After months of not writing about music, leave it to Taylor to bring me back into the conversation.
Taylor Swift’s newest album 1989 is a reminder that Taylor Swift still has got it. People have been critical of the fact that this album, produced by Max Martin (the genius behind Britney Spear’s greatest hits) is not a country album. That is true, but so what? Many of the greatest country singers of all time, like Kenny Rogers, charted on the pop charts and many of them deliberately recorded pop music in an effort to be more than a country artist.
Taylor Swift broke big in 2008 with “Love Story” (which I wrote about in this previous post). While this continues to be my favorite song by Swift and easily in my top 10 pop songs of all time, I appreciate and respect Swift’s evolution as an artist in the past six years.
“Blank Space” one of her strongest songs on 1989, reflects her growth as not only an artist but a self-aware and thoughtful public figure.
Swift knew that she would be criticized for diving so deeply into pop music so she led with “Shake It Off,” which was a hilarious but also inspiring response to the criticisms that she knew she would receive. Just like “Blank Space,” “Shake It Off,” is a song that people claim to not like but can’t get enough of because of its musical invention and intriguing message.
We live in a world where gender stereotypes are still strong in interpersonal relationships and this is so often illustrated in pop music. “Blank Space” is an exception taking common ideas and stereotypes and forcing us to reexamine them.
Swift as the narrator tells about all of the possibilities of a relationship. It could go well and as she sings “could go down in flames.” This idea, the potential failure of a relationship is suppose to leave people petrified, but Swift is undaunted. She still is excited about the possibility of a relationship even though she’s been hurt in the past. We aren’t supposed to look at relationships this way. If a relationship doesn’t last forever and ends with both people dying at the exactly same time when they are elderly, it’s a failure, right?
That’s what many of us are told, and with that attitude, we fear the bad possibilities that could happen which petrify us into not being ourselves, and not truly being with and for the people we love. “Blank Space” is asking us to break this down, embrace the bad with the good and just enjoy the uncertainty, revel in the unknown, because that’s what living life and loving others is really all about.
Swift admits to having a “long list of lovers.” Shock and awe. She admits to loving “players.” She sings about being “reckless.” Is she communicating an irresponsible approach to love? No, she is being honest about what life is like for many women her age. In a world where many people have yet to see “slut-shaming” as a pervasive and insidious problem in our society, Swift has given voice to woman who will not be made to be ashamed for playing the “game,” which men rarely receive shamming for embracing.
The bridge “boys only want love if it’s torture,” invites us to ask some important questions. In its repetition, it’s placing the stereotype that woman embrace and create drama and placing it on the guys. It’s not clear if she thinks guys only want love so that they can feel drama or if they want to be instigators of “torture.” If she is saying the latter, than she is warning girls about the misogynist power structure many guys still inject into their relationships with woman. If she is simply saying that guys enjoy drama as much as girls do then, bravo, because while not all boys are like this, many really do bring on the drama.
Taylor Swift’s “blank space,” represents embracing the possibilities of love. Along with this, the song itself expresses a level of pride in what it means to not be ashamed of what we desire in our love life and the choices we make as we live our lives.
Like great pop music, Taylor Swift is more powerful than she appears. Her long list of “Starbucks lovers” I mean um . . . “list of ex-lovers” may be right. Swift may be insane, but she might also be the most one of the important voices of her generation.
Showing posts with label Taylor Swift. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Taylor Swift. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Monday, January 7, 2013
8th Grade Playlist: 9 - Everything Has Changed by Taylor Swift featuring Ed Sheeran
Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond and Barbara Streisand and now there’s Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran.
There’s this amazing tradition in popular music of artist joining together to do duets. It’s a dream team kind of idea where two people at the top of their game come together and create something amazing. Taylor Swift, a still rising pop star, and Ed Sheeran who recently broke big (I talked about him in this earlier post) are huge right now.
Taylor and Ed are the Neil Diamond and Barbara Streisand of their generation. They are central figures in their genre representing the best in popular music right now.
No, they are not singing a break-up song about the lack of flowers in their lives (check out this post if you missed this reference). Instead they are singing about the beginning of a relationship, that special spark in “Everything Has Changed.”
Taylor and Ed lay down a peaceful and intimate track. The opening dialogue breaks down any sense of formality. You really feel like you are in a living room hearing them perform this song.
“Everything Has Changed” is a very gentle and unassuming song. It doesn’t really insist on a strong meaning or narrative. Instead it reflective and honest capturing a certain innocents that we sometimes overlook and forget about when we get to know the people around us.
The phrase “all I know,” appears throughout this song. This phrase expresses a sense of humility. They don’t fully understand their own feelings but they do know that they want to know each better.
There are beautiful and subtle descriptions as Ed sings about a wall painted blue coming down and Taylor’s butterflies in her stomach taking flight. These are the lines that really show the strength of these two song writers. They are short but meaningful and full of emotion.
There’s no turn around or twist in this song. Unlike other Taylor Swift songs like “Love Story,” this song is really about a single moment and not the way a relationship develops over time. It’s tough to have a song talk about such a small moment but this song does it really well.
Initially this song feels like teenagers singing about their first love. That mix of hormones and infatuation that rarely leads to a long-term relationship, but it's more than that. The older I get the more I realize how much I need people in my life and how much of the meaning in my life lies I share my life with others.
When I first met Diana everything in my life didn't change, but it felt like it did because my perspective changed. Every person you meet changes the way you look at the world sometimes in very small ways but in other times in very significant ways.
When you meet that person and all you want to do is get to know them better you're entering a journey that leads you to truly know yourself. This is what life is really about.
There’s this amazing tradition in popular music of artist joining together to do duets. It’s a dream team kind of idea where two people at the top of their game come together and create something amazing. Taylor Swift, a still rising pop star, and Ed Sheeran who recently broke big (I talked about him in this earlier post) are huge right now.
Taylor and Ed are the Neil Diamond and Barbara Streisand of their generation. They are central figures in their genre representing the best in popular music right now.
No, they are not singing a break-up song about the lack of flowers in their lives (check out this post if you missed this reference). Instead they are singing about the beginning of a relationship, that special spark in “Everything Has Changed.”
Taylor and Ed lay down a peaceful and intimate track. The opening dialogue breaks down any sense of formality. You really feel like you are in a living room hearing them perform this song.
“Everything Has Changed” is a very gentle and unassuming song. It doesn’t really insist on a strong meaning or narrative. Instead it reflective and honest capturing a certain innocents that we sometimes overlook and forget about when we get to know the people around us.
The phrase “all I know,” appears throughout this song. This phrase expresses a sense of humility. They don’t fully understand their own feelings but they do know that they want to know each better.
There are beautiful and subtle descriptions as Ed sings about a wall painted blue coming down and Taylor’s butterflies in her stomach taking flight. These are the lines that really show the strength of these two song writers. They are short but meaningful and full of emotion.
There’s no turn around or twist in this song. Unlike other Taylor Swift songs like “Love Story,” this song is really about a single moment and not the way a relationship develops over time. It’s tough to have a song talk about such a small moment but this song does it really well.
Initially this song feels like teenagers singing about their first love. That mix of hormones and infatuation that rarely leads to a long-term relationship, but it's more than that. The older I get the more I realize how much I need people in my life and how much of the meaning in my life lies I share my life with others.
When I first met Diana everything in my life didn't change, but it felt like it did because my perspective changed. Every person you meet changes the way you look at the world sometimes in very small ways but in other times in very significant ways.
When you meet that person and all you want to do is get to know them better you're entering a journey that leads you to truly know yourself. This is what life is really about.
Monday, August 27, 2012
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift
Hope is a powerful force.
It can change the course of history and save people’s lives. However, hope can also hold us back.
Diana and I have never broken up and then gotten back together. That was not the case with my high school girlfriend. We probably broke up three of four times for reasons that I cannot bring to mind. The reasons why we got back together, I can’t remember either.
The last time we broke up was right before I left for college. She was staying in the Seattle area and I was moving out to Chicago. We agreed that we would break up and move on with our lives but that we would still be friends.
The problem was that our definition of “friends,” was different. I didn’t want to respond to the daily e-mails and instant messages. She wasn’t getting the hint when I would not respond as quickly with shorter e-mails explaining that I was busy.
When I got to college I let go of any possibility that we would get back together, but she didn’t, she held out hope.
She kept pushing and pushing to be part of my life and as she continued to not get my hints, I became harsher and meaner and in the process, I fear that I broke her heart. I just wanted to move on and as horrible as this sounds, the only that I could do this was telling her over the phone that we would never get back together.
There were tears and these words resonated in a completely different way than the way Taylor sang these same words.
Taylor Swift’s newest single, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” is about the freedom and joy that comes from giving up on any hope that a relationship will come back together.
This song continues the evolution of Taylor Swift’s musical style. She takes different musical elements from her own musical heritage and mixes it with moderm influences to create a fresh and original sounding song that is uniquely Taylor.
The opening guitar lick has two effects thrown in that seems to turn the line around like a sample in a rap song. As soon as that is established she introduces a steady thumping beat. This four on the floor bass drum rhythm comes from country line dancing and can be heard in Springsteen’s “Shackled And Drawn.”
Taylor has already combined very different musical elements, the feel of sample and a the beat and pulls it together with a hook featuring repeated syllables that is reminiscent of “Umbrella” by Rhianna and harmonies in the chorus that sound like something out of a One Direction or Jonas Brother’s song.
All of these different influences and musical ideas combine with Taylor’s unique subject matter. Now does Taylor Swift sound like a woman in her early 20’s? Do girls this age actually sound like this when they talk about relationships? I can’t generalize but I know girls who do and I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. I think this song may come across as speaking from more of a teenage perspective because of the sound of the song, but Taylor is singing about relationship relapses that happen just as often with young adults.
All of this adds up to expressing that moment when you finally get over a relationship and are once again excited about the future possibilities. If you break up with someone and keep hoping in the back of your mind that you could get back together with that person then you can never truly move on with your life.
I didn’t learn until later when I was dumped how the loss of hope could hurt but how this pain could lead to the kind of joy that Taylor sings about. I know in my heart that my high school girlfriend got to that place as well. As I telling myself this to make myself feel better about my actions, probably but after twelve years, what else is there, but hope?
It can change the course of history and save people’s lives. However, hope can also hold us back.
Diana and I have never broken up and then gotten back together. That was not the case with my high school girlfriend. We probably broke up three of four times for reasons that I cannot bring to mind. The reasons why we got back together, I can’t remember either.
The last time we broke up was right before I left for college. She was staying in the Seattle area and I was moving out to Chicago. We agreed that we would break up and move on with our lives but that we would still be friends.
The problem was that our definition of “friends,” was different. I didn’t want to respond to the daily e-mails and instant messages. She wasn’t getting the hint when I would not respond as quickly with shorter e-mails explaining that I was busy.
When I got to college I let go of any possibility that we would get back together, but she didn’t, she held out hope.
She kept pushing and pushing to be part of my life and as she continued to not get my hints, I became harsher and meaner and in the process, I fear that I broke her heart. I just wanted to move on and as horrible as this sounds, the only that I could do this was telling her over the phone that we would never get back together.
There were tears and these words resonated in a completely different way than the way Taylor sang these same words.
Taylor Swift’s newest single, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” is about the freedom and joy that comes from giving up on any hope that a relationship will come back together.
This song continues the evolution of Taylor Swift’s musical style. She takes different musical elements from her own musical heritage and mixes it with moderm influences to create a fresh and original sounding song that is uniquely Taylor.
The opening guitar lick has two effects thrown in that seems to turn the line around like a sample in a rap song. As soon as that is established she introduces a steady thumping beat. This four on the floor bass drum rhythm comes from country line dancing and can be heard in Springsteen’s “Shackled And Drawn.”
Taylor has already combined very different musical elements, the feel of sample and a the beat and pulls it together with a hook featuring repeated syllables that is reminiscent of “Umbrella” by Rhianna and harmonies in the chorus that sound like something out of a One Direction or Jonas Brother’s song.
All of these different influences and musical ideas combine with Taylor’s unique subject matter. Now does Taylor Swift sound like a woman in her early 20’s? Do girls this age actually sound like this when they talk about relationships? I can’t generalize but I know girls who do and I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. I think this song may come across as speaking from more of a teenage perspective because of the sound of the song, but Taylor is singing about relationship relapses that happen just as often with young adults.
All of this adds up to expressing that moment when you finally get over a relationship and are once again excited about the future possibilities. If you break up with someone and keep hoping in the back of your mind that you could get back together with that person then you can never truly move on with your life.
I didn’t learn until later when I was dumped how the loss of hope could hurt but how this pain could lead to the kind of joy that Taylor sings about. I know in my heart that my high school girlfriend got to that place as well. As I telling myself this to make myself feel better about my actions, probably but after twelve years, what else is there, but hope?
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Taylor Swift + Justin Bieber = OMG X 15,000
"You think you've heard LOUD screaming in your life. Then @justinbieber comes out and does a surprise song during your show. Woah. Unreal," Tweeted Taylor after this performance.
This is some kind of awesome. Even if you don't like Taylor or Justin, I don't understand how you can hate on something that inspires this level positivity and enthusiasm.
Watching this video, I can't help can't but smile.
Monday, April 4, 2011
“Mean” Week 1 – A Letter To Taylor Swift
Dear Taylor Swift,
Last week a group of third graders sang your song “Mean” in my music class and reflected on one of the most important issues in the lives of young people in our society: social aggression and bullying.
My name is Kingsley Tang and I’m a music teacher in a school in Chicago. I teach 3rd and 5th grade general music as well as 7th and 8th grade band. Last week I started a four-week unit based on your song “Mean” with my third grade class to study song form, lyrics and the feelings expressed in your song.
In whatever song I’m teaching my students I always look for ways to apply the songs to my students’ lives. When we learned “Follow The Drinking Gourd” we talked about the Underground Railroad as well as the issue of fairness in my students' live.
Most of the time I apply songs to my students’ lives in a roundabout way and I’m always searching for music that directly addresses my students’ thoughts and feelings and “Mean” is the perfect vehicle to do this.
Feeling unprepared to have discussions with my students about this topic I enlisted the help of our school counselor. She jumped at the idea and we’ve put together an exciting unit we are co-teaching that will teach our students not only about music but also about what it means to be “mean.”
In the first class, which we taught last week, the students learned the first verse and chorus and discussed their reactions to their song. In the next class, the counselor and I will split the class into two groups and discuss things that people have done to them that are mean, things that they have done that are mean and ways that they deal with meanness. I will take these thoughts, write them into new lyrics for the song and then the students will learn the lyrics they helped create in the next two classes.
The first class went fantastic. We started by watching this clip of you singing this song:
After watching this clip we had a great discussion. My students had some really insightful things to say about your lyrics. Many children reflected how words can hurt and that the saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me” is false.
The most profound and impressive observation a couple students pointed out was that they didn’t agree with the line “all you’re ever going to be is mean” from the chorus. I was proud to hear them point out the fact that being mean is an action not something about who they are that they can’t change.
Thanks for creating such a wonderful song. It’s a beautiful musical space for my students to reflect on their own feelings.
-Kingsley
Last week a group of third graders sang your song “Mean” in my music class and reflected on one of the most important issues in the lives of young people in our society: social aggression and bullying.
My name is Kingsley Tang and I’m a music teacher in a school in Chicago. I teach 3rd and 5th grade general music as well as 7th and 8th grade band. Last week I started a four-week unit based on your song “Mean” with my third grade class to study song form, lyrics and the feelings expressed in your song.
In whatever song I’m teaching my students I always look for ways to apply the songs to my students’ lives. When we learned “Follow The Drinking Gourd” we talked about the Underground Railroad as well as the issue of fairness in my students' live.
Most of the time I apply songs to my students’ lives in a roundabout way and I’m always searching for music that directly addresses my students’ thoughts and feelings and “Mean” is the perfect vehicle to do this.
Feeling unprepared to have discussions with my students about this topic I enlisted the help of our school counselor. She jumped at the idea and we’ve put together an exciting unit we are co-teaching that will teach our students not only about music but also about what it means to be “mean.”
In the first class, which we taught last week, the students learned the first verse and chorus and discussed their reactions to their song. In the next class, the counselor and I will split the class into two groups and discuss things that people have done to them that are mean, things that they have done that are mean and ways that they deal with meanness. I will take these thoughts, write them into new lyrics for the song and then the students will learn the lyrics they helped create in the next two classes.
The first class went fantastic. We started by watching this clip of you singing this song:
After watching this clip we had a great discussion. My students had some really insightful things to say about your lyrics. Many children reflected how words can hurt and that the saying “sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me” is false.
The most profound and impressive observation a couple students pointed out was that they didn’t agree with the line “all you’re ever going to be is mean” from the chorus. I was proud to hear them point out the fact that being mean is an action not something about who they are that they can’t change.
Thanks for creating such a wonderful song. It’s a beautiful musical space for my students to reflect on their own feelings.
-Kingsley
Monday, March 14, 2011
Back To December by Taylor Swift
I’ve been waiting for “Back To December” ever since I first heard “Love Story.”
Taylor Swift’s breakout single “Love Story” and my first exposure to her stands as one of Swift's greatest achievements as an artist. The lead single from Speak Now “Mine” which I praised in this earlier post is a beautifully crafted song, which tells a touching and powerful story. However, “Mine” doesn’t take any dramatic and musical chances. It’s a display of incredible skill but in many ways it’s similar to “Love Story” in its turn around in the middle of the song and its general musical construction.
While this is impressive, it’s in “Back To December” that we find Swift taking musical and dramatic chances, and creating an achievement as a true successor to “Love Story.”
“Back To December” is the third track on Speak Now after two tracks that would have fit perfectly well in Swift’s previous album. So when you hear the shimmer of the guitar and the string instruments flow in gently at the beginning of “Back To December” it’s almost a little jarring.
There’s something so different about the tone of the introduction with slowly falling guitar lines like leaves failing in a forest. The slow ascending turn at the end of the guitar brings a sense of hope but as the guitar ripples it blends back into the texture. The introduction is beautiful but it’s also cold and as the song unfolds we understand why.
Taylor Swift’s songs are statements of power and independence. On initial listening, her first song that is an apology seems to go against these themes. In the first verse she starts a conversation and then takes a step back reflecting on its awkwardness. An emotional wave hits as the chorus opens and we realize that this song is about Taylor asking for forgiveness. Swift delivers one of her most powerful lines “freedom ain’t nothing but missing you,” juxtaposing the freedom she thought would make her happy with consequences of her error: her feelings of regret.
The lyrics in this song don’t provide us any revelations beyond what you understand in the first verse and the chorus however she adds layers of depth to her emotion. Swift does what she does best, telling a love story, but from a different angle and the beauty of this story makes this song all that much more powerful.
Yes, it is not admirable to be full of regret and to apologize to someone who doesn’t deserve an apology. However, it takes great strength to tell someone that you have wronged and try to make amends. This isn’t a weak girl breaking down in front of guy, it’s a girl standing up and admitting a mistake fighting for the love that she has lost.
Watching her perform this we worry about what the result of this situations and Taylor’s shocked response from the standing ovation reminds us that after all of this she is okay.
Yes, it's just a song, but with a song this great you can't help but wonder.
Taylor Swift’s breakout single “Love Story” and my first exposure to her stands as one of Swift's greatest achievements as an artist. The lead single from Speak Now “Mine” which I praised in this earlier post is a beautifully crafted song, which tells a touching and powerful story. However, “Mine” doesn’t take any dramatic and musical chances. It’s a display of incredible skill but in many ways it’s similar to “Love Story” in its turn around in the middle of the song and its general musical construction.
While this is impressive, it’s in “Back To December” that we find Swift taking musical and dramatic chances, and creating an achievement as a true successor to “Love Story.”
“Back To December” is the third track on Speak Now after two tracks that would have fit perfectly well in Swift’s previous album. So when you hear the shimmer of the guitar and the string instruments flow in gently at the beginning of “Back To December” it’s almost a little jarring.
There’s something so different about the tone of the introduction with slowly falling guitar lines like leaves failing in a forest. The slow ascending turn at the end of the guitar brings a sense of hope but as the guitar ripples it blends back into the texture. The introduction is beautiful but it’s also cold and as the song unfolds we understand why.
Taylor Swift’s songs are statements of power and independence. On initial listening, her first song that is an apology seems to go against these themes. In the first verse she starts a conversation and then takes a step back reflecting on its awkwardness. An emotional wave hits as the chorus opens and we realize that this song is about Taylor asking for forgiveness. Swift delivers one of her most powerful lines “freedom ain’t nothing but missing you,” juxtaposing the freedom she thought would make her happy with consequences of her error: her feelings of regret.
The lyrics in this song don’t provide us any revelations beyond what you understand in the first verse and the chorus however she adds layers of depth to her emotion. Swift does what she does best, telling a love story, but from a different angle and the beauty of this story makes this song all that much more powerful.
Yes, it is not admirable to be full of regret and to apologize to someone who doesn’t deserve an apology. However, it takes great strength to tell someone that you have wronged and try to make amends. This isn’t a weak girl breaking down in front of guy, it’s a girl standing up and admitting a mistake fighting for the love that she has lost.
Watching her perform this we worry about what the result of this situations and Taylor’s shocked response from the standing ovation reminds us that after all of this she is okay.
Yes, it's just a song, but with a song this great you can't help but wonder.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Mine by Taylor Swift
“People like to fixate on Taylor Swift’s youth, as if to say, yeah, she’s pretty good for her age. But that just begs a question: Where are all the older people who are supposedly making better pop records than Taylor Swift? There aren’t any.”
This opening from Rolling Stone’s four star review of Taylor Swift’s new album Speak Now pretty much sums up the reality of the situation. Her career has no parallel in popular music. Taylor Swift a country singer, on an independent label, recording music that she composes and at the age of 20 is one of most popular and critically acclaimed musicians of her time.
If you don’t like her music, it’s all good, there’s no apologizing for taste, but it is undeniable the incredible craft and skill she puts into her song writing. Is Taylor innovating like crazy? No, but what she is doing reflecting on her own life and beliefs in a genuine and intimate way that speaks directly from her soul to our hearts.
The lead single “Mine” is “Love Story” matured from an idealized fairy tale romance to realistic struggle of a couple. It follows a similar form providing background on a relationship building to a flipping perspective in the song which for “Love Story” is when he proposes to her (which is a moment that gets to me every time I listen to that song).
What is remarkable about this song is the way that Taylor packs in so much information in so few lines, painting a rich and deep emotional story in a subtle and unassuming way.
The first verse sets up the story as Taylor meets a college student. She describes her own insecurities “I was a flight risk, afraid of falling, wondering why we bother with love, if it never last” (man, that’s girl has a little Bob Dylan in her, wow) which sets up her emotional journey.
The chorus describes a critical memory which will come back to bring Taylor comfort as well as describing how she views herself, “you made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter.” This line not only sounds great but it speaks to the reality that girls often end up with guys like their father and while she views her dad as careless it is the same rebellion that this guy bring out of her, helping her embrace the parts of her father that are within herself.
The second verse describes the struggles in her relationship and how thinking back on a memory helps her get through the fights. The conflict is continues in the bridge as she feels that the relationship is “slipping right out of our hands” like she predicted in the first verse. Bracing herself of the worst her love interest responds not with an apology but a memory, the same memory that she holds so dear in her heart. Knowing that they feel the same way Taylor exclaims at the end that she “I can see it now,” the future they have together.
Relationships succeed or fail often because of the similarities or differences in the way people feel about each other. When you know in your heart that the person you love, loves you back with the same depth and passion that you feel instead of grasping at past glories as Taylor does in the first part of the song the future opens up with possibilities and wonder.
I love the memories I have of times I spent with my wife Diana but more than that it's the future that excites me. I don't know how Taylor Swift captured all of this so beautifully in her music. I just know that Taylor Swift reflects my belief in love and the beauty of life and for that I will forever hold her music close to my heart.
This opening from Rolling Stone’s four star review of Taylor Swift’s new album Speak Now pretty much sums up the reality of the situation. Her career has no parallel in popular music. Taylor Swift a country singer, on an independent label, recording music that she composes and at the age of 20 is one of most popular and critically acclaimed musicians of her time.
If you don’t like her music, it’s all good, there’s no apologizing for taste, but it is undeniable the incredible craft and skill she puts into her song writing. Is Taylor innovating like crazy? No, but what she is doing reflecting on her own life and beliefs in a genuine and intimate way that speaks directly from her soul to our hearts.
The lead single “Mine” is “Love Story” matured from an idealized fairy tale romance to realistic struggle of a couple. It follows a similar form providing background on a relationship building to a flipping perspective in the song which for “Love Story” is when he proposes to her (which is a moment that gets to me every time I listen to that song).
What is remarkable about this song is the way that Taylor packs in so much information in so few lines, painting a rich and deep emotional story in a subtle and unassuming way.
The first verse sets up the story as Taylor meets a college student. She describes her own insecurities “I was a flight risk, afraid of falling, wondering why we bother with love, if it never last” (man, that’s girl has a little Bob Dylan in her, wow) which sets up her emotional journey.
The chorus describes a critical memory which will come back to bring Taylor comfort as well as describing how she views herself, “you made a rebel of a careless man’s careful daughter.” This line not only sounds great but it speaks to the reality that girls often end up with guys like their father and while she views her dad as careless it is the same rebellion that this guy bring out of her, helping her embrace the parts of her father that are within herself.
The second verse describes the struggles in her relationship and how thinking back on a memory helps her get through the fights. The conflict is continues in the bridge as she feels that the relationship is “slipping right out of our hands” like she predicted in the first verse. Bracing herself of the worst her love interest responds not with an apology but a memory, the same memory that she holds so dear in her heart. Knowing that they feel the same way Taylor exclaims at the end that she “I can see it now,” the future they have together.
Relationships succeed or fail often because of the similarities or differences in the way people feel about each other. When you know in your heart that the person you love, loves you back with the same depth and passion that you feel instead of grasping at past glories as Taylor does in the first part of the song the future opens up with possibilities and wonder.
I love the memories I have of times I spent with my wife Diana but more than that it's the future that excites me. I don't know how Taylor Swift captured all of this so beautifully in her music. I just know that Taylor Swift reflects my belief in love and the beauty of life and for that I will forever hold her music close to my heart.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Taylor Swift: Entertainer Of The Year
There have been three times in recent memory that I've cried while watching television.
Jon Stewart on The Daily Show announcing Barack Obama had won the presidency of the United States of America.
Paris Jackson, expressing her love for her father Michael Jackson at his memorial service.
And last night, watching Taylor Swift win the entertainer of the year award at the 2009 Country Music Awards.
All three of these moments were genuine, open expressions of feeling. Even though the emotions were different the honesty of their words and the power of each of these moments connected with the way I felt about these events effecting me in a profound and indescribable way.
I'll never forget the first image of Taylor Swift I saw: A striking young lady in beautiful dress singing "Love Story" from the song's music video (which I raved about in this earlier post). Here was a young girl, singing about a fantasy, capturing the hopes and dreams of teenage romanticism in a hopeful, romantic and beautiful way. It was feeling the first rays of sun rising up on a Spring morning.
One reason, Taylor Swift struck me the way she did is because the last time we saw an 18 year old explode into popular culture it was Britney Spears when she released " . . . Baby One More Time." The video portrayed Spears in a perverse school girl fantasy with suggestion lyrics and dance moves. I have nothing against sensuality in music but with Britney, it didn't feel genuine, it didn't feel right.
Early in the day on Wednesday, I started seeing stories about how Taylor Swift was nominated for entertainer of the year at the CMA's, the youngest person to ever be nominated for that honor. I've never watched the CMA's before but I figured I would record it on my DVR and scan through it.
When I finally sat down and watched the CMA's, I was amazed. The hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood made some great jokes. They were a little silly but had a lot of fun. The most shocking thing for me after watching years of the Video Music Awards on MTV and the Grammy's was when Brad would pick up his guitar and her would sing joke songs with Carrie. Not only were these songs funny but Brad and Carrie sounded amazing singing together.
Then there was the music. Chock full of performances that focused not on big productions and dances numbers but on the musicianship of the performers. Country music proved that they have within their genre were some of the greatest musicians around.
Then there was Taylor.
She opened the awards show with an energetic performance of "Always and Forever."
The first part of the song she sang without a guitar, dancing around stage displaying an understanding of stage presence and performance that is well beyond her age.
Later in the evening she performed "Fifteen" surrounded by her fans. Like singing around a campfire, Taylor performed with her fans transforming from a stadium stage performer to folk sing/story teller.
At the end of the show came the big award: Entertainer of the year. When Tim McGraw and Faith Hill announced that Taylor had the big award there was a feeling that this was something that everyone in the stadium rejoiced in. The crowd went wild and the look on Taylor's face was priceless.
Faith Hill and Tim McGraw had supported her from before her first album. Every single one of the artist who were nominated for entertainer of the year had let Taylor open for them, which Taylor mentioned in her speech. The entire country music community had rallied behind this girl from day one to get her to this point and here she was. For a moment I felt like I was right there with the crowd cheering for our girl.
It was watching someone's dream come true. It was proof that being a good person and working hard paid off. And it was a reaffirmation in what is beautiful in art and inside of our hearts.
Now there are people out there who think that Taylor Swift's image is just that, an image. It's hard for me to believe that her song about her mom, "The Best Day," which I did a post about reflecting about my own mom was just a another calculated ploy to see more records, but that doesn't mean that is an impossibility.
The way that people view Taylor swift is the way that they view the world. Pessimist who see the glass as half empty see Taylor as an act. They want to see her fail and want to tear down and they want to prove that she's nothing but a marketing tool.
But I'm an optimistic. The glass is half full in my world.
I believe that people are good.
I believe the greatest joy we get in this worlds is caring for others.
And I believe in Taylor Swift.
Jon Stewart on The Daily Show announcing Barack Obama had won the presidency of the United States of America.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Indecision 2008: Barack Obama Wins | ||||
| ||||
Paris Jackson, expressing her love for her father Michael Jackson at his memorial service.
And last night, watching Taylor Swift win the entertainer of the year award at the 2009 Country Music Awards.
All three of these moments were genuine, open expressions of feeling. Even though the emotions were different the honesty of their words and the power of each of these moments connected with the way I felt about these events effecting me in a profound and indescribable way.
I'll never forget the first image of Taylor Swift I saw: A striking young lady in beautiful dress singing "Love Story" from the song's music video (which I raved about in this earlier post). Here was a young girl, singing about a fantasy, capturing the hopes and dreams of teenage romanticism in a hopeful, romantic and beautiful way. It was feeling the first rays of sun rising up on a Spring morning.
One reason, Taylor Swift struck me the way she did is because the last time we saw an 18 year old explode into popular culture it was Britney Spears when she released " . . . Baby One More Time." The video portrayed Spears in a perverse school girl fantasy with suggestion lyrics and dance moves. I have nothing against sensuality in music but with Britney, it didn't feel genuine, it didn't feel right.
Early in the day on Wednesday, I started seeing stories about how Taylor Swift was nominated for entertainer of the year at the CMA's, the youngest person to ever be nominated for that honor. I've never watched the CMA's before but I figured I would record it on my DVR and scan through it.
When I finally sat down and watched the CMA's, I was amazed. The hosts Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood made some great jokes. They were a little silly but had a lot of fun. The most shocking thing for me after watching years of the Video Music Awards on MTV and the Grammy's was when Brad would pick up his guitar and her would sing joke songs with Carrie. Not only were these songs funny but Brad and Carrie sounded amazing singing together.
Then there was the music. Chock full of performances that focused not on big productions and dances numbers but on the musicianship of the performers. Country music proved that they have within their genre were some of the greatest musicians around.
Then there was Taylor.
She opened the awards show with an energetic performance of "Always and Forever."
The first part of the song she sang without a guitar, dancing around stage displaying an understanding of stage presence and performance that is well beyond her age.
Later in the evening she performed "Fifteen" surrounded by her fans. Like singing around a campfire, Taylor performed with her fans transforming from a stadium stage performer to folk sing/story teller.
At the end of the show came the big award: Entertainer of the year. When Tim McGraw and Faith Hill announced that Taylor had the big award there was a feeling that this was something that everyone in the stadium rejoiced in. The crowd went wild and the look on Taylor's face was priceless.
Faith Hill and Tim McGraw had supported her from before her first album. Every single one of the artist who were nominated for entertainer of the year had let Taylor open for them, which Taylor mentioned in her speech. The entire country music community had rallied behind this girl from day one to get her to this point and here she was. For a moment I felt like I was right there with the crowd cheering for our girl.
It was watching someone's dream come true. It was proof that being a good person and working hard paid off. And it was a reaffirmation in what is beautiful in art and inside of our hearts.
Now there are people out there who think that Taylor Swift's image is just that, an image. It's hard for me to believe that her song about her mom, "The Best Day," which I did a post about reflecting about my own mom was just a another calculated ploy to see more records, but that doesn't mean that is an impossibility.
The way that people view Taylor swift is the way that they view the world. Pessimist who see the glass as half empty see Taylor as an act. They want to see her fail and want to tear down and they want to prove that she's nothing but a marketing tool.
But I'm an optimistic. The glass is half full in my world.
I believe that people are good.
I believe the greatest joy we get in this worlds is caring for others.
And I believe in Taylor Swift.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The Best Day by Taylor Swift
"The Best Day" by Taylor Swift music videoDear Mom,
Occasionally at school, one of my students will get upset because something his or her mom did. It’s usually small stuff, like forgetting to sign a permission slip or forgetting to pack a snack. Other times it’s bigger stuff like not waking up in the morning to help their child get ready for school.
Talking to kids who have been let down by their moms is one of the hardest things I do. I don’t get how a mom can’t take 2 minutes to put some crackers in zip-lock back and. I don’t understand how a mom can’t sacrifice a little sleep to make sure her son has a good start to his day. Most of all, I have a hard time emphasizing with a students because I have no idea what it feels like to be let down by my mom. However, I do know exactly how Taylor Swift feels in her song “The Best Day.”
“The Best Day” is the second to last song on her album Fearless. It’s a beautiful ode to her mother and ever time I hear this song I think about you.
While Taylor Swift thinks about tractor rides, I remember being in first grade and helping you cook chicken legs. You’d get out my stool so I could reach the stove and you’d let me season the chicken and stir it around. Later at dinner, you would proceed to rave about how great the chicken was that I cooked. I remember feeling so proud.
Back then things were simpler and Swift reflects this feeling.
I don’t know why all the trees change in the fall.
But I know you’re not scared of anything at all,
Don’t know if Snow White’s house is near or far away
But I know I had the best day with you today.
There is so much that we don’t understand when we are children but it doesn’t seem so bad if we know that our mom isn’t scared of anything. All of the things that kids wonder about just don’t matter as much if they have a good day because what makes a “best day” for a kid is simply feeling loved.
Now that I’m older, I know why the all the trees change in the fall. Nothing lasts forever. Things withers and things die and like the harshness of winter, life is difficult. However, I have the strength though to push through and I have the faith that in there is always a light after the darkness.
My strength and faith don’t come from the fact that that nothing scares you. I know that’s not true. I know that you are on my side and that I’m never alone which gives me the strength to face anything. I know that you believe in me and that faith inspires my faith in the world, the people in the life and most of all, myself.
There was one day in elementary when you asked Ed and me if we wanted to go for a walk. Often my mom and I took walks around the neighborhood so I said sure; Ed didn’t feel like going for a walk because of a book he was into. As we walked out of the house, you asked me with a mischievous smile asked me if I wanted to go to the mall. My brother and I loved going to mall back then, so I jumped at the your invitation. At the mall we looked around at my favorite shops and it was great time.
When we got home it was obvious to my brother that we had been to the mall because of our shopping bags and annoyed Ed asked, “You went to the mall?!? I thought you were going for a walk,” and you responded “we did go for a walk, we took a walk at the mall” as we both giggled to each other.
I had the best day with you that day.
Happy Mother’s day
love you,
-Kings
Monday, April 20, 2009
Love Story by Taylor Swift
"Love Story” music video “Love Story” live performance
“Love Story” live performance with Def Leppard (AWESOME!!)
Taylor Swift is one of most significant artists in popular music.
She is not a Disney artists like Miley Cyrus. She is not an American Ideal like Kelly Clarkson. She is not a pop queen like Britney Spears. Taylor Swift is something completely different.
What is unique about Taylor Swift is not so much the fact that she writes her own songs (which is an accomplishment) but that she sings more genuinely about teenage experiences than any modern artists. Like Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, Swift has captured the complexity, pain and optimism of what it means to be a young adult. She is singing on a level deeper than Cyrus, is far more reflective than the Clarkson and lacks the over-sexualization of teenage lust that Britney Spears displayed when she was Swift’s age
Taylor Swift’s second album Fearless that debuted at the top the Billboard album charts. This great album that features songs straight from the teenager heart talking about first day of high school in “Fifteen” to how much Swift loves her mom with “The Best Day.” Her first single from this album is Swift at her best telling a “Love Story.”
In “Love Story,” Swift spins a tale of teenage romance based on Romeo & Juliet. The allusion to the Shakespeare tragedy is fitting as most high school students read Romeo & Juliet their freshmen year. This song follows the story of the play but instead of the tragic ending there is a happy conclusion.
Swift’s creativity as a writer shines through in her use of form. She uses the standard sections of the verse: “we were both young when I first saw you,” pre-chorus: “that you were Romeo, you were throwing pebble,” chorus: “Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone,” and bridge: “I got tired of waiting.” Swift interestingly uses of the sections have an narrative as well as a musical purpose.
The verses of the song are the story-telling potions of the song sung in the past tense. The pre-chorus sections describe the tension between the dad and Romeo. The choruses are sung in the present tense where Swift asks Romeo to take her away and save her, while the bridge extends the feeling from the pre-chorus, as Swift describes her pain.
In the bridge, Swift describes how she got tired of waiting and how her hope was fading. She asks her Romeo as the chorus softly builds to save her and if their love is real. There is an inkling of a happy conclusion as Swift previously uses the chorus to affirm their love. Right after the line “pulled out a ring and said,” the song modulates (changes key) up a whole step taking the song into a whole new level as we hear from Romeo's words for the first time.
Every other verse ends with “It’s a love story, baby just say yes,” asking Romeo to embrace the fact their love but when Swift replies yes to the question of marriage, there is a slight hesitation as relishes being asked before she accepts the proposal.
Within "Love Story," Swift describes profound feelings of being misunderstood, lonely and wanting to be taken away. These feelings aren't limited to teenagers and it is in these emotions that we find ourselves.
“Love Story” revels in the magic of falling in love, expresses the pain of doubt and the celebrates the promise of true love. Listening to Taylor Swift is like reading the diary of a teenager like many I have met who are honest, thoughtful and hopeful.
I look forward to following Taylor Swift’s career. Her music is beautiful and like this love story, it’s real.
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