Posted on 04/20/2024 12:53:24 AM PDT by CondoleezzaProtege
A new album by Taylor Swift is not merely the release of a new collection of songs. It is a major pop-cultural event, given the widespread consensus that Swift is the world’s biggest pop star...
...What’s lacking from Swift, however, is very little hint of proportionality. There is almost no evidence leading a listener to believe that Swift understands that this romantic heartbreak and loss of which she sings is mostly ordinary, everyday stuff, and not a matter of earthshaking proportions. Try as she might, this is no Blood on the Tracks. (Coincidentally, Swift is the same age, 34, that Bob Dylan was when that landmark album...)
...Swift – a billionaire artist riding as high in worldwide popularity as just about anyone since the Beatles or Elvis Presley before them – portrays herself throughout as a victim, often incorporating religious imagery to heighten the emotional stakes.
“How can I be guilty as sin?” she sings... “What if I roll the stone away? They’re gonna crucify me anyway.” Ouch! In “Down Bad,” she asks an ex-lover to “Tell me I was the chosen one.” And in the song “Clara Bow,” in which the silent film star serves as a stand-in for the pop singer, Swift sings, “You’re the new god we’re worshipping….
To her credit, Swift tempers these grandiose delusions with occasional notes of humility and humor. On the title track, she declares, “I laughed in your face and said, ‘You’re not Dylan Thomas. I’m not Patti Smith. This ain’t the Chelsea Hotel. We’re modern idiots.” And in perhaps my favorite line on the album, Swift unleashes her inner grouchy old man in “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” when she sings, “I’ll sue you if you step on my lawn.”
Now there’s a sentiment to which I can relate.
(Excerpt) Read more at forward.com ...
Good analogy. Her latest album should be called The Tortured Listeners Department.
It came up on Spotify and I flipped threw a few songs out of curiosity. Dreck...
Last night my kid took her 2 daughters to a TS cover band concert at an outdoor venue. I was so disappointed. Yeah, sure, TS is the cat’s pajamas of the younger set but oh my dear Lord is she irritatingly untalented.
I was babysitting the brother, so when they got home I conveniently had Heart playing on the youtubes. Their gorgeous Stairway to Heaven tribute at the Kennedy Center was on when they came in.
I just mentioned who they were and 5 seconds of explanation.
Oldest kid was listening with one ear, but at least she was listening.
Have to counteract the awful with greatness as often as you can without being obnoxious about it.
How many of us never realized we were being educated on classical music while watching Looney Tunes? Which, btw, we play for kids, too, because they beat the hell out of anything done in the last 20 years.
Cheers :)
I can't listen to 'Ride of The Valkyries' without singing, "Kill Da Wabbit...Kill Da Wabbit...Kill Da Wabbit..."
It’s rather amazing that she is a billionaire. She mentioned she writes her songs in a few hours at most. I am not a fan at all especially after the football nonsense. But she is brilliant.
The Kardashians are billionaires too. Doesn't speak well for the taste of the American people.
Holy crap. That’s true.
We went from The Allman Brothers to this?!?!?!
No. You don’t actually need to be in a bad relationship to sing about bad relationships.
Fact is she found the pulse. I don’t know why or how, but she did. And she seems alright. All word is she’s really good to her road crew, pays them above rate, and gives them bonuses. And when her old record company wouldn’t sell her the masters and she just went re-recorded all that stuff and released “Taylor’s version”... that’s flat baller. I gotta respect anybody give the bird to a record like that.
Really, people should just accept it. She’s huge. Whether you like her music or not really doesn’t matter.
Yeah, Hanson was huge too, for awhile.
This too shall pass.
Yup. The most popular end of music is usually the least interest, because mass appeal is usually simplistic. But much like a convenience store burrito all things pass. And unlike previous megastars I can remember, she actually seems like a decent person.
From what I have read her father runs her business...and they are old blue bloods from NE
Always sounds like attempting to whitewash guilt after giving away their once innocence. Self worth gone.
Only hope, John 3 and 4 will get it back for them, no matter how much attempted game, it’s gone girl. Gone.
Self- consented allowed r_pe.
Find yourself in John Chapters 3 & 4.
She must have the world’s best marketing company...
Reminds me more of a cat.
I am not a Taylor Swift fan, nor am I anti-Swift. She is OK. So I am neutral, but I did find the lyrics in the Kardashian hit piece song unnecessarily vindictive, too direct, and compromising of any moral high ground.
DIDN’T KIM start her ‘career’ with a SEX TAPE???
This woman avoids her like the plague.
She’s a middle aged* teen idol.
*Middle age = 35-45
80 is the new 60, so 35-45 is the new 15-25.
“lyrics in the Kardashian hit piece”
Why did she “hit” Kardashian?
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