In Defense of…“ME!” by Taylor Swift

I promise that you’ll never find another like…

“ME!” by Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco is infamously criticized among Swifties. However, I believe “ME!” gets us on our feet with radiating confidence. “ME!” makes you dance and sing, only if you allow yourself to face the music. 

“ME!” was the first single off of Swift’s first fully-owned album, Lover. Having included a questionable adlib-like lyric, “Hey kids, spelling is fun!,” “ME!” raised some eyebrows. Swift has since removed that line, but Swifties still find it hard to love “ME!” like they love the rest of Swift’s discography. 

But, I am one of the few that has love in my heart for “ME!,” and believe it’s the anthem for single girls loving themselves. 

As the song begins, Swift immediately says, “I promise that you'll never find another like me.” She then goes into singing the first verse, “I know that I'm a handful, baby, uh / I know I never think before I jump / And you're the kind of guy the ladies want / (And there's a lot of cool chicks out there) / I know that I went psycho on the phone / I never leave well enough alone / And trouble's gonna follow where I go / (And there's a lot of cool chicks out there).” Swift gets the song started with a clever rhyme scheme and a fast-paced beat all while setting the scene for the unfolding story. 

This upbeat delivery of “ME!” is what I believe contributes to its downfall among fans. An acoustic version of the song merits focusing on simply the lyrical sonics, rather than distracted by the idiosyncratic instrumentals. 

Swift goes on to sing, “But one of these things is not like the others / Like a rainbow with all of the colors / Baby doll, when it comes to a lover / I promise that you'll never find another like…Me…And I promise that nobody's gonna love you like me-e-e.” With a chorus like this, you can’t help but sing along. While inherently cheesy and a little bit childlike, why is that a bad thing?

Swift’s songs are inherently mature and thought-provoking – “ME!” takes us back to who we were before the mind-altering heartbreak. While “ME!” has lyrics that pull on heartstrings, the beat seemingly puts our hearts back together. 

Urie then goes into his verse, “I know I tend to make it about me / I know you never get just what you see / But I will never bore you, baby / (And there's a lot of lame guys out there).” Swift interjects, “And when we had that fight out in the rain / You ran after me and called my name.” Urie continues, “I never wanna see you walk away / (And there's a lot of lame guys out there).” Urie represents Swift’s counterpart, making the song all that more interactive and unique. Swift and Urie’s distinctive voices mesh as if they were always meant to. 

Then, Swift and Urie sing, “'Cause one of these things is not like the others / Livin' in winter, I am your summer / Baby doll, when it comes to a lover / I promise that you'll never find another like…” And the chorus ensues. 

The song continues to it’s iconically childish bridge, “Girl, there ain't no I in ‘team’ / But you know there is a ‘me’ / Strike the band up, one, two, three / I promise that you'll never find another like me / Girl, there ain't no I in ‘team’ / But you know there is a ‘me’ / And you can't spell ‘awesome’ without ‘me’ / I promise that you'll never find another like…” And the chorus then ensues followed by the bridge again. 

“ME!” connects an invisible string from our childhood energy to our more mature love lives. 

“ME!” takes us back to simpler times, spelling and singing like a little kid.