Pierce The Room Like A Cannonball

Taylor Swift “State of Grace”

I wouldn’t have guessed that Taylor Swift would be better at writing late-period U2 songs than the actual U2, but here we are. The only track on No Line on the Horizon that touches “State of Grace” is the title track, and this is probably a little better. I don’t think Swift should be in any hurry to rush into musical “maturity” – aside from this cut, the best songs on Red embrace her youth – but I’d love to see her continue with songs in this vein in the future because the whole U2 vibe is good for projecting youthful earnestness and yearning with a sense of clear-eyed, adult perspective. Swift’s lyrics are well-matched to this tone, too – she’s basically singing about a feeling of overwhelming clarity upon meeting someone so amazing that she’s automatically knocked out of a complacent understanding of her life.

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