Can Anyone Explain This Crazy Taylor Swift Mania?

[CHEESEY13]

Or am I very much alone in being vaguely foggy about it all?

She sings a few decent-ish tunes but the phenomena is a Goliath.

And I can't really think why?

Oh well, time to finish knitting this cosy cardi......

It was the peak of songwriting though (60s and 70s music). Or even a bit before (Chuck Berry or Buddy Holly were great songwriters).

Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Dolly Parton, Madonna were all great female songwriters.

I don't think songwriting as an art is anywhere near what it was - just listen to the total crap in the charts. Taylor is probably the best around still writing at the moment - at least in the mainstream.

This!

Saw Reputation tour live and it was incredible. And I love that my DD feels inspired by a smart, talented, creative woman who is self made and a great role model. We're going to Wembley and remembering the look in DD's face last time we saw her, I can't wait for this time.

I don't love all her songs but I love that my DD loves her and that TS brings her so much joy. At DDs age I was listening to very negative music that honestly fed my teen depression and made me feel even more suicidal than I already was.

My DD is busy making friendship bracelets to swap with fellow swifties. Fir her it's all about friendship and inclusion.

So I say bring on the TS mania and all the joy that comes with it!

Is that including the supporting acts? We are going to Wembley and I was wondering about a ball park finishing time.

Social media and savvy organisation.

As someone else has said, there have always been big stars that people have been obsessed with - Beetles, Lulu etc.

Taylor Swift came at a time when social media was growing so has really capitalised on it and does very clever stuff like have little secret 'signs' and cross references to other of her songs in her videos (not really that secret) but it engages fans hugely as they feel clever and like they are 'in' on a secret or part of a club.

plus she's a young woman so has the capacity to appeal to a very wide demographic - young women (role model), young straight men (sex), gay men (lots of pro LGBT stuff in her material), older women (good songs and the 'strong woman' messaging) older men (sex).

So many of the criticisms aimed at TS could be aimed at other, highly rated musicians, but aren't. TS writes an awful lot more busic than Beyonce, but Beyonce doesn't get anywhere near as much hate. So many people write about love and relationship experiences, but TS is the one who gets most criticism for it. She writes iteresting lyrics but gets called basic, whereas a lot of artists who write incredibly simplistic lyrics, or extremely base, sexual lyrics and face little criticism for their writing. Her voice - she may not be able to riff like Ariana or Beyonce, but she has good range, albeit Alto, so - by some people's standards - less impressive, and sings in tune - even live (of course, she's not perfect - who is?!). Leonard Cohen didn't have a great voice, and what about Bob Dylan? Spice Girls?
I am not a huge TS fan - my daughter is, and has been for 10 years - but I admire her for how she handles herself, fame and her career.

I think it's different though, the scale of Taylor Swifts success is unprecedented, and massive

Hahaha! 😆Yes, I know I'm hopelessly out of touch! My granddaughter rolls her eyes and looks apalled when I say I've never heard of some "famous" person or other. Yesterday it was Duo Lipa. Who?! She tried to educate me but I've forgotten it all already!😂

I used to laugh at my gran when she'd never heard of T-Rex or Slade or Rod Stewart or the Chi-Lites or Queen - but tbf she could name all the big bands of the 1920s and 30s! I think a lot of us just tend to hang around in the music from when we were young.

So how did you meet her?

Agree with the pp going with her daughter we saw Reputation as a family it was awesome we still talk about it kids now late teens and 4 of us going again. A lovely thing to be able to do together. Dh quite picky about his music he initially eye rolled but now a total convert!

I can't understand it either. Her music leaves me cold and I don't think she is particularly talented
I'm in Liverpool, she's here soon and there has been a giant mural commissioned of her in the city centre, there's a Taylor trail, a craft event and a Swift hub by the train station on the days she's here. I'm assuming her fan base is mostly 8 - 18.

Or Elvis tbh

I keep seeing photo's of her in a highly cut, extremely tight fitting leotard type thing...

She's totally sold out as she was originally a country singer in jeans and a t shirt.. guess the money attracted her and being able to write a song about EVERY one of her failed relationship.

Hahahaha... Yeah, sure. TS is just a boring country singer, mostly beloved by little girls and i can guarantee is not going to be talked about and loved in 60 plus years, beloved by generation after generation.

It’s amazing how tribal we are

I wouldn't say I was a fan personally, but I think the craze about her is really healthy. Kids have spent so long isolated in lockdown and restricted in other ways as well as being caught up in negative social media identity politics that are all about self-obsession in the worst way - it's great to see them so interested in something outside themselves. Long may it continue.

The Beatles are only really talked about by people 45-50 and older as a pp said earlier. (And not many of them talk about them now tbh. They are dated now, and very few give a shit about them these days.)

No-one I know under 50 cares about them.

Taylor Swift has fans spanning 3 or 4 generations.

AND you also have NO IDEA if people will be talking about Taylor (and her songs now) in 60 years time. And saying she is a boring country singer only liked by little girls shows how little you know about her. Less than little actually. I'm embarrassed for you. You sound jealous LMFAO! 😆

Personally I'm a big fan of her wordplay (first one that springs to mind is everything woven through "I'm Gonna Get You Back"), literary bent and story-telling, which has become more sophisticated in her later work.

If that can be combined with a good teen-angsty lament (All Too Well) or unapologetically fun bop (Stay, Stay, Stay!) well that's just excellent!

Not my area, but I understand that she is also a talented musician and she certainly plays several instruments well enough to do a live acoustic set during her concerts.

I'd also say that her output, musically and otherwise, shows she is a very hard worker.

Whatever you think is true or false about her PR (she does seem to be a generally pleasant person to work for, nice to her fans and pretty philanthropic but I appreciate all that sorry if image stuff is potentially carefully managed) I think those are all pretty good reasons to be a fan!

she is real, discerning and intelligent and loyal and she owns it. That's before her lyrical and musical talent. she has good people around her because she is good.

This is too ironic.

I just don't get it either

LOL I agree! 😆

@spottyhotdog in your description of Madonna, you have exactly described Taylor Swift! (I'm a big fan of her Madgesty too! And agree with all you say about her!) But yeah Taylor is basically a modern day Madonna. Probably a better singer though.

I've heard an interesting theory from someone that the reason she is so popular is because every decade needs a signature artist, someone who is "the thing" of its period and resonates with most people somehow. So this decade doesn't have its own Beatles, or Queen, or Bob Dylan (or whatever, these are just examples) - its Taylor Swift. Partly because the whole current music scene is dire, and partly because she is "of its time".

Time will tell is she is going to be someone remembered and loved in 60 years time, or if she is going to be a bit of nostalgic fun not taken too seriously, like the Monkees or Bay City Rollers.

I don't think her music is bad, and I like her feistiness, but also I can't see how she is better than other contemporary music I hear sometimes on the radio - there seem to be a lot of very similar stuff around.

She isn’t just a singer. She writes all her music

That would be a stage costume. Seen athletes and swimmers and circus performers wear less