The Taylor Swift Thread

[Toups]

I don't mind if she "dances" on a few songs.  It's not like it's hardcore dances moves - it's just a few moves.  I don't see anything wrong with that.  I know she's not going to be doing that in her 40's. 

 

Speaking of singer-songwriter mode, she did a Live Lounge for the BBC Radio.  I really love the Can't Stop Loving You cover, and the re-imagined Holy Ground (maybe that's a preview of what's to come when she re-records her old albums, they'll be new versions?).   Songs in spoiler tags.....also Billboard numbers are in there (stupid editing):

 

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[Toups]

 

 

Cool theory about the video: https://www.buzzfeed.com/eleanorbate/taylor-swift-lover-music-video-theory

 

Also when they're dancing in the "red room," Taylor's in a gold/yellow dress and the guy is wearing gold/yellow pants which represents: "I once believed love would be burning red but its golden” (from Daylight).  LOVED that throwback reference!

[Faulkner]

Can’t say I’m a huge fan, but there’s usually 1-2 songs on her albums I really like. This time, it’s this:

 

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[Toups]

First live performance of False God. 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Toups]

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Another acoustic set: The Man (on guitar), Lover (on piano; at 6:15), Death By A Thousand Cuts (on guitar; at 13:09); All Too Well (on piano; at 20:00)

 

Loved the guitar performances, especially DBATC.  I just love the way she plays guitar so I'm glad that she's doing more of that in this era. 

 

 

 

 

[YRBB]

Taylor came with the VOCALS for this one! Wonderful and cool that she wrote this with Andrew Lloyd Webber.

 

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I really wanted this to be good but it's a no for me. The new lyrics are cringeworthy (highlights what a great storyteller Taylor is, so I hope she didn't have a part in these) and Shawn Mendes manages to sound both underwhelming and like he's trying too hard at the same time. The "look in my eyes, they will tell you the truth" part is the absolute WORST. How dare he come in during the best part of the song with that? Ew.

[Toups]

Yeah, Shawn's part in the song is so bad.  LOL. I've only listen to the song once and that is enough for me - Lover is my favourite song on the album. It's a song she wrote by herself.....it's her memories, it's her story.  It's such a personal song that didn't need to be "remixed" with someone else singing on it.

 

Ever since Taylor was cast in Cats, I've wondered what she would sound like singing those "musical" type songs.   I really like the lyrics for Beautiful Ghosts and she sounds good, and I do like the song.....I just don't love it.  I'm not really a fan of these type of musical-songs.   I prefer pop-song-musicals like Grease, Moulin Rouge,  Mamma Mia. 

[Toups]

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Loved: 

- her statement with starting off with "The Man" and wearing a dress shirt with all her album titles on it, and then being joined by a group of young girls.  Fantastic metaphor. 

- pointing to Selena Gomez "we were young when I first saw you"

- the ballet dancers during Lover

 

 

 

 

Love how she spends half the time complimenting Carole King. 

 

 

 

 

When I first saw "Dance Remix" I was like nooooooooo!  I thought it was going to be some EDM remix.  Then I realized the "first dance" part. LOL  The addition of the string instruments (violin?) is so good!  It makes the song even more of a wedding song.  

[Faulkner]

 

[BetterForgotten]

AKA An insider's look at white privilege at it's most elevated level!

Edited December 5, 2019 by BetterForgotten

[Toups]

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Love the home videos! So cute!

[Khan]

 

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The video for "Christmas Tree Farm" was...cute.  Too bad the song had to ruin it though.  (Maybe Taylor SHOULD stick to writing songs about her ex-boyfriends.)

[Toups]

I’m not really a fan of Christmas music, but I liked this song (unlike Katy Perry’s new Christmas song). It’s about being with someone you love so much that it you feel nostalgic about great memories of your childhood.  It’s a nice love song. The lyrics and the video fit well together. 

[Toups]

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"I didn't know then that soon enough people would decide on something else I wasn't quite doing right, and then the circle would keep going on and on and rolling along......"

 

I'm glad she mentioned that.  I've been following her career closely for a very long time and there's so much truth to that.

 

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"I'm fairly certain he knew exactly how I would feel about it though. And let me just say that the definition of the toxic male privilege in our industry is people saying, ‘But he's always been nice to me,’ when I'm raising valid concerns about artists and their rights to own their music. And of course he's nice to you. If you're in this room, you have something he needs."

 

 

Yup.  I hate it when people say that too when someone is trying to bring up an experience that they went through.  I immediately thought of Demi Lovato's instagram post when people were talking about their experiences with Scooter: "I have dealt with bad people in this industry and Scooter is not one of them.  He's a good man."

 

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"The fact is that private equity is what enabled this man to think, according to his own social media post, that he could buy me. But I'm obviously not going willingly. Yet the most amazing thing was to discover that it would be the women in our industry who would have my back and show me the most vocal support at one of the most difficult times, and I will never, ever forget it. Like, ever."

 

 

I've been waiting for her to finally bring this up!  He is so *that type* of a guy. 

 

 

 

"This speech I'm referring to was on my 25th birthday. I'm about to turn 30 tonight, woo! But my exact quote during the speech was, ‘I really just feel like we need to continue to try to offer something to a younger generation of musicians, because somewhere right now your future Woman of the Year is probably sitting in a piano lesson or in a girls' choir "and today right now we need to take care of her.’

 

I've since learned that at that exact moment, an 11-year-old girl in California really was taking piano lessons and really was in a girls' choir. And this year she has been named Woman of the Year at the age of 17. Her name is Billie."

 

 

 

Cool story.

 

 

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"I've watched as one of my favorite artists of this decade, Lana Del Rey, was ruthly criticized…in her early career and then slowly but surely she turned into, in my opinion, the most influential artist in pop. Her vocal stylings, her lyrics, her aesthetics, they've been echoed and repurposed in every corner of music, and this year her incredible album is nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys because she just kept making art. And that example should inspire all of us, that the only way forward is forward motion. That we shouldn't let obstacles like criticism slow down the creative forces that drive us.

 

And I see that fire in the newer faces in our music industry whose work I absolutely love. I see it in Lizzo, Rosalia, Tayla Parx, Hayley Kiyoko, King Princess, Camila Cabello, Halsey, Megan Thee Stallion, Princess Nokia, Nina Nesbitt, Sigrid, Normani, H.E.R., Maggie Rogers, Becky G, Dua Lipa, Ella Mai, Billie Eilish. And so many other amazing women who are making music right now."

 

 

"When a spotlight shines on someone and they hold up a mirror and shine the light around the room, they deserve that spotlight." - random quote in a comments section. 

 

 

 

 

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Billboard Woman of the Decade Taylor Swift: 'I Do Want My Music to Live On'

[Faulkner]