Lover
by Taylor Swift
  • Record Label: Republic
  • Release Date: Aug 23, 2019
User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 9316 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7,836 out of 9316
  2. Mixed: 241 out of 9316
  3. Negative: 1,239 out of 9316
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  1. crz4tay
    Feb 7, 2023
    6
    Its a good album. But there are too many songs and too many up and downs and its not cohesive. Worst taylor album for sure, still have bops.
  2. alekinho
    Sep 26, 2022
    6
    taylor i love u so much but tbh lover have so many songs that i skipped T-T afterglow getaway car cruel summer and miss americane cornelia street and the heartbreak prince are one of the only songs that i really liked in this album
  3. msteck
    Aug 31, 2022
    5
    Frustratingly inconsistent, rapidly swinging from genius to garbage (sometimes within the same song). Taylor's superb vocal performance is frequently let down by bad production decisions.
  4. xqcTF
    Jan 16, 2022
    5
    I struggled to device whether to give this album a 5 or a 6, but stuck with 5 due to some aspects.

    I'll start with the best moments. Cruel Summer is a great song that hits the energy quite well. I've heard the song ME! before listening to this album but it's actually a solid track. It's clearly a fun song from the perspective of someone acting quite narcissistic. I found this idea quite    I struggled to device whether to give this album a 5 or a 6, but stuck with 5 due to some aspects.

    I'll start with the best moments. Cruel Summer is a great song that hits the energy quite well. I've heard the song ME! before listening to this album but it's actually a solid track. It's clearly a fun song from the perspective of someone acting quite narcissistic. I found this idea quite fun, even if Brendan Urie was in it. It's Nice To Have A Friend is quite a nice song to be put second-to-last.

    The whole purpose of this album is to have fun. It has moment of silliness and it works well at time.

    It's a shame the instrumentals of most tracks are quite bland and blend together too much. The album felt quite directionless at times, I noticed this the most at the track "The Man". It seems to get nowhere lyrically or instrumentally. It's still catchy but the journey just isn't worth it. "False God" is a boring song with questionable production choices. It's a bit random and just isn't catchy at all.

    I found enjoyment in this album but for the most part it's just a boring, bland, pop album with some exciting moments. I felt quite indifferent about this album by the end. I didn't like it or hate it.    … Expand
  5. breadstck
    Sep 27, 2021
    6
    If I could describe lover in one word, it would be "Safe". Lover felt so small comparatively to Reputation, or Red. Reputation was "bad girl" Taylor, Red was the drastic switch from country to pop. Lover on the other hand just felt like just another Taylor Swift album.
  6. PEDROMFR
    Feb 5, 2021
    6
    Despite some highlights like Afterglow and Cruel Summer, this album just feels very repetitive and almost too catchy to function.
    Top Track: Afterglow
    Worst Track: London Boy
  7. Wrong_Opinions
    Dec 19, 2020
    5
    Really not feeling this one. Glad it’s her last pop album, really hated these. Her newest projects are miles better, even if I’m not the biggest fan of them.
  8. DevilPray
    Oct 30, 2020
    4
    I think this is probably her weakest album. Some songs sounds so childish and not uplifting or happy songs as they probably thought they would sound.
  9. houndura
    Aug 29, 2020
    6
    Half of the album was AMAZING, with great lyrics and production. The other half was disappointing to say the least.
  10. 062002
    Aug 29, 2020
    6
    I have mixed feeling about it. Half of the album was well-written with amazing lyrics, such as False God, The Archer, and Death By A Thousand Cuts. However there were a few disappointing songs like ME! You can also tell there were definitely filler tracks on the album.
  11. CriticoP3
    Jun 16, 2020
    4
    "... Tanto el álbum, el primer sencillo y el subsiguiente “You Need to Calm Down” -catalogado por sus propios fans como el nuevo himno de la comunidad LGTB- fueron acompañados por una fuerte campaña de promoción alrededor del mundo creando expectativas un tanto pretensiosas para lo que realmente entrega.
    Lover juega con la ambigüedad, de momentos trata de atrapar al publico mas joven con    "... Tanto el álbum, el primer sencillo y el subsiguiente “You Need to Calm Down” -catalogado por sus propios fans como el nuevo himno de la comunidad LGTB- fueron acompañados por una fuerte campaña de promoción alrededor del mundo creando expectativas un tanto pretensiosas para lo que realmente entrega.
    Lover juega con la ambigüedad, de momentos trata de atrapar al publico mas joven con sus tonos pastel y coloridos videos, y en otros desea mostrar madurez con letras mas profundas como en “Miss Americana and The Heartbreak Prince”, pero vuelve a caer en la redundancia que ha venido repitiendo en sus tres trabajos anteriores, aplicando a su confiable e infalible dramatismo romántico y desesperado en Lover, “The Archer”, “London Boy”; con letras que esperaríamos de una romántica poeta adolescente y no una mujer madura y consciente en la lucha feminista. Demás esta nombrar su himno feminista “The Man”, que bien podría considerarse como una de las mayores decepciones en cuanto liricas de parte de Swift, frases como “’Cause if I was a man, Then I would Be The Man” son repetidas en torno al estribillo con una producción brillante pero desperdiciada para una canción mediocre...".

    "... La Titan el Pop conoce bien la industria, y con Lover refleja la formula que ya hemos visto en reiteradas ocasiones; si algo funciona, repítelo hasta que deje de ser rentable. Siendo la misma Swift la usual escritora y compositora, vemos un resultado que ha venido explotando desde “1989” y “Red” (su álbum crossover al género del pop), como también intentado de imitar y emular -hasta el cansancio- tal éxito pero esta vez con un logro moderado por el desgastado modelo pop pegajoso. Si bien el álbum en su totalidad muestra un desempeño agradable y resalta en cuanto a producción musical. La misma Swift sobrecarga su propio ambiente y hace de Lover... ".

    Lee la Crítica Completa en Facebook.com/CriticoP3

    PUNTAJE: 39/100
    -CriticoP3 para METACRITIC    … Expand
  12. miquueel
    May 30, 2020
    5
    As a whole, very boring: nothing new... but will help you sleep! Not much diversity. But songs like Lover and You need to calm down, speak by themselves.
  13. PretentiousGeek
    Apr 17, 2020
    4
    With mind-numbingly inoffensive highs and condescendingly childish lows, Lover is a long, seemingly pointless endeavour into thematically light but murkily familiar territory, making for a remarkable step down even after the underwhelmingly shallow reputation.
    Favourite track: The Archer
    Worst tracks: ME!, I Forgot That You Existed, You Need To Calm Down, London Boy
  14. NolanLundgaard
    Mar 24, 2020
    6
    Lover by Taylor Swift: 5.84

    I Forgot That You Existed: 0.5 Cruel Summer: 0.75 Lover: 1 :) The Man: 1 :) The Archer: 0.5 I Think He Knows: 1 :) Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince: 0.75 Paper Rings: 1 :) Cornelia Street: 1 :) Death by a Thousand Cuts: 1 :) London Boy: 0.5 Soon You’ll Get Better: 1! False God: 0.25 You Need to Calm Down: 0.5 Afterglow: 1 :) ME!: 1 :)    Lover by Taylor Swift: 5.84

    I Forgot That You Existed: 0.5
    Cruel Summer: 0.75
    Lover: 1 :)
    The Man: 1 :)
    The Archer: 0.5
    I Think He Knows: 1 :)
    Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince: 0.75
    Paper Rings: 1 :)
    Cornelia Street: 1 :)
    Death by a Thousand Cuts: 1 :)
    London Boy: 0.5
    Soon You’ll Get Better: 1!
    False God: 0.25
    You Need to Calm Down: 0.5
    Afterglow: 1 :)
    ME!: 1 :)
    It’s Nice to Have a Friend: 0.25
    Daylight: 0.75

    13.75/18 ~ .764 -> 5.84

    Lover is a huge improvement from reputation (though not nearly as good as her older albums, like Fearless and Speak Now) but unfortunately it suffers from a lot of the songs sounding very similar. There were no absolute stinkers on the album, though some of the songs did not reach musical climaxes, something that could have made these songs better, such as The Archer and I Forgot That You Existed. Many of these songs have amazing lyrics, like You Need to Calm Down, but in these songs, the actual music wasn’t my favorite. That being said, while I am usually not a fan of electronic music, Swift uses synths and drum machines very uniquely and creatively, redeeming this music for me. Some of the tracks felt a little too reliant on this technology, though I greatly enjoyed a lot of the songs on the album. At first I felt a little overwhelmed by the electronic drums in The Man, but as I listened to it more and more, I became more fine with it (I listened to songs like Old Town Road in comparison and I still hate those drums, but I’m fine with the ones in The Man). Highlights: Lover, The Man, I Think He Knows, Paper Rings, Cornelia Street, Death by a Thousand Cuts, Soon You’ll Get Better, Afterglow, and ME!.    … Expand
  15. moonch7ld
    Feb 18, 2020
    6
    Cute pop record but definitely not her best. After having three back to back amazing albums, Lover is a disappointment. It seems she’s gone backwards and hasn’t matured her sound.
  16. zustkins
    Feb 14, 2020
    5
    this is honestly so boring and bad. what happened to taylor swift? is this her new style??
  17. ZEN-1
    Jan 31, 2020
    6
    Good body of work, it kind of lacks cohesion due to tracks like paper rings and sygb, but still solid



    ..
  18. JustAl
    Jan 22, 2020
    6
    Lover is rainbow Taylor , who just woke up from a nightmare.
    Several choices were made , not all of them were good ones.
    Let's start with ME! as the lead single. Or I Forgot That You Existed as the 1st track , or The Archer being released from nowhere. I agree, some of the tracks are her most mature yet , and she does not dissapoint in the production side . But the problem with Lover is    Lover is rainbow Taylor , who just woke up from a nightmare.
    Several choices were made , not all of them were good ones.
    Let's start with ME! as the lead single. Or I Forgot That You Existed as the 1st track , or The Archer being released from nowhere.
    I agree, some of the tracks are her most mature yet , and she does not dissapoint in the production side . But the problem with Lover is that is Taylor's least consistent or cohesive album. She built this album all about love and equality and it has this sexual undertones(really well placed by the way). But as the same time it is political and a critic to the U.S government, and is feminist and we deal with the haters and we have a little bit of the Kaye situation and she talks about her mom's cancer (One of the best ones )(really missed Yee haw Taylor) and embraces her childish side.
    I see Lover as Taylor's bump in the road    … Expand
  19. NickSierra
    Dec 30, 2019
    6
    Too much expectation for an album which is just OK. The first two led singles were too catchy and failed to reach good chart position. When it finally came out I realized that actually there are no big hits in this work (even if there are 18 tracks in it) that you can really feel the absence of Max Martin in this one.
  20. ViadoPitchfork1
    Dec 27, 2019
    6
    Some songs are useless like: ME! & London Boy. Taylor is a perfect songwriter and we can see it in songs like Lover and Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince but the album has the same vibe as her previous album 1989, pop song with catchy chorus, it sounds repetitive. When we thought that she was starting to evolute with Reputation, she came back with this type of pop music with catchySome songs are useless like: ME! & London Boy. Taylor is a perfect songwriter and we can see it in songs like Lover and Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince but the album has the same vibe as her previous album 1989, pop song with catchy chorus, it sounds repetitive. When we thought that she was starting to evolute with Reputation, she came back with this type of pop music with catchy chorus and bubble productions like Paper Rings. But the album is kinda good.… Expand
  21. kermie_the_frog
    Dec 26, 2019
    4
    Another bland forgettable pop album. There are some nice songs here but overall it lacks the charisma and individuality needed for it to be a significant record years down the road.
  22. TimW001
    Dec 20, 2019
    5
    On Maturity

    Often when it comes to artists I've liked I find that sometimes they have to be left behind because I have matured while their music has stayed still. Yes, 10 years ago I would love to listen to a song about a breakup and how hard it is, but I've grown up from that time. Oddly, Taylor and I are the same age but I feel her music has gone backwards in maturity. She still makes    On Maturity

    Often when it comes to artists I've liked I find that sometimes they have to be left behind because I have matured while their music has stayed still. Yes, 10 years ago I would love to listen to a song about a breakup and how hard it is, but I've grown up from that time. Oddly, Taylor and I are the same age but I feel her music has gone backwards in maturity. She still makes entire songs and lyrics about high school, prom dresses, school hallways. It makes imagery that's actually fairly strong but I graduated a decade ago, I've got a career and an education; Taylor, who is this music for? Who dreams about high school?

    As for the quality of the music itself mos to fit plays like very generic pop sound. None of it will floor you, none of it is new or refreshing, it does not bring anything new to the genre.

    On this album the songs that stuck out most for me were the tracks where Taylor tries something different or goes back to her roots. Acoustic on Lover, something different on London Boy, country sounds and maturity on Soon You'll Get Better.

    Would I recommend this album? Not particularly but you're going to hear it anyway.    … Expand
  23. Kirbypperez1
    Dec 18, 2019
    6
    1989 was her best album. Lover is worse. I cannot finished the entire songs. This is so bland just like her. Only delusional swifties like this album though the marketing strategy of the album release is good.
  24. alena74
    Dec 8, 2019
    6
    I didn't love this album but I liked some songs. I lost interest in it after a few minutes. Taylor has a beautiful voice though.
  25. soundmate
    Sep 15, 2019
    6
    Lover is definitely an album for the most loyal Taylor Swift fans but, as a mild swiftie, I haven't enjoyed the album that much. The sound of it is innovative in the singer's repertoire but I would have prefered if she had used that sound for a couple songs and not for the whole album. 'Lover' is the most political album of her where she talks about gender roles and the world's society inLover is definitely an album for the most loyal Taylor Swift fans but, as a mild swiftie, I haven't enjoyed the album that much. The sound of it is innovative in the singer's repertoire but I would have prefered if she had used that sound for a couple songs and not for the whole album. 'Lover' is the most political album of her where she talks about gender roles and the world's society in general. I am pleased that Taylor has found the love of her life and I enjoy her songs about her current situation and it's respective messages but the album for this medium Taylor Swift fan is too long and kind of repetitive.… Expand
  26. Takanofdc
    Sep 9, 2019
    6
    Esperava bem mais, o álbum em si é bom mas não é algo que deveria vir após p reputation
  27. xoxobrian
    Sep 8, 2019
    5
    O álbum é mais do mesmo como sempre mas tem algumas músicas bonitinhas, o destaque fica pra miss americana (a melhor).
  28. brrunosouzza
    Sep 7, 2019
    4
    Taylor é uma ótima cantora e compositora. em "Lover" há todo um cuidado com as letras e harmonias, e a ideia em geral - trazer o amor e a felicidade - é belíssima.

    mas pra mim Taylor tinha que arriscar mais, sair da zona de conforto pois potencial ela tem e público também.

    "You need.." é a minha favorita que acima de tudo, é necessária para os dias de hoje.
  29. wyrwicz97
    Sep 3, 2019
    6
    This album is nothing new if it comes to her. It contains some good songs, but overall it is too long. "Lover" isn't her best album although production and lyrics are on high level.
  30. behzatgoren
    Sep 3, 2019
    4
    I Forgot That You Existed 5/10
    Cruel Summer 4/10
    Lover 6/10 The Man 5/10 The Archer 4/10 I Think He Knows 6/10 Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince 6/10 Paper Rings 5,5/10 Cornelia Street 4/10 Death By A Thousand Cuts 6/10 London Boy 4/10 Soon You'll Get Better 7/10 False God 3/10 You Need To Calm Down 5/10 Afterglow 6/10 ME! 6,5/10 It's Nice To Have A Friend 3/10    I Forgot That You Existed 5/10
    Cruel Summer 4/10
    Lover 6/10
    The Man 5/10
    The Archer 4/10
    I Think He Knows 6/10
    Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince 6/10
    Paper Rings 5,5/10
    Cornelia Street 4/10
    Death By A Thousand Cuts 6/10
    London Boy 4/10
    Soon You'll Get Better 7/10
    False God 3/10
    You Need To Calm Down 5/10
    Afterglow 6/10
    ME! 6,5/10
    It's Nice To Have A Friend 3/10
    Daylight 2/10

    Lover:48/100    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Most Discussed Album of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. musicOMH.com
    Sep 9, 2019
    70
    It’s an album that screams out for an editor, but when it hits the right notes, it demonstrates just why Taylor Swift is one of the biggest pop stars in the world.
    Read full review
  2. PopMatters
    Sep 3, 2019
    70
    Ultimately, Lover is overstuffed and meandering, but serves as a positive reprieve from her past struggles in the public eye, and represents an artist at the peak of her creativity, power, and—one hopes—continued romantic bliss.
    Read full review
  3. The Quietus
    Sep 3, 2019
    80
    Lover is a fabulous record, full of super-fun standout pop hits that make your heart burst. It oozes with Swift’s much more palatable upbeat sass. She’s in love and also thinking about different kinds of love.
    Read full review
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