Level 18: Enchanted

I am finally level 18! Thanks to Ashley for reminding me about this.

Anyway, this is not the only reason why I am making this post. I had this tradition where I make a post about the song the level is named after every time I level up. However as the level gets higher, it's more difficult to level up. I haven't leveled up for a long time. I think I started this tradition in 2019 which feels like ages ago by now.(Thinking back it's not that long ago; I guess everything pre-pandemic feels like a long time ago. Who else still re the twenty wine teen instagram post?)

Although Speak Now was released a long time ago, I really only became a Swiftie during my high school years. I think a main theme of Taylor's early country albums is feeling isolated but wanting to be wanted("When all you wanted, was to be wanted"). Looking back now, I feel that me having a quiet isolated life during my high school years is one bug reason why I was so drawn to Fearless and Speak Now. It was also during this part of my life, I started to grow appreciation for Taylor's ability to tell stories, and she never stopped impressing us with better and better storytellings. If you followed me here for a while(many of you are active anymore :sob: ), you would notice that I have in many occasions described Taylor's works, especially those earlier ones, as a window for me to peek through and into someone else's life that is outside the little box I was in. During one of her interviews(I think it was pre pandemic although I do not recall which), Taylor said that as entertainers, we want to offer our audiences an escape, and that speech really resonates with what I felt at time. However, reflecting in retrospect, I think when you look outside that window there's a humanity in that outside world that is also a reflection of you. Taylor's early country songs(Debut-Speak Now) were filled with stories about teenage life. It's a life outside of mine, but in that wonderland seemingly so different from the life pf mine, there's a part of it that terrified me, a part of it that I wish I had, and a part of it that reflected my reality. Speak Now album is filled with the idea of leaving things behind, and feeling isolated, and wishing to be wanted and wondering what if things had happened differently, and Enchanted is the icon of that idea. Although I had always loved this song, it, along with Sparks Fly, was the summer anthem for me in 2018. I am really glad that I finally get to see it performed live by Taylor herself at the Eras Tour :smiley: :scream: :sob: . I really wished that the Speak Now segment could be longer.(I also don't understand why she decided to reduce the Speak Now era by 50% post TTPD when she could've cut something longer like Rep or folklore. As much as I love them, they got a lot more songs, and cutting one out might be painful but at least wouldn't be 50% of the whole era.)

Anyway I wish you were wonderstruck by something enchanted today; if now, hopefully you will have a better day tomorrow.

Also, LONG LIVE Swifties!