My mother, whose frame of reference starts and ends with The Beatles, talks to me about Taylor Swift. This means two things – one, I have succeeded in my task as a self-appointed ‘Swiftie’, and two, Taylor Swift has broken another record set by The Beatles. The question remains, why are we talking about Taylor Swift?
The reason we are talking about Swift, the reason why everyone is talking about her, is not that she is young, pretty, or rich (with a net worth of $400 million), or even that she writes her own songs, that, while seemingly about her own life, nevertheless “speak” at a subliminal level to her listeners. Yes, there is all that, but she is also the youngest person ever – not to mention a woman – who has broken the most, if not all, the records set by the greatest musicians ever. She is the longest-reigning act of the Billboard Top 200 with 55 weeks at the Number One slot; she was also awarded Woman of the Decade by Billboard and holds 52 Guinness World Records. But how did she reach this level of fame and success?
The 'Serious' Musician Label
Swift has written about her life, about growing up on a Christmas tree farm with her parents and brother, about the unwavering support from her family to follow her dreams and why she is so interested in “the way people treat each other”. She has written about her early years in such a raw fashion that it physically hurts to hear those words. “I love writing songs because I love preserving memories, like putting a picture frame around a feeling you once had,” Swift told Elle UK. Yes, she has also written about the men in her life, how they made her feel and the experiences she went through, emotions that not just young girls but people all around the world and of all ages can relate to. Possibly, that is why ‘All Too Well’, a 10-minute song that is so painfully tender, unhinged to the point of being cathartic, has maintained its place in the Billboard Top 200 list and is also the longest song ever to do so, with lyrics like “Casually cruel in the name of being honest”, “You kept me like a secret, but I kept you like an oath”, and “Did the love affair maim you too?”
Swift’s poetry isn’t just limited to her ‘love life’, for she is a woman who has had to reinvent herself time and time again as a ‘serious’ musician because of the criticism she has received in a world where the popular is often equated with the pedestrian, and where women, in particular, have to pay a price for being young and pretty. In a musical career spanning over 15 years, she has written songs about moving to a new city, being young (she started singing when she was barely 14) and spending time with one’s friends, about being a so-called ‘serial dater’, invented a fictional love triangle between teenagers, about novels, and about killing a man. Hers is a discography that is as wide as it is diverse in terms of genres, ranging from country-style ballads to pop to rock, electronic and indie folk.
Swift Speaks Out About Politics & Policies
However, the excellence of her work is also found in the honestly insecure lyrics and accompanying tunes of her songs, about her anxieties of not succeeding as an artist, of falling into an abyss, of being forgotten, or worse, becoming unimportant, and about the overwhelming and completely real fear of not achieving one’s dreams and of losing the people one loves.
She has written one of the most gut-wrenching odes to people and moments in her life that have mattered the most to her, and she hasn’t bothered to sugarcoat or hide the dark, ugly bits.
For example, “They told me all of my cages were mental/So I got wasted like all my potential”, or, “There'll be happiness after you/But there was happiness because of you/Both of these things can be true”, or, “I'm so sick of running as fast as I can/Wondering if I'd get there quicker/If I was a man”, and many many more lyrical wonders. Her songs are a gift, the lyrics the wrapping paper and the tune the bow on top.
As a young female artist, Swift kept certain parts of her life private till she felt secure enough in the unconditional love she received from her admirers – admirers who love her for speaking out about politics, policies, and injustice. Swift chose not to keep quiet about so-called ‘minor harassments’ or ‘legal thefts’. She has fought and won lawsuits for sexual harassment.
Swift is re-recording her song about her life that she made worthy through her hard work to own something that, made her who she is, and should've belonged to her anyway. It is the modern-day equivalent of a rival theatre company buying Shakespeare's plays from the Earl of Southampton without letting Shakespeare know and without giving him a share in the profits from future performances.
Emily Dickinson and Frank Sinatra Combined?
Apart from re-recording and re-releasing two of her albums during the global pandemic, she also released two new record-breaking alternate albums and a directorial debut short film. There are so many more accomplishments of hers that one could go on about. She is called “the music industry” by her fans for a reason. One of the most decorated musicians of all time all over the world, she has fought more for the rights of musicians than anyone else, all without abusing her power as a White, Christian, or American.
Swift juggles her many talents with kindness and compassion and with a genuine love for her fans, with whom she has the most charming and amusing relationship. For me, she is a wonderful and magical combination of Emily Dickinson and Frank Sinatra, if that is possible. Swift was right when she said, “You’ll never find another one like ME!” For Taylor Swift, I choose to believe that there have always been invisible strings tying her to me.
(Insha J. Waziri lives in Delhi and is an Assistant Copy-Editor at Harper Collins India. She has been a Swiftie for the past 15 years. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)
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