Taylor Swift’s discordant, cacophonous attempted duet with the accomplished Stevie Knicks during last week’s Grammys spawned enough criticism that her record label had to defend her performance. “This is about a true artist and writer and communicator. It’s not about that technically perfect performance,” said Big Machine Record CEO Scott Borchetta in an interview with the Associated Press (USATODAY.com).
Personally, I believe “true artists” should also have perfect performances. Isn’t that the point of great music? I’m sure I could easily find many people who don’t consider Taylor Swift a good artist. However, I can definitely find many who do love her music.
There is a reason she was nominated for 8 Grammy Awards this year, winning the coveted Album of the Year Award. She defeated the “Fame Monster” of the visually stunning, pop (no pants) sensation that is Lady Gaga (my personal favorite), and she conquered the ferocity of Beyonce’s “Sasha Fierce.” Honestly, the vocal skills of those two women could shock the tone out of Taylor’s implied twang. However, Taylor’s album, “Fearless,” had more record sales than the albums of Lady Gaga and Beyonce combined (Perezhilton.com).
So what makes Taylor Swift so great? Initially, her simplistic songs may seem laden with horribly jejune lyrics about falling in love, like “teardrops” caused by a guy named “Drew.” Maybe, I theorize, that her success is due to the ease in which fans can sing along. Almost anyone can sing along to a simple chord progression with a vocal range of about five notes.
Nonetheless, the sophomoric themes in her music strike a resonant response. Maybe it’s because there are a lot of sophomores out there. There are a lot of teens that entertain that “Love Story,” about a forbidden paramour (though I’m sure Taylor misinterprets Nathaniel Hawthorne in her “scarlet letter” reference and disregards the bitter ending of Romeo and Juliet).
Anyway, I put my lyrical critic aside and connected with her biggest and most recent hit, “You Belong With Me.” “She wears high heels/ I wear sneakers/ She’s cheer captain and I’m on the bleachers/ Dreamin’ ‘bout the day when you wake up and find/ That what you’re looking for has been here the whole time.” She transported me back four years ago, to my frizzy haired converse wearing days of unrequited crushes. I’ll admit I was bopping up and down, nostalgic and rooting for the lyricist. Her songs are upbeat, catchy and hit relatable themes.
I don’t know if she is a “true artist and writer and communicator,” but I think T-pain puts it plainly, “Some of the stuff she talks about is really girlie, but it’s cool with me” (Perezhilton.com).
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