“Dear Reader” by Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift goes out on a few artistic limbs in her “Midnights” album, as in some of the songs featured therein being such that you really have to put your thinking cap on in an attempt to capture all that’s being put forth.

And perhaps none fall into that category more so than “Dear Reader” in which Swift, quite unconventionally, takes on an overtly-advisory tone.

Most of the advice she is putting forth, even if relayed using metaphorical lingo, is pretty understandable.

And in that regard, it can be said that as far as the verses go, what she is instructing basically boils down to encouraging listeners not to be afraid to be themselves and at the same time burning bridges or what have you when need be.

Taylor’s Advice

Indeed, the songstress’s advice is quite diverse. However, when taken altogether the advice is definitely such that a reader would need heart in order to adhere to it.

And whereas some of Swift’s aforenoted points are ambiguous, the verses aren’t the most esoteric parts of this song. That distinction would rather belong to the bridge, which may well be the most confusing – for lack of a better word – passage by Swift that we’ve ever come across.

But what it seems to allude to is what’s being expressed in the chorus, where Taylor sings that we should “never take advice from someone who is falling apart”. Or read from a different angle, it’s as if this vocalist is saying that she’s qualified to relay life lessons because she’s actually on top of her game, in a manner of speaking. And that also would seemingly be the sentiment that the outro is based on.

That said, it is important to note that Taylor could also be using the highlighted line above to tell readers not to follow her advice as she’s not in the best position to dish out advices.

The Conclusion

So putting all of this together, including the fact that this is more or less the final track to be found on “Midnights”, we will conclude by speculating that as with most artists , Swift too perceives her works as inherently possessing a message. But she’s not the type to broadcast such lessons, if you will, forthrightly, since this is art that we’re dealing with, and interpretation is really left up to the listener.

But that noted, Taylor has described “Midnights” as being based on “13 sleepless nights” she experienced throughout life. And this particular song would apparently serve the purpose of more plainly illustrating what she learned from those experiences, i.e. the philosophies and practices which have made Taylor into the notable success she is today.

Release of “Dear Reader”

This is the final song on the “3am Edition” of Taylor Swift’s massively-successful album “Midnights“. This means that it is the 20^th track on its overall playlist. And this effort was made public with the backing of Republic Records on 21 October 2022.

Credits for “Dear Reader”

The writer/producer of this track, besides Taylor Swift, is Jack Antonoff. Jack is an accomplished musician in his own right who has been holding Tay Tay down since her latter days with Big Machine Records.