Taylor Swift #4 Midnights EST, we'll be in our jammies. Why does she need validation from the grammys?

[Caffeine Fiend]

I like the tune of Anti Hero, but I just can't seem to get along with the lyrics. I understand what she's saying, but I just don't understand why you'd write about hating yourself in that way. Maybe it's because I can't really relate to it.
Bigger Than The Whole Sky though, that's one of my favourites.

Be so grateful for that

I relate to it so much it hurts. The intrusive thoughts are hard to manage.

 

[ginandlipstick]

Taylor Swift #5 all fans wanted were tour tix, not another anti-hero remix?

 

[Tiggerhappy]

Sorry to be picky, but does anyone else cringe so much when they hear the “it’s me, hi, I’m the problem it’s me”? It would be so much better being I not hi

No, the "Hi" adds to the awkwardness.

 

[zeroess]

Why are your feelings on Taylor complicated? This isn’t a rave thread so share your thoughts if you like!!

I think she's supremely talented, I adore her music and think her continued growth as an artist is something you don't see often. I'm used to liking an artist for a couple of albums and then being disappointed as their discography gets worse, or at least turns into something that I can't connect with anymore. I've loved all of Taylor's albums from 1989 onwards, and there are some gems on the older ones too.

However, I find her to be quite vindictive, manipulative and a perpetual victim, and I don't think her increased self-awareness of these traits makes up for it as she frequently makes the same mistakes and rarely apologises. I didn't watch Ginny and Georgia, but the hatred she caused to be piled onto the lead actress was petty and cruel. Even if she hadn't seen it coming (which she should have done; she's been around long enough and knows how her fans can be), she certainly should have called her fans out for it. I also don't like how she only seems to back a cause if it benefits her.

Still holding out hope that she'll mature into someone I really feel I can root for. I want to be a proper fan!

 

[Folkevermore]

If I recall correctly, once the tape came out, Taylor's only complaint was that Kanye called her 'that bitch'. Not the part before it. Not the part after it.

I feel like people love to gloss over the fact that he put a naked mannequin of her for his music video too, that was fucking disgusting and he was never held accountable

 

[JLXRD]

No one asked but here is my current Midnights ranking:

20: Dear Reader
19: Glitch
18: Paris
17: Sweet Nothing
16: Snow on the Beach
15: Maroon
14: Lavender Haze
13: The Great War
12: Labyrinth
11: Question…?
10: Midnight Rain
9: High Infidelity
8: Mastermind
7: Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve
6: Bejeweled
5: Vigilante Shit
4: Bigger Than The Whole Sky
3: You’re on Your Own, Kid
2: Anti-Hero
1: Karma

I’m sure it will change again within a week ha

 

[Lollypad]

Sorry for gatecrashing, I'm unlikely to ever post here again because my opinions on Taylor are complicated but I simply must play this game! Except this is more my favourite song from each era rather than what I would like to see performed. Fully aware that some of my song choices are cringe so you'll be pleased to not see me here again.

Taylor Swift - Our Song
Fearless - Love Story
Speak Now - Mean (told you I was cringe!)
Red - All Too Well (strictly the original version, you just don't hear the raw pain the same way on Taylor's version)
1989 - Wildest Dreams or the version of Bad Blood with Kendrick (I know, I know)
Reputation - New Year's Day, with honourable mentions to Delicate and Dress
Lover - Cruel Summer
Folklore - The 1 (my all-time favourite song of hers), although shoutouts to My Tears Ricochet and Illicit Affairs
Evermore - Long Story Short
Midnights - Anti-Hero or Bejeweled... or You're On Your Own, Kid

Also, been dying to say this since it came out, but I can't stand the 10 minute version of All Too Well. There are some good lines but it feels forced and I think it cheapens the original.

So I love ten min ATW but I have had a theory for a very long time that the comment she made about all too well originally being ten mins long was an off the cuff joke, the fans ran away with it and she ended up writing the actual ten min far later.

also I don’t think this is just a fan thread, you’re more than welcome here with more complicated opinions!

 

[JLXRD]

She clearly is very in love with Joe, that comes across in her music, whether they’re married or not I think she would feel like she had still got her fairytale.


On that note I’m glad she keeps her private life private these days and let’s us have these little gimpses via her music and documentaries. I know it annoys some fans but at the end of the day, we’re not entitled to know anything about her really and she has to protect her peace.

 

[JLXRD]

Some of it I wouldn’t even call petty: the Kanye stuff is not petty. He has publicly humiliated her more than once. And this was back when he was taken more seriously by the public and industry.

I honestly don’t understand enough about the music industry to know if all the stuff with her masters is petty or not, but I like the narrative that she is taking back what’s hers and not allowing herself to be screwed over by ‘the man’. Even if that’s not really what’s happening, I don’t think it’s a bad message to be sending.

Vigilante shit could be classed as petty but it does all fit in this heroes/villains/anti-hero/karma theme that runs throughout some of her music so I tend to think she’s playing up to that role that both she and we as fans have created around her music.

The Katy Perry stuff, yes petty but again a different time, she was a lot younger and therefore general pettiness is to be expected and their public reconciliation was her publicly acknowledging that it was wrong in my eyes.

 

[Folkevermore]

This is another thing that makes me feel a bit icky - she calls out Jake/John for their age difference but didn’t she have to sign Connor out of school to spend time with him? I wonder what she was thinking

It wasn’t a good look but 18 and 22 isn’t as weird as 19 and 32

 

[malibu skies]

I’ve listened to this album so many times now that I can’t think thoughts anymore

 

[xoxoxo13]

So I love ten min ATW but I have had a theory for a very long time that the comment she made about all too well originally being ten mins long was an off the cuff joke, the fans ran away with it and she ended up writing the actual ten min far later.

also I don’t think this is just a fan thread, you’re more than welcome here with more complicated opinions!

I agree, the new lyrics feel too folklore/evermore for me.

Unpopular opinion: her songwriting in midnights feels like a stepback from folklore/evermore.

 

[JLXRD]

I am now already in an absolute state of STRESS about getting tickets for the UK shows.

 

[mendelsz]

Olivia did an interview with Alanis Morissette and said that it sucks when you meet your Idol and they turn out to be mean - something along the lines of that.

I wouldn't be surprised if Taylor is jealous of Olivia's success at such a young age. Taylor herself has said she is very insecure.

It was in bad taste to request credit for Dejavu due to the shout bridge. The shout bridge is not exclusive to Taylor. It sets bad precident.
In fact, Taylor herself has songs or lyrics which sound similar to other artists.

She’s hinted about her fear of aging and a young new thing taking her place through all of her career, more recently (and explicitly) in Nothing New. I’m sure she felt threatened when Sour became such a big hit and everyone was saying Olivia was the new Taylor.

Hopefully with the success of midnights Taylor will grow out of this, it’s fine to have insecurities but Taylor allows her need for validation and always being on top to completely take over her creative decisions and that’s a huge turn off for me, I’m always like: “ good, she got a Grammy, hopefully she won’t be upset about this album. She got a #1, now she knows this is a good choice of single”.

I wish Taylor’s art wasn’t so tied to her need to succeed at all times because it can become very distracting for fans.

 

[Tiggerhappy]

The way I look at her personality is...
I think she's fundamentally a nice person, extremely talented, generous, funny, never complacent etc etc and for that i love her... but she's also petty, hypocritical, too focused on awards and making money (when she has SO much of it).

But literally nobody is perfect. I'm lazy, selfish at times and can lose my temper. I'm really glad I'm not in the public eye because everything famous people do is open to scrutiny and it's so easy to be criticised and hated for anything and everything. We all have bad points. I love my family and friends but they all make me at times.

 

[ls240898]

I like the 10 min version of ATW and never listen to the 5 min version now haha, but I do agree that these aren’t the original lyrics. I’m sure Liz Rose or Taylor actually said the original demo was very coherent and was chatter and instrumental mostly, and the lyrics Taylor put in one of the Lover journals for the “original” all too well wasn’t even featured in the 10 min version. Think I’d respect it a bit more if she said “I took something we created x years ago and tweaked it I hope the fans like it”. Are you trying to tell me that 22 year old Taylor Swift wrote “when your Brooklyn broke my skin and bones” and “just between us did the love affair maim you too” - I don’t think so! That is folklore Taylor talking

Also agree about the victim playing - sometimes she is well within her rights to do that (Damon Albarn as an example) but the Ginny and Georgia thing, and even poor Jake Gyllenhaal to an extent, was ridiculous. If she is posting the G&G screenshot then she should call out every single show that’s ever referenced her in a slightly sassy/negative way (I’m not saying she should do this btw - just that she chose to call out a popular show at the time but wouldn’t do the same for other shows)

 

[newtoyou]

I heard someone describe Joe as “a man that exists in the world”. It was the most accurate description of him

 

[disneys]

No shade to Rihanna her music is cool but saying Rihanna is “real” music but Taylor swift isn’t is a very weird statement

I hate the superiority complex people who hate Taylor have . Saying it’s not real music is so stupid - let people like things !!!! I don’t enjoy Rihanna’s music but I wouldn’t call it not music just be side it’s not my taste . I won’t listen to it and likely won’t give it another thought , let alone make tweets about it . Some people are very strange

you can say something isn’t your taste AND admit that someone is talented . The two aren’t mutually exclusive

 

[WinterSolstice]

Controversial opinion: I LIKE petty Taylor.

I can relate,y’know?

 

[Caffeine Fiend]

My opinion is that you cant go through life not doing things because its unfair to others.

Whilst she can re-record her songs noone is forcing people to not play the originals.

Other artists could probably re-record their songs but would it be financially viable for them if they cant sell the numbers? Isnt that just down to popularity?

Im not legally minded but she can't re-record Reputation until a certain date so I imagine there has been clauses put in from a so many years following the release so I imagine what will happen going forward is record labels will put a blanket ban on new artists ever re-recording?!?

Im not gonna get into bashing the two SBs/BMR etc.