Post
by copacetic » Fri Apr 19, 2024 11:59 am
I unapologetically love Taylor Swift.
I used to be a "eh, im not a fan but whatever" guy when it came to her music. Then i started dating a girl who was a mega fan, but also loved "good" music like The Cocteau Twins, Beach House, Deftones, Radiohead, LDR, etc. So i was like "what gives? i thought you liked good music?"
Then I finally actually listened to albums/songs she picked for me and gave it a real chance. And i discovered that like most great artists, the "deep cuts" are where the real meat and potatoes are. She has a lot of songs you can tell are crafted to be mass-appealing chart-shatterers. I mostly skip these. But the introspective, cleverly written, emotionally mature, and often self deprecating and honest deep cut tracks is where she really shines, and in my opinion, earns the devout following she has.
Tracks i love from her: Mirrorball, Cardigan, My Tears Ricochet, Seven, Labyrinth, Sweet Nothing, i could go on..
Tracks i dont care for as much: Pretty much any of her most popular songs lol. But some are amazing. If you cant groove to the hook of "Style" you might not have a heart in your chest.
Id liken it to someone who thinks they dont care for pink floyd because theyve only ever heard Money or Another Brick in the Wall on rock radio. Sure those songs are kinda cheesy radio-friendly boomer blues-rock hits at this point, but dust off any of PFs albums and lovely psychedelic treats await you around every turn, and you get much-needed context that adds meaning to the more vapid songs. Shine on you Crazy Diamond, Animals, The psychedelic meandering journey through the mind that is The Wall. There is so much more to them than the boomer hippie blues rock people seem to associate with them.
She excels at what she is known best for: "Top 40 Pop Music rated E for Everyone"
But she also excels at making "real" music with heart, soul, and a focus on musicianship and innovation. If you scoff at any of those descriptions, you probably just havent given her as much of a chance as youd like to think you did. Theres a reason shes practically on top of the musical world
She plays guitar, piano, banjo, probably a lot of other instruments. Writes or co-writes all of her own stuff. Has built an empire off of her talent. Part of that talent is business acumen, no doubt influenced by her parents, but calling her a nepo baby is a stretch. Her parents were financially well off, and did what i would think any parent would want to do and supported their child's dreams in any way they could. Her family wasnt in the music industry, they had no secret connections. They simply were comfortable enough to afford her opportunities others dont usually have, like formal voice lessons, guitar lessons, and moving to a new city/state to help her pitch her demo CD. Her father invested in Big Machine when they made a deal she liked. He is estimated to own 2-3% of the label. They were very tiny in those days, so it was probably more like a few thousand dollars than the idea people get of him bankrolling her whole career, throwing millys at anyone with any industry pull. Her parents basically put the time and money they mightve saved for her to go to college, into her dreams. And she fucking killed it! Without legitimate talent, she wouldve never gotten anywhere, no matter how much money her parents dumped into her career. Product of successful parents, absolutely yes. Nepo baby? I dont think so.
Havent listened to the new album yet, but glad to hear its getting good feedback. Ill definitely be spinning it soon
Owner/Operator - Feelgood Guitars
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