Song Review: ‘…Ready For It?’

After letting her lead single “Look What You Made Me Do” from her sixth studio album reputation take over the world for over a week, Taylor Swift is back with another new track and it’s infectious pop perfection.

“…Ready For It?” is by far one of the best opening tracks Swift has started with on an album. It’s the perfect launch for what we call the reputation era. We know that this time around, Swift isn’t asking a lover to stay or talking about style. Instead, she’s switching the narrative, and while it’s much darker, it’s much more appealing. “…Ready For It?” appears to be bright, bubbly pop but when you pay attention to the lyrical content, you can sense the edgier side of Swift that we’ve only seen in songs like “Bad Blood” or “Blank Space” but even those songs aren’t as edgy.

But don’t let the edginess scare you. “…Ready For It?” is an outstanding track with a baseline that will make you want to run the extra mile. Oh, and did we mention she sounds off with an Ed Sheeran-esque inspired rap in the verses? It sounds strange but it actually fits better than expected.

So what exactly is the context of “…Ready For It?” A lot. There’s a lot of meaning behind the content of the track and it’s meant to be that way just like any other Swift song. The dark tone of the verses are interesting, and we can’t help but wonder if she’s taking a jab at the media in some cases. For instance, she references being tame and the media loves to percieve her as boy crazy or a serial dater. So, a jab at the media? It would make sense and is quite brilliant. “Touch me and you’ll never be alone,” she sings in the pre-chorus. In this case, we can tell that she could be speaking about the intensity of having a relationship in the public eye.

But while some parts could be a jab, other parts do talk about a low-key relationship and stating that it’s the best one she’s ever had. If this is really the case for Swift, we love it because what it all comes down to is her happiness. The happiness could be displayed in effortless fashion during the lighthearted and “Wildest Dreams” inspired chorus, which showcases an obvious reason why the song would fit perfectly on top 40 radio.

All in all, “… Ready For It?” is a surefire hit for Swift and one that has been stuck in our heads since its release on Sunday morning. Her vocals shine throughout, making it one of Swift’s best songs vocally. The beat and the anthemic “let the games begin” lyric is what makes the track stand out and makes us more excited to hear what else the singer-songwriter has up her sleeve. Needless to say, “…Ready For It?” is a promising second glance on what’s to come.