Taylor Swift has done it again!
On Friday, the superstar singer released her seventh hit studio album, Lover, and fans are going wild over the new songs. Most importantly, Swifties are loving the 29-year-old star’s lyrics on the new album. As many Swift fans will know, the songstress writes all of her own music, telling personal stories of love, loss and betrayal.
Over the years, from her self-titled debut album in 2006 to 2019’s Lover, T.Swift has grown, learned tough lessons and has taken a stand for what she believes in. At various stages in her life, Swift has, admittedly, lost herself. However, with this new album, Swift is showing that she really has found not only herself, but also true happiness and true love.
Looking back, Swift has—through her music, interviews and personal essays—taught her fans many valuable life lessons, many lessons that she had to learn the hard way.
But, now on the other side, Swift has been able to reflect on those tough times, sharing her knowledge with her beloved followers. So, in celebration of Swift’s new album, let’s take a look back at 13 of her most valuable pieces of advice from over the years!
1. Mistakes Are Inevitable: While accepting the first-ever Icon Award at the 2019 Teen Choice Awards, Swift sent a message to her young fans watching. “If anybody is a teen out there…I think one thing I wish I would have known when I was a teen is that mistakes are inevitable,” Swift shared. “I just want you to know that if you are out there and you are being really hard on yourself right now for something that has happened…it’s normal. That is what is going to happen to you in life. No one gets through unscathed. We are all going to have a few scratches on us. Please be kind to yourselves and stand up for yourself, please.”
2. “Get a Good Lawyer”: In Swift’s 73 Questions segment with Vogue, filmed in 2016, the superstar was asked what advice she would give to anyone who wants to become a singer. Her answer: “Get a good lawyer.”
3. Beware of Karma: In the same video, Swift is asked what she believes is the “most important life lesson” for someone to learn. In response, the songstress shared, “That karma is real.”
4. After Heartbreak, Things Will Eventually Begin Again, Remember That: In 2012, Swift released her song “Begin Again,” which talks about embarking on a new journey of love after heartbreak. The track, which is off of her Red album, reflects on a past relationship which left Swift in a very vulnerable state. But then, things took a turn when she met someone new, someone who laughed at her jokes and pulled out her chair. “I’ve been spending the last eight months, thinking all love ever does is break and burn and end,” Swift sings on the track. “But on a Wednesday in a cafe I watched it begin again.”
5. Always Have Tissues Ready When Listening to Track 5: Over the years, through various album cycles, Swift has placed her most emotional and heartbreaking songs as track five on her albums. From “Dear John” to “All Too Well” to “Delicate,” Swifties must have tissues nearby when listening to these songs. Most recently, Swift released “The Archer,” which is the fifth track on her new album. “So track five is kind of a tradition that really started with you guys,” Swift told her fans in July. “I didn’t realize I was doing this but as I was making albums, I don’t know why but instinctively I was putting a very vulnerable, personal, honest, emotional song as track five.”
6. Don’t Leave Your Scarf at Your Significant Other’s Sister’s House: You won’t get it back. Alexa, play “All Too Well.”
7. Celebrate Your Real Friends: In Swift’s “30 Things I Learned Before Turning 30” essay for Elle, she acknowledged that not all friendships are meant to last forever. “Something about ‘we’re in our young twenties!’ hurls people together into groups that can feel like your chosen family,” Swift shared. “And maybe they will be for the rest of your life. Or maybe they’ll just be your comrades for an important phase, but not forever. It’s sad but sometimes when you grow, you outgrow relationships. You may leave behind friendships along the way, but you’ll always keep the memories.”
In the same essay, Swift reflected on her relationships with friends and fans. “I learned that I have friends and fans in my life who don’t care if I’m #canceled,” Swift wrote. “They were there in the worst times and they’re here now. The fans and their care for me, my well-being, and my music were the ones who pulled me through. The most emotional part of the Reputation Stadium Tour for me was knowing I was looking out at the faces of the people who helped me get back up. I’ll never forget the ones who stuck around.”
Here’s a toast to my real friends!
8. We Need to Build Each Other Up: Over the years, Swift was in headline-making feud with fellow star Katy Perry. However, after Perry sent Swift a literal olive branch ahead of her Reputation Stadium Tour, the two decided to make amends. The superstars even teamed up for T.Swift’s “You Need to Calm Down” music video, which stands up for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, as well as the rights of women.
“And we see you over there on the internet/Comparing all the girls who are killing it,” Swift sings on the track. “But we figured you out/We all know now we all got crowns/You need to calm down.”
In the visual, Swift (dressed as fries) and Perry (dressed as a burger) share a hug, sending a powerful message to viewers. The feud is done, let’s forgive, move on and lift each other up!
9. Nothing Good Starts in a Getaway Car: In her beloved track “Getaway Car,” released on her reputation album, Swift reflects on a relationship that took off too soon. “We were flyin’/But we’d never get far,” Swift sings. “Don’t pretend it’s such a mystery/Think about the place where you first met me.” In her piece for Elle, Swift warned readers, “Before you jump in headfirst, maybe, I don’t know…get to know someone!”
10. Be Yourself and Love Yourself First: “I’m the only one of me/Baby that’s the fun of me,” Swift sings alongside Brendon Urie in “ME!,” the first single released off of her latest album, Lover. The song is a self-love message about embracing every single part of yourself, because there’s only one of you, and your quirks are what make you special.
11. It’s Not About New Year’s Eve, It’s About New Year’s Day: When people think of New Year’s Eve, they think of the party and celebrating with people you love. But, what most people don’t think about is the next morning, when there’s glitter on the floor after the party. In Swift’s song “New Year’s Day,” released on reputation, she sings about “cleaning up bottles” with the person she loves after a NYE bash. “Don’t read the last page/But I stay when you’re lost and I’m scared and you’re turning away,” Swift sings. “I want your midnights/But I’ll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year’s Day.”
12. A Simple Way to Avoid Haters: After a tough time in 2016, Swift decided to turn off her Instagram comments in order to block any hate that might be sent her way. If you’re looking for a way to silence some chatter in your life, this could be an easy solution. Post away without hearing any feedback, positive or negative, as Swift wrote in her Elle essay, “I think it’s healthy for your self-esteem to need less internet praise to appease it.”
13. There’s a Trick to Holding On: In Dec. 2017, Swift wrote a poem, published in Vogue UK, entitled “The Trick to Holding On.” In the poem, Swift wrote, “Let go of the ones who hurt you/Let go of the ones you outgrow. Let go of the words they hurl your way as you’re walking out the door/The only thing cut and dry/In this hedge-maze life/Is the fact that their words will cut but your tears will dry.” Swift concluded her poem with this message, “The trick to holding on/Was all that letting go.”
In her new album, Swift has a song called “Daylight,” in which she sings, “You gotta step into the daylight and let it go.”
Swift’s seventh studio album, Lover, is available now.
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