Current Events > Did Taylor Swift - Midnights deserve the best album of the year?

(+) Yeah! (+)

No Midnights is a bottom 3 Taylor album. The Jack Antonoff sound is so played out now

Obviously

No. Not even a Taylor hater (love me some Evermore and her self-titled album) but Midnights didn't compete with some of the other stuff this year IMO.

The people who voted for it presumably thought so. And that's all there is to it.

I think L'Rain's I Killed Your Dog was the best album of 2023. No one here is likely to agree with me. That's fine. It's subjective.

ai123 posted...

The people who voted for it presumably thought so. And that's all there is to it.

I think L'Rain's I Killed Your Dog was the best album of 2023. No one here is likely to agree with me. That's fine. It's subjective.

In the last few years I would say, Courtney Barnetts, 'Things Take Time, Take Time' is so overlooked.

It has some tracks that have a real Wish You Were Here vibe.

Midnights made me a fan of hers, but it's not in my top 3 albums of the year, or even my top 3 TS albums. My album of 2022 is Fever Dreams Pts. 1-4 by Johnny Marr. I'd even vote Harry's House by Harry Styles or Return of the Dream Canteen by RHCP over Midnights.

No.

The album was decent tho

Since I got a Spotify account like 10 years ago I havent listened to the radio or any mainstream music at all, but no question Taylor Swifts album was way way way more impactful than whatever else was nominated

Yes. It was the soundtrack to 2023.

AngelsNAirwav3s posted...

Since I got a Spotify account like 10 years ago I havent listened to the radio or any mainstream music at all, but no question Taylor Swifts album was way way way more impactful than whatever else was nominated

I dont even think thats true, tbh.

the album most people wanted to win was SOS by SZA, which had more hits than Midnights, and may have even sold more (the metrics of measuring sales are murky now with streaming but the list I saw put SOS at #2 best selling album of 2023 and Midnights at #3)

AND it was more critically acclaimed, being rated higher, making and topping more year end lists, already winning other AOTY awards, etc

No.

Of the nominated albums that Ive listened to, Id give it to Sza. That being said, music I listen to really isnt the kind to get a Grammy nomination. While Janelle Monae is my favorite artist of the bunch, Age of Pleasure just never really clicked with me and I might actually like Midnights more. Szas album was honestly a great follow-up to her first album. I dont remember if I listened to that boygenius album(I mightve liked it a little). I know that I didnt listen to the others.

TheGoldenEel posted...

I dont even think thats true, tbh.

the album most people wanted to win was SOS by SZA, which had more hits than Midnights, and may have even sold more (the metrics of measuring sales are murky now with streaming but the list I saw put SOS at #2 best selling album of 2023 and Midnights at #3)

AND it was more critically acclaimed, being rated higher, making and topping more year end lists, already winning other AOTY awards, etc

When Midnights came out, 9 of the Billboard top 10 songs were off the album. I am guessing SZA didn't have that impact. Midnights was the #1 album in 2022. Here is the list I found from Billboards for the top 10 albums of 2023:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/2/27d3d509.png

Rankings wise Midnights was in the 2022 lists while SZA was in 2023, so you can't quite compare them. Maybe its just because T Swifts old albums like Folklore and Lover were still somehow in the 2023 top 10, plus her re-released albums also being in the top 10 really made me overestimate the effects of Midnights specifically? But I don't even know what SZA is lol

Poor Morgan Wallen though he crushed both of them and didn't even get nominated lol

Really wanted Janelle Monae to win

AngelsNAirwav3s posted...

When Midnights came out, 9 of the Billboard top 10 songs were off the album. I am guessing SZA didn't have that impact. Midnights was the #1 album in 2022. Here is the list I found from Billboards for the top 10 albums of 2023:

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/2/27d3d509.png

Rankings wise Midnights was in the 2022 lists while SZA was in 2023, so you can't quite compare them. Maybe its just because T Swifts old albums like Folklore and Lover were still somehow in the 2023 top 10, plus her re-released albums also being in the top 10 really made me overestimate the effects of Midnights specifically? But I don't even know what SZA is lol

Poor Morgan Wallen though he crushed both of them and didn't even get nominated lol

yes, a big part of Taylor Swifts impact in 2023 was the re-released 1989 as well as Cruel Summer resurfacing.

the difference in sales between SZA and Tswift was basically a rounding error and like I said I saw one that put SZA over tswift (https://m.hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=338928&title=TOP-50%3A-YTD-ALBUMS ). Similar to Midnights most of SOSs tracks are certified gold or better even if they didnt have legions of stans playing them on repeat on release week. SOS had 5 genuine top ten hits (songs that were released as singles and got actual radio play)

(EDIT: also, Midnights is double platinum in the US while SOS is triple platinum)

i think youre just making assumptions based on not paying attention to pop culture. SZA had a monster year and to claim Midnights was way way more impactful is just flat out wrong