As with her past albums, Lover was a reflection on Swift's personal life; she focused on creating music, deprioritized social media, and took her occupation as an entertainer less seriously. She wrote the album after having adjusted her state of mind and embraced a newfound sense of creativity. This sentiment is reflected in the opening track, "I Forgot That You Existed", in which Swift sings about no longer seeking vengeance against those who wronged her. She described the songwriting as very confessional and autobiographical, yet also playful and whimsical; she avoided disclosing the inspirations behind her lyrics. In the September 2019 issue of Vogue, Swift dubbed the album a "love letter to love, in all of its maddening, passionate, exciting, enchanting, horrific, tragic, wonderful glory". The track list consists of 18 songs that depict this theme, inspired by Swift's realization of what she called "love that was very real". In addition to purely romantic songs, Lover includes themes of sorrow and loneliness, which Swift said could be perceived "through a romantic gaze".

Most tracks are straightforward, open-hearted love songs. The title track is about commitment to a romantic partner; the ways couples customize their marriage vows inspired its bridge. "Me!" is about self-affirmation and self-love. Lust is the theme of "I Think He Knows", which is about self-confidence after a reciprocated infatuation; and "False God", about the false hopes in a long-distance relationship. "Paper Rings" and "London Boy" explore playful and quirky aspects of love; the former is about a committed romance without materialistic concerns, and the latter is a romantic confession to an Englishman with tongue-in-cheek lyrics that name locations in London. The penultimate track "It's Nice to Have a Friend" tells a love story that begins in childhood and proceeds to adulthood; Swift considered the song a representation of the feelings one wishes to experience whether they are a child or an adult.

Other songs explore the pitfalls of romance. "The Archer" is about her self-awareness and acknowledgement of her past mistakes, and "Cruel Summer" is about a painful, fleeting summer romance. "Cornelia Street" narrates a relationship in which Swift is afraid she will lose her partner again if she repeats her earlier mistakes. She takes the blame for having hurt her partner on "Afterglow" and contemplates a loved one's prolonged medical treatment on "Soon You'll Get Better". "Death by a Thousand Cuts" was inspired by the romantic comedy film Someone Great and is about overcoming a failed relationship's painful aftermaths. Swift said that writing "Death by a Thousand Cuts" was "incredible news" to her because she could continue writing songs about heartbreak even if she was in a healthy relationship. In the closing track, "Daylight", Swift says that she "[wants] to be defined by the things that [she loves]" and contemplates that love to her now is "golden" rather than "burning red" as she once believed, a reference to the title track of her 2012 studio album Red.

A few songs reflect Swift's perception of contemporary US politics. Since her 2006 debut as a country-music artist, Swift's record company had warned her against becoming involved in politics, but after witnessing the political events affecting the rights of certain people, she became disillusioned and decided to involve in the public political discourse. Swift wrote "Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince" after the 2018 midterm elections; its lyrics use high schoo…

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Swift started recording Lover in November 2018, soon after she completed the Reputation Stadium Tour. She wanted to incorporate eclectic styles to accompany the diverse lyrical themes, which was made possible by her new contract with Republic Records granting her more artistic freedom than before. Swift recorded and produced much of Lover with Jack Antonoff, who had produced 1989 and Reputation; other producers are Joel Little, Frank Dukes, and Louis Bell, all of whom were first-time collaborators of Swift. The producers of respective tracks are credited as their co-writers alongside Swift, except for songs Swift wholly wrote; "Lover", "Cornelia Street", and "Daylight". The hip-hop producer Sounwave co-wrote and co-produced "London Boy", the singer Brendon Urie co-wrote "Me!", and the musician St. Vincent (credited as Annie Clark) co-wrote of "Cruel Summer".

While recording, Swift revisited musical styles with which she had earlier experimented. While she associated Reputation's musical style, devoid of acoustic instruments, with imagery of "nighttime cityscape ... old warehouse buildings that had been deserted and factory spaces", she conceptualized Lover as "a barn wood floor and some ripped curtains flowing in the breeze, and fields of flowers"; the songs on Lover use many acoustic instruments. Swift recorded her vocals as though she were performing live, stating much of the album is nearly whole takes. In publications' reviews, music critics categorized Lover as primarily a pop album with a 1980s-influenced sound combining pop rock and electropop. Compared to the dark, hip hop tones of its predecessor, Lover's musical styles are brighter, more lighthearted, and atmospheric. The tracks are of varying tempo, and are built on straightforward song structures with piano melodies, rock arrangements, and standard chord progressions; a few experiment with styles and song structures that were new to Swift.

Antonoff co-produced 11 tracks, all of which were recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City; "Paper Rings", "London Boy", and "Daylight" were additionally recorded at Metropolis Studios in London; the first two tracks, and "Cruel Summer" and "I Think He Knows", were additionally recorded at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Antonoff's production is characterized by 1980s drums, atmospheric synthesizers, and reverbed beats, exploring eclectic styles across genres including synth-pop, punk, folk rock, and quiet storm. Because of Antonoff's 1980s-style production, some critics commented Lover expands on the 1980s synth-pop sound of 1989. Billboard journalist Jason Lipshutz commented Lover is not an expansion on 1989's sound but a more-ambitious record that is larger in scope. Swift conceptualized tracks like "Lover" and "Paper Rings" as songs that might have been played in a 1970s wed…

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Swift initially considered choosing "Daylight" as the album's title but scrapped the idea because she thought it was too on-the-nose. She picked Lover as the title because she felt it better represents the overall theme and is "more elastic as a concept"; songs such as "You Need to Calm Down", which is about LGBT rights, could align with this concept. Colombian photographer and collage artist Valheria Rocha, who worked with Swift on the album's art direction, photographed and edited the album's cover art. The cover depicts Swift with sapphire hair tips and a pink, glittery heart shape on her right eye in front of colorful, pink clouds. Some media commented the artwork evokes the atmosphere of summer and music festivals.

Swift used the bright, pastel colors of the cover art in her social media posts and clothing during promotion of Lover, departing from the dark, black-and-white art and aesthetic of Reputation. In an article for Entertainment Weekly, Emma Madden said Lover's cover art looks like "a fan-made aesthetic post on Tumblr", and called it part of the emerging trend of "kitschy album artwork". By using cover art that deliberately looks like a fan-made product rather than art commissioned from professional graphic designers, Lover brought "a level of iconicness and relatability" to Swift's audience because, according to Rocha, they could create their own versions of the cover art.
Whereas Swift avoided social media and public appearances during promotion of Reputation, she embarked on an extensive promotional campaign for Lover on social media, televised events, and press interviews. Media speculation on Swift's follow-up to Reputation arose when she appeared at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards in March, where she was adorned with butterfly motifs and pastel tones, the aesthetic she later used in her clothing for public appearances. Her social media posts showed her outgoing, comfortable persona, departing from the dark, antagonistic image she adopted for Reputation. Swift conducted interviews with publications including Entertainment Weekly, The Guardian, Vogue, and Rolling Stone, where she openly spoke about her adjusted personal life. A few weeks before the album's release, Swift invited a select group of fans to private Secret Sessions listening parties in London, Nashville, and Los Angeles; she had hosted similar sessions for 1989 and Reputation. She also gave interviews on the American morning television programs CBS Sunday Morning and Good Morning America, and the talk shows The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Swift promoted Lover with corporate tie-ins and promotional deals, including a merchandise deal with Capital One, airplay deals with SiriusXM and iHeartMedia, a deal with YouTube Music with Swift hosting a live stream on the platform, an Amazon de…

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