Taylor Swift's Lover era done right *a thread

So we all know back in late 2018 we felt TS7 getting closer and closer. After the 2018 AMAs when Taylor teased "the next chapter" we all lost it. Little did we know we'd not have a single drop of TS7 until a half-a-year later which we all know now was a terrible move.

In November we saw Taylor formally announce that she'd be signing to Republic Records. Then we saw her Instagram theme change slowly into more colorful pastel themes. This was an even bigger signal that Taylor's new album was imminent.

These pictures sent Swifties into a frenzy. We thought it was a countdown. Later on we found out that the 7 palm trees post signified the finishing of TS7 and that the "5 holes in the fence" theory (made mainstream by @noahlevy13) was actually just a picture she thought was cute.

Then after that it was simply silence. However we were filled up with hope when Taylor announced that she would be attending and receiving a special award at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. We were yet again wrong and got told that a new project "was coming."

Finally on April 13th a 13 day countdown began. We were in the dark for over a month and this was when the hype began to die down. Boy did it go back to craziness. But the thing was that the countdown was too long. It wasn't reported on after a few days and fans got angry.

We were done with the cryptic post and wanted answers. The eve of the lead fans gathered around a mysterious mural in TN which was eerily Taylor themed. Fans were told that it was for the NFL but fans stayed. Good thing they did because Taylor announced ME! at this event.

That night Taylor showed up at a huge sporting event on ABC to announce ME!. At the time it was a cute idea but overall I believe it wasn't as effective as going to a show where Taylor's demo would be already tuning in. Things just felt off. So much build up, little substance.

This is where the analysis stops. Taylor went on to have moderate success with ME!, YNTCD, Lover, and bungled The Man. Now I want to correct the era! Let's do this.

Right before we start. This thread is a partnership with @lordsaveswift.