“It feels like a perfect night to dress up like hipsters and make fun of our exes.”
Released in 2012, the year of #YOLO and mustaches on every single piece of merchandise imaginable, “22” maintains its prominence as the song for 22 year olds, 13 years after its release.
The triple-platinum fourth single from Taylor Swift’s classic country-pop album, “Red”, is almost a guaranteed stream on every Swiftie’s 22nd birthday.
The timeless party anthem encapsulates exactly what it feels like to be 22: “Happy, free, confused and lonely in the best way. It’s miserable and magical.”
Written by the pop trifecta: Swift, Max Martin and Shellback, Swift’s closest friends and their experiences together as 20-somethings served as the primary inspiration behind the song.
“I like all the possibilities of how you’re still learning, but you know enough. You still know nothing, but you know that you know nothing. You’re old enough to start planning your life, but you’re young enough to know there are so many unanswered questions. That brings about a carefree feeling that is sort of based on indecision and fear and at the same time letting loose,” said Swift to Billboard in October 2012.
As an eight year old, I dreamed of the day I would finally turn 22 and be just like the singer-songwriter I grew up with.
Twenty-two always felt so grown up and mature, the age where I would have it all figured out. It felt so distant like the recalling of a dream, unable to make out the details or remember a face.
I have to admit, being 22 still feels dream-like even at 22, but this time it’s a dream that’s actually coming true. It’s filled with new challenges and plenty of uncertainty, but that’s all overshadowed by your milestones and accomplishments.
Although 22nd birthdays aren’t considered a core milestone like turning 18 or 21, it’s arguably one of the most pivotal years in one’s life. A coming of age often defined by graduating college and moving out, 22 is a highly transformative year.
Now widely recognized as the “Taylor Swift year”, one’s 22nd birthday is a key milestone in the lives of young adults who waited years to passionately sing, “I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling 22” with their full hearts.
