it doesn't then whatever I guess. (This series was doing so well at the beginning lol.)

There will be no further explanation. There will just be... XMAS. (IN JULY.)

1. Hello Holiday

2. Blue Christmas

3. Wonder How You Are This Christmas

4. Santa Baby

5. Angel Atop The Tree (Reminds Me Of You)

6. White Christmas

XMAS IN JULY special edition bonus tracks:

7. Holiday Every Day

8. The Bels

[Summer Special Day 23] Finally revealing my 13 least favorite Taylor Swift songs

Hi! Welcome back to the summer special as it nears its final week of posts! So, in case you couldn't tell by the fact that "Taylor Swift" is now the most common label on this blog (may not be for long as I might start discounting #1s on AllTheHits as artist labels), or from all the many other posts you've probably seen me make about her, I'm a huge Taylor Swift fan. But here's the thing: she has over 200 songs. And there are a few that I really don't like. To show you I'm not one of those Swifties, I'll be sharing my 13 least favorite Taylor Swift songs.

Now, this will sound cliche, but my least favorite Taylor Swift songs are not bad. Nothing is objectively good or bad, and a lot of these are actually fan favorite songs. Even then, I only hate, like, maybe the top three songs. If I gave these "least favorite songs" the traditional color code instead of the Eras color code, I'd say #13-#4 would be light blue, and only the top three would be red. Anyway, don't come for me for my opinion, and I'll now share my least favorite Taylor Swift songs.

Honorable mentions - songs that were once in my 13 least favorites but grew on me:

A Perfectly Good Heart

End Game

Hey Stephen

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Song that I think is great that I "hate" for personal reasons that would be unfair to include:

Exile (please don't ask about this, I will not elaborate)

#13: I Don't Wanna Live Forever (with Zayn) - One of two non-album singles here. This one is just incredibly boring.

#12: Two Is Better Than One (with Boys Like Girls) - The second non-album single here. Same as last one, and some of the weakest lyricism in Taylor's discography. Makes sense since she didn't write much of this one, as it's primarily a BLG song.

#11: Everything Has Changed (with Ed Sheeran) - Even though Red is my second-favorite Taylor album, it still lands itself two songs on this list. The production here, especially on the re-recording, just feels very low-quality, and the vocals are even worse.

#10: Stay Stay Stay - This song has been criticized for two big reasons: one, the royalty-free YouTube instrumental, and two, the way it seems to glorify "staying" in an abusive relationship instead of breaking up when things are unsafe. Personally, it's more the latter reason why I don't like it. The only reason it's not higher is because the lyrics are not meant to be taken seriously, and from some angles it seems "cute", but to me it feels like you two better break up.

#9: Betty - A lot of Swifties think James is really annoying, and I very much agree. Betty, please don't take him back. Also, "I'm only seventeen, I don't know anything" might be my least favorite line from Taylor overall, beaten only by the infamous line in this list's #1.

#8: So It Goes... - The first of two Reputation songs we'll see here. Generally, Taylor Swift and autotune do not mix unless it's Midnights.

#7: Our Song - The first of two Debut songs we'll see here. Once you notice the grammatical errors in this song, you just won't unhear them. These lyrics are just so inherently flawed, and the country production is a bit too... country for me. It's a signature hit of Taylor's... that's called OUR SONG... and yet it doesn't even feel like her song.

#6: Suburban Legends - The first of two 1989 songs we'll see here. I really don't know what to say about this one. This seems to be a pretty hated song because the lyrics are so abstract and borderline nonsensical at times - first her boyfriend might be cheating, then she decides to "let it slide like a hose on a slippery plastic summer", and then she's screaming about some 50s gymnasium she only sees him in. Geez, what does this mean? Also, the production is moderately annoying.

#5: All You Had To Do Was Stay - And 1989 scores another unfortunate flop, and a track 5 at that?! Yeah, it's safe to say the other ten track 5s are all miles and miles ahead of this song. I think the vocals are annoying and repetitive here. We get it, "stay!" Wow, I guess I don't like Taylor Swift songs with "stay" in the title, other than Stay Beautiful.

#4: Never Grow Up - For similar reasons to Laufey's Slow Down, I just don't really like the message here. Never growing up would be far worse than dealing with growing up, which is something Taylor finally accepts in The Archer ("I never grow up, it's getting so old").

#3: Robin - What used to be a song I thought of as "great" in my superficial TTPD review is now one of my least favorites for the same reason as NGU.

#2: Dress - Am I the only one bothered by the fact that the production in this song feels like a bad horror movie?

#1: Picture To Burn - There will be no further explanation.

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

[Summer Special Day 22] My 5 favorite music videos

Hi! Welcome to day twenty-twooooooooo of my summer special, where I'll be sharing my five favorite music videos at the moment and a little bit about them. This ranking is only based on the visuals and the meaning behind the video itself and how it accompanies the song... but it helps that all five of these songs are absolutely incredible songs also. Anyway, here it is!

#5: Taylor Swift - Wildest Dreams: I've talked about this one before, so I won't need to talk too long about it as I did a quick analysis in the Taylor Swift music video ranking post. It's just really gorgeous, featuring stunning scene changes and a story of being in love on a movie screen and saying goodbye.

#4: Olivia Rodrigo - Good 4 U: I've talked about this one before also. It seems like an insanely high-effort video, as it used actual water and fire. I don't need to talk about this for too long since I reviewed it in my Olivia Rodrigo music video ranking but basically she's a cheerleader jokingly cheering her boyfriend on as she sets his house on fire, and buys some popcorn while she's at it to enjoy the show. Great video all-around.

#3: Taylor Swift - All Too Well (The Short Film): A thirteen-minute-long short film starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien, set to All Too Well and showing the course of their relationship. Overtime, I've caught a lot of parallels to other songs - her ring is on her middle finger and moves to her wedding finger (The Tortured Poets Department), they dance in the kitchen (Cornelia Street, Maroon), he drops her hand at dinner (Champagne Problems). All of these songs are thought to be in some way about Jake Gyllenhaal, other than I think TTPD. There are probably lots more Easter eggs I missed.

#2: Laufey - Goddess: This shows the perspective of both Laufey and the boyfriend as their relationship progresses. They're dancing behind a fence, and he sees a romantic dance. She sees it as being stuck in prison. They get to their room and we see Laufey becoming vulnerable. The man is taking off Laufey's clothes (don't worry nothing spicy is shown lol) which may be a metaphor for shedding the "goddess" he sees on stage and feeling the human on the inside. His expressions suggest that he was a bit "disappointed" by her humanness offstage, and Laufey is noticeably fearful in this scene. Then we get a gorgeous shot of Laufey looking like a goddess, but we zoom out and the scene transitions to her in pure human form. She didn't do her makeup, didn't do her hair - just a human looking over a balcony as the cars pass by. Gorgeous.

#1: Mitski - Nobody: My favorite music video. I could do a whole in-depth analysis of this video, because it's awesome. Put simply, Mitski is surrounded by paper cutouts and paintings and is looking for one real person. Somebody. Anybody. But finds... well, nobody nobody nobody nobody nobody. I love the scene near the end with a closeup on her hand and "nobody" is written on it, but then she looks at it again through a magnifying glass and it says "you". So after all that, she finds herself. This video is just the music video. It's simple, but it accompanies the song. It fits the song while adding to it. Amazing.

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

[Summer Special Day 21] Taylor Swift's next release might be announced... this Thursday???

Hi! Welcome back to the summer special, sorry this one was a bit late. This is all happening very suddenly so I actually didn't start working on this post until yesterday, but there are recent theories swirling that a new project from Taylor Swift may be on the horizon...? We don't know anything yet, but here are my thoughts on it.

Taylor Nation celebratory posts

Taylor Nation is posting some cryptic things on Instagram lately. Starting July 18th, there have been "welcome home" for each of the six stolen albums being under Taylor Swift's ownership now, starting from the self-titled debut and going in chronological order, with lyrics from each album. Taylor's ownership was achieved in May, so there has to be a reason why they're randomly celebrating each album one-by-one now. This news article explains some general details.

By this pattern, after the 1989 and Reputation posts would be 7/24 (also of note that 7+2+4=13, a trend that appears in a few of Taylor's announcement and release dates). If the popular theory is correct, these posts may be a countdown to huge news for Taylor coming on July 24th.

So... what is Taylor's next project?

Many fans are hoping for a new album from Taylor on July 24th, with more specific predictions being a love album, a rock album, and an orange colored album. I personally believe it is unlikely we'll get TS12 in 2025, seeing as TTPD is still only 15 months old. Of course, there was the Lover - Folklore - Evermore run that was even closer together due to COVID potentially changing the album cycles. It's also important to note than TTPD in general didn't have as much longevity on the charts as some of Taylor's other albums, so a new album wouldn't necessarily be "overshadowing" TTPD. I just think it's a bit soon to have a whole album recorded, especially with the Eras Tour ending just seven months ago and Debut TV being recorded no more than two months ago.

Speaking of Debut TV, I haven't seen this talked about much, but I think we might get the announcement/release of Debut TV on July 24th. Taylor said that she already recorded it and would eventually release it from a place of "celebration", even though she owns it now, and if Taylor Nation is celebrating all of her albums, this would fit in well. I think this is my most likely prediction, but anything can happen.

Another thing that's being talked about lately is how Taylor's official website has "randomly" added a new tab on the site labeled "directed projects" and listing every self-directed music video Taylor Swift has done, leading to rumors that a bigger "directed project" is on the way. With that along with the recent Folklore merch released, it is possible that Taylor may be directing a feature film, more specifically one about Rebekah Harkness, the woman who inspired The Last Great American Dynasty who once owned Taylor's Holiday House and had a life story that closely paralleled Taylor's. However, this one seems a bit soon and not quite fitting for this celebration of ownership.

Finally, there's the Eras Tour documentary theory. This would make a lot of sense to celebrate all the eras being hers. Taylor might be announcing a behind-the-scenes documentary of the tour that ultimately led to the masters being bought back by Taylor. There could also be an updated version of the Eras Tour concert film featuring the TTPD set that was added after the original movie, but that seems less likely to me. Ultimately, we can't say for sure yet, but I think something is on the horizon.

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

[Summer Special Day 20] AllTheHits 7/20/25 + Christmas In July Playlist

Hi! Welcome to the penultimate AllTheHits + summer playlist post of the summer special. (Wow, we're about two thirds of the way through the summer special already...)

So for today's playlist, we have the Christmas In July playlist. Christmas In July is one of my favorite things about the month of July, but as far as I'm aware, it's not a super widely-celebrated thing, so here's a quick explanation. Christmas In July is a popular thing in the Southern Hemisphere where Christmas happens during the summer months, so they hold holiday celebrations in July to have the wintry atmosphere associated with the northern holiday season. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, Christmas In July is basically just an extra commercial holiday some people celebrate. (Because apparently the entirety of autumn and winter wasn't enough red and green commercialized festivity already.) In all seriousness, I love celebrating Christmas In July, so this post comes with a short thirteen-song Christmas In July mix, which is essentially a collection of ten songs that are fitting for a holiday season while also having the atmosphere of the summer months.

As for this week's pretty inactive AllTheHits, Laufey is still absolutely blowing everyone away, with all four of her eligible songs being very high on the charts, and her only potential competition right now being the Favors and Lyn Lapid. But that might not be true for long as Olivia Rodrigo and now Taylor Swift (I'll explain the latter in tomorrow's post) are predicted to release new music soon. Here is this week's AllTheHits!

HitsForEvermore 30

Exits:

Avreya Bloom - Pixel Rain (9 wk: Peak #3)

Avreya Bloom - Battery At 3 Percent (6 wk: Peak #3)

#30: Sombr - Back To Friends (Debut) (1 wk: Peak #30)

#29: Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club (-3) (22 wk: Peak #1 for 1 wk)

#28: Evanescence - Afterlife (+1) (10 wk: Peak #28)

#27: Hayes Warner - Threw Me Away (+1) (13 wk: Peak #15)

#26: Ejae, Audrey Nuna & Rei Ami - Golden (-5) (3 wk: Peak #21)

Golden Extra: Mitski - Nobody

#25: Moliy, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea - Shake It To The Max (+5) (3 wk: Peak #25)

#24: Benson Boone - Mystical Magical (-1) (6 wk: Peak #11)

#23: Caroline Polachek - On The Beach (+1) (3 wk: Peak #23)

#22: Debbii Dawson - You Killed The Music (=) (14 wk: Peak #2)

#21: Ejae & Andrew Choi - Free (+4) (2 wk: Peak #21)

Underground Extra: Ridgely - Hot Cakes

#20: Conan Gray - This Song (=) (4 wk: Peak #18)

#19: Benson Boone - Momma Song (-3) (7 wk: Peak #12)

#18: Michael Clifford - Cool (+1) (4 wk: Peak #18)

#17: Sombr - We Never Dated (+10) (2 wk: Peak #17)

#16: Doechii - Anxiety (+2) (2 wk: Peak #16)

Rising Extra: Tyla - Bliss

#15: Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers - Balcony (=) (10 wk: Peak #7)

#14: Favors - The Hudson (Debut) (1 wk: Peak #14)

#13: Benson Boone - Reminds Me Of You (-3) (3 wk: Peak #10)

#12: Alex Warren & Rose - On My Mind (-1) (3 wk: Peak #11)

#11: Lyn Lapid - Fix (+1) (11 wk: Peak #9)

Almost There Extra: Peggy - Friends To Lovers

#10: Benson Boone - Take Me Home (-1) (3 wk: Peak #9)

#9: Finneas - Same Old Story (+4) (21 wk: Peak #2)

#8: Lyn Lapid - Buttons (+9) (10 wk: Peak #8)

#7: Faouzia - Porcelain (-2) (10 wk: Peak #2)

#6: Laufey - Silver Lining (=) (15 wk: Peak #1 for 4 wk)

Christmas In July Extra: Laufey - Santa Baby (every extra this week is by a one-name artist, that wasn't even intentional)

#5: Favors - The Little Mess You Made (-3) (4 wk: Peak #2)

#4: Role Model & Laufey - The Longest Goodbye (+3) (2 wk: Peak #4)

#3: Laufey - Lover Girl (=) (4 wk: Peak #1 for 1 wk)

#2: Lyn Lapid - Floater Friend (+2) (13 wk: Peak #2)

#1: Laufey - Tough Luck (=) (10 wk: Peak #1 for 9 wk)

Biggest jump: Sombr - We Never Dated (+10)

Biggest drop: Ejae, Audrey Nuna & Rei Ami - Golden (-5)

Starlight Seven

Removed: Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club

#7: Ejae, Audrey Nuna & Mei Ami - Golden (-2)

#6: Doechii - Anxiety (=)

#5: Alex Warren & Rose - On My Mind (Debut)

#4: Benson Boone - Mystical Magical (-1)

#3: Sombr - Undressed (+4)

#2: Benson Boone - Sorry I'm Here For Someone Else (+2)

#1: Alex Warren - Ordinary (=)

Almost There

Lyn Lapid - Where Is My Mind (Debut)

Audrey Hobert - Bowling Alley (Debut)

Em Beihold - Brutus (Debut)

Ejae, Audrey Nuna & Mei Ami - How It's Done (2)

Will Linley - Cinematic (Debut)

Mgk - Vampire Diaries (2)

Lenay - Miami (Debut)

Maren Morris - Lemonade (4)

Maroon 5 - California (Debut)

Mikayla Geier - Piano In The Sky (5)

Peggy - Friends To Lovers (Debut)

Haim - All Over Me (5)

Renee Rapp - Why Is She Still Here (Debut)

Mariah The Scientist - Burning Blue (6)

Addison Rae - Times Like These (Debut)

Ridgely - Hot Cakes (Debut)

Tyla - Bliss (Debut)

Dropouts:

Ed Sheeran - Drive (4)

Henry Moodie - Comedown (4)

Lewis Capaldi - Survive (3)

Kehlani - Folded (2)

Raye - Grandma Calls The Boy Bad News (1)

Foo Fighters - Today's Song (1)

Justin Bieber - Daisies (1)

Daniel Caesar & Rex Orange County - Rearrange My World (1)

Conan Gray - Vodka Cranberry (1)

Abyss

Alex Warren - Ordinary

Benson Boone - Sorry I'm Here For Someone Else

Connie Francis - Pretty Little Baby

Ejae, Audrey Nuna & Mei Ami - What It Sounds Like

Pinkpantheress - Illegal

Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco & Gracie Abrams - Call Me When You Break Up

Sombr - Undressed

Christmas In July Playlist

Taylor Swift - Tis The Damn Season

Lyn Lapid - Old Fashioned Christmas

Simple Plan - Christmas Every Day

Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton - You Make It Feel Like Christmas

Ariana Grande - Not Just On Christmas

The Staves - Home Alone, Too

Taylor Swift & Lana Del Rey - Snow On The Beach

Sabrina Carpenter - White Christmas

Pearl Jam - Someday At Christmas

No Doubt - Oi To The World

Dan + Shay - Holiday Party

Laufey - Santa Baby

Taylor Swift - Christmases When You Were Mine

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

[Summer Special Day 19] Last week's HFE30 in order of how many times the songs' titles are sung

Hi! Welcome back to the summer special. (I'm finally caught up again!) So this is a concept inspired by some YouTube videos I've seen where songs are organized by how long the titles are sung. Well, I ordered all of the songs from last week's HitsForEvermore 30 by how many times the title is sung in the lyrics. Ties are split by their actual positions on last week's chart. (I think it's interesting just how many songs say their titles three, six, or eight times...) Titles must be sung exactly, so even one word makes a difference, which you'll see in the song that took the bottom spot. Anyway, without further ado, here it is!

#30: Sombr - We Never Dated (0) (the four mentions of "we never even dated" technically don't count)

#29: Benson Boone - Momma Song (0)

#28: Role Model & Laufey - The Longest Goodbye (0)

#27: Lyn Lapid - Floater Friend (0)

#26: Laufey - Lover Girl (2)

#25: Evanescence - Afterlife (3)

#24: Debbii Dawson - You Killed The Music (3)

#23: Lyn Lapid - Buttons (3)

#22: Finneas - Same Old Story (3)

#21: Laufey - Silver Lining (3)

#20: Faouzia - Porcelain (3)

#19: Avreya Bloom - Battery At 3 Percent (4)

#18: Favors - The Little Mess You Made (4)

#17: Ejae, Audrey Nuna & Rei Ami - Golden (5)

#16: Caroline Polachek - On The Beach (6)

#15: Benson Boone - Mystical Magical (6)

#14: Conan Gray - This Song (6)

#13: Avreya Bloom - Pixel Rain (6)

#12: Ejae & Andrew Choi - Free (8)

#11: Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers - Balcony (8)

#10: Lyn Lapid - Fix (8)

#9: Benson Boone - Take Me Home (8)

#8: Alex Warren & Rose - On My Mind (9)

#7: Hayes Warner - Threw Me Away (10)

#6: Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club (12)

#5: Benson Boone - Reminds Me Of You (13)

#4: Laufey - Tough Luck (15-17...?) (I was fully expecting this to land MUCH lower on the list, but this song's total is majorly boosted by the many faint harmonized vocals repeating "tough luck" in the background in the bridge and final chorus - it's actually quite difficult to count exactly how many there are since they fade into each other so smoothly, especially the last few, but they're definitely there. Luckily there's no confusion about placement since there's definitely more than 13 total instances, and the top three songs are way above it either way.)

#3: Moliy, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea - Shake It To The Max (24)

#2: Michael Clifford - Cool (26)

#1: Doechii - Anxiety (41) (I was certain this would win by a landslide, and surprise not surprise, it did)

Well, that was a bit of a different style of post so I hope that was moderately interesting. That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

[Summer Special Day 18] The end of an era for my favorite music artist... what's next?

Hi! Welcome back to another summer special catchup post. (Wow I'm only one day behind now!) So, the absolutely insane Guts World Tour officially ended on July 1st, and Olivia Rodrigo's summer festival run is about to come to a close. Olivia just performed at Lollapalooza Paris and is performing at festivals through August 3rd. This is a similar style of post to my Eras Tour post (but actually a much better post since I actually got to experience the concert firsthand rather than just through videos, and it's not eight months late) where I'll pretty much be reflecting on my favorite performances on the tour, as well as some revised predictions for what this third era might look like.

My firsthand experience as a Guts World Tour attendee, sixteen months later

I tend to avoid talking about my personal life on here, but you may remember me mentioning a few times that I have seen Olivia Rodrigo live in concert, and it was insane. You may remember my Olivia Rodrigo ranking post where I mentioned that I was listening to Olivia Rodrigo on shuffle in the car before the concert and Deja Vu kept playing, and I joked that I was getting deja vu... well, then there was the concert itself, which was unlike anything I'd experienced before. 

First of all, Chappell Roan opened, and she pleasantly surprised me with her set. I had already known a few Chappell Roan songs like Kaleidoscope, Red Wine Supernova, and Casual, but I didn't even know how huge it was to see her at the time because I saw her before she became one of the top artists of the decade. A lot of the audience was just learning the Hot To Go dance for the first time, which seems crazy now. 

Then Olivia came on, and she opened with an angsty mashup of Bad Idea Right and Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl, followed by some piano songs. Her emotional performances of Vampire and Drivers License were two of my favorite performances of the night. Obviously Teenage Dream was really powerful, and I was honestly surprised at how loud the crowd was during that song considering how underrated I think it is. The tour just made me love that song even more, especially when paired with the intimate live piano and the video from one of her earliest performances. 

There were many stellar performances that followed, including the acoustic guitar songs that she performed while riding the most famous moon within Earth's atmosphere, and a highly unexpected song that I was one of the first people ever to hear - Obsessed, weeks before its official release. As the concert came to a close, Olivia still hadn't performed Good 4 U or Get Him Back, and the entire crowd was chanting "Get Him Back". Honestly I was worried she wouldn't perform Good 4 U since the crowd wanted Get Him Back so badly. But sure enough they were both encores, and they were both fantastic. And the iconic confetti at the end! All I can say is... she got us good, she got us really good. 

Wow. It's been almost a year and a half, and Olivia still has two shows left to perform in 2025. The Guts World Tour is one of the biggest tours of the decade... but the real question is what do we predict will happen in this third era?

New predictions for OR3

Some of you may remember UFOs, which was one of the installments in my 12 days of Christmas series. I wouldn't call it an actual "theory", but it was an album concept paired with a few very general predictions. Now that we have more information about a potential new era for Olivia, I have more specific predictions.

There is a common theory among the Livies that her next album will be called Luck. There was the infamous birthday post captioned "I feel like the luckiest girl alive!!!" with a possibly intentional three exclamation points, constant use of ladybugs and polka dots in posts and outfits, the Guts anniversary photo in front of a rainbow, and most recently, on a Glastonbury show of the Guts Tour just last month, where she said "as LUCK would have it, I really like English boys". 

It's already been heavily theorized that OR3 will be a love-focused album due to her closing the Guts era with So American, a lyrical departure and love song about her London boy Louis Partridge, and this quote is just further reinforcement of that. Since Sour was mainly about falling out of love, and Guts was mostly about trying to recover from the fallout, it would make sense to have an album about falling back in love. I think an entire album of songs like So American, further exploring being in love and all the feelings that come along with it, would be cool to get from Olivia.

As for the "color" of the era, after Sour's light blue and purple color scheme and Guts's deeper, darker purple, there seems to be a theory that the third album will be red, due to the recently frequent red outfits, ladybug imagery, and associations with love and passion. I imagine this album being accompanied with rich burgundy visuals and darker shades of red, and most likely, Olivia's purple imagery will run through this album alongside a red color palette.

And finally, the question we're all trying to figure out the answer to... when will it release? Well, I don't really have a strong theory for this one. Of course, we know the album has been in production for months. But... I'm not expecting an album anytime soon, since Olivia's still actively performing. She should have some time to rest after this incredibly long world tour, and release the album whenever she's ready. Right now it's looking like autumn 2025 is most likely, but not much has been confirmed yet. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

[Summer Special Day 17] AllTheHits Summer Starlight Seventeen & Underground Seventeen

Hi! Welcome back to the summer special! I'm still catching up on posts, but I'll likely be back on schedule by Sunday for Hallett's Hits and I'll ideally be able stay more consistent to the schedule now that I have settled on pretty sound plans. This is an AllTheHits special where I've compiled two single-week summer charts: the Starlight Seventeen (seventeen high-performing songs that are some of my top picks for the songs of the summer) and the Underground Seventeen (seventeen underrated songs that are not charting but should be more popular).

Starlight 17

#17: Miley Cyrus - End Of The World

#16: Sombr - Back To Friends

#15: Tyla - Bliss

#14: Kpop Demon Hunters - How It's Done

#13: Sombr - We Never Dated

#12: Rose - Messy

#11: Katseye - Gabriela

#10: PinkPantheress - Illegal

#9: Alex Warren & Rose - On My Mind

#8: Role Model - Sally When The Wine Runs Out

#7: Sombr - Undressed

#6: Doechii - Anxiety

#5: Moliy, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea - Shake It To The Max

#4: Benson Boone - Sorry I'm Here For Someone Else

#3: Kpop Demon Hunters - Golden

#2: Benson Boone - Mystical Magical

#1: Alex Warren - Ordinary

Underground 17

#17: Audrey Hobert - Bowling Alley

#16: Peggy - Friends To Lovers

#15: Will Linley - Cinematic

#14: Ridgely - Hot Cakes 

#13: Lenay - Miami

#12: Debbii Dawson - Chemical Reaction

#11: Haim - All Over Me

#10: Mikayla Geier - Piano In The Sky

#9: Favors - The Hudson

#8: Teen Jesus & The Jean Teasers - Balcony

#7: Debbii Dawson - You Killed The Music

#6: Lyn Lapid - Buttons

#5: Favors - The Little Mess You Made

#4: Role Model & Laufey - The Longest Goodbye

#3: Laufey - Silver Lining

#2: Laufey - Lover Girl

#1: Laufey - Tough Luck

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

[Summer Special Day 16] My favorite lyric from every Olivia Rodrigo song

Hi! Welcome back (FINALLY!) to my summer special. I've been way behind on the series due to a combination of sudden sickness, internet issues, and constant changes of plans for posts, but I'm back and will be catching up as best as I can in these next few days before AllTheHits.

So, as you may have been able to tell from some of the other posts in the series, I'm listening to Olivia Rodrigo a lot more than usual (almost as much as I did before I saw her in concert), with the Guts tour coming to an end and a third era likely to begin soon. I think she will always be my top artist, but I hadn't been listening to her as much before July with Lyn Lapid having a lot of music I hadn't listened to yet and Laufey being amidst an album cycle & regularly releasing new music. But I've realized that Olivia is one of those artists who I'll randomly decide to listen to once and then suddenly be compelled to relisten to her songs for a while nonstop. After noticing more and more hard-hitting lines I hadn't caught onto before, I thought it would be a cool idea to compile a list of my favorite lyrics from each song. Anyway, without further ado, here it is!

Sour

1. Brutal

"If someone tells me one more time 'enjoy your youth', I'm gonna cry"

2. Traitor

"Now you bring her around just to shut me down / Show her off like she's a new trophy"

3. Drivers License

"I still hear your voice in the traffic / We're laughing over all the noise"

4. 1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back

"And maybe in some masochistic way, I kind of find it all exciting / Like, which lover will I get today?"

5. Deja Vu

"I bet you even tell her how you love her in between the chorus and the verse" (with a whispered "I love you" in the background")

6. Good 4 U

"I guess the therapist I found for you, she really helped / Now you can be a better man for your brand new girl"

7. Enough For You

"I don't want your sympathy, I just want myself back"

8. Happier

"I hope you're happy but don't be happier"

9. Jealousy, Jealousy

"I wanna be you so bad and I don't even know you"

10. Favorite Crime

"I say that I hate you with a smile on my face"

11. Hope Ur Ok

"Address the letters to the holes in my butterfly wings"

Guts

1. All American Bitch

"Coca-Cola bottles that I only use to curl my hair"

2. Bad Idea Right

"I know I should stop but I can't"

3. Vampire

"You can't love anyone cuz that would mean you had a heart"

4. Lacy

"I despise my jealous eyes and how hard they fell for you / And I despise my rotten mind and how much it worships you"

5. Ballad Of A Homeschooled Girl

"Thought your mom was your wife / Called you the wrong name twice / Can't think of a third line"

6. Making The Bed

"Every night I wake up from this one recurring dream where I'm driving through the city and the brakes go out on me / I can't stop at the red light, I can't swerve off the road"

7. Logical

"Two plus two equals five and I'm the love of your life"

8. Get Him Back

"And when he said something wrong, he'd just fly me to France"

9. Love Is Embarrassing

"I told my friends you were the one after I'd known you, like, a month / And then you kissed some girl from high school"

10. The Grudge

"You have everything and you still want more"

11. Pretty Isn't Pretty

"I could try every lipstick in every shade but I'd always feel the same"

12. Teenage Dream

"They all say that it gets better, it gets better the more you grow / And they all say that it gets better, it gets better but what if I don't?" (and the entire rest of this song lol)

13. Obsessed

"I'm staring at her like I wanna get hurt"

14. Girl I've Always Been

"You say I'm cruel beyond my years"

15. Scared Of My Guitar

"Why is there a pit in my gut in the shape of you?"

16. Stranger

"You are the best thing that I'll ever keep so far out of my life"

17. So American

"He's like a poem I wish I wrote"

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

[Summer Special Day 15] Happy 17 to Beautiful Eyes... let's take a look at what I think are some of Taylor's most underrated and overrated songs

Hi! Sorry this post is late. In case you couldn't already tell, I've been having uploading issues in Blogger, so my next few posts will all be a bit late, but ideally I should get caught up as quickly as possible. Anyway, since July 15th marks the seventeenth anniversary of Taylor Swift's long-forgotten Walmart-exclusive extended play, Beautiful Eyes, I decided this would be a good opportunity to share what I believe are Taylor's 13 most underrated songs. (Spoiler alert: Beautiful Eyes gets acknowledged!) Along with that, I also decided to share a more controversial list of what I think are her most overrated songs... remember, this is all my opinion. I would honestly love to hear if you agree or disagree, as long as you don't attack me, which I'm sure you all will want to after this lol. Anyway, here it is!

Underrated

#13: Happiness

#12: Closure

#11: The Other Side Of The Door

#10: I'm Only Me When I'm With You

#9: The Joker & The Queen

#8: Beautiful Ghosts

#7: Renegade

#6: I Heart ?

#5: Carolina

#4: Safe & Sound

#3: Eyes Open

#2: Beautiful Eyes

#1: Christmases When You Were Mine

Overrated

#13: Style

#12: Afterglow

#11: New Romantics

#10: Lavender Haze

#9: Mean

#8: So It Goes...

#7: Betty

#6: Exile

#5: All You Had To Do Was Stay

#4: Mr. Perfectly Fine

#3: Picture To Burn (my actual least favorite Taylor Swift song, but not AS much of a fan favorite as the other two)

#2: Dress

#1: Our Song

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!

[Summer Special Day 14] Taylor Swift: The Complete Eras Megamix by Joseph James

Hi! Welcome back to the summer special with a post that will likely be completely overshadowed by the literal mistake post I predict will become my most infamous upload ever. (I'm sure you already found it by now.) So, this is a post where I'm just going to share a video that I've been obsessed with for a while now, and some info about it.

Joseph James is a relatively well-known music YouTuber who primarily makes mashups and "megamixes" of songs by pop musicians. One of his most popular videos, and one of my favorites, is his Taylor Swift: The Complete Eras Megamix, a 13-minute-long mashup of every Taylor Swift song (up until Speak Now TV - the video was posted before 1989 TV and TTPD came out), including features, non-album singles, and official remixes, plus two fanmade orchestral remixes. The megamix is split into seven thematic chapters: Shadow, Ultraviolet, Cherry, Rust, Sapphire, Amber, and Aurora. The whole thing is amazing and I recommend you listen to it if you haven't already.

*indicates song used in multiple chapters

Shadow

Production in order of appearance:

Lover (First Dance Remix) - The Last Great American Dynasty - Wildest Dreams (orchestral edit by Marcus Coronel) - Peace - Willow - I'm Only Me When I'm With You - Wildest Dreams (orchestral edit by Joseph James) - Haunted - ...Ready For It? - High Infidelity - Christmas Tree Farm - Wildest Dreams (regular version) - Cruel Summer* - Birch - I Did Something Bad - The Other Side Of The Door - Fearless*

Vocals in order of appearance:

Bigger Than The Whole Sky - Castles Crumbling - Sad Beautiful Tragic - Glitch - Call It What You Want - You're Not Sorry - You Are In Love - Safe & Sound - Lover - Lover (Shawn Mendes version) - Should've Said No - ...Ready For It? - Today Was A Fairytale - Wildest Dreams - Haunted - Begin Again - Shake It Off - Exile - Willow - Would've Could've Should've - I Knew You Were Trouble - Tis The Damn Season - Stay Beautiful - Eyes Open - Peace - Everything Has Changed - Babe (2021)*

My favorite moments:

• The intro!
• The subtle but powerful use of Peace in a majority of the production.
• The percussion buildup from I'm Only Me When I'm With You.
• The part where one line is used from each album.
• The orchestral versions of Wildest Dreams.
• "I knew you were trouble when you walked in / I watched it begin again / You should've said no"

Ultraviolet

Production in order of appearance:

Long Live - Blank Space - Cruel Summer* - Invisible - Beautiful Ghosts - Tell Me Why - Bad Blood* - Enchanted - 22 - Antihero (Bleachers version) - Maroon - New Romantics*

Vocals in order of appearance:

Babe (2021)* - Babe (2018) - Fearless* - Clean - Long Live (Paula Fernandes version) - Antihero - Bad Blood* - Blank Space - Tell Me Why - That's When - Untouchable - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - Change - Cold As You - Paper Rings - Death By A Thousand Cuts - Bye Bye Baby - I Forgot That You Existed - Marjorie - Seven - London Boy - August - Foolish One - The Way I Loved You - Enchanted - 22 - I Heart ? - All You Had To Do Was Stay - Fifteen - This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things - Cruel Summer* - Karma - Picture To Burn - Hits Different - Coney Island - Hey Stephen* - Dorothea - Hoax - Maroon

My favorite moments:

• The prominence of Long Live and the combination of Long Live / Fearless / Clean / Antihero.
• "When I was drowning, that's when I was SCREAMING LONG LIVE"
• "Say that we'll be together / We are never ever ever getting back together"
• "Gone was any trace of you, I think I could finally win / I've never been anywhere cold as / You-ooh-ooh-ooh / I'd marry you with paper rings / Saying goodbye is death by a thousand cuts / Bye bye / I forgot that you existed / The autumn chill that wakes me up / I still got love for you / It's me / You loved the amber skies so much / Wanna be with you / To live for the hope of it all, cancel plans just in case you called and said meet me behind the mall / Hi / I know how to act like I'm fine / And that's the way I loved you / Please don't be in love with someone else, please don't have somebody waiting on you" (these lyrics combined are a full-on love story in themselves)
• The 22 / Blank Space duet with brief interjections from WANEGBT and I Heart ?
• The Blank Space / New Romantics / Maroon buildup into the next chapter.

Cherry

Production in order of appearance:

Speak Now - Christmas Must Be Something More - How You Get The Girl - Both Of Us - Afterglow - Dress* - Welcome To New York* - Look What You Made Me Do*

Vocals in order of appearance:

The Outside - Electric Touch - I Can See You - Mine - You Belong With Me - Superman - Sparks Fly - Message In A Bottle - New Romantics* - Both Of Us - The Very First Night - Welcome To New York* - Speak Now - Hey Stephen* - Paris - How You Get The Girl - Snow On The Beach - Snow On The Beach (more Lana Del Rey version) - Christmases When You Were Mine - The Moment I Knew - Forever Winter - Half Of My Heart

My favorite moments:

• The simplicity of the production - Speak Now!!!
• The percussion fill from Christmas Must Be Something More to transition between Speak Now and How You Get The Girl.
• The fact that the Christmas songs are even acknowledged.
• "IIII wiiiish IIII / COULD FLY-EE-Y"
• "Sparks / FLY-EE-Y"
• "I'd write this IN THE SKY-EE-Y / You are the best thing that's ever been mine"
• "Welcome to New York / Like we were in Paris"
• Half Of My Heart jumpscare at the end of the chapter.

Rust

Production in order of appearance:

Look What You Made Me Do* - Dress* - I Wish You Would - This Is What You Came For*

Vocals in order of appearance:

Karma (Ice Spice version) - Look What You Made Me Do* - Right Where You Left Me - I Think He Knows - King Of My Heart - Ronan - I Don't Wanna Live Forever - Cowboy Like Me - Illicit Affairs - The Archer* - Question...? - Dress* - Bad Blood* - My Tears Ricochet - Sweet Nothing - It's Nice To Have A Friend - Midnight Rain - Don't Blame Me - Bad Blood (Kendrick Lamar version) - A Place In This World - Forever & Always - The Man - Labyrinth - The Great War - Gold Rush

My favorite moments:

• Again, the simplicity of the production, and how Dress (my second-least-favorite Taylor Swift song) is actually improved upon by having more full production.
• The not one but two occurrences of Ice Spice saying "grrah" in the Karma remix.
• The brief Sweet Nothing / My Tears Ricochet / It's Nice To Have A Friend / Midnight Rain mashup.
• "BUT I'M READY TO FLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!! / I don't think so"
• The polyrhythm between Don't Blame Me and TIWYCF / LWYMMD.
• The surprisingly prominent usage of This Is What You Came For.
• The Great War / Gold Rush duet.
• The chapter starting and ending on the same line - "look what you just made me do, look what you just made me do".

Sapphire

Production in order of appearance:

Look What You Made Me Do* - The Archer* - This Is What You Came For* - Welcome To New York* - Mastermind - Starlight - Red - Girl At Home - Happiness - You're On Your Own, Kid - Gasoline - Timeless - Mary's Song (Oh My My My) - Mirrorball - Crazier - A Perfectly Good Heart - Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince* - You All Over Me*

Vocals in order of appearance:

Look What You Made Me Do* - Run - Mirrorball - Carolina - Treacherous - The Best Day - Nothing New - Mastermind - Love Story - Never Grow Up - Cardigan - You're On Your Own, Kid - State Of Grace - The Lucky One - Don't You - This Is Me Trying - False God - This Love - Innocent - Mad Woman - Sweeter Than Fiction - When Emma Falls In Love - Better Than Revenge - Breathe - Come In With The Rain - Gasoline - Two Is Better Than One - Jump Then Fall - Mr. Perfectly Fine - Back To December - The Story Of Us - Better Man - Dear John - I Almost Do - If This Was A Movie - Highway Don't Care - Come Back... Be Here - So It Goes... - The Joker & The Queen - Mean - Dancing With Our Hands Tied - Tied Together With A Smile - Holy Ground - Renegade

My favorite moments:

• The fact that this chapter contains more songs than any other chapter.
• The way LWYMMD is used in a different way from the previous chapter - in Rust it gave it a dark tone, and in Sapphire it contributes to the sparkly, nostalgic atmosphere. (Fun fact - LWYMMD is the only song used in three chapters.)
• The unexpected return of Welcome To New York, one of only two songs (along with Bad Blood) used in two nonconsecutive chapters.
• The Starlight / Red / Girl At Home buildup.
• "We were both young when I first saw you / Don't you ever grow up, just stay this little / When you are young, they assume you know nothing / You're on your own, kid, you always have been"
• "Another name goes up in lights / Begging you please don't go / So if I see you again / This is me trying"
• The intentional overlap of False God ("still worship THIS LOVE") with the song This Love.
• The softer moments with Happiness and You're On Your Own, Kid followed by a jumpscare slew of songs (Gasoline / Timeless / Mary's Song / Mirrorball) fading into the production.
• "I know why we had to say goodbye like the back of my hand / And I hope you know that / Come back, come back / Cuz I can't live without you baby / Come back, be here / Come here, dressed in black now, so, so, so it goes / The joker & the queen / Why you gotta be so mean"
• "I'd hold you as the water rushes in / The water's high, you're jumping into it" (even more important because these are from songs that already had parallel titles - Dancing With Our Hands Tied and Tied Together With A Smile)

Amber

Production in order of appearance:

Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince* - You All Over Me* - Getaway Car* - Bejeweled* - Delicate* - Vigilante Shit - You're Losing Me* - Wonderland* - All Too Well (10 Minute Version)* - All Too Well* - Cornelia Street* - Champagne Problems* - Teardrops On My Guitar - Me!* - Getaway Car* - Out Of The Woods* - Closure - Tolerate It - Style* - Beautiful Eyes*

Vocals in order of appearance:

Daylight* - Tim McGraw - End Game - Long Story Short - It's Time To Go - Invisible String - Last Kiss - The 1 - Betty* - No Body No Crime - Cornelia Street* - You're Losing Me* - Soon You'll Get Better - All Too Well (10 Minute Version)* - Out Of The Woods* - Style* - Teardrops On My Guitar - Me!* - I Bet You Think About Me - I Know Places - Lavender Haze* - You Need To Calm Down* - Gorgeous* - Getaway Car* - The Last Time - Ivy - Wonderland* - White Horse* - Epiphany - Evermore* - All Of The Girls You Loved Before - Stay Stay Stay* - The Lakes

My favorite moments:

• The subtle use of You All Over Me - it's one of the few infamous "hidden" instrumentals in this megamix that I can easily identify, with the pulsating guitar from the intro being used as a pedal point of sorts.
• "I wanna be your end game / Fatefully / I wanna be your first string / Sometimes to run is the brave thing / I used to think I would meet somebody / Just like our last / (Ooh-ooh)"
• "The worst thing that I ever did / He did it"
• The All Too Well / All Too Well Ten Minute Version / Cornelia Street / Champagne Problems / Teardrops On My Guitar mashup, and the way this takes advantage of the distinct production of both All Too Well editions.
• The percussion feature with Out Of The Woods / All Too Well / Closure / Delicate / Me!
• The part that immediately follows with NINE instrumentals seamlessly blended together - if I hadn't watched the video with the song tags, I never would've guessed Out Of The Woods, All Too Well, Closure, Delicate, Me!, Cornelia Street, Tolerate It, Getaway Car AND Style were all being used at the same time at the end of the chapter, because it sounds like one big, full, gorgeous track, and now that I see it I can listen closely and hear each individual layer, which is really cool.

Aurora

Production in order of appearance:

Beautiful Eyes* - Getaway Car* - Style* - Only The Young - Bejeweled* - Wonderland* - New Year's Day

Vocals in order of appearance:

Me!* - Gorgeous* - You Need To Calm Down* - Our Song - Out Of The Woods* - All Too Well (10 Minute Version)* - Style* - Getaway Car* - You're Losing Me* - Lavender Haze* - Delicate* - Stay Stay Stay* - Ours - Cornelia Street* - White Horse* - All Too Well* - Betty* - Evermore* - Superstar - Champagne Problems* - We Were Happy - Dear Reader - The Alcott - Daylight*

My favorite moments:

• Beautiful Eyes being acknowledged (and for a long time at that, even though I can't really hear it the way it's buried in the production).
• "Back before you lost the one real thing you've ever known / Just take me home / And I'm so furious at you for making me feel this way"
• "Don't pretend it's such a mystery, think about the place where you first met / ME-HEE-HEE"
• The callback to the first chapter where every album in chronological order gets one line.
• The way the pianos from New Year's Day and Wonderland are used over the heartbeat from You're Losing Me - absolutely gorgeous.
• "Superstar / I remember / All too well / You won't remember all my champagne problems / Delicate / And goodbye's so much harder / Dear reader / I can't find a pulse, my heart won't start anymore"
• The fact that the production fades away down to just the subtlest piano line, ending with the intro from New Year's Day.
• "I tell you my problems, you tell me the truth / I'll tell you the truth but never goodbye", especially when paired with that echo.
• The fact that the ending makes me want to listen to the whole thing again.

That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!