Btw, was jamming to "Mean" with my brother on the way home. We butchered it tho. I wish She'd bring back Her bluegrass sound in the future. It was cute. Something like S&S, with a string band like Avett Bros., but I'll take Grace Potter & the Nocturnal concept too.
She's so awesome at Bluegrass. Ditch that shite Nashville Country, Lord. Just go full western swing/Bluegrass next.
Btw, was jamming to "Mean" with my brother on the way home. We butchered it tho. I wish She'd bring back Her bluegrass sound in the future. It was cute. Something like S&S, with a string band like Avett Bros., but I'll take Grace Potter & the Nocturnal concept too.
She's so awesome at Bluegrass. Ditch that shite Nashville Country, Lord. Just go full western swing/Bluegrass next.
Her pop fan base is not here for that, poor ha, EXPECT MORE TWENTY SHU.
Her pop fan base is not here for that, poor ha, EXPECT MORE TWENTY SHU.
Not really. She definitely listened to constructive criticisms (ahem, Lefsetz sis.) Example: this tour. It's still mega production and rehearsed, but it's less 'fairytale' than previous tours. This tour is good, so good. But not bare bones and She seems so aloof & distant with the audience. So with people starting to voice their opinions in a positive way, I expect She'd listen to them again. First thing needs to be done is getting rid of that troll, so he won't be able to spread his virus and be a negative influence to Her music.
To troll defenders: I need to remind you that troll suggested WANEGBT as 1st single, even tho the Lord Herself was not too fond of that idea. Ain't nobody got time for that fraud. And "We Can't Stop" is a bop.
Speak Now 1 (August-November 2010) Mine 2 (December 2010-March 2011) Back to December 3 (March-June 2011) Speak Now 4 (July-October 2011) Sparks Fly POP / Mean COUNTRY
Red 1 (August-November 2012) We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together POP / Begin Again COUNTRY 2 (December 2012-March 2013) I Knew You Were Trouble POP / I Almost Do COUNTRY 3 (April-July 2013) Red 4 (August-November 2013) State of Grace 5 (December 2013-March 2014) Everything Has Changed (featuring Ed Sheeran)
Taylor Swift works within the well-worn cliché of phenomenon. At 23, the country music star turned global behemoth is a chart-conquering, CoverGirl-endorsing, one-woman cottage industry; a superstar so unavoidable that at times the Pennsylvania native seems like she is her own musical genre. And the T.F. genre—a bankable mix of perpetually heartbroken teen-aimed anthems, boy-crazy tabloid drama, and unbridled girl-power enthusiasm—is big business.
Swift also happens to be the lead cheerleader in pop music’s increasingly unsophisticated downward spiral that includes the likes of Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and One Direction. But this dramatic lowering of the bar hasn’t always been the case.
For decades, the pop tradition had benefited greatly from a separation of church and state. Music acts that catered exclusively to a much younger demographic happily worked below the adult levels of popular visionaries that dared to go beyond formula or script. If Debbie Gibson was too playground for your liking, there was always Madonna—who was busy pissing off the Catholic Church by kissing a black Jesus (oh, the horror!) in the controversial video for her brilliant 1989 single “Like A Prayer.” If New Kids On The Block was more in your little sister’s lane, the sex-personified Prince was there to scare the living hell out of your parents while raising your musical IQ with an ingenious hybrid funk-rock-pop sound that rarely repeated itself. It was proof that popular music at its highest form could be fun, smart and dangerous.
Even during the late ‘90s when the likes of Britney Spears, 'N Sync, and the Backstreet Boys dominated the charts—with their cult-like followings and publicity machine on full blast—the TRL favorites were viewed within reasonable context. Sure they sold a **** load of albums, but the public didn’t look to them to be musical leaders. Sophisticated listeners demanded they evolve, and some indeed did just that (see: Britney, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake).
But over the past few years, pop music has become Disney-fied.
Taylor Swift is ruling her kingdom with as much emotional and artistic depth as a Goosebumps book. Yes, her latest single, “Everything Has Changed,” finds the talented artist moving into more mature realms (“All I know since yesterday is everything has changed/And all my walls stood tall painted blue/But I'll take them down, take them down and open up the door for you…”). And her overall cultural impact should not be dismissed. Swift’s latest effort, Red, has moved more than 5 million copies (and counting) internationally. According to a May 17 Billboard report, her Red Tour is leading the concert box office race with over $15 million in tickets sold. Swift, who has now graduated from arenas to that rare territory of football stadiums, is coming off a monster year in which she took in $57 million.
Yet Swift, who writes most of her own material—an aberration in today’s microwave music scene—has built her sizable fame on pubescent-tailored sing-alongs such as “You Belong To Me,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” and “22.” When she cries, “Knew you were trouble when you walked in/So shame on me now” on the aptly-titled “I Knew You Were Trouble,” it’s as if Swift is channeling all the unfiltered heartbreak of 13-year-old girls everywhere. Indeed, for such a natural talent, it’s the kind of pedestrian line that leaves you wanting more from the older, guitar-strumming American doll.
However, Bieber, Gomez and One Direction makes Swift seem like the second-coming of Joni Mitchell.
When the 19-year-old Biebs isn’t being chased down by ex-NFL players for reckless driving or getting booed at an award show, he’s headlining a scream-inducing, sold-out world tour and extending his streak of platinum-plus releases. However, despite such immense success, Bieber is still struggling to be taken seriously as an artist. Believe has stumbled in its bid to garner the Canadian performer his own Justified. The kid seems light years away from the respectability that Timberlake finally achieved with his 2002 solo debut. Bieber’s on-again/off again girlfriend Gomez, 20, is picking from even lower hanging fruit with her faux Middle Eastern pop smash “Come & Get It,” a lifeless track that’s as sexy as a $55 light bill.
These baby acts would do well to study pop music history beyond copping a move or style. The most commercially successful star of the ‘80s era, the late Michael Jackson, colored outside the big-boy lines despite his peerless appeal to younger fans. Forget Maury Povich. Grade-school kids were singing their little hearts out to 1982’s “Billie Jean,” a landmark single on which our glove-wearing protagonist protested that the kid was not his son!***
So how did today’s world-beating pop stars become so infantile? How have they at times eclipsed their more adventurous pop contemporaries like Bruno Mars, Rihanna or P!nk? Follow the money. At a time when a sluggish music industry is steadily shrinking (2012 RIAA sales figures show a 0.9 percent drop in overall sales to $7.1 billion, a disappointing number compared to 2011 when sales actually rose to 0.2 percent), the recording biz will gladly take what it can get. That means more acts in the mode of One Direction, currently the biggest pop group on the planet. More than a decade ago, the rag-tag British outfit would have struggled to keep up with D-league boy band 98 Degrees. But in 2013, boasting millions of Twitter followers equals the new platinum. Within today’s social media-driven market, youth culture has not only completely taken over; it’s gotten decisively younger.
What you are left with is 19-year-old, shaggy-haired One Direction favorite Harry Styles going from teen magazine pinup to Cougar fodder. Bow to your new pop deity. God help us all.
Not really. She definitely listened to constructive criticisms (ahem, Lefsetz sis.) Example: this tour. It's still mega production and rehearsed, but it's less 'fairytale' than previous tours. This tour is good, so good. But not bare bones and She seems so aloof & distant with the audience. So with people starting to voice their opinions in a positive way, I expect She'd listen to them again. First thing needs to be done is getting rid of that troll, so he won't be able to spread his virus and be a negative influence to Her music.
To troll defenders: I need to remind you that troll suggested WANEGBT as 1st single, even tho the Lord Herself was not too fond of that idea. Ain't nobody got time for that fraud. And "We Can't Stop" is Crap .
Get started FAST and send in your rates for the Taylor Swift Singles Rate! Due on August 30! RATE now!
Feel free to send in your personal brief reviews for all or just your fave singles. The ballot:
Tim McGraw
Teardrops On My Guitar
Our Song
Picture to Burn
Should've Said No
Love Story
White Horse
You Belong With Me
Fifteen
Fearless
Mine
Back to December
Mean
The Story of Us
Sparks Fly
Ours
We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together
Begin Again
I Knew You Were Trouble.
22
Everything Has Changed (feat. Ed Sheeran)
Red
Crazier
Eyes Open
To troll defenders: I need to remind you that troll suggested WANEGBT as 1st single, even tho the Lord Herself was not too fond of that idea. Ain't nobody got time for that fraud.
As much as WANEGBT is not the song I wanted from Taylor's lead single, I do think it was necessary to make a splash internationally and make the world pay attention to her. Taylor wants success; she wants global success and WANEGBT is the kind of song that will not be ignored. If she had gone with Red as her first single, the world would have shrugged. Not because it's a bad song, but because it's not as bold and attention-grabbing as WANEGBT. My main problem with the singles run of RED is I think that when you make a splash with a song like WANEGBT, you follow it up immediately with an All Too Well or Treacherous, so people see the full spectrum of you as an artist. Sorta like Eminem used to do with his joke songs (My Name Is, The Real Slim Shady), then serious songs (Stan, Cleaning Out My Closet). But noooo, Taylor and Big Machine chose to ride that Max Martin wave till it crashed.
I don't really believe Ed convinced Taylor to release WANEGBT, anyway, no matter what he says. I think the Lord was trying to flatter the hobbit. An artist as mega as Taylor is not going to let some British breakthrough act - who has no idea about how to handle a career as big as hers -decide her lead single.
Speak Now 1 (August-November 2010) Mine 2 (December 2010-March 2011) Back to December 3 (March-June 2011) Speak Now 4 (July-October 2011) Sparks Fly POP / Mean COUNTRY
Red 1 (August-November 2012) We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together POP / Begin Again COUNTRY 2 (December 2012-March 2013) I Knew You Were Trouble POP / I Almost Do COUNTRY 3 (April-July 2013) Red 4 (August-November 2013) State of Grace
B]5 (December 2013-March 2014)[/B] Everything Has Changed (featuring Ed Sheeran)
Speak Now 1 (August-November 2010) Mine 2 (December 2010-March 2011) Back to December 3 (March-June 2011) Speak Now 4 (July-October 2011) Sparks Fly POP / Mean COUNTRY
Red 1 (August-November 2012) We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together POP / Begin Again COUNTRY 2 (December 2012-March 2013) I Knew You Were Trouble POP / I Almost Do COUNTRY 3 (April-July 2013) Red 4 (August-November 2013) State of Grace 5 (December 2013-March 2014) Everything Has Changed (featuring Ed Sheeran)
Preach Now era would have been a bigger flop if that's the case.
As much as WANEGBT is not the song I wanted from Taylor's lead single, I do think it was necessary to make a splash internationally and make the world pay attention to her. Taylor wants success; she wants global success and WANEGBT is the kind of song that will not be ignored. If she had gone with Red as her first single, the world would have shrugged. Not because it's a bad song, but because it's not as bold and attention-grabbing as WANEGBT. My main problem with the singles run of RED is I think that when you make a splash with a song like WANEGBT, you follow it up immediately with an All Too Well or Treacherous, so people see the full spectrum of you as an artist. Sorta like Eminem used to do with his joke songs (My Name Is, The Real Slim Shady), then serious songs (Stan, Cleaning Out My Closet). But noooo, Taylor and Big Machine chose to ride that Max Martin wave till it crashed.
I don't really believe Ed convinced Taylor to release WANEGBT, anyway, no matter what he says. I think the Lord was trying to flatter the hobbit. An artist as mega as Taylor is not going to let some British breakthrough act - who has no idea about how to handle a career as big as hers -decide her lead single.
You were like a crash of thunder
Echo through my darkest nights
You awaken all my senses made me feel alive
Even if we try to fight it, we know that the sparks will fly
Cause in the end, we're just two people destined to collide
Absolutely breath-taking.
Guess the song; don't cheat. There is a major hint in that verse.
I need HOMH's instrumental with bg vocal. Is there any?
Quote:
Originally posted by Red Guard
As much as WANEGBT is not the song I wanted from Taylor's lead single, I do think it was necessary to make a splash internationally and make the world pay attention to her. Taylor wants success; she wants global success and WANEGBT is the kind of song that will not be ignored. If she had gone with Red as her first single, the world would have shrugged. Not because it's a bad song, but because it's not as bold and attention-grabbing as WANEGBT. My main problem with the singles run of RED is I think that when you make a splash with a song like WANEGBT, you follow it up immediately with an All Too Well or Treacherous, so people see the full spectrum of you as an artist. Sorta like Eminem used to do with his joke songs (My Name Is, The Real Slim Shady), then serious songs (Stan, Cleaning Out My Closet). But noooo, Taylor and Big Machine chose to ride that Max Martin wave till it crashed.
I don't really believe Ed convinced Taylor to release WANEGBT, anyway, no matter what he says. I think the Lord was trying to flatter the hobbit. An artist as mega as Taylor is not going to let some British breakthrough act - who has no idea about how to handle a career as big as hers -decide her lead single.
For a moment I forgot who I stan for. You are absolutely right.
But yeah, 3 MM tracks as singles in a row was what killed the hype.
I wish She'd bring back Her bluegrass sound in the future. It was cute. Something like S&S, with a string band like Avett Bros., but I'll take Grace Potter & the Nocturnal concept too.
The ballot:
