THE VAULT]"

2012, Taylor Swift started experimenting with the idea of switching genres from country to pop with the release of her fourth studio album “Red.” Following the success of hits like "All Too Well," "22," and "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together," Taylor Swift decided to switch from country to pop with the release of her fifth studio album and her first ever pop album, “1989.” Taylor Swift’s entire discography has always been heavily influenced by her life experiences and the many versions of herself over the years and “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor's Version) [From the Vault]” is a prime example of her discographic style.

“I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor's Version) [From the Vault]'' is my third favorite song from the album and my top ten favorite from Taylor Swift’s discography but it has been on my mind this week. In “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor's Version) [From the Vault]” Swift sings about a time in her life when she was in a “perfect” relationship that ended abruptly. Swift narrates in detail all of the memories she experienced during the relationship and how it wasn’t in fact perfect. She reflects on their time together and she narrates and describes the flaws in the relationship. Finally, Swift comes to terms with the end of the relationship and is happy with how much she has healed from it but she also states that she is absolutely confident that her ex will never get over her. She notes that every relationship after her will always be a poor excuse to reclaim what they had. “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor's Version) [From the Vault]” is one of the many songs Taylor Swift states are from the Vault. The Vault are songs that were supposed to be released with the original version of the re-recorded album but weren’t.

As stated in previous editions of the Song of the Week, lyricism is an important aspect of any song and Taylor Swift understood that when writing “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor's Version) [From the Vault].” In “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor's Version) [From the Vault],” Swift utilizes storytelling, metaphor and pathos to narrate a confusing and disappointing time in her life. My favorite lyric in the entire song is:

“But now that we're done and it's over.

I bet it's hard to believe.

But it turned out I'm harder to forget than I was to leave.

And, yeah, I bet you think about me.”

Toxic exes are a recurring theme in Swift’s discography. In “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor's Version) [From The Vault],” Taylor Swift gives an account of her experience with a relationship that should have been perfect but wasn’t. She creates a platform for her fans to relate and filter their feelings through. The song is a great listen with a powerful message.

" Taylor Swift's career has been defined by her impressive songwriting abilities and her talented musical composition skills and 'I Bet You Think About Me' is an example of that."

JOEY ARTHUR

RATING: 5/5