celeb news The New Yorker: Why normal music reviews no longer make sense for Taylor Swift

[NEX]

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Take "imgonnagetyouback," - In the chorus, Swift sings that she hasn't yet decided "whether I'm gonna be your wife or gonna smash up your bike." Perhaps the lyric is meant to be somewhat infantile, but even the most novice editor should have pushed Swift toward the more obvious rhyme: "whether I'm gonna be your wife or gonna smash up your life."

 

Yes, it would have made more sense for her to rhyme "wife" with "life" in "imgonnagetyouback." But Swift obsessives know to connect "imgonnagetyouback" with "Fallingforyou," a song by the 1975 that was written by Swift's ex-boyfriend Matty Healy. In it, Healy sings, "I'm so excited for the night / All we need's my bike and your enormous house." Swift's mention of a bike, in "imgonnagetyouback," is therefore an intentional creative decision, like the lack of spaces in the song's title. Some fans have gone even further, claiming that the lack of spaces not only invites a comparison to "Fallingforyou" but to Swift's own "Blank Space," a song on her "1989" album. (1975, 1989—there are a lot of years to keep track of here.) "In Blank Space music video, Taylor Swift is smashing things and sings 'Cause you know I love the players And you love the game,' " a YouTube user called Miranda-ry9tf writes in a comment. "In imgonnagetyouback she says 'We broke all the pieces, but you still wanna play the game.' " Perhaps "Blank Space," released in 2014, was about Healy, too? Those Swifties who have gone far down the rabbit hole might argue that Swift, by leaving out the spaces in her new song's title, has created a kind of ouroboros—a running theme in the artist's work since 2016, when Kim Kardashian referred to her as a "snake." If you write the words "imgonnagetyouback" in a circle, you'll notice that the "k" and "im" are right next to each other. This might seem like a reach—but, six tracks later, Swift mentions a mysterious rival named Aimee, on a song titled "thanK you aIMee." It doesn't take a Swiftie to figure out whose name the capital letters spell.

 

 

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The tepid music reviews often miss the fact that "music" is something that Swift stopped selling long ago. Instead, she has spent two decades building the foundation of a fan universe, filled with complex, in-sequence narratives that have been contextualized through multiple perspectives across eleven blockbuster installments. She is not creating standalone albums but, rather, a musical franchise.

 

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Like the M.C.U., the Swiftverse is more than a series of plotlines and characters. In the Swiftverse, the music itself is not the point but the way in which the point is delivered. That's not to say that the music is irrelevant; it serves a crucial purpose. But this purpose is different depending on whether you're a diehard Swiftie or a casual listener. A common critique of "T.T.P.D." is that it's devoid of stylistic evolution, with too many references to Swift's previous albums. Swifties understand that these Easter eggs add another dimension to a song or story they thought they knew. In the opening of "So Long, London," a track on "T.T.P.D.," staunch fans will recognize a pulsing sound akin to an effect used in "Call It What You Want," from the album "Reputation." Roughly halfway through the song, there's also an "ah, ah" sound similar to part of the chorus of "Dress," another "Reputation" track. On one hand, it's reasonable for non-Swifties to assume that the artist, working with her longtime collaborators Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, has unintentionally rehashed some of her old work. On the other, it's kind of crazy to think that Swift is capable of doing anything without intentionality. Assuming the callbacks in "So Long, London" are deliberate, they rather beautifully bookend the beginning and ending of Swift's six-year relationship with the actor Joe Alwyn. Most musicians—and artists more generally—can only dream of their fan base picking up on such subtleties. It's ironic that, in Swift's case, these subtleties have led to some of her fiercest criticism.

 

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Oh, but what about the tempo of the chorus on the fifth track, or the bass progression on the—no, none of it matters anymore. Because for the fans who live and die by the meaning that is hidden between what is not said (and not sung) and the significance of what sounds the same rather than what sounds new, this latest album is by far the most important of Swift's œuvre. "T.T.P.D." is a grenade that Swift has thrown into her fan universe, and the most poetic thing about it is that it feels like a parallel to the grenade that Healy presumably threw into her life. This grenade has prompted fans to reëvaluate the entire past decade of Swift's work, inspiring millions of people to comb through every lyric of every song in her previous albums.

 

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That level of global influence does not go hand in hand with reports of unfulfilled lyrical potential and uninspiring chord progressions published soon after Swift's thirty-one-track, double-album release. Critics, of course, are within their rights to dislike "T.T.P.D.," and they should be able to do so without fear of dying by a thousand Swiftie-inflicted cuts. But any critique of Swift's work that doesn't consider her role as one of the most prominent narrators of our time—and certainly anything that critiques her work as one-dimensional when she's playing a kind of 4-D chess—will fail to speak to even the most casual of her fans. And without an understanding of the Swiftverse, very little of Swift's music, or Taylor Swift herself, will ever make any sense. 

 

How much do you agree with the author's take? It's worth reading the entire article to understand what they are getting at. 

 

Original - PayWallFree

 

[truthteller]

yall acting like a 76 MC score is THAT bad

[Digitalism]

    It's true 

She is in her Bruce, Dylan, Rolling stones and U2 era. Only the fans care and publications like Rolling stone give them 5 stars like they do with all legends. The GP and real critics don't care  

[St. Charles]

Nah nobody cares. Yes, Taylor has drafted a universe for her fans. But if you have to be personally invested in every detail of her life to make sense of the lyrics and enjoy the songs, she deserves whatever reviews she gets just like everyone else.

This is basically asking people to do homework and reading assignments in order to like her music.

[godmess]

swifties are not lovers of music, that much is true. 

[Scheissex]

1 minute ago, godmess said:

swifties are not lovers of music, that much is true. 

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✤NewJeans ✤TripleS 

[Buffy]

Taylor's music isn't for people with low IQ. She tried to appease these dumb dumbs by making ME! but her fans said NO! That's why these critics are struggling giving TTPD poor reviews. They want those watered down koolaid lyrics while Taylor chooses to serve us fine wine. TTPD is the type of album that will withstand the test of time like the rest of her catalog. When will they learn….

Edited May 1 by Buffy

[Pheromosa]

I mean if the industry and GP are saying this is the biggest artist and she's getting all the acclaim for her work, I don't see an issue with her output being more critically critiqued than others. Goes for any huge artist. 

Whether the critical reception matters is still your choice 

[Keter]

They're setting this lady up for the biggest downfall. They build you up just to see you fail. 

[AvadaKedavra]

I love Taylor but the bootlicking is just embarassing. Deal with the fact. She released another mid album produced by jack antonoff.
The lyrical content is great. The production is not. 

 

Edited May 1 by AvadaKedavra

[liam13]

Just now, Keter said:

They're setting this lady up for the biggest downfall. They build you up just to see you fail. 

and she'll have the biggest comeback if that ever happens

[Braz]

That was cringeworthy to read... 

[Marry The Gods]

8 minutes ago, Buffy said:

Taylor's music isn't for people with low IQ. She tried to appease these dumb dumbs by making ME! but her fans said NO! That's why these critics are struggling giving TTPD poor reviews. They want those watered down koolaid lyrics while Taylor chooses to serve us fine wine. TTPD is the type of album that will withstand the test of time like the rest of her catalog. When will they learn….

You're suggesting Taylor has the lyrical depth of artists like PJ Harvey, yet her songwriting is often criticized for its perceived juvenility 

[Brikenbur]

Not people defending her music. WE DON'T LIKE IT. THE CRITICS DON'T LIKE IT. 
 

STOP TRYING TO MAKE US LIKE IT AND THINK IT'S ACTUALLY GOOD MUSIC AND MAKING A THINK PIECE AROUND IT! 

Edited May 1 by Brikenbur

[OrgVisual]

Is this satire? The cover photo they use in that article  

[Ms. Togekiss]

3 minutes ago, Brikenbur said:

Not people defending her music. WE DON'T LIKE IT. THE CRITICS DON'T LIKE IT. 
 

STOP TRYING TO MAKE US LIKE IT AND THINK IT'S ACTUALLY GOOD MUSIC AND MAKING A THINK PIECE AROUND IT! 

The fumes 

[Blackout2006]

25 minutes ago, NEX said:

reviews often miss the fact that "music" is something that Swift stopped selling long ago.

screaminnnnggg what is she supposed to sell then? words that are sung in a slightly melodic tone?

[KatyPrismSpirit]

oh!

[Underdogs]

I kinda understand the point they're making but if we're being honest, in the past Taylor has been able to create music which was incredibly personal and specific yet still stood on its own to appeal to the casual listener.

 

The truth is she has set the bar too high for herself post-folklore. If it's not a cultural reset it's underwhelming.  

 

 

[Buffy]

11 minutes ago, Marry The Gods said:

You're suggesting Taylor has the lyrical depth of artists like PJ Harvey, yet her songwriting is often criticized for its perceived juvenility 

Taylor is not an exception to juvenile lyrics. Every artist I've heard on the radio is guilty of it. The difference is her catalog resonates with generations of people between children and elderly folks as evident by the people who attend her tours. She has over 1,000 songs. She's allowed to write about love in a way that appeals and relates to younger and older audiences. I see no problem with it. People are always trying to dig claws into Taylor when their faves are out there singing basic and juvenile lyrics themselves. People expect growth and depth from Taylor but are blinded by the fact she's already been doing so for years. The only people I see that need to grow up are the OTH.

[Redstreak]

40 minutes ago, truthteller said:

yall acting like a 76 MC score is THAT bad

It's apparently a dichotomy big enough to get major publications discussing it

[Janet]

30 minutes ago, Blackout2006 said:

screaminnnnggg what is she supposed to sell then? words that are sung in a slightly melodic tone?

You might have hit the nail on the head there 

[Taylena]

50 minutes ago, godmess said:

swifties are not lovers of music, that much is true. 

Better not being a lover of music than being a lover of school bullies.

 

[Karla Cabello]

i aint reading allat

[Le Grande]

54 minutes ago, Buffy said:

Taylor's music isn't for people with low IQ. She tried to appease these dumb dumbs by making ME! but her fans said NO! 

Imagine having such a massive level of tolerance towards embarrassment when this is that one song that her fans find embarrassing. Dear lord, we're really not that far from being a Swiftie will be an official diagnosis.