Most Disorienting Pop Star

[hpmcmill 1,884]

I love Taylor <3

[Mulholland 1,052]

1 hour ago, StrawberryBlond said:

I actually disagree her. Her work is overwhelmingly specific. One of the few songs I like of hers, probably my most favourite of hers, is Tim McGraw but I can only truly relate to that when I subtley change the lyrics, line by line. She sings about the way hy blue eyes shine, being in Georgia, dating a boy who drives a Chevy truck, keeping a box of his letters under her bed, referring to Tim McGraw singing her favourite song, dancing with this boy to that song, wearing a little black dress and faded blue jeans. Tons of specifics there that no one else but her will relate to. And of course, songs like Shake It Off and Look What You Made Me Do are all her. I remember thinking at the time that SIO made her so unrelatable as the song is all about the downsides of being famous. Old Taylor never sang about fame, she sang about her actual life behind the fame and that's how she got fans. So to see her fame grow despite her getting more and more emotionally detached and relatable was very strange to me.

7

It's different for everyone, of course. People relate in different ways to the art they consume. But when I think of some of Taylor's most well-known songs — Bad Blood, We Are Never Getting Back Together, Shake It Off, etc. — I don't see anything wildly specific in her songwriting. I'm not saying her songs aren't personal or that they don't come from a personal place for her, but objectively, they are crafted somewhat broadly, like all pop music.

As for Tim McGraw, IMO, a lot of the lyrical content you cited seems to me to be very in-step with a lot of country music. So much in that genre makes specific reference to other country musicians, for one thing. And the smaller details (black dress, blue jeans, box of letters, etc.) add texture for sure, but they are pretty general descriptions/images people often write about in songs. Again, I am sure those lyrics are personal to her, but nothing about them, to me, is something I would call Trademark Taylor Swift. I think that song in particular is pretty traditional and built to appeal broadly to a country audience. (The cliches of country music lyrics tend to be a little bit more detail-specific than in straight pop.)