Taylor Swift has become phenomenally successful in the world of popular music. Not only is she easy on the eye, she writes all of her own songs and is adept on both piano and guitar. She has created ten very successful studio albums and is currently in the middle of her sixth major world tour. Amassing a personal fortune estimated to be north of $800 million she is, in financial terms, the most successful female pop artiste in history.
It occurred to me earlier this year that though I had heard of Taylor Swift, I had not consciously listened to any of her songs. I set out to correct that by conducting a little research and using YouTube to inform my auditory ignorance.
I wanted to enjoy listening to Taylor Swift's music - I really did. I must have listened to thirty songs and maybe this is a generational thing but I was struck by the blandness of it all. Her non-distinctive voice is embedded in the music, rarely coming to the fore and there's a lot of similarity in her songs.
The themes are the same old ones of being in love, losing love, looking for love and remembering love and certainly some of the lyrics contain clever rhymes and wordplay. But there doesn't seem to be anything that's groundbreaking there. It's all pretty domestic and rather humdrum in my opinion.
Am I being mean? Am I missing something? If you are a "Swiftie" - a member of Taylor Swift's vast army of fans perhaps you can direct me to worthy songs that I have somehow missed. Perhaps you can explain her apparent greatness.
She may be a smart businesswoman but she's no Joan Baez or Linda Ronstadt.
ReplyDeleteThere seems to be a hollow centre.
DeleteNot my cup of tea but I guess she appeals to a certain generation of teeny boppers. I guess they don't call them that any more.
ReplyDeleteThey call them young people now.
DeleteShe's too manufactured; there is no soul in her music or in her personality. I have never heard a song of hers that I liked.
ReplyDeleteYou're not mean, you're just discerning.
Or maybe long in the tooth.
DeleteNah, that ain't it.
DeleteIt may really be a generational thing. I could not identify a Taylor Switft song if it hit me in the face, while I have no trouble identifying many other female singers' voices. Up until now, I thought Madonna was the most successful female pop star in financial terms.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Swift has overtaken her. At least Madonna had a range of catchy singalong songs - and a lot of variety too.
DeleteBland and same-same is exactly right. I don't understand why she is such a big deal to her fans.
ReplyDeleteI believe the majority of her fans are young women aged twelve to thirty. Perhaps they see her as a role model.
DeleteHow many pop stars have made it with little or no talent YP? I could think of several. I am sure you can?
ReplyDeleteEvery boy and girl "band" ever manufactured has seemed devoid of talent to me but with effort and time and support they become listenable. Maybe you and I should have formed a boy band - The Skidmarks.
DeleteI had never heard of her before reading this blog post.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter laughed at this comment JayCee. Have you heard of Elvis Presley?
DeleteYou, sir, are not expected to like her music - you are not in the demographic for Taylor Swift songs. That group is mainly teenage girls who have the time and spending money to put her where she is financially. She is a master of the clever hook and catchy lyrics and melodies, in my opinion, but the money she has gotten for that is only one measure of ability and not always the most accurate one. Just to balance out the conversation, though, many of the 60s protest songs and singers - which I know you like - leave me indifferent too. Sorry, not sorry :)
ReplyDeleteTo some extent it's all about finding your tribe.
DeleteNo comment. Never listened to her. My grandchildren know all about 'celebrities', which I think is a sad reflection on our times, when the celebratory in question can make a vast fortune singing indifferent songs ;)
ReplyDeleteThat's funny. I thought that you would definitely be a "Swiftie" Thelma.
DeleteI know the name - thanks to the publicity she has, but have never heard her sing. Like humour, I think pop music is a generational thing - each era has some good, some bad. Today's "music" is not for us oldies who appreciate decent melodic music, sung by singers who knew how to sing!
ReplyDeleteBring back Kathy Kirby, Helen Shapiro and The Beverley Sisters - Joy, Teddy and Babs!
DeleteI wouldn't know her if she stepped into the lift with me. One of my colleagues, spent a small fortune to go to a live concert this summer in Chicago.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you 100 percent. I think it's because we're old. :)
ReplyDeleteI am not a Swiftie. I don't like her music and unlike you, I don't think she is very easy on the eyes. In fact, I was commenting a couple weeks ago to my wife that I couldn't understand why the Chief football player was dating her since it couldn't be for the money which is why I thought anyone would want to date her.
ReplyDeleteLet's face it- this is not our music. It just isn't. And that is okay.
ReplyDeleteI am not really a fan of hers either. I had a student last year in the 7th grade who was totally and completely obsessed with her. Maybe it is a generational thing.
ReplyDeleteI think every generation has their own singing stars that the previous generation doesn't quite get. My parents thought the Beatles were awful!
ReplyDeleteI remember that my parents weren't much interested in them but they bought my brothers and I the album "With The Beatles" when it first came out.
DeleteInteresting use of long 16 bars per line with an extra single bar at the end of each verse. Nice musical intervals - 9 and m7 chords to generate tension of teenage angst. Do you not remember hoping one of those senior boys will wink at you and say "you know, I haven't seen you around before"? I quite like it. Would you like me to come round with my guitar and sing you my own interpretation? I sing it a couple of octaves lower.
ReplyDeleteI know some of her songs but i wouldn’t recognise her in the street
ReplyDeleteI’m such a 🦖🦕
I doubt that she is planning to take her holidays in Trelawnyd - but possibly Rhyl.
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