Let’s take a deep dive into the history, life and beauty of the world that is Taylor Swift, this one’s for all the swifties out there.
Author – Sanskruti Banerjee
No matter who you are, unless you’ve been living an abnormally large rock, you will most definitely know the name Taylor Swift. Whether you and your friends recreated the music video scenes from You Belong With Me thirteen years ago or you’re anxiously waiting for international tour dates to currently release, being a swiftie truly is a world of it’s own. I will be yarning about none other than T-Swizzle, with a little customised song recommendation list for you at the end, you’re so welcome.
A little backstory
Born in 1989 Pennsylvania, Taylor Alison Swift had a passion for music since a very young age, inspired hugely by her grandmother who was a professional opera singer. She moved to Nashville to pursue music and funnily enough was told in 2005; “If music doesn’t work out, you could easily become a hair model!.” Taylor’s first album was released in 2006 and sold more than 2.5 million copies…since then she has been producing music non stop leading to a career of hundreds of songs.
Reclaiming her songs—the music industry herself
It was discovered that Taylor did not own the master recordings of songs on albums she recorded prior to 2019. Now, this could have been ignored…there’s always new and upcoming songs right? Nope. Miss Taylor decided to RE-RECORD all of these hits using the new title’s bracketed by (Taylor’s version) in order to gain rights on her own music, absolute queen shit if you ask me. Consequently, this began a phenomena of fans creating tiktok’s, posts and edits with the newly added brackets (Taylor’s Version) after everything they did. With one of the most powerful and international fan-bases, Taylor sold a story that was enough to convince these fans to abandon old recordings and listen to her new songs, along with adding new songs along the way too.
Why Taylor is one of the Greatest Self Portraitists of Our Time
So what makes Taylor special? Why is it, that she has single-handedly managed to raise an entire generation of girls? Each of Taylor’s albums takes us through a specific era of her life but this is executed through intrinsic lyrics, beautiful music videos and secret connections scattered throughout. Fans have realised her discography is more like one huge puzzle piece, for the lyric enthusiasts to delve deeper into. One of her newer releases, the album Midnights has taken the world by storm because it truly embodies the concept of philosophy of the self. She is a story teller, someone who frameworks things and does so with class. You’re on your own kid is for the older sisters who feel a little left alone, bejewelled is for anyone needing some extra hype after getting treated like shit, bigger than the whole sky is for those who need a cry etc etc—you will most definitely have something to relate to in every album I promise. After release, this led to all the top ten spots on Billboard being taken up by songs on this one album. One of my personal favourites is The Man, where she becomes (through heavy prosthetics) the man herself to showcase male privilege. It takes a blast at the patriarchy and exposes the double standards that often exist for women. Hell yeah, you go Taylor.
Common Misconceptions about the Artist
Now, there has been no shortage of interviewers or some random teenage boy down the street who does not understand the intricacies or depth of Taylor’s lyrics. And will throw around some petty comment. I think a lot of people assume that all Taylor does is write breakup songs. Even if she did, I love how there would be a problem with that…yet if it was a man he would probably be praised for being open about his feelings. Ironic isn’t it? This was a point Taylor raised at an interview with the simple question of; Well, why not…if someone can relate to it and it helps them heal, that’s all that matters for me. Forget a hair commercial star, in my opinion if music hadn’t worked out…Taylor would most definitely have become a poet. Being responsible for some of the most intricately written lyrics in the music industry, Taylor’s songs (especially in recent years) all possess hidden metaphors, in-bult interconnections that are a representation of the battles she has faced within her life. They are relatable because every person has been through something similar at some point, so we are able to cherish the lyrics just as much as she once did. Let’s take All Too Well as an example. This hit with its ten minute music video starring Sadie Sink and Dylan O’ Brien depicts Taylor’s relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal. Rather than being a breakup song, All Too Well is a visual masterpiece and through the metaphor of a scarf showcases how while in love, we often tend to emotionally gaslight ourselves. The difficulty in moving on is because a part of you never quite manages to heal; Taylor beautifully showcases this through lighting, the different chapters within the relationship, a book launch and a kitchen argument that was unscripted by the actors. This music video was Taylor’s filmmaking debut and stole millions of hearts worldwide. The girls who scream to All Too Well in the clubs are the ones who’ve had their hearts ripped apart, please go shout them a drink. Her songs can be decoded and delved into, but only if you bother looking closely.
What she represents
Taylor represents a strong female, but one who is both kind and relatable. She somehow manages to remain unproblematic despite so much fame and has been notorious for how good of a friend she is. Her friendship with Selena Gomez and the glares she gave Justin weeks after they broke up, or her standing up to clap for Harry at the Grammy’s when nobody else did speak volumes about the character. Now I don’t know her personally, but from what we have all gauged this woman is someone to be admired, respected and loved. Girls all over the world are proud to be Taylor Swift Girls; they’re trending on TikTok with the phrase “which taylor swift girl are you?”
If I could see this woman play live, honestly my life would be complete. If even after reading this, you’re still convinced; “oh my gosh, all this blonde does is write about her breakups,” respectfully get a life, you’re a walking red-flag for that honey. A response her bestie Selena once gave a hater was; “I’m sorry that my best friend has always and will continue to be at the TOP of the game.” Take a deep delve into some Taylor lyrics to save yourself while you’re at it too.
Personal starter song mix (mainstream and lost hits for the new fans); Love story, The way I Loved You, Enchanted, How you Get the Girl, Blank Space, New Romantics, Jump then Fall, All too Well (10 min vers), Getaway Car, Endgame, London Boy, Cornelia Street, Paper Rings, Cruel Summer, invisible string, betty, champagne problems, tolerate it, long story short, 22, midnight rain, anti hero and All of the Girls you Loved Before.