Taylor Swift Hits A Nerve

The album “Lover” by Taylor Swift tops the chart since its release. It’s one of the biggest selling albums out now, despite the fact that no one agrees whether it’s a good album or not.

Nothing But Love

Blog by Nora Tol

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The Taylor Swift Recipe

Some people find Taylor predictable in her music. Ever since she turned to pop music, she’s repeated a pattern. It brings us big hits with great story lines hinting at ongoing feuds, old lovers and enough references to talk about her, for months at a time. And let’s face it, there’s always something going on.

She’s The Man

Nevertheless, those elements of her only crossed my mind when I listened to “The Man”.

At first glance, the song describes a very familiar case of sexism, but underneath it I wondered if she hinting at the Scooter Braun situation. He’s the manager she got away from, who then bought her catalog of country songs. In response, she plans to re-recorded those songs to cross his power moves.

Striking A Nerve

We all have our struggles, so I mainly listened to her album from my own personal perspective. There’s so much to relate to.

For instance, there have been many people in my life that caused me so much stress, whom I don’t think about anymore. She describes that in the album’s opener, “I Forgot That You Existed”.

If I only knew then, that this time would come I could’ve let go sooner. That’s what this song means to me. That epiphany moment.

Soon You’ll Get Better

However, “Soon You’ll Get Better”, hit home hard. This song brings me to tears. It’s not a great thing to realize that, if given, you’ll outlive your parents. No matter how much of an adult you are, suddenly that makes you feel as vulnerable as you were as a child.

Be Known For What You Love

Personally, I love Taylor’s style of writing. Some people find it immature, but mostly there are some great choices of words in there. Some of which are still on my mind, like the end of “Daylight”. She says she’d like to be known for what she loves, not what she hates. That’s just a great goal to have in life. It puts every action into place.

Commentary

Altogether, Taylor’s singing has become a combination between singing and talking (“Daylight”), even when it’s just for a word drop. In “I Forgot That You Existed”, she often drops the last word like a comment. Additionally, she uses background vocals like a conversation (“Me!”).

Off Format

In contradiction to other bloggers and reviewers, I actually feel she altered a little bit of her format. This album has got a late 70s / early 80s pop rock influence. In fact, the title track – also her current single – reminds me of The Pretenders.

There are more songs on the album that feel darker and heavier to me. However, the whole album gets balanced and lifted by lighthearted pop tunes and some humor. I love it.

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