does anyone listen to Taylor Swift? tell me what the draw is

[PHD]

1% talent, 99% hype... My 12yo daughter seems to like her music...

 

[krabapple]

Taylor Swift London Tube map:



Discovered this morning that there is one displayed on the wall at Wembley Park underground station.

With a proper one next to it so you can actually find where you want to go, of course?

No.

That did not endear me to her.

Why, because you imagine she's the one that decided to display it there?

 

[blueone]

Recently I made a discovery that surprised me. I occasionally hear Swift's music on one of the SXM channels I listen to, and sometimes I think her style sounds familiar to me. But I've never been able to figure out why. A couple of weeks ago I found the answer.

One Swift's habits I don't care for is she sometimes stretches out some vowels when she's singing, modulating them too. I find this practice annoying.

One of my favorite singer-songwriters is Vonda Shepard. Has been for a couple of decades, since I saw her scenes from the old television show Ally McBeal. Shepard played the singer in a piano bar. I only rarely watched television back then, but I was stuck alone overnight in a hotel in early 1999 when changing jobs, and flipped channels on the television out of boredom. By chance I caught the closing bar scene from the show I saw, every episode appears to have one, and was instantly attracted to Shepard's renditions of 50s-60s pop music. I've been a fan ever since, and enjoy many of her own compositions.

On one of Shepard's albums I was listening to a few weeks ago, the album was released in 2013, I heard her singing a song, and I thought, wow, she sounds a lot like Taylor Swift, which made no sense. In 2013 Swift was a kid. A couple of days later I heard a Swift song again on SXM, and when I got home I played the 2013 Shepard album again, and thought it can't be a coincidence. So I did a simple internet search: "Swift Shepard". This was high in the search results:

It turns out that at 11 years old Swift did a cover of Shepard's hit "Baby Don't You Break My Heart Slow". So, apparently, one of my favorite singers was one of Swift's earliest influences. Unfortunately, Swift picked up the only habit from Shepard I occasionally don't like, and made it central to her style.

 

[Mart68]

Why, because you imagine she's the one that decided to display it there?

No, it was just a joke.

 

[Petrushka]

I’m too old. I’m trying to think back the first female stars I heard.

The earliest ones I remember are Joan Baez, Cher, Janis Ian, Linda Ronstadt (Stone Ponies), Grace Slick.

Still listen to some of them.

 

[Snarfie]

1% talent, 99% hype... My 12yo daughter seems to like her music...

Hm same could be said about the Beatles when they came out with.

"Love, love me do
You know I love you
I'll always be true
So please, love me do
Whoa, love me do"

But my parents could not avoid i bought all their Vinyl. If one thing is subjective......

 

[JASTRONG]

 

[Fahzz]

I have one of her albums "Folklore" on a long playlist. every now and then one of her songs comes on, and I find that I like it.

 

[rank]

It remains far better than rap (well the clips, the filler on her albums is not as good). Also she likes country.
And I love Hank Williams.So ... it's so-so.

 

[Sal1950]

It remains far better than rap (well the clips, the filler on her albums is not as good). Also she likes country.
And I love Hank Williams.So ... it's so-so.

I wouldn't say she likes country, she used it and it's young female fans as a entry point to the music business.
As a country fan I was very unhappy with the way her popularity influence was taking country for a while.
Once her name started to gain a wide recognition she dropped doing country and moved on to teen pop as fast
as she could.

 

[rank]

Yes you are probably right, your messages are always interesting.
And a friend has all his CDs because a chain of stores here had promotions if you bought 10, he absolutely wanted some death metal stuff and to complete he took this because he likes pretty girls.
He listened to the first ones because he always proceeds in chronological order and he was delighted because it is country.
He is a huge Johnny Cash fan, he has all his albums on vinyl/CD and like me Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard etc.
I generally love this music because it is that of the people.

 

[Vacceo]

I wouldn't say she likes country, she used it and it's young female fans as a entry point to the music business.
As a country fan I was very unhappy with the way her popularity influence was taking country for a while.
Once her name started to gain a wide recognition she dropped doing country and moved on to teen pop as fast
as she could.

I personally think there is no such genre as "pop" by itself. Pop canibalizes any style and turns It mainstream and nice to listen to non-native audiences.

In the case of Taylor Swift, she probably playes music that to some extent, takes elements from country. The difference is that for actual country listeners like you, Sal, it is so watered down that the characteristics you enjoy from the genre feel absent.

I have experienced that a million times in Death and Black Metal, which are equally niche and have the same issues once artists "evolve".

 

[Sal1950]

Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard

Now your talking the GODs of country music. I was lucky enough to see Merle live twice back in the 70-80, what an incredible artist.

I personally think there is no such genre as "pop" by itself. Pop canibalizes any style and turns It mainstream and nice to listen to non-native audiences.

You got it, POP, that's the elevator music of rock. Nothing in it to upset anyone's sensibilities. LOL

In the case of Taylor Swift, she probably playes music that to some extent, takes elements from country.

Never heard a single fittel or steel getar in any of Taylor's "country" tunes.