Right there with you, buddy. It doesn’t make me feel old and beatdown that I don’t know who Taylor Swift is. It makes me feel old and beatdown that I’m inordinately proud of not knowing who Taylor Swift is. My finest accomplishment.
Taylor began her rise to prominence starting about 12 years ago. She wrote catchy pop tunes about boys that girls like. She was in the country music bucket but always had more of a pop sound. I totally get her appeal to adolescent girls because I used to be one. What has happened since she first caught on is her complete capitulation to the conventional wisdom of our day. She has all the correct, vaguely lefty opinions. So not only is she a darling of the music market, she’s a good conduit for politically correct ideas. She has a certain kind of power that I’m sure is recognized and cultivated by other powerful people. I’d say she got where she is because kids love a catchy pop song. But her status at the top of the heap is certainly helped by the fact that her ideas align with current ruling class views. Watch. You’ll see her say things that let her audience know what it’s cool to believe. I’m not saying she’s a puppet, just that nobody with her reach will be untouched by influencers that seek to use her cultural power.
Taylor Swift is a cult. A cult of personality, but still a cult. See Patrick Hanlon's "Primal Branding." Entertainers spend money on good advice to build profitable fan bases -- the cults. Swift uses a guruship model. A series of charms, each recalling some theme, each Instagrammed. A sale on the charm bracelet with the charms. An extensive coding system for fans to learn: the color of the costume she is wearing in the photo refers to a specific album. And so on. My sources in Nashville tell me it is a debutante culture. ("Cult" is the root of the word "culture.") High school-age females turn out wearing sexy party outfits with their parents right behind them to supervise.
The short answer to your question of "what happened?" is that poptimism happened. Some will try to sell this is a democratization of music and the removal of various gatekeepers from their previous positions of cultural hegemony. Others will attempt to label this as a feminist reckoning.
I remain cynical. What does it mean when knowing who Soundgarden is but not knowing much about Taylor Swift is the mark of the un-cool? Is cool just whatever the kids happen to be listening to at the moment? Personally, I think no. There's more to it.
Man, I LOVE reading your stuff...Funny, sassy, sometimes skewering but not mean - unless mean is earned. And here's why I write: I'm a 70 yo man, whose musical oeurve bends waaaay farther toward your tastes than Taylor Swift. BUT I don't think she's done anything tangible to you, and think today's writing veered closely to being mean for no real reason. I personally didn't see it as simple satire.
Swift is one of a MILLION people and things which are ubiquitous and over-saturated.....why single her out? I don't get it. For me, NO ONE is asking you to acknowledge her.
T Swift certainly doesn't need me to defend her, nor would I bother.....but for me, this time you ARE WRONG. Keep up the good work, jpo
I'm 10 years older than you and I caved and heard her entire discography on Spotify. There were like 5 songs I recognized. Not my thing but I can see the appeal to a tween and the 25 year old women that grew up with her music. Her staying power, you must admit, is admirable.
I'm with you, I know who Taylor Swift is but don't know any of her songs. I refuse to follow any of the clickbait that those "articles" on NYT represent. And, from what I see, she seems to be a likeable person so when I roll my eyes at her appearance on television commercials or during a nationally televised NFL game, I feel bad for about a nanosecond.
Right there with you, buddy. It doesn’t make me feel old and beatdown that I don’t know who Taylor Swift is. It makes me feel old and beatdown that I’m inordinately proud of not knowing who Taylor Swift is. My finest accomplishment.
Taylor began her rise to prominence starting about 12 years ago. She wrote catchy pop tunes about boys that girls like. She was in the country music bucket but always had more of a pop sound. I totally get her appeal to adolescent girls because I used to be one. What has happened since she first caught on is her complete capitulation to the conventional wisdom of our day. She has all the correct, vaguely lefty opinions. So not only is she a darling of the music market, she’s a good conduit for politically correct ideas. She has a certain kind of power that I’m sure is recognized and cultivated by other powerful people. I’d say she got where she is because kids love a catchy pop song. But her status at the top of the heap is certainly helped by the fact that her ideas align with current ruling class views. Watch. You’ll see her say things that let her audience know what it’s cool to believe. I’m not saying she’s a puppet, just that nobody with her reach will be untouched by influencers that seek to use her cultural power.
Sorry Jeff, it’s you, hi. You’re the problem, it’s you.
(Quickly ducks into a corner)
Taylor Swift is a cult. A cult of personality, but still a cult. See Patrick Hanlon's "Primal Branding." Entertainers spend money on good advice to build profitable fan bases -- the cults. Swift uses a guruship model. A series of charms, each recalling some theme, each Instagrammed. A sale on the charm bracelet with the charms. An extensive coding system for fans to learn: the color of the costume she is wearing in the photo refers to a specific album. And so on. My sources in Nashville tell me it is a debutante culture. ("Cult" is the root of the word "culture.") High school-age females turn out wearing sexy party outfits with their parents right behind them to supervise.
The short answer to your question of "what happened?" is that poptimism happened. Some will try to sell this is a democratization of music and the removal of various gatekeepers from their previous positions of cultural hegemony. Others will attempt to label this as a feminist reckoning.
I remain cynical. What does it mean when knowing who Soundgarden is but not knowing much about Taylor Swift is the mark of the un-cool? Is cool just whatever the kids happen to be listening to at the moment? Personally, I think no. There's more to it.
Man, I LOVE reading your stuff...Funny, sassy, sometimes skewering but not mean - unless mean is earned. And here's why I write: I'm a 70 yo man, whose musical oeurve bends waaaay farther toward your tastes than Taylor Swift. BUT I don't think she's done anything tangible to you, and think today's writing veered closely to being mean for no real reason. I personally didn't see it as simple satire.
Swift is one of a MILLION people and things which are ubiquitous and over-saturated.....why single her out? I don't get it. For me, NO ONE is asking you to acknowledge her.
T Swift certainly doesn't need me to defend her, nor would I bother.....but for me, this time you ARE WRONG. Keep up the good work, jpo
Reading this as I listen to Taylor Swift: 😬
I'm 10 years older than you and I caved and heard her entire discography on Spotify. There were like 5 songs I recognized. Not my thing but I can see the appeal to a tween and the 25 year old women that grew up with her music. Her staying power, you must admit, is admirable.
Brilliant. Thanks for that, I'm still chuckling.
(Also a dad, even older than you, and I can't name any TayTay songs either. But damn she's cute.)
I reached pretty much the same conclusion:
https://thesymptoms.substack.com/p/wheres-the-grief
Sanity at last!
Be careful Jeff, you could very well get death threats from a bunch of chronically online teenage girls for posting this!
Just more reason to like her!
https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/taylor-swift-single-women-right-wing/tnamp/
I'm with you, I know who Taylor Swift is but don't know any of her songs. I refuse to follow any of the clickbait that those "articles" on NYT represent. And, from what I see, she seems to be a likeable person so when I roll my eyes at her appearance on television commercials or during a nationally televised NFL game, I feel bad for about a nanosecond.