The Eras era, biggest era since?

[Future Lovers 6,927]

14 minutes ago, PartySick said:

But what is that influence though? That's what I am confusion over

I can listen to certain artists or watch the way they move and instantly tell they were influenced by MJ.

I can see how some artists dress and carry themselves and instantly see Lady Gaga.

I can see other artists and how they express themselves and instantly see Madonna or Prince.

I can hear some styles of artists' songs and instantly hear Elvis, The Beatles, or Chuck Berry.

But what is that thing that's so quintessentially "Taylor Swift" that it'll be recognizable in other artists? What even is her identity as an artist beyond being popular? Other than selling a lot, what is she doing that no other artist can do? What will the next generation of artists see in her, replicate, and evolve beyond where she left it? In 50 years, when new artists are on the scene, what will we see that will make us think of Taylor Swift?

I'll flat out admit that I hate her for no good reason but a lack of a genuine, unique artistic identity is a legit criticism I have in regards to her.

TW: Essay

It's twofold: her songwriting style and her approach to her career. 

Her songwriting style is very definable. While yes sonically and even aesthetically she isn't the most unique artist out there, her songwriting style is very unique to her because like an author, the voice she uses within it is not easily replicated. That however has not stopped people from trying. The aforementioned alt and indie girls have been trying to replicate that style for quite some time now, and Olivia is the most notable one to try and do it. 

Taylor's lyrics are very centered around specific and detailed imagery. When she sits down to tell a story, she doesn't often stray from one very specific through line and builds every bit of the narrative around specific bits of visuals. "tolerate it" for example is built around the specific piece of imagery of her looking at her lover but her lover not looking at her, and through that she tells the whole story of how their relationship is failing without ever straying too far from that core image. 

This style is what often earns her so much praise, and it's a style that many have attempted to replicate especially in the post-folkmore era. There's a reason so many artists in that sphere are being called daughters of Swift. 

As for her career approach, I think we're seeing more and more how much The Eras Era is influencing wider music culture. Now more than ever artists are paying lip service to their past works, releasing songs "from the vault", etc. There's been a definite rise in career retrospective attitudes in the last year. 

She is of course also known for her teasing and her easter eggs and it seems that there are few artists today who do an era roll out without engaging in this in some way. I mean not to keep coming back to Olivia but her GUTS tracklist reveal is so absolutely Taylor-coded that I'm shocked she even did it given her seeming annoyance with said comparison. 

Her constant push of material as well has once more shifted the way artists look at eras. Just like Beyonce changed the game with the Fridays surprise drop of self titled, Taylor's changing the game by showing artists that they don't have to say confined to whatever album they just released for ages. They can release new albums as frequently or infrequently as they want (Ed just dropped an album and is looking for another, Lorde is quickly moving toward a new album which will become her shortest album gap in ages, Lana is dropping records at record pace). She's also showing that just because an era is over doesn't mean you can't pay it lip service by pushing old songs if they catch on (the swath of old singles getting some traction online and the artist and their team seizing the moment to push it). 

No, her sonic style is not super identifiable to her. She isn't a fashion inspiration, nor an aesthetic one. But the core foundation of who she is as an artist is very specific to her and we're already seeing it appear in sub-genres of music. Like I said earlier, it will take time to see the mainstream impact of this because those most effected by it aren't yet out there in the world. You didn't have many artists siting Madonna as an inspiration in the late 80s/early 90s, that came in the late 90s/2000s, well after her peak had ended. It'll take time, but the foundations of it are already visible. 

[RAMROD 109,707]

Yes, it is very huge indeed.

Folklore and Evermore really elevates her, people started to take her seriously as an artist and musician because of it.
The way she cultivate words into lyrics is one to behold. Many who took her as regular pop star before saw this and begin to admire her. And then they would want to listen her other works, which is where the Taylor Version re-recording done its job.

All these back to back to back to back big eras finally took her beyond upper echelon by her latest album, Midnight. Her Era Tour to supplement that album and her re-releases with multiple dates in each cities is so most wanted that it crashes the ticketing website when it went on sale, and becomes such a huge issue that Government had to investigate it. And many big artists took lessons from it for their own headlining  tour. No artists did that before. Not one. 

[ChicaSkas 23,218]

19 hours ago, BBhomemaker said:

Meanwhile in my country she has a very hard time having even a slight hit single, it's so strange for me to read comparaisons with MJ. I believe one of her most popular song here is the one with Zayn. 

I just heard that one and it's really good

[ChicaSkas 23,218]

On 8/12/2023 at 11:40 AM, bluemonkey said:

Well if you take a decade worth of work and put it together…yeah definitely big 

I so want to see Gaga do an Eras tour. It would sell the heck OUT

[ChicaSkas 23,218]

18 hours ago, PartySick said:

 

I'll flat out admit that I hate her for no good reason but a lack of a genuine, unique artistic identity is a legit criticism I have in regards to her.

wait wait wait I have one:

country crossover folksy pop star, Shania Twain but younger, mix in The Chicks and add some Wuthering Heights, bisexuality and sprinkle in some Stevie Nicks. There. There we go

 

[PartySick 160,663]

19 hours ago, Future Lovers said:

TW: Essay

It's twofold: her songwriting style and her approach to her career. 

Her songwriting style is very definable. While yes sonically and even aesthetically she isn't the most unique artist out there, her songwriting style is very unique to her because like an author, the voice she uses within it is not easily replicated. That however has not stopped people from trying. The aforementioned alt and indie girls have been trying to replicate that style for quite some time now, and Olivia is the most notable one to try and do it. 

Taylor's lyrics are very centered around specific and detailed imagery. When she sits down to tell a story, she doesn't often stray from one very specific through line and builds every bit of the narrative around specific bits of visuals. "tolerate it" for example is built around the specific piece of imagery of her looking at her lover but her lover not looking at her, and through that she tells the whole story of how their relationship is failing without ever straying too far from that core image. 

This style is what often earns her so much praise, and it's a style that many have attempted to replicate especially in the post-folkmore era. There's a reason so many artists in that sphere are being called daughters of Swift. 

As for her career approach, I think we're seeing more and more how much The Eras Era is influencing wider music culture. Now more than ever artists are paying lip service to their past works, releasing songs "from the vault", etc. There's been a definite rise in career retrospective attitudes in the last year. 

She is of course also known for her teasing and her easter eggs and it seems that there are few artists today who do an era roll out without engaging in this in some way. I mean not to keep coming back to Olivia but her GUTS tracklist reveal is so absolutely Taylor-coded that I'm shocked she even did it given her seeming annoyance with said comparison. 

Her constant push of material as well has once more shifted the way artists look at eras. Just like Beyonce changed the game with the Fridays surprise drop of self titled, Taylor's changing the game by showing artists that they don't have to say confined to whatever album they just released for ages. They can release new albums as frequently or infrequently as they want (Ed just dropped an album and is looking for another, Lorde is quickly moving toward a new album which will become her shortest album gap in ages, Lana is dropping records at record pace). She's also showing that just because an era is over doesn't mean you can't pay it lip service by pushing old songs if they catch on (the swath of old singles getting some traction online and the artist and their team seizing the moment to push it). 

No, her sonic style is not super identifiable to her. She isn't a fashion inspiration, nor an aesthetic one. But the core foundation of who she is as an artist is very specific to her and we're already seeing it appear in sub-genres of music. Like I said earlier, it will take time to see the mainstream impact of this because those most effected by it aren't yet out there in the world. You didn't have many artists siting Madonna as an inspiration in the late 80s/early 90s, that came in the late 90s/2000s, well after her peak had ended. It'll take time, but the foundations of it are already visible. 

Hmm I guess you're right, time will tell.

1 hour ago, ChicaSkas said:

wait wait wait I have one:

country crossover folksy pop star, Shania Twain but younger, mix in The Chicks and add some Wuthering Heights, bisexuality and sprinkle in some Stevie Nicks. There. There we go

 

But

That's just a mix of a bunch of other people!

I still don't see her as unique or remotely interested but like Future Lovers said, time will tell if that identity shines through

[ChicaSkas 23,218]

12 minutes ago, PartySick said:

Hmm I guess you're right, time will tell.

But

That's just a mix of a bunch of other people!

I still don't see her as unique or remotely interested but like Future Lovers said, time will tell if that identity shines through

I just read your reply, Future Lovers reply, and my reply and I realized you're BOTH perfectly right!!! She's kinda a chameleon absorbing the energies of others and putting out as mass pleasing pop. It's the lyrics and how she somehow knows the intricacies of platonic/sexual/romantic relationships and how she crafts those lyrics.

"I love you, ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard!"

This lyric destroys me personally because I didn't realize how (common?!) it was to have a boyfriend who doesn't want to hear you say the L word (love).

[Tinnitus15 51,579]

21 hours ago, NATAH said:

what goes up, must come down

Sir, this is not a Grindr hookup. 

[Bronco 11,716]

55 minutes ago, PartySick said:

That's just a mix of a bunch of other people!

 

I mean as a country music fan, I'd argue that since the 90s onwards that basically sums up every country star on the mainstage. 

Like even acts like Orville Peck who is doing something very counter to *current* country culture is highly referential (by his own admission) of outlaw country, golden era country. 

Hell Taylor was unique in the country world while she occupied a space there simply because she never wrote a song about murdering a lover lol 

[PartySick 160,663]

8 minutes ago, Bronco said:

she never wrote a song about murdering a lover lol 

Wait

I hate country but as a consequence of my location I've been exposed to a lot of it and I can't think of a single country woman who doesn't have a "Before He Cheats" omg.

But yeah, I guess I was thinking of MJ 'cause he references and lifted stuff from a lot of performers before him like James Brown or Fred Astaire. But he took those influences and elevated the craft to a new level. "Learn from the greate ans aspire to be greater" or whatever he said.

I guess I don't see where Taylor is doing that (yet?)

[Bronco 11,716]

29 minutes ago, PartySick said:

I guess I don't see where Taylor is doing that (yet?)

The only place i'd say Taylor kind of set the standard is with the cottagecore of Folklore & Evermore. But that's such a small genre it's never going to have the impact of the likes of MJ/Madonna did on pop music in the 80s. 

[Taylucifer 5,154]

23 hours ago, Future Lovers said:

No, her sonic style is not super identifiable to her. She isn't a fashion inspiration, nor an aesthetic one. But the core foundation of who she is as an artist is very specific to her and we're already seeing it appear in sub-genres of music. Like I said earlier, it will take time to see the mainstream impact of this because those most effected by it aren't yet out there in the world. You didn't have many artists siting Madonna as an inspiration in the late 80s/early 90s, that came in the late 90s/2000s, well after her peak had ended. It'll take time, but the foundations of it are already visible. 

not to mention the fact that she tapped into a whole new market when she started, nobody thought teen girls wanted to hear country music, along comes Taylor Swift who made music for young women. Granted she did infuse a lot of pop into it however the country audience was core to her initial success. Today we see a lot more diversity in country and what is considered country and I believe it was because of her and her album RED which was very divisive for how it walked the link between country and pop.  Now people are making all kinds of things and calling it country, best example is Old Town Road. 

[ChicaSkas 23,218]

Ugh the Taylor subreddit c*ckblocked my Taylor remix post so they can just ....  whatever.

Please enjoy a rare AF remix compilation that isn't even online yet anywhere.

If you want to read a rambling story about the remix you can click the spoiler. 

TLDR: The whole city of Los Angeles was impacted by the Taylor SoFi weeklong residency and commissioned a special remix with a new lyric of Invisible String celebrating "your Eras trip to LA" .... and yours truly figured out a way to record the direct stream. 

Spoiler

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ri2JrbGoJgZ4a2QNyHvBUaUpspyto8fQ/view

 

This remix is by DJ Triple XL, ripped from KIIS FM radio in Los Angeles. It features Taylor singing a new line in Invisible String. (For context, KIIS FM completely rebranded the station's call sign to SWFT FM Los Angeles throughout Taylor's SoFi residency last week) This tiny tidbit of a new lyric was inserted inside a 2 hour block of music played on KIIS FM 102.7 accross the entire Southern California radio station area. Hundreds of people called in to request it, and it was played throughout the week. The mix itself is completely dope and incredible, there are MANY new orchestrations you can tell the DJ put in himself.

I first heard it as my friends and I drove away from SoFi on 8-7, and it was repeated all throughout the weeklong SoFi takeover. After fiddling with the streaming settings on Iheartradio, I managed to rip it all in full, live on August 9th as fans left the stadium.

It's almost 2 hours long, they did split it up on the radio through commercials and DJ chatter. I've included the shoutouts from Taylor to the fans, callouts from the DJs, and the SWFT FM announcements.

- - I started recording the handoff between the two DJs, EJ and Kayla, around the 11pm on 8-9-23, this is about 45 minutes before Taylor's concert at SoFi ended on August 9th. Cruel Summer is in heavy rotation on the station so I left it in this cut as you can hear the Taylor blurbs before it. The perky DJ Kayla interviews Lyft drivers, fans exiting the stadium, and offers her personal commentary on outfits and the general vibe of SoFi.

- - The mix officially starts at the 7:55 mark with the words "Are you ready for it.... that merge into Invisible String. Invisible String goes straight into the new lyric at 9:05

- - At approximately 9:05 on this track, you can hear her sing about "Your first trip to LA, your Eras trip to LA, your Eras trip to LA, your first trip to LA" right before a segway into Bejeweled.

- The entire sound of the song Delicate is reconstructed, turning it into a banger. "Do the girls back home touch you like I do" is expertly tweaked for maximum emotional damage at 26:19

- Bad Blood is enhanced and pumped up to dance hard around the 28 minute mark and segways into a tightly sped up Style that explodes and releases in a sick techno drop.

- Love Story is changed entirely to a smooth danceable track with ethereal Tay vocals over the beats at about 32:00 or so

- Trouble is masterfully dipped and dropped at around the 43:00 minute mark

These kinds of remixes are really rare in the Taylor universe from what I've seen so far. (I hail from the Gaga fandom so I may be wearing blinders to what has been available) I'm convinced that Taylor has a tighter control on the distribution of her official accapellas and her stems, since so few good ones are easily findable online. And you can't make good remixes without the pure accas and stems.

While we as a community patiently wait for Mr. Triple XL to post the full mix online, please enjoy listening to this version.

It's been converted from Bandicam video source to Mp3 and upscaled to WAV.

edit: the sub is removing my links I will adjust for this in the comments

Fun notes:

"Vigilante Sh*t" is censored to Vigilante Shhhhhhhhh

"g*dd*amn acrobat" is censored to Vegas acrobat

Enjoy!

 

[ChicaSkas 23,218]

6 hours ago, Bronco said:

Hell Taylor was unique in the country world while she occupied a space there simply because she never wrote a song about murdering a lover lol 

HOLD THAT THOUGHT  she had her own Goodbye Earl here:

 

 

[Bronco 11,716]

11 hours ago, ChicaSkas said:

HOLD THAT THOUGHT  she had her own Goodbye Earl here:

 

 

Tbf this came after she abandoned the American country music industry :P