Sorry, Taylor Swift shouldn’t win Album of the Year at the Grammys for Midnights

Taylor Swift has no business winning the award for the album of the year for Midnights at the 2024 Grammys.

Apparently, the odd predicators at Forbes disagree with me as Taylor,who has six nods in total, is on track to take the top prize on Sunday. She actually won it three times prior with much better offerings: Fearless in 2009, 1989 in 2015, and Folklore in 2021. Winning again for Midnights would be an outrage.

Before I go on, it feels relevant to disclaim that I’m a huge Swiftie, not some over-it hater. My Swiftie status is one of the few preteen identities I’ve not outgrown. My gratitude towards her and her body of work is quite embarrassing. However, despite this, I am a professional first. My judgment about the most important award in music needs to be clear and not clouded by something as silly as nostalgia.

Literally, any of the other nominees would be better winners than Midnights. If I had an official vote, like one that counted, I’d give my pick to Lana Del Rey’s Did You Know There’s A Tunnel Under Boulevard. Next up would be SOS by SZA or the record by Boygenius. Perhaps I’m too old to lean into my Olivia Rodrigo era fully, but GUTS was one of my favourite albums of 2023. Janelle Monae and Jon Batiste also wowed with World Music Radio and The Age of Pleasure. Endless Summer Vacation was a bit of a dud; however, that will definitely not win despite giving us Flowers.

Either way, I, a ride-or-die Taylor Swift fan who cried when I got an Eras Tour code, have only one opinion about the Grammys: Taylor Swift did not have the best album of last year. Winning for Anti-Hero as Record of The Year makes sense. It’s a perfect pop ditty. It perfectly does that sad lyrics and fun beat conceit, which her go-to producer Jack Anatonoff pioneered. It also has a sense of humour and tells a very Swiftian story.

However, Midnights, the LP it sits on, is patchy. As a collection of work, it has some real lows and highs. One of these soaring peaks is the career-defining You’re On Your Own, Kid. Honestly, words cannot do this aural confection justice! Seriously, thank you, Taylor, for performing it all dramatically at the piano that night at SoFi Stadium in front of professional cameras for the Eras tour movie. It’s what an important song like that deserves. Taylor’s magic is the ability to pen songs that both Stevie Nicks and I relate to. Taylor, thanks for making me feel like Stevie Nicks. However, there’s just an array of skippable duds for every song like that one. For real, what on earth is Vigilante Shit? Lavender Haze?

Corny pop has its place, but it has to be, like, foundationally good. You know? Both are just clunky and cringe. Their corniness is not charming like 1989’s Shake It Off is. That 2014 lead single has its purposes. Its Disney Channel elements serve a function. These flops are just bad. There is one that captures a fun innocence, and I of course, mean Karma. Karma IS the cat purring on my lap because it loves me. I saw a tweet once that claimed it is elevated when you have someone in mind when you blare it around your kitchen, and you know it is.

Along with these musical clunkers,  all the really good stuff are all bonus tracks! Why is Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve on the 3 am edition? Why did I have to wait that long for You’re Losing Me? For crying out loud, Taylor Swift just put them all on one album for the first time! Life is short! Just give it to us when it is ready! Please! Some of us cannot just jump on our private jet when we need to escape! Our streaming subscriptions are all we have! On that note, where is Reputation? The planet is burning! We need that era back!

Anyway, what does the Recording Academy even know? They only gave Caroline Polachek one nomination for Desire, I Wanna Turn To You, and they snubbed Beyonce last year.

Related stories recommended by this writer

• Ok so, here is what happened to Griselda hitman Jorge Ayala in real-life

• So, what’s the true story of Ryan Murphy’s new series Feud: Capote vs The Swans?

∙ ‘I just wanted to be with her’: Griselda Blanco’s ex talks about their prison romance

Photo credit via SARAH YENESEL/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock