AIBU to say Taylor Swift is a once in a generation songwriter?

[HomeatRoseCottage]

I’ve had 1989 TV on all day and she’s just magic 🥰

The thing is that, for people who just aren’t into her, it’s never enough for them to just say they aren’t into her. They have to just shit on her from a great height, she’s crap, she’s average, she doesn’t write her own stuff, she only writes vapid pop for 9 year olds, she’s no <insert name here>. All she’s written is Shake It Off, I’ve never even heard her music (then how do you know if it’s good or not?) she’s just a generic blonde pop singer, etc etc.

Imagine if someone started the same thread about Freddie Mercury, and a load of nay sayers piled in with

Freddie Mercury, lyrical genius?? What, you mean the guy who wrote

”Bicycle, bicycle, bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle, bicycle, bicycle
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride my bike
I want to ride my bicycle
I want to ride it where I like”

That guy? He just writes cheesy pop crap for children.

They don’t. Because everyone knows he did so much more than that. But nobody ever wants to admit that about Taylor, they seem determined to reduce her down to one or two songs and say that’s all she’s done and because it’s cheesy pop, that’s all she’s capable of. And for people who know the rest of her work well, that kind of sneering snobbishness is really bloody annoying.

I hope that most of us can agree that Kanye being 'once in a generation' can only be a good thing.

(I'm not talking about his music, which I really don't know. I couldn't name one of his songs, but I wouldn't say I've never heard any as I would be very surprised if that was the case)

Erm, plenty of people have said they’re just not that into her in this thread! They’re been told they just haven’t listened to enough.

for the record I think she is “ok”. She doesn’t offend me. She doesn’t set me alight. I certainly don’t consider her groundbreaking but I don’t mind her existing.

I'm not familiar with her work really either though have heard of her. May check her out on YouTube

The thing is that, for people who just aren’t into her, it’s never enough for them to just say they aren’t into her. They have to just shit on her from a great height, she’s crap, she’s average, she doesn’t write her own stuff, she only writes vapid pop for 9 year olds, she’s no <insert name here>. All she’s written is Shake It Off, I’ve never even heard her music (then how do you know if it’s good or not?) she’s just a generic blonde pop singer, etc etc.

Taylor fans do exactly the same thing when trying to argue about how amazing she is, though. So far on this thread, people have been told:

You must not have listened to her enough
You can't have heard XYZ song or album.
Her lyrics are hard to distinguish from Shakespeare so she must be some kind of musical genius.
Because you can't name any of her songs, you can't offer a judgement on her.

I think Taylor fans get criticism because (to me anyway) they're very "in your face" and take any criticism of her as some kind of personal attack. Why not just say "I really like Taylor Swift" without trying to persuade everyone that she's some kind of musical genius?

Would you say that you know it, 'all too well'? Haha

I think she's fab! 😝

Like many other posters, I think she's pretty amazing. DD (early 20s,) is obsessed, and we are going to a concert of hers with one of my friends who is actually 10 years older than me at nearly 60, and one of DD's friends who is 19. TS reaches across all age groups, she is smart, she is savvy, and is talented and gifted, and her songs are really good.

I do feel like some people don't like it that a beautiful young woman is really talented and successful, with a colossal fan base, and that she is smart and savvy, and a massive role model for girls/young woman. I think some people find it hard to accept that a stunning young woman (who also comes across as really nice too,) is very talented and smart. Like beautiful women just cannot possibly be smart and talented. 🙄

Also disagree with the poster who offered up Kanye. If we are offering a rapper as a great songwriter, surely it would be Eminem? Also as a pp suggested, another amazing female songwriter who started really young (who I love too,) is Alanis Morrisette. Rhianna is amazing too. And yeah, Adele is pretty good, but a bit of a one-trick pony. I find most of her songs/music a bit dreary (and samey.)

I find the 'Taylor Swift is no Joni Mitchell,' and 'she's no Kate Bush,' and 'she's no Tori Amos, and 'she's no Bernie Taupin' etc comments quite bizarre and hilarious. I bet most of the people making these comments have literally only listened to around half a dozen songs by each of these songwriters/singers. Basically only know the 'chart hits.' (Just like they only know the 'chart hits' by TS.)

In 20 years time, we will have a young talented female singer pounding out amazing songs, with millions of admirers buying her music/listening to her songs. And people who are in their 20s and 30s now, will be saying 'she's all right, but shes no Taylor Swift!'

@HomeatRoseCottage I agree with you, but would say TS is a once in decade songwriter, rather than once in a generation. I think she's amazing!

"I really dont know much of her stuff

Can you post a few of your favourite lyrics op to explain what you mean"

🙄🙄 really @ssd 500 posts, 10% of them from the OP, many of them quoting lyrics.

Fucking hell. So obviously pass agg as usual

Personally I think Bernie Taupin is no Taylor Swift. Neither should he want or aspire to be.

Best that Taylor stays being Taylor and Bernie remains Bernie.

She is so so skilled - the Shakespeare of our times I think!

Not the best dancer or vocally but the poetry of her music is incredible. I've never been a screaming fan for anything but Taylor is the closest I'd come. She has been the constant soundtrack of my life for the past 15 years - certain albums/songs are so linked with experiences/periods of time for me.

It's interesting to see other people on this thread say that the way she describes things is juvenile. I don't find that - there are so many of her lyrics that make me think "Yes! You have perfectly described this!". A lot is to do with romantic relationships of course, but by no means exclusively that - my granny died over 20 years ago and Marjorie moved me to tears recently as it so accurately describes how I feel about that loss.

I love your examples of her lyrics OP. A couple of my current favourite songs:

• New Years Day - the quietness of everyday love
• The Archer - best description of anxiety in a song
• Would've Should've Could've - ooof, the specific regret of being a young woman in a relationship with a much older man

I think you'll like Maisie Peters too if you haven't listened to her - History of Man, There it Goes, Yoko my current faves.

Probably the best of a bad bunch. Music these days is dire. But then again, I'm nearing 40 🤣

*just to add to this (a record I just learned of) the musical We Will Rock You overtook the previous longest-running record holder (Grease) at the West End venue.

The Iron curtain concert was also the biggest held in eastern Europe at that time (80k in Budapest).

Queen also got close to another first with a concert in China, the first by a Western act, but Wham's manager Simon Napier-Bell made two brochures for the Chinese authorities – one featuring George Michael as "wholesome", and one portraying Mercury as flamboyant, the Chinese went for Michael.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4379399.stm

Taylor Swift has yet to do anything that is remotely close to being groundbreaking for a supposed "generational" act that I've seen (unless a Swift devotee can prove otherwise). She's the male Ed Sheeran, albeit with the leg up of a huge teenage girl following which really is the most lucrative market in music as that demographic spends fortunes on merchandise/tickets etc.

Re-recording her first six albums to regain control of her masters is groundbreaking, I think.

"The Shakespeare of our times."

My ex-man brought his new girlfriend
She's like "Oh my God!"
I just wanna shake it
To the fella over there
With the hella good hair
Won't you come on over baby
We can shake, shake, shake

She also forced Apple Music to change the way it pays artists by refusing to let them stream her music (they were refusing to give artists royalties for streams made during their first three months free offer period).

@Fetchthevet well you could do that with Shakespeare too, obviously!
or how about Chaucer and all the bum kissing stuff 🤢

yy fripp people who don't listen to the radio end up in a dead end listening to the same stuff. I'm a couple of decades older than radio 1's demographic but have no desire to move to radio 2 and listen to the same stuff I heard in my twenties. Happy to listen to whatever the younger generation come up with.

I actually saw TS a few years ago at an event with other artists. She's that dull I had forgotten.

#teamMeh she's no Joni Mitchell, that's for sure.

I’m not sure it’s all that helpful to talk about ‘once in a generation songwriters’ - same as the arguments that spring up about the GOAT in rap - people get very defensive for some reason and it becomes a completely subjective conversation. Well of course you’re never going to convince someone who doesn’t like TS’ music that she’s ‘once in a generation’. You might be able to convince them though that she’s objectively talented, energetic, an astute businesswoman… etc.

I listen to a really wide range of music, TS is the only pop I listen to. Like many others on this thread I’m a woman in her late 30s who got into TS via their DD. I’ve actually been amazed by how much I like some of TS’ songs - the ‘it’s all teen angst’ thing is bollocks as has been well shown here. The line in Marjorie about wishing she’d kept every scrap of paper sums up a feeling I had for years after my Mum died incredibly well. Yes, some of her melodies can be a touch samey… but sometimes samey is comforting. No matter what mood I’m in I can find something of hers that fits it.

@Fetchthevet and @NomenNudum thank you very much for proving my previous point.

It's true that every acts has written one of two cheesy songs, but for the great acts ("generational") its not the norm for them....I dare say it is for Mrs Swift...

Alanis Morissette vs Taylor Swift..who is the most cheesy act? Surely in a vote that one is not even close.

That's a good one to be fair.

Huge credit to her for that one.

"The Beatles were once in a lifetime songwriters of their generation"

We all live in a yellow submarine
A yellow submarine
A yellow submarine
We all live in a yellow submarine
A yellow submarine
A yellow submarine