Taylor Swift Appreciation Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Socrates, Jan 18, 2018.

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  1. Socrates

    Socrates Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New England
    This thread is for fans of Taylor. Talk about your love for the artist here. I think Taylor Swift is great.
     
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  2. Socrates

    Socrates Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New England
    What if we had one thread where we could say how much we liked an artist, without anyone complaining? Then maybe we could turn this whole thing into an impromptu internet of love.. I know we value or ability to be critical online -- perhaps to a fault. We think it's our right to complain about anyone now, and in complete anonymity. Which is really weird if you think about it..

    We all assume that we have the right to complain about others, while not showing our faces in the process. That's what's wrong with the world right now. You know that it is. But what if this thread was just a place to talk about how much we like someone? Think about that state of being for a moment, where people are free to express their love. What about that, a fan thread?
     
  3. Tanx

    Tanx Forum Resident

    Location:
    Washington, DC
    I think these threads are a great idea, even though I'm not a TS person. Much better than "What do you think of So-and-So?," which always ends in disaster.
     
  4. Bobby Morrow

    Bobby Morrow Senior Member

    I admire your optimism.:)
     
  5. Steve G

    Steve G Senior Member

    Location:
    los angeles
    The best songwriter in America for the last decade. Her importance will be more obvious with some distance and perspective!!
     
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  6. Zoot Marimba

    Zoot Marimba And I’m The Critic Of The Group

    Location:
    Savannah, Georgia
    Yeah, go for it, @Socrates, despite what Fazzini says, you're not a m---n.
     
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  7. Socrates

    Socrates Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New England
    And Taylor is just getting started. This is a nice post from you, Steve. Now this is the love that we're all feeling. Ah. Breathe in. Breathe out. The love.
     
  8. Socrates

    Socrates Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New England
    I'm listening to "...Ready For It?" and I feel good. Taylor Swift has this way of making me feel that way. I'm not watching the "...Ready For It?" video. Although, yes, her videos are great. I'm just saying turn off the videos and listen to the music. Start there.

    The weird thing about music today is that you have to have the visual presentation along with the music. That can be totally messed up. It seems like the music is almost secondary sometimes, compared to having a visual display first. Pop music is supposed to be about a look nowadays, and not a hook. That's different. The music used to come first. That's why it's music. That's why we listen with our ears.

    I like Taylor's music. Don't objectify Taylor Swift by not hearing her music because she also happens to be good looking. Listen to Taylor's phrasing when she says, "Look What You Made Me Do." Tell me you don't feel like dancing, momentarily, or at least tapping your foot.

    I don't understand how somebody cannot like her stuff. That's the way I feel about the music that I love. Having said all this, I'm a fan of 1989 and REP. I want to know Taylor Swift's music from here forward. And hopefully this thread will remain, just so we can talk about the music, style and greatness of Taylor Swift.
     
  9. Aurora

    Aurora Forum Resident

    Location:
    TN
    I think she's one of the best songwriters in pop music today.

    Favorite album: Speak Now
    Favorite song: "Cold as You"
     
  10. lightbulb

    lightbulb Not the Brightest of the Bunch

    Location:
    Smogville CA USA
    An undeniable talent, obviously not averse to exploring a variety of musical genres - with great success!
    And all achieved at a very young age!

    (FWIW, I’m not a Swiftie...)
     
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  11. Johnny Reb

    Johnny Reb Résident du forum

    Location:
    MA
    I certainly enjoy her as well, one of the best talents in modern music. My favorite album of hers is Red (although I've yet to hear 1989 - know most of the songs already though!), and it's got some great songs on it like "I Knew You Were Trouble" and such. Fun stuff for the most part. I honestly wasn't as much of a fan of her new album, but it's growing on me slowly. "Getaway Car", "Ready For It", "...Nice Things", and "Look What You Made Me Do" are classics imo.

    The Christmas EP is pretty fun too! :)
     
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  12. Steve G

    Steve G Senior Member

    Location:
    los angeles
    current favorites: Dress and Delicate - but her catalog is already vast
     
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  13. BradOlson

    BradOlson Country/Christian Music Maven

    She is one of my favorites of current artists as well.
     
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  14. yesstiles

    yesstiles Senior Member

    Big fan of her "Red" album. Her best for sure imo. Her other albums all have high points as well. Like others, I wish she would go back to a compromise between her acoustic and electronic music. Her new album was better than I thought it would be, but I was really disappointed in a few of the songs as being really bad, such as "Dress." I too look forward to where she goes from here. An immense talent that I hope doesn't get turned sour by the star machine.
     
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  15. mace

    mace Forum Resident

    Location:
    74107
    She’s ok. Not my cup of tea, and definitely wouldn’t go so far as calling her the best songwriter of the last decade, but she is a media darling, and in these times, that’s worth a lot of mileage.
     
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  16. vinylontubes

    vinylontubes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Katy, TX
    When I was growing up, the media darling was Madonna. I definitely prefer Taylor Swift over Madonna. I think Taylor Swift's her records are better too.
     
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  17. BadJack

    BadJack doorman who always high-fives children of divorce

    Location:
    Boston, MA
    I just can't relate to her.
     
  18. Bevok

    Bevok Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Zealand
    I haven't explored her back catalogue but I enjoy good pop and her new album is a really solid collection of songs, catchy with slick production and interesting lyrics in and of themselves (I'm not too interested in all the celebrity goss links etc). Switched On Pop podcast did an excellent analysis of a couple of songs which is worth a listen (Getaway Car was one of them, can't recall the other). My favourite track personally is Don't Blame Me, but there are loads of other great songs. End Game and Look What You Made Me Do are the ones I didn't enjoy so much although like most songs they grow on you. A very talented lady, will be interesting to see where she goes next. In terms of the reception of this album she has probably suffered a bit not musically but because of the way she has played with the double-edged sword of fame, and the repercussions of that (although of course it has still sold incredibly well, but the singles haven't had such an impact).
     
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  19. Steve G

    Steve G Senior Member

    Location:
    los angeles
    the combination of the live versions of the songs from the end of the record, the stadium tour and the overall presentation of the record have convinced me that she doesn't really WANT the singles to have that much of an impact - my read is that she wants to transition to a legacy act where she can pay her staff and bills with big tours and then make whatever the hell records she wants. I guess we'll see. The videos all seem kind of funny, like she is making movies and laughing at everything. I think she favors the end of the record over the beginning - heck one day after it was out she had already played New Year's Day and Call It What You Want on TV in stripped-down acoustic versions. One thing about Swift is that nothing ever seems like an accident.
     
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  20. qJulia

    qJulia Forum Resident

    I really like Love Story, although I am not country music fan in general. She is a good lyricist.
     
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  21. qJulia

    qJulia Forum Resident

    New Year's Day is her best recent song. I can kind of see a short movie described by a few lines of lyrics.
     
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  22. Blimpboy

    Blimpboy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Walton, KY
    This thread encouraged me to take the plunge and seriously appraise the works of Taylor Swift. I've never listen to more than a passing song on the radio before. Today I picked up her first 5 CD's and the Speak Now World Tour Live with DVD.
     
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  23. Socrates

    Socrates Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New England
    Thanks for all of your replies. Taylor Swift can be a polarizing artist. Maybe some people just can't relate to her, or they don't want to, or they don't want to give her a chance. Allow Blimpboy to be your example: listen to Taylor Swift. Considering I prefer acoustic based music and good old fashioned rock 'n' roll, this is fairly new to me, embracing a form of "pop" music.

    I'm fascinated by the overall sound of Reputation. There's a lot going on, both musically and lyrically, yet there is clear separation of all of the instrumentation and vocals, with no cluttering or harshness. REP's sound is expansive and can be complex. Nothing goes off the rails in a bad way, and everything is spontaneous. I'm impressed by this sound, lifted up, and I'm made to feel not-so-heavy.

    I couldn't stop listening to 1989. REP might not be as easily digestible, in certain settings, maybe because REP is metaphysically dark in places. That's the big thing, for me, the shift in perspective from 1989 creates a stark contrast of ideals. There's no "Shake It Off" in this collection of songs. However, I do find REP to be more honest than a lot of the other contemporary pop that's around these days. REP can be as dark as this modern age. REP is right for the times. I want to hear what Taylor does next.

    I'd like to write more about Taylor Swift later on. I'd like to review REP more fully. I'm fascinated by the lyrics as well. There's so much going on within the words, and a lot can be conveyed still. I can write about the lyrics next. If nobody minds…

    I feel like I'm on a very human journey, playing throughout REP, and there's way more to come. I'm looking forward to Taylor's next album, after the snake, the spiritual hymnals will be awesome...
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2018
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  24. Socrates

    Socrates Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    New England
    I posted and then I had dinner. Now I can't edit. I don't know if REP and 1989 feature 'contrasts of ideals' so much, now that I've eaten. The two albums do present stark contrasts of emotions.

    When someone's old self dies, that's really a big deal. REP is still undefined in my mind. I need to listen more. Thankfully I want to do that with REP, because the sound is expansive and the lyrics offer so much. REP isn't an album I want to listen to just once.
     
  25. ralf11

    ralf11 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Earth

    She is Not my cup of tea, but I agree.

    It is hardly surprising that a 16 yr old writes about 16 yr old concerns; same for xx, yy, and on to 25.

    I already like her spunky I'll do it my way attitude (which reminds me of young Bob Dylan somewhat). I expect to like her work a lot more when she is older.
     
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