Last night at midnight EST, music icon Taylor Swift released her latest album: Speak Now (Taylor's Version). The song selection is a combination of re-recorded versions of her originally released 'Speak Now' from 2010, and six new unreleased songs 'from the vault' - not sure when they were written, but I listened to them this afternoon and I'd imagine they were written somewhat recently based on the style and flow - credit to me, knowing Taylor's style.
As far as the re-recorded music, these songs brought the heat in high school and still bring the heat as a thirty year old:
Back to December - Sparks Fly - The Story of Us - Speak Now
And these 'from the vault' songs bring the heat as well:
Foolish - Timeless... alright, they're all pretty good. Listening again as I write this. I'll give these another shot five years from now and see if they're still electric.
That's what I don't like about writing this... Taylor is an all-time musical and storytelling talent, business G, mogul, transcendent star. She got huge when I was in high school pre-proper social media growth potential in 2008-2010 or so, and has maintained her run of dominance not only with that demo of now mid-late thirties women going bananas at her concerts and wearing diapers just to hear her sing live, but she has also conquered the much more difficult task of staying relevant with the youth. Early twenties women go wild for her too, and I would not be surprised if high school girls today are hyped about the release of this album that some of them were barely alive to even recall the first time is came out.
Not sure if it's just good business, and I know the music landscape has changed a lot since streaming services have come into the fray, but I believe Taylor is the only singer ever to be able to cover her own songs in album version - outside of live albums. I have never really understood cover music and how folks profit off of it (why can't we do that with stand up comedians?) but that's a separate topic... who else could re-release her exact same songs and get a huge reaction? What would happen if Beyonce re-released 'Lemonade' today, 7.5 years after it's original release? I think it's a bigger flop than Tidal was for her husband. I guess you could make the case it's because of Scooter Braun and what not? Now she owns the music because she's become a megastar and her tribal members disregard the risk that record labels make on any young artist when investing them and how the majority of them lose labels money?
Let's look at some classic cult characteristics (bold) and if they fit with the current Taylor situation:
It's fascinating how her social life has played such a contributing factor to her rise... I thought of writing a similar blog after her most recent breakup with the 'The 1975' guy, which was like a two week fling from my knowledge. How does that happen with people in their mid-thirties? I guess if something comes up from one's past that's a deal breaker, but you'd think more due diligence would be in place.
But it's a brave new world out there... dating in general has become middle school for folks in their twenties and thirties, and instead of getting one of your buddies to go up and say 'Sorry Suzy, Jimmy is with Sammy now', people end things over text and get that dopamine hit of the next person on Hinge or Instagram or if you have no game, you can pay a hot girl to text you on OnlyFans that's not even her. Ease of access to people with dating apps and social media, creates a very low barrier to entry, and in the traditional sense, a very low effort necessary to obtain short term dopamine hits... no 'teeth' in these social contracts we have made for ourselves. We've become salespeople with our hearts and emotions as the product, and the shiny objects out in the ether are, often times, too enticing to pass up. And unfortunately this style of dating disproportionately hurts the female demographic who love her so much. Another topic for a separate day...
But Taylor's music and writing in the midst of much heartbreak and failed relationships has validated a lot of other's experiences, and become a de facto comfort food to consume, though that's nothing particularly new to write about love and loss and have folks connect to it. Everything has become amplified with social media and the creation of new online communities, and the momentum Taylor is simply the vessel of this new religion in the right place, at the right time, to be that outlier, star of star of stars that the Michael Jackson's, the Beatles, or Madonna's may have been if they were hitting their peak in the year 2023. I'd be curious if she does get married and have children in the next few years, would that help or hinder her powers? Hope she finds that and we get to see.
Folks need to find something to believe in, whatever it may be... Christianity is down in the west generally (though making a slight uptick), the corporation is breaking down (very few 'company men/women' left), capitalism and new economic opportunity as well as new social convention has increased standard of living significantly, but broken the family unit, so I believe folks will continue to find their religious experiences in the Taylor Swift's of the world, as well as with sports and their favorite teams, etc. Bill Belichick is my Taylor Swift, for example. Though as my friend Tavis Ino purports, I barely watch a snap of the ball come fall...
So is it a bad thing that Taylor has found herself in this position as 'mother'? I don't necessarily think so... it's not her fault that people go absolutely bananas for her, and grown women are crying at her concerts, and guys are proposing to their girlfriends at 'love story', just quite the phenomenon to see firsthand. I do remember that time she winked at me at the original rain show in 2011 at Gillette Stadium, and to see the growth into true icon is wild. But hey, credit to her... we don't ask for the lives we are given, she is a hero to many.
P.S. Anyone got 'Eras Tour' tickets for the Santa Clara show at the end of July? Asking for a friend...
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