Honest Question re: Taylor Swift. Can anyone point to one song

[hlthe2b]

that might make me appreciate or even "like" her music? I know she writes a lot of her own songs--which is great, but I look upon her as a teen girl obsession... But, more to the point, I've never forgiven her early Grammy performance (where she inexplicably was given top billing over STEVIE NICKS in a dual performance) and then proceeded to totally f...k up the entire song. Unprepared while performing with Stevie Nicks?!!! That's a grudge that's hard to lose.

But with all this Ticketmaster crap, I know she is unbelievably popular, so can you point me to ONE song that might make me want to reevaluate? I do believe that musicians can evolve, mature, and improve...

[relayerbob]

1. No.

No disrespect meant, but you’ve already made up your mind, and clearly you are not of her generation. Her music resonates with her generation… as it should. The limiting factor in your enjoyment of her music is in you. Might as well ask my parents in the 1970s to like Black Sabbath, since clearly was superior in every way, in their eyes.

[hlthe2b]

6. Well, that is hardly fair, given I acknowledged her song-writing talent and sincerely asked.

But so be it. It does say a lot more about you, to be honest and your disrespect IS TAKEN as intended.

[relayerbob]

20. Your choice to take it how you want.

Regardless of reality.

You asked a question with an enormous amount of bias built into the question. I find it highly unlikely you'll find any one song that will change your mind on her.

[hlthe2b]

4. Okay, so name the one song that you'd recommend...

This is my point. I grew up with tons of bands and single artists that I adored and with tons of hits. Even decades later, I'd have no problem naming at least a dozen songs for each of them. But when I ask that of Swift or a lot of contemporary performers, it isn't like that...

[blm]

3. Writer Paul Slansky has a take you might find interesting.

https://paulslansky.medium.com/discovering-taylor-swift-4903aa027efd

I listen to KCSN 88.5, the best station I’ve heard in my many decades in L.A. — here, see why — which apparently deemed Taylor Swift not hip enough to be played by them. In the twelve years that the station has existed in its current format, I was not once exposed to her music there. I’m sure I’d heard some of her hits playing in the background at various moments in my life, but I wasn’t really listening to them. As her career took off and she entered her twenties, I was aware of her mainly for her penchant for serial dating famous young guys, breaking up with them, and writing songs about them. I felt no need to seek out those songs.

Still, I began associating her name with good things. She sued some DJ in Denver in connection with his having grabbed her ass during a drop-in to his station. (For a dollar. Just for the principle of it. And she won.) The experience completely politicized her, and whereas she’d been avowedly apolitical — she’d told David Letterman, “It’s my right to vote, but it’s not my right to tell other people what to do” — she suddenly came out strongly against Tennessee’s lunatic Republican Senate candidate (and, horrifically, now Senator) Marsha Blackburn. In the 2020 Netflix doc Miss Americana, you can watch her coming to terms with her inability to remain silent about her political beliefs, and overruling her father and her management when they warn her not to Dixie Chicks her career. (She didn’t care — she loved the Dixie Chicks for just that reason. And her career remained intact.)

The white supremacists who tried to adopt this tall, beautiful blonde as their Aryan goddess were accurately described by her as “repulsive.” She came out as strongly anti-Trump, but not until 2018, too late for her fans to have maybe put Hillary over the top (which she’s aware of and regrets). And she delivered the sweetest fuck-you ever to the music business when the executives who owned the masters of her first six recordings dickishly refused to sell them to her because she’d left the label. She announced that she’d be re-recording those albums and would be licensing only the new versions.

For all of this, I found myself increasingly respecting Taylor Swift as a public figure. As my wife, Liz Dubelman, said, “I’m happy she exists. I like her political stance, I like the fact that she fights back, I like her as a feminist. She seems to be a good person. People like her a lot.” And still I remained ridiculously ignorant of her art.
Until last November 13th, when we sat down for our usual stone-faced viewing of Saturday Night Live. Now, SNL offers me very few rewards, let alone life-changing ones, so I wasn’t expecting anything until host Jonathan Majors said, “Ladies and gentlemen, Taylor Swift.” I thought, not actually in these words but this was the gist, “Okay, the universe is putting it right in front of me. Let’s finally see what this is all about.”
….

[hlthe2b]

10. Yes. But I know she's a good Dem/Progresssive and like you respect her public

persona and stands. I'm just trying to nail down her talent.

[blm]

11. Her song for SNL appearance is what moved him and

he took it upon himself to start with her first album and listen to her entire catalogue.

That is why the article is worth the read.

[hlthe2b]

12. Okay. I will, thanks

[SallyHemmings]

5. I enjoy dancing with my grandbabies

It’s not Motown but it’s fine.

[hlthe2b]

8. Which song? I keep asking fans and have yet to have anyone point to one or two.

[blm]

13. All too Well.

[hlthe2b]

14. On the playlist. Thanks!

[SallyHemmings]

15. Shake it off!

[hlthe2b]

16. Good dance, song, eh? Will check it out.

[mitch96]

27. yup, this one gets me jumping around the house....nt

[50 Shades Of Blue]

7. Don't normally listen to her music, she's too recent for me, LOL! But

I love this song:

[hlthe2b]

9. THANK YOU. Your inclusion of the video is appreciated and I will listen.

[padfun]

19. I like it too.

Especially since it is directed at those who are Christian hypocrites about sexuality.

[highplainsdem]

17. Two of her songs that I like:

[hlthe2b]

18. Thanks!

[highplainsdem]

21. You're welcome! Btw, whenever you're curious about the

best songs by any artist you're unfamiliar with, just go to Google and type in

artist name best songs

and you'll likely get at least several lists from music sites, ranging from top 10 to all the artist's songs, ranked.

And often these articles will have brief descriptions of the songs that might help you decide which to listen to first.

These lists won't agree, of course, but that's fine.

[LT Barclay]

22. I tell my kids current music is by and for the teletubby generation.

I listened to rock in my teens and 20’s and ignored pop music. Now I have to hear it in the workplace along with current stuff so there is no nostalgia or time bias and the current stuff stinks. It is designed like advertising jingles just ear worms.
Of course everyone has the right to their tastes but I don’t think orchestras will be doing today’s stuff like they would with Pink Floyd for example.

[steventh]

23. From a nearly 80 year old Taylor Swift fan

SNL Monologue Song for wicked sense of humor (9 years ago)

I second the nomination of Shake It Up and recommend the behind the scenes for how hard she works and what she thinks about the message

Look for the "get a brain morans" sign shown twice - lol - in You Need to Calm Down. I give it a 9, you can dance to it (reference to American Bandstand haha)

[hlthe2b]

24. Four songs! Thanks

I will watch--promise.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

33. Freaking love the Need to Calm Down video

That actually was one of first of her vids I ever saw, and I was like ... okay, I need to give her a chance ... she seems very cool

[LuvLoogie]

25. This is from a 70s hard rock heavy metal guy...

I love Taylor Swift's music. The song "Mean" hooked me while driving my daughters and their friend to school several years ago as they bopped and sang at the top of their lungs. I also have grown to become a fan of Selena Gomez, Shakira, Rhianna (a stealth billionaire, great voice and songs), Katy Perry, and more recently Dua Lipa (great voice, great tunes).

This first vid is "Mean." The other is a collaboration from The Hunger Games sound track, "Safe and Sound" then her latest single, "Anti-Hero"

|

[hlthe2b]

26. Thanks for that!

[Hugh_Lebowski]

32. I have a huge crush on Dua Lipa ...

Future Nostalgia is top to bottom great music IMHO ... and I'm also a 70's metal guy

And when you hear talk, with that UK accent ... omg she's freaking ADORABLE.

[LuvLoogie]

35. Dude... Last year's Grammies

[Hugh_Lebowski]

36. Just a stone cold GODDESS

When you hear her speak she gets even cuter.

I'll leave it that.

This is crazy good if you've never seen it ...

[LuvLoogie]

37. Oh yeah. I've watched it a few times

And yes, the deep slightly raspy voice with the accent is all that.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

38. The band is freaking KILLER on this too ... that bass player is freaking badass

Great backing vocals, guitarist is really good. I mean ... they just friggin nail it.

I actually like all four of these versions a bit better than the studio versions, little more stripped back.

[LuvLoogie]

39. She switches from lounge, to studio, to arena pretty nimbly.

Agree on these arrangements/instrumentation.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

28. I totally dig her 2(!) 2020 albums folklore and evermore

Tons of really good songs on both. On these two she had a different collaborator vs most of her other records. This one was Aaron Dessner, who also plays guitar in a band I really dig called The National. These albums have a bit more of an Americana feel vs. her other more poppy records.

Anyways, this hit song from folklore has made me tear up before, not gonna lie.

This one is also pretty incredible. Duet with Justin Vernon aka Bon Iver. This pseudo-live-in-studio version is so close to the album version it's kinda amazing (but there's enough differences that I know it's not). This is probably my fave TS song, partly cause I also like Bon Iver.

[hlthe2b]

31. Thank you... I will give 'em a look and listen.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

29. Oh, I got one more for ya ...

Watch the first song in this one ... pretty sure you'll dig it. All four songs really, though there's a little too much talking overall. The last one, All Too Well is really cool in this format.

[hlthe2b]

30. Thanks all for the suggestions. I like quite a few of these, so I'm glad to reassess

She is an evolving talent and that I can appreciate.

[ProfessorGAC]

34. Shake It Off

I'm hardly classified as a fan, but that's a pretty darned good song.
And, she actually writes most of her stuff so, she's not just a performance package.

[LuvLoogie]

40. Here's a great excerpt from Larry King's interview of Jon Bon Jovi from 12 years ago

Jon, without hesitation, gives TS her props with all seriousness. It's near the middle of the clip, but the whole clip is insightful.

&ab_channel=CNN