If you are a book lover, who is also a fan of overanalyzing and looking for deeper meanings in everything you read and hear, then Midnights is the perfect album for you! As Taylor Swift’s possibly most cryptic, raw, and personal album yet, her experimental lyrics and sounds have me searching for hidden messages and unraveling references to what we know of her past. And these 5 fictional book characters would without a doubt do the same thing if they lived in the same universe as Taylor Swift.
I’m going to be matching 5 Midnights songs with 5 book characters, based on what I think would be each of their favorites!
1. “Midnight Rain” and Jo March from Little Women
“Midnight Rain” is a song seemingly about a relationship Swift had to leave behind because she wanted to make a name for herself. She wasn’t ready to settle down and take a man’s name, because she had her own dreams that she was still chasing. He was nice and stable, but she was searching for excitement and ambition.
“I broke his heart ’cause he was nice
He was sunshine, I was midnight rain
He wanted it comfortable, I wanted that pain
He wanted a bride, I was making my own name
Chasing that fame, he stayed the same
All of me changed like midnight”
This would be Jo March’s favorite song from the album because it would hit so close to home. She would completely relate to wanting to achieve her goals first, more than she wanted to settle down with a husband and family. Laurie was “nice” and she loved him, but she did not want to be his wife. She knew that she wouldn’t be able to make him happy as his wife in the way he wanted. This song was practically made for her!
2. “You’re On Your Own, Kid” and Annabeth Chase from Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Annabeth Chase often felt alone during her childhood. As a demigod, she was always attracting monsters to her home and putting her family in danger. She also felt like her family didn’t truly care about her and that she was just a burden. All of this led her to run away from home at merely seven years old. She was forced to become fiercely independent, and it left her with a feeling of mistrust for most people, even once she had a home with her newfound friends at Camp Half-Blood.
“You’re on your own, kid
You always have been”
Additionally, the lyrics in the song about Taylor’s unrequited love sound like they could have been written just for Annabeth and her feelings for Luke Castellan.
“I wait patiently, he’s gonna notice me
It’s okay, we’re the best of friends…
From sprinkler splashes to fireplace ashes
I waited ages to see you there
I search the party of better bodies
Just to learn that you never cared”
Even though Luke was older than her, she held on to hope that one day he would think of her as more than just a friend, but he never did.
3. “Bejeweled” and Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice
Unlike her sisters, Elizabeth knew she didn’t need or want a man just to have one. She wanted true and all-consuming love with her husband, and she was perfectly happy being alone if she couldn’t find someone who lived up to her standards. Her beauty drew attention at parties without her even trying. For those reasons, “Bejeweled” would be her favorite song from the album.
“Best believe I’m still bejeweled
When I walk in the room
I can still make the whole place shimmer
And when I meet the band
They ask, “Do you have a man?”
I could still say, “I don’t remember”
Familiarity breeds contempt
Don’t put me in the basement
When I want the penthouse of your heart”
Elizabeth wanted the penthouse of her future husband’s heart, and she would not settle for the basement! I think it’s safe to say that she finally found that in Mr. Darcy.
4. “Sweet Nothing” and Amelia Rose from When in Rome
Soulful popstar Amelia Rose, known as Rae Rose to her fans, was used to men wanting her for her fame, and never truly caring about her. She went through many relationships, but each time they ended in heartbreak. That is until she found Noah Walker. As a small-town pie shop owner, Noah couldn’t have been less fazed by Amelia’s celebrity status.
They might have had a rocky start, but once they decided to give their relationship a real chance, Amelia was comforted by the fact that Noah wanted her for who she was as a person. Amelia would undoubtedly be listening to “Sweet Nothing” on repeat and I think it would be her favorite song from the “Midnights” album.
Evеryone’s up to something
I find myself running home to your sweet nothings
Outside, they’re push and shoving
You’re in the kitchen humming
All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothing
5. “Mastermind” and Asher Marin from Meet Me at Midnight
This song would most likely be Asher’s favorite because he can 100% relate to meeting someone and knowing right away that he had to make them his. That is exactly how he felt about Sidney when he first met her in Meet Me at Midnight. (Also, notice the name of the book. What a coincidence!)
“What if I told you
None of it was accidental
And the first night that you saw me
Nothing was gonna stop me”
It may have taken a bit longer than Asher would have wanted, (and his method of scheming certainly didn’t work out as well as Taylor’s did) but Sidney and Asher finally ended up together, and it was worth the wait.
While I may have way too many favorite songs from “Midnights” to narrow it down to one, the 5 songs I think that those book characters would choose as their favorites are definitely all up there on the top of my list too!
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