{"id":1140,"date":"2014-12-02T00:41:07","date_gmt":"2014-12-02T00:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/whatwedo\/?p=1140"},"modified":"2014-12-27T22:46:28","modified_gmt":"2014-12-27T22:46:28","slug":"an-open-letter-to-taylor-swift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.pugetsound.edu\/whatwedo\/2014\/12\/02\/an-open-letter-to-taylor-swift\/","title":{"rendered":"An Open Letter to Taylor Swift"},"content":{"rendered":"

In which Daniel unpacks his complex emotions regarding the new musical ventures of the pop star Taylor Swift.<\/em><\/p>\n

Dear Taylor Swift,<\/p>\n

My darling Tay, dear Tswizz, Tswizzle, Swisscheesizzle, Tswift of the swiftest Taylors. When first I listened to your new album 1989, I was a different person. I dismissed it with a certain amount of derision and laughter.\u00a0 And yet I still felt compelled, perhaps because of my allegiance to trashy pop music, to download your album onto my iPod and listen to it on repeat. Over and over again, I listened to the songs, with the assumption that I would eventually remove it from my music library, but to my surprise, the awkward, almost juvenile manner by which the songs were constructed became charming to me.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The album cover of Tswizzle’s new musical masterpiece.<\/p><\/div>\n

Many of the lyrics first struck me as bizarre, as if they were a stream-of-consciousness first draft.\u00a0 The best two examples are from the song \u201cBad Blood\u201d, describing a grievous offense by a past friend:<\/p>\n

1) \u201cDon\u2019t think it\u2019s in the past; these kind of wounds, they last and they last.\u201d So, Tay, not only do these wounds last\u2026 they ALSO LAST AGAIN. Could you think of no other phrasing wherein you didn\u2019t use \u201clast\u201d twice?<\/p>\n

2) \u201cTime will heal, but this won\u2019t; so if you\u2019re coming my way\u2026 just don\u2019t.\u201d Again, Twizz, it sounds as if you just couldn\u2019t think of anything better. Your ex-lover is approaching you and you tell him \u201cWhat are you\u2026 could you\u2026 just\u2026 don\u2019t.\u201d I am heavily reminded of the phrase \u201cCould you NOT?\u201d<\/p>\n

And yet I am simultaneously delighted by the ridiculous self-indulgence of so many of the album\u2019s lyrics.\u00a0 Take the words of one of the bonus tracks entitled \u201cNew Romantics\u201d:<\/p>\n

1) \u201cWe show off our different scarlet letters; trust me, mine is better.\u201d\u00a0 Let\u2019s be real, for a second, Taylor; if someone is actively seeking and listening to your music, I doubt that they are wild enough to merit a scarlet letter from anyone. Mind you, I have no idea what the \u201ccrazy kids\u201d listen to these days, but I have a strong suspicion it is not your music.\u00a0 That being said, the concept that any of your listeners might be wild enough to attract the derision and scorn that \u201cscarlet letter\u201d suggests is hugely over-dramatic, and therefore I am a massive fan.<\/p>\n

2) \u201cWe need love, but all we want is danger.\u201d Again, few true swifties would be inclined to seek out terribly dangerous activities, but still you offer the philosophy of \u201cthrill over romance\u201d in this song that is so clearly an over-dramatization that I can\u2019t help but love it.<\/p>\n

In no particular order, here are a few of my other favorite lyrical and musical moments of the album:<\/p>\n

1) The line \u201cThe monsters turned out to be just trees\u201d from \u201cOut of the Woods\u201d<\/p>\n

2) The first bass drop during \u201cWelcome to New York\u201d.<\/p>\n

3) The introduction of male vocals after the bridge of \u201cOut of the Woods\u201d.<\/p>\n

4) The line \u201cDarling, I\u2019m a nightmare dressed like a daydream\u201d from \u201cBlank Space\u201d.<\/p>\n

5) The second bass drop during \u201cWelcome to New York\u201d.<\/p>\n

6) The moment in \u201cOut of the Woods\u201d at 3:20 when the stacked vocals singing \u201cAre we out of the woods?\u201d (for the umpteenth time) form an Am add9 chord.<\/p>\n

7) The third bass drop during \u201cWelcome to New York\u201d.<\/p>\n

8) The line \u201cLove\u2019s a game; wanna play?\u201d from \u201cBlank Space\u201d.<\/p>\n

9) The retro guitar riff that carries most of \u201cI Wish You Would\u201d.<\/p>\n

10) The sick arena-rock drum beat change during the chorus of \u201cI Wish You Would\u201d.<\/p>\n

11) That ENTIRE section of talking in the middle of \u201cShake It Off\u201d.<\/p>\n

12) The use of head voice, rather than belting, in \u201cWildest Dreams\u201d.<\/p>\n

13) The arpeggiation of the EM7 chord in the background vocals at the end of \u201cThis Love\u201d.<\/p>\n

14) The line \u201cIt\u2019s all fun and games until somebody loses their mind\u201d from \u201cWonderland\u201d.<\/p>\n

15) The bass drop during the chorus of \u201cWonderland\u201d.<\/p>\n

16) The fact that the melody of \u201cYou Are in Love\u201d only uses four pitch classes: A, B, C#, and E, and yet the song gets stuck in my head all the time and I do not find it unmelodic.<\/p>\n

So, my dear Tswift, what I am getting at? I am saying that your album reminded me that life can be ridiculous and fun and, sometimes, you\u2019ve just got a kitten and a cake full of blood and a gazelle, and when the time comes, you just have to stand on your white horse before your Long Island mansion and sing:<\/p>\n