Taylor swift released a new album called Midnights recently…
and I was absolutely over the moon!! Knowing it was coming and I would be so delighted, my sister-in-law purchased the vinyl for me in a beautiful jade green. The album's aesthetic is dark and brooding but also sensual and very 70’s. The songs are pop and synth and sad and wounded. It is like a new season of Taylor every time she releases a new album. She reinvents herself repeatedly, and everything is layered in a mood, a color, an emotional rollercoaster.
There is a strange divide in the world on whether Taylor Swift is actually and factually talented.
I am appalled by this, and I am sorry, but you are rude, sir or madam.
There is so much shit talk about every element of her existence that I wonder what it is that is pissing people off so much that they can’t skip her songs and videos and move on. You don’t have to be a fan, but you don’t have to be an asshole.
I have some ideas about the lurking issue and don’t want to judge anyone, but here I go with my opinions on the topic.
Taylor Swift is an exceptional songwriter.
She is often mocked for her desire to write about her feelings and relationships in such detail that it has become somewhat of a joke that if you date her, you can expect to be on her next album.
So…who cares? Apparently, a lot of people.
So many songs are written about that booty that someone hit up last night, or that bitch who stole your money, so why is it difficult to swallow the idea of a woman connecting on a much deeper level with her thoughts and feelings, and the repercussions of her actual experiences? Can we not authentically talk about our emotions? Also, what is so bad about calling people out on their shit? Do women have to continue to put out and shut up?
Taylor Swift says NO !! And I am a fan of her ability to harness her emotions and experiences so that her fans can relate.
Sometimes it is hard to find the right words, and you have hurt feelings and need to express yourself… Taylor Swift gives us permission. She offers up her bleeding heart for us to feast on and somehow heal our own.
There is also the fact that Taylor Swift is a tall, thin, beautiful, blue-eyed woman….and I get the feeling that she may rub some people the wrong way simply by being aesthetically gifted. You can’t have both talent and beauty.
Does a genius songwriter have to look like Bob Dylan to be taken seriously? A mysterious white male with poetic undertones to his rebellious non-linear facade?
Is this reflective, angelic symmetrical beauty with a few bones to pick not an option?
I love them both…but she has to work much harder to prove her worthiness, and that is just a fact. Bob can just keep on being Bob, and people will flock to his concerts. Taylor’s path is full of obstacles that she must jump over and around until she is too exhausted to do it anymore.
Let’s look at some lyrics and test the waters.
Well, my nerves are exploding and my body's tense
I feel like the whole world got me pinned up against the fence
I've been hit too hard, I've seen too much
Nothing can heal me now, but your touch
I just don't know what I'm gonna do
I was alright 'til I fell in love with you
Well, my house is on fire, burning to the sky
Well, I thought it would rain but the clouds passed by
Now I feel like I'm coming to the end of my way
But I know God is my shield and He won't lead me astray
Still I don't know what I'm gonna do
I was alright 'til I fell in love with you
Written by: Bob Dylan
Or this
Can't not think of all the cost
And the things that will be lost
Oh, can we just get a pause?
To be certain we'll be tall again
Whether weather be the frost
Or the violence of the dog days
I'm on waves, out being tossed
Is there a line that I could just go cross?
Written by: Taylor Swift
Or this
Done so many evil things in the name of love, it’s a crying shame. I never did see no fire that could put out a flame.
Written by: Bob Dylan
Or this
And that’s the thing about illicit affairs / And clandestine meetings and longing stares / It’s born from just one single glance / But it dies, and it dies, and it dies / A million little times
Written by: Taylor Swift
Or this
When you wake up in the mornin’, baby, look inside your mirror
You know I won’t be next to you, you know I won’t be near
I’d just be curious to know if you can see yourself as clear
As someone who has had you on his mindWritten By: Bob Dylan
Or this
Break free and leave us in ruins
Took this dagger in me and removed it
Gain the weight of you then lose it
Believe me, I could do it
If it's all in my head tell me now
Tell me I've got it wrong somehow
I know my love should be celebrated
But you tolerate it
Written By: Taylor Swift
Two people.
Both are masters at their craft.
One strums his guitar, sings painfully but heartedly, and digs deep into our souls.
The other strums her guitar and sings harmoniously and poetically, digging deep into our hearts.
One won a Nobel Prize; the other is on her way.
I remember someone telling me that they didn’t like The Beatles, they didn’t like that, “what’s it called? Hold my hand song?”
I nearly lost my shit. Imagine concluding that you do not like The Beatles based on I wanna hold your hand or Hey Jude? I love these songs…but perhaps we should all dive a little deeper…If you don’t discover Glass Onion, then you will never know what you are missing, and if you never look past a beautiful face, you may miss the whole point of what Taylor Swift is and means to so many.
She is a genius. She is a musician. She is a prolific writer of lyrics. She is a masterclass in reinvention. She is deeply committed to her fans. She is a light in the dark.
She is an open wound and an open heart.
I, for one, will always be a Swiftie.
xo
Michelle Lee Stuart
Believe it or not I don't know her music very well. But, this wonderfully written love letter to Taylor has me headed over to Spotify today! :)
Whew!! That was so passionate. The jade green vinyl is awesome. Great song comparisons.
I’m not a Swiftie but I can appreciate her music. The few times I’ve seen her on the screen I quite enjoyed her.