A little disclaimer: it took WEEKS to write this. A lot of avoiding – I mean, people aren’t really reading and Taylor Swift is a HUGE trending topic almost always. But of course the pull to write is always bigger than the imposter syndrome, so I’ve come back enough to it to finish it. Please like it. Or at least don’t hate it lol I would also like to say I was going to edit this for Taylor Swift puns, but that probably would’ve taken another week so I really think I shouldn’t. If you’d like to see them though, like this post and I’ll do an edit in the coming weeks. Probably.
Once I got over the initial procrastination, it still took a ton of work to get it right. Pouring over music, avoiding the documentaries because I always cry and hyperfocus and then my husband makes fun of me, and then finally listening to Tortured Poets Department and breaking down and watching all the documentaries in one day (and definitely crying. Check out my Threads lol).
But then some good stuff happened, followed quickly by some sad stuff, and I was pulled away from the computer by my thoughts again. But I love writing about music and all of this, and I’m still listening to The Bolter on repeat (anyone else see themselves in her songs, but not in the good way? lol) so it was a solace during some tough times. But here it is, and I hope anyone who reads this in the future relates a little bit to the obsession I have for this artist and music in general. So here it is, finally.
It’s time you all learned about something as near to my heart as books: music. Nearly every genre has something I enjoy, though I respect my lack of access to some (this white girl HATES derogatory words for literally all humans. I understand why some people use them to empower themselves, and I absolutely respect what isn’t for me), and stay real far away from religious and screamer music (in my autistic brain they feel the same lol). And you know, when I started writing this a few weeks ago, I really thought I knew at least the majority of stuff about my subject, and really about all of the music I wanted to write about. It became immediately clear that I have not done enough research for that to be true. Yet. So we’re going to get there together! All of these are small looks into all the areas of the Taylor Swift phenomenon and music in general. Disclaimer: I didn’t do any research on her drama. That might be worth it later but for now I’m doing this as an excuse to listen to the music, so the drama isn’t in it.
Why Music
Music speaks to me in the same way that books, good television shows, and art do. And in truth, that’s the point. All those things are art to me, with just different mediums. There’s a story that lies right under the surface, waiting for us to take it. Whether it’s brush strokes or music notes, the more you explore the more you know in that way that you know what a book is about but can’t explain it years after reading. Music may just be sounds and thoughts and symbols blended together, but when they’re put together right they’re as bright and beautiful as a Shakespeare sonnet or great RomCom.
I’ve always loved music this much. It’s been a bone-deep feeling, making my chest ache in sadness or my shoulders tingle with excitement. It’s neither the words nor the melody that hold me the tightest, it’s both together. When the music feels like the words and the words make the music jump, it’s almost a euphoric experience for me. It might be an autistic thing (I’ve seen some stuff about it but honestly everyone loves music so I prefer to think it’s just a fun fact about me) because when it’s a song I love that I know well, I have to sing (which was so fun for my family growing up. Sorry guys. Shoulda got me tested).
I even tried to take music theory in school, but I’m not really cut out for that kind of creativity. I’ve taken Art History and Classic Literature and even Children’s literature. I love to explore and appreciate but to know that much is just too much for me. Maybe as I move forward with all of this, and it becomes a special interest I can use, but until then, I know what makes my head feel light and my heart feel heavy, and that’s enough for me.
Now my daughters are the same, with my youngest learning the words to some of our favorite songs (Tortured Poets Department and Love Story being her top 2 which REALLY makes my husband happy haha) which is pretty cute but also the karma I deserve, absolutely. You bet your buns they both have microphones – that they can only use in their bedrooms.
Why Taylor
I have so many favorite artists, from all genres, really. So choosing a *favorite* favorite feels wrong. Of course, that leads to decision paralysis, which I agonized over for months before starting this blog. When Taylor Swift announced her Tortured Poets Department, I felt like that was too close to a sign for this pagan to ignore.
Because of course, my favorite thing about music as a mode of storytelling is the absolute torture you can go through in 3-5 minutes (or 8-10 if you’re Queen or Taylor). And while there’s an unlimited amount of artists who do that so eloquently (Ed Sheeran, Hozier, Reba McEntire, Alec Benjamin, Ingrid Andress, Lin Manuel Miranda, the list really goes on), I think Taylor Swift has the most to review: how she’s been honest in her music about her life, how she’s stood up for feminism, the backlash she’s faced (I feel like this is a whole post all by itself because of how much was unnecessary), the amount of energy she’s put into her fanbase, how well she treats her employees. It all matters, and it’s all much more public than many other artists are forced to live with.
I said this in a message to a friend, and it stuck with me enough to share it again. Her music is so personal to her, so dramatic, and yet so for the masses. It’s such a unique experience to know her personal experience that led to the song, to feel the music so deeply it sometimes makes you cry, and also to relate it so carefully and closely to your own life, all in the same album. Sometimes she does that in the same song (I’m looking at you, “Lover” and “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart”). There are universes inside of her songs, and the autistic story-telling obsessive voice in my brain SCREAMS for them. I don’t know what it is, but I know I’m not alone.
What She Means to Me
My first time hearing Taylor Swift was during a walk home the last day of my freshman year of high school, circa 2006. I had one ear, my new friend had the other. We listened to the entire album, and by the end of it I think I was half in love with my friend, myself, and Taylor. Then we listened to “Our Song” on repeat because it was obviously the best. Because that’s what she does. She wraps you up in romantic words and makes you commit acts of violence, love, therapy, and chaos.
Fast forward to college – she turned 22 right before I did, so Red helped me navigate my early twenties in a way that I see now and didn’t at all then. My friends and I all went through our terrible teen breakups around this time, and it honestly really helped to belt out “We are never getting back together” with my best friend. So much so that it didn’t take much for those memories to come back when that friend went to the concert. One recorded video and I was right back in that Camry, screaming with the windows rolled down.
And then there are the love songs. The ones my husband refuses to acknowledge are romantic, but that I all but bathed in during long distance and separations. From 1989 on there are songs that just speak to the love that we share, in a way that feels individual but can’t possibly be. It’s one of those things that I look for in music, that I find anytime I pick out a Taylor Swift song.
Now I’m a mother, and my daughters and I belt out “Love Story” (which my oldest calls “the Juliet song” along with “Check Yes Juliet” by We The Kings, so we are excellent parents, thank you very much) in the car while my husband tries not to groan loud enough for the girls to hear. It’s its own kind of magic, one I couldn’t have imagined while I was taking that first walk home with just one headphone in.
And I can’t forget the storyteller in me, that just likes some of her songs because they’re delightful. Betty, and her live explanation of the album Folklore, speaks to me in such a profound way. I love “Betty” and all the lightheartedness she put into it. And the Last Great American Dynasty deserves its own fanfic (does it have some?? Maybe I should write it).
The Eras
She’s had music released from 2006 – 2024, in many different genres. Starting with country, to pop, to a perfect blend of the two that lands her much closer to Ed Sheeran than Katy Perry.
It’s important to note here that in that original album, she said “I’ll tell mine you’re gay” in that very important line of “Picture to Burn” but that’s as far as I’ll go ONLY to be part of the select few who knew about it before it was changed. In context with the masculinity of the rest of the song, it was a pretty decent burn. Props to Taylor for being an ally and changing it. And in watching the documentaries and seeing how important all of that is, I’m even more proud to know it happened and to know that it changed. And I cannot express enough when I tell you that I CANNOT wait to hear what happens when she re-records.
And look, I’m not saying I’m one for drama (I kind of absolutely am, why else would I be a writer and a parent at the same time). I’m as anti-confrontational as the next “passivist parented out of exhaustion” third child. But I love gossip that doesn’t involve me in any way, shape or form. And the way she BURNS Jake Gyllenhaal through her Red album is my Roman Empire. The Hill I’ll die on. My poor husband.
I only found out with the latest upsurge, but the stages of grief in Lover and Mastermind will probably take up a whole post of its own now, because my mind is just blown. Some of the things that other fans pick up, or that she’s told us, we’ll be studying her forever. There’s just too much to uncover to not use her as a teaching agent (says the former teacher and lifelong studier of writing lol). And now with this “post-mortem autopsy” theory with TTPD, I’m noticing so many things. It’s not just her previous relationship she’s analyzing: there are notes from so many of her songs that I almost wrote a list (I probably will for the post about it). It’s like an epic story, or the Sarah J Maas Universe (read that post if you want to! Eventually I’m going to learn how to link posts again, but I’m happy being an old lady for now). Every word is worth listening to because you never know when it’ll show up again.
The Movies (and a book??)
I’m still overwhelmed by how much she’s taken over society. She’s now made documentaries, and she acted in and wrote songs for Cats – which I haven’t seen and I’m really not sure if I want to. I’m afraid it’s bad and I don’t want to think anything is bad, especially not musicals or Taylor Swift songs. It’s a Schrodinger’s Cat situation I’m not willing to look too closely at. And is Argylle really written by her? I’ll be reading it in the coming weeks and judging for myself because I want to read it and I want to know if I’d be able to tell if it’s her writing. To be honest, I think she’s talented enough that we would never know.
Back to the documentaries, to the music itself. It took me a long time to watch them. I have such deep attachments that I don’t think I was ready for this post to be over, but I’ve reached it. I’ve of course already seen the Eras Tour 3 times, but I did rewatch it for the post.
After watching just Miss Americana I realized they’ll need to be their own blog post. So instead I’ll say I’ve seen most of them – I know I missed one but I can’t figure out which one.
Miss Americana is beautiful. The Folklore Documentary got me through Covid in such a crazy way.
Tortured Poets Department, of course
I didn’t really mean to put this off until after the release of the Tortured Poets Department, but now I’m glad I did. This isn’t my favorite album – Lover sits comfortably in that chair – but it’s so good and deep and dramatic.
So much of this album showed her devotion to us, the fans. Dancing with a Broken Heart is so clearly about her tour, and I just want to hug her and say thank you and also that it would’ve been okay if she seemed sad. I’m so beyond happy now that she found Travis because it seems like she’s letting herself rest for real and that’s really nice. Honestly all the feelings I have for her are directly related to how much my friends and I relate to her music. She feels like a connection to the feelings I have about my real life, and I wish we could thank her on a personal level sometimes, because she speaks for us but we never get to speak to her.
I saw a quote in passing online that said something like Tortured Poets is the autopsy after “You’re Losing Me” and I couldn’t agree more, especially with the song “So Long London”. But “Do It With a Broken Heart” really reminds me “Begin Again,” just so much more honest and raw and adult. And peppier, which I’m not sure is better but fits the timeline of the people I know who particularly relate to the songs. As my friend Jess said, “I want to listen to it until my brain melts out of my ears,” and you know, I agree, and I felt the same with Begin Again. But honestly, I also want to hug everyone who deeply relates to this song. If you feel like you have to be more on your game when you’re depressed, you deserve to care better for yourself. Not just because that’s an exhausting way to live, but also because it leads to depression faster when you’re resting from a previous low and working on feeling grateful about the good time you’re having at the same time. We all deserve to be careful with ourselves. Just remember you’re loved by someone, and that someone wants you to live your best and most authentic life.
“I Look in People’s Windows” is in that same vein. She’s going over everything that happened, admitting that she thinks about their relationship when her body and her mind are racing. It’s so poignant. This and Guilty as Sin? might be my favorite songs.
Plus there’s the songs I want to be about Travis lol “The Bolter” is SO SWEET. Like a new version of Ours, which is one of my all time favorites. This one will be on repeat at naptime for many months, I think.
In a future edit, I can reluctantly admit that The Bolter is my favorite song because of how easy it is for me to run from situations, all the way from uncomfortable parties to bad moments in a perfectly healthy relationship. But like all her albums, so many of her songs were relatable. Unfortunately, I can’t get on the “Florida!!!” trend because it’s honest about how actually bad it is and I can appreciate that she’s spreading the information BUT AT WHAT COST? Anyway “Touch me while your friends play grand theft auto” from “So High School” lives rent free in my brain and it haunts me.
My favorite songs
As I (finally) attacked this section, I realized that I pretty much love her love songs. I’m not proud of how basic that makes me, but it’s fine. I’ll deal with it in therapy. Until then, I have to argue that her best lyrics are in them, her best stories shine through. But I do appreciate some of the breakup songs. And you know I’ve taught my daughters to rock out to “The Man” while we watch Taylor kick ass on stage in the Eras Tour Documentary.
But as of now, after listening to Tortured Poets Department, I have to say her best song is “But Daddy I Love Him” because it hits exactly what’s happening in the world right now and will make it impossible for the Republican white women to hate. Welcome to our side ladies, we all deserve body autonomy.
Anyway, here are my other choices:
A Perfectly Good Heart
Starlight
All Too Well (10 Minute Version)
You Are In Love
Lover
Invisible String
Betty
Me! Feat. Brenden Urie
Sweet Nothing
Foolish One
The Bolter
The Tortured Poets Department
The songs I didn’t know but now love
Just going through Wikipedia I thought I missed FORTY FIVE songs. That was honestly a little appalling so I had a grand ole time avoiding that list for a while. But when I finally got to it was more like 30 which also sucks. So after I got over that crushing blow, I spent a few days hyperfocusing. Obviously they’re all amazing, and I’ve added quite a few to my TS playlist. But my blog would never end if I wrote them all down, so I chose my top few to share. If you want to share your favorites, let me know!
Superstar – A literal banger. Enough said.
Last Kiss – I have no idea how I didn’t hear this song because I would have LOVED IT when it came out originally.
Coney Island – so cozy
Long Story Short – LONG STORY SHORT IT WAS A BAD BAD TIME. I understand. I get it now. I love it. It’s going to live rent free in my mind as an anxiety chant till I die, probably.
Getaway Car – I wish I’d heard this one too, it’s so on vibe for the Reputation Album, it’s so good.
Only the Young – I watched this in the Americana Documentary and now I just… there’s so much more here. I can’t believe I hadn’t heard it, hadn’t processed it before when I’ve seen it. This is truly a beautiful commentary on a horrible part of our society.
Conclusion
At this point, I still don’t have a real plan for this blog, or the music to book post ratio. I guess I’m a pantser in all parts of my life, even though I’ve been trying especially hard to plan my book and this blog (it’s going *great*). So at this point I just still feel inspired and all called to write about the things I love, namely superheroes and good books. I would like to review the songs that mean the most to me, though. And now I’m up to do a post about the movies, and maybe a separate one for Argylle (with maybe a list of songs I think would work with it?). But what I thought was going to be a whole train of thoughts, might just be the first few posts. If there’s music you want to hear or write about, reach out to me! I want to hear from you.
Music is all around us, and it’s as important to our culture and our happiness as literature and smut and epic movies and trash television. We need it all to be good engaged humans. I hope my words help you want to engage in the stories around you. If you’re a person who likes to talk about good music, or good books, or just enjoys a good procrastination week, email me! We’ll be friends I’m sure.
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