Whither Taylor Swift?
Like her or hate her, karma or calm down, she does have influence.
At 33 years old, Taylor Swift in Pennsylvania to a stock broker father and housewife/former mutual fund exec, has in many ways surpassed Oprah Winfrey as the most influential female in the United States—-possibly the world. She grew up, of all places, on a Christmas tree farm. She briefly went to a Franciscan school. After being turned down for karaoke covers at the age of 12, she learned to play guitar and besieged Nashville until at age 13 she got a development deal, moving to Nashville a year later.
Astoundingly, at only 14, she said she was afraid she was “running out of time.” She had, according to other veteran songwriters, an uncanny way with “hooks” or clever lines people wanted to sing. With a country-ish flavor, she wrote or co-wrote all the songs on her debut album, “Taylor Swift,” which reached #5 on the charts and stayed there an astounding 157 weeks—-the longest of any artist since 2000. Swift became a hot commodity in the country arena, opening for big name acts such as Brad Paisley, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill. Her second album, “Fearless,” began to hit crossover markets and again ranked high.
Swift stockpiled awards, got in a public battle with Spotify over rights, briefly stepped away, then came back with a vengeance releasing numerous hit albums.
Throughout, Swift appealed mostly to the 20 and under female audience who identified with her angst, her flirty romantic stories, and her very cleverly buffered teen rebellion. Almost as a throwback to the 60s, when you only implied what you really meant—-think the Beatles, “She was just seventeen, if you know what I mean”—-Swift new how to be edgy without being nasty. And she never lost track of the bottom line, always making sure to keep her catalogue which entailed a battle with her manager Scooter Braun. One economist even called her an “economic genius.”
The biggest pop star in the world? Possibly. She has been awarded almost every honor that the music and entertainment industry can bestow. She has used her platform to champion abortion and has been an activist to take down Confederate memorials.
Swift has not married. She still, on some of her most recent albums, refers to men as “boys.” Whether deliberate or just as an internalized phrase, it seems to reflect her female Peter Pan-ism—-a perpetual “girl” with one foot still in the teen world. Of course she’s no teen, and has accumulated vast wealth which, unlike many other child stars, she has invested and grown smartly into a still larger fortune.
Her key, though, is to maintain that element of teen disappointment in summer romances, of first-blush, rosy cheeks, meet that “London boy” for the first time. She has almost none of Billie Eilish’s dark mental desperation, or Adele’s brooding throwback desperation of days gone by. This has kept Swifties (her fans) thoroughly enamored and loyal.
Can she take a step to more mature music? Especially as she ages? Will it still be chic for a 45 year old to be singing about the first date or the mean girls? I’m reminded of the Mick Jagger quotation that he didn’t want to be singing “Satisfaction” when he was 70. Don’t look now, Mick, but you just announced a new tour at 80 and I’d bet a dollar to a dog turd you’ll be singing “Satisfaction.” Anyway, in the mean time, even if you don’t like her music or politics, do not make the mistake of blowing off Swift as an un-influential airhead. Or as she would sing, “You better calm down.”
Larry Schweikart
Rock drummer, Film maker,NYTimes #1 bestselling author
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