Taylor Swift

[GinJarRogers]

My girls are 10 and 8 and really into Taylor Swift. I’ve never really listened to her music before but her lyrics are amazing, she’s so talented and I’m just so happy that women like her are here to be role models for my girls.

Dd and I saw her at the Ethiad on her last UK tour - amazing!!

am not sure I could pick one favourite as I have favourites for different moods and many already posted on here but I'll give an honourable mention to a car sing a long favourite of the Tom H break up song..Getaway Car

Getaway Car is a total banger. I was skeptical about Reputation when it first came out and that was one of the songs which convinced me to keep listening and the album is now in my top three. The Rep tour was beyond words (and seeing some dressed as a piece of toast with ‘Toast of the Town’ written in it was where my username came from).

Her singles are honestly not a good representation of her music in general - I still like most of them, but they’re definitely what’s the most poppy and most likely to chart? Rather than the best songs on albums.

Folklore seems to be the album that people who’ve only heard her on the radio get drawn in by.

I love that people were dressed as toast!

can you actually hear Taylor at a Taylor gig? I don't think I can face it as I don't do crowds but I did wonder what the audience experience is like. In clips you can mostly just hear the audience.

She’s so good live - it’s a show she’s putting on, lol, and even in what should be bad seats there’s something to watch (I know there’s stuff on the stage for this tour) but I’ve been to that last 3 and there’s always dancers that work best from the nosebleeds etc.

Yes, you can hear her... it just sounds like all you can hear is crowd because they’re filmed on phones, lol

Ok if I like the new album what should I download to listen to today?? Grateful for recommendations!

Her singles are honestly not a good representation of her music in general - I still like most of them, but they’re definitely what’s the most poppy and most likely to chart? Rather than the best songs on albums.

I agree - they're often my least favourite ones. Anti-hero from midnights for example isn't the best, although the line "did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism like some kind of congressman" is great.

And All Too Well should definitely have been a single!

I too am a late Swifty, “discovered” her when she released Evermore and was absolutely floored by her storytelling. There is nobody who writes songs like her right now.

Listening to Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve was heartbreaking. I had a similar experience at a younger age and “Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first” struck a painful chord.

Does anyone know if it’s too late to sign up for early release tickets to her UK tour? I know there was early access if you bought Midnights.

Evermore! “So yeah, it’s a fire, it’s a goddamn blaze in the dark and you started it”
And I love Marjorie, which is about her late grandmother and you can hear her singing at the end of the track.

I quite like antihero 😂 but yeah, it’s definitely not the best song on the album, by a long shot.

@Mumsanetta don’t know if you still can, but you could sign up for early release tickets on the website without pre-ordering the album.

gosh it's like a mini reunion of the weekly new recipe thread! Seems like you both have the best taste in music as well as recipe books @myrtleWilson and @toastofthetown Just how did Taylor and her label make Getaway Car and not make it a single?!?!

@EmmaEmerald you can hear Taylor, and seeing her live is such an incredible experience. If you are a fan it is magical. Sometimes songs I'm not struck on take on a new life after seeing them live - You're In Love was a skip for me, but I adore it now.

This may seem crazy but I've been really emotional lately about my little ones growing up. This thread has made feel so excited about introducing them to TS and her incredible music for every life stage or experience!

I actually think Antihero is fantastic, one of her best singles. As someone who hasn't had relationship woes in years it's fascinating to hear a pop song on such a different topic, I find it very relatable. But yes, there are songs on every album that it feels like would have made a great single.

@aSofaNearYou I do like anti-hero, and I think that's a good point about it being a different topic to most pop songs. But I don't think it's one of the best on the album, I prefer maroon, midnight rain, you're on your own kid, question, sweet nothing, the Great War (I love this one!), would've could've should've (also love this one), and high infidelity.

Not sure I agree about her singles being less impressive. I remember being mightily impressed with ‘Love Story’ way back in 2008, and it’s brilliance hasn’t dimmed with time.

Lover remains my favourite album - I’ve been known to keep it on a loop for several hours at a time. There’s almost nothing better in the world if you need a good cry!

I sort of agree with her singles being less impressive, particularly her lead singles I often don't gel with them at all. I will put them below and how I feel - strike-through = dislike/skip for me, italics = ok mid-tier song, bold = love this song.

Debut - Tim McGraw
Fearless - Love Story
Speak Now - Mine
Red - We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
1989 - Shake It Off
Reputation - Look What You Made Me Do
Lover - ME!
Folklore - Cardigan
Evermore - Willow
Midnights - Anti-Hero

It’s not that her singles are bad, not at all, but they’re not the best songs on the album and don’t usually give you much of an idea about the rest of the album.

Lover for example, I actually really like me, I think it’s a very good pop song, but as a lead single - you wouldn’t expect the rest of the album if you’d never listened to her before.

I find Taylor Swift’s perspective on lead singles super interesting. She’s not trying to release the songs which will be broadly liked; she releases songs which start conversations and be divisive. Look What You Made Me Do still isn’t a favourite (though it’s gown on me) but it’s a perfect lead single for Rep.

This is what Ed Sheeran said about her, when she encouraged him to release Sing over One as a lead single:
"She said I was mad if I put out 'One' first. She was like, 'That's just gonna...not bore people, but just satisfy them. But you want people to talk. And if they listen to Sing they can love or hate it, but they are gonna talk about it'."

Re the phone clips - phone clips from the 1975 concerts, you know the crowd are noisy but you can still hear Matty.
I last saw Kylie at Wembley Arena and I thought she was wonderful but I thought, I can't do this again. After a spinal injury, if I get stuck anywhere and have to stand a long time, it's a problem. So between the journey, entry and exit from the venue, it's all just scary.

Re her songs, I really wanted a video for Getaway Car.

I think All too well is okay but could barely bother watching the video, I can't relate to that relationship concept at all.

Evermore had the least impact on me but that might be the timing of the release.

I find the start of the AntiHero video particularly brilliant....that sense of nervous breakdown, a bit hard hitting if you've had one, then the comic relief when she opens the door.

I'd probably rank Antihero above all of those songs as I really like it lyrically and sonically, but I do really like a lot of those too.

Yeah I agree with this. LWYMMD is my least favourite track from Reputation just to listen to, but it really sets up the story of the album.

The 1975 are in smaller venues, less noise from around you in phones.

I’ve videos from reputation I took on my phone, it sounds like the crowd is real loud, in person you could hear her and barely hear the crowd.

They’re talking about her relationship break up and the media right now on Woman’s Hour! R4.

I keep watching that bit of film of her in the Children in Need thing surprising Shaun Dooley in the recording studio. Makes me well up very time. She seems so lovely, and is a giant.