Who is Taylor Swift

[Rodcx500z]

Very true. Reckon we’ll see ‘em down at the Dog & Duck on Saturday?

Greatest rock and roll band in the world, get your self down the dog & duck

 

[Kerby]

This is a cover better than original

 

[sifty]

Interesting thread.
I don't care much for her music, just bland but inoffensive pap pop, but fully aware I'm not the target audience.
I asked my girls (13 & 15) if they were into Taylor Swift and just got a 'meh' response...

I think she has a huge middle-aged women following, the sort that listen to soft hits radio stations. The 'not too heavy, not too light, not too Interesting' type radio ..

 

[Rodcx500z]

Interesting thread.
I don't care much for her music, just bland but inoffensive pap pop, but fully aware I'm not the target audience.
I asked my girls (13 & 15) if they were into Taylor Swift and just got a 'meh' response...

I think she has a huge middle-aged women following, the sort that listen to soft hits radio stations. The 'not too heavy, not too light, not too Interesting' type radio ..

My daughter who is 26 is going watching her in Liverpool tomorrow

 

[An Ankoù]

I think she has a huge middle-aged women following, the sort that listen to soft hits radio stations. The 'not too heavy, not too light, not too Interesting'

Who are all these huge, middle-aged women?
Sounds like Terry Wogan listeners!

 

[An Ankoù]

My daughter who is 26 is going watching her in Liverpool tomorrow

I've heard tickets run into thousands of pounds?
Can you get her to provide a full report?

 

[Northern_Brewer]

My point being is that it's possible to recognise talent in bands you don't like. "oh, that's a great song, but I hate it", sort if thing.
I struggle to find that in Swift's repertoire, what I've heard of it, though.
Perhaps it's more the show than the music that appeals.

I hesitate to get into this because I too am not the target market here - but in general these days, if there's something you can't work out how it's got so popular, then it's probably blown up on social media. And in turn social media is now so interwoven into what it means to be famous that it's changing the nature of fame, it's a much more intimate relationship where fans follow the twists and turns of someone's life in all the grisly detail.

Music aside, I find Swift a curiously robotic character, I can't warm to her at all. But I can recognise that for a lot of 20- and 30-something women she's like a real-life version of how Bridget Jones was to a previous generation. Yes she has a couple of radio-friendly tunes but surprisingly few given how big she is. But the love seems to come from following her life and all the songs that maybe relatively unmemorable musically but which tell stories that resonate with those 20/30-something women. I guess there's some parallels with Bob Dylan and Radiohead, who had relatively few great tunes but who had fanbases that felt that they spoke for/to THEM. (even if it's perhaps generic Barnum stuff).

But in terms of a warmer personality with more tunes in two albums than Swift has managed in eleven, then might I point the old farts to Olivia Rodrigo? By way of a gentle introduction, here she is as a teenager doing You're So Vain at Carly Simon's induction to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - supposedly it was meant to be a duet with Alanis Morrissette who dropped out at the last minute.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

The cynic in me says that she at least in part slept her way to the top.

If that is the case we will never know so it's a moot point.

 

[An Ankoù]

But in terms of a warmer personality with more tunes in two albums than Swift has managed in eleven, then might I point the old farts to Olivia Rodrigo?

Play list duly cued up.
The name seems vaguely familiar and her rendition of You're So Vain is very promising. So as soon as I get up to put the kettle on, it's Olivia.
Always appreciate recommendations.

As an aside, there's no TV or radio signal here where we live so very recently bought an Internet radio streamer. It's like a new life, choice of some 10k stations aside, the track info for every song played is displayed in real time, so anything promising can be explored with Tidal or Spotify or the like.

 

[MashBag]

DADGAD is another classic open tuning I like. It's used a lot in folk/celtic music by guitarists such as Bert Jansch, Richard Thompson and Jimmy Page.

GDGBD is the only one used. That and picks, fantastic noise.

 

[An Ankoù]

Duplicate deleted

 

[Tanglefoot]

GDGBD is the only one used. That and picks, fantastic noise.

Er no, do you play guitar ?

https://proaudioland.com/news/dadgad-tuning/

Or are you just talking about Miss Swift ?
Either way it's one of a number of open tunings.

 

[Sozzled Sab]

The world would be a boring place if we all liked the same beer. Same with music, I like stuff as diverse as Frank Sinatra to Ramstein. I tend to only realise how good it was 10-15 years after it was released. So in years to come I might like Taylor Swift. There are many artists that I feel I should like but try as I might they just don't do it for me(*** Pistols, Oasis, Coldplay, etc). The Beatles will always be my number one.

 

[Cwrw666]

Think thats open D

Nope, not with a G in it. Used a lot by folkies as you can play in D really easily and also play bits of tune and chords at the same time really easily but sounding very slick.
For the same reason drop D tuning is also common. That's standard guitar tuning but with the low E string tuned down to D.

 

[Leon103]

Fair comment, but not really the point. What we're trying to understand is why this child of middling talent is such a phenomenon.

The OP was asking about the hype there are lots of singers like her or better out there why all the Taylor Swift hype.

Taylor Swift is so popular because of her ability to convey emotion and create captivating worlds through her storytelling. She has also adapted to different music genres, from country to pop to indie, and won many awards for her musical sensibility and artistic integrity. She has also responded to haters and controversies through her lyrics, and taken back her music from the industry. She supports various causes, invests in real estate, and directs her own work.

 

[Leon103]

I think you are wrong.
Quite a lot of it has broad appeal (which is more than can be said about a lot of youth music going back years).

But what do I know, I have been known to sit at the traffic lights with the windows open with 'funny action songs for kids' on the tape deck to keep the blighters in the back quiet/drown out "are we there yet" and "how many more miles"

And on the subject, why do places play all this 'nostalgia' music from the 40's when we should be headed for "punk rock retirement squats" in the very near future?

You like me have younger kids then. Most of this lot are closer to the grave yard than the school yard.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Most of this lot are closer to the grave yard than the school yard.

Do you include yourself in that?

 

[Bjorn Toulouse]

Might be closer to the grave, but even in the school yard I hated wee lassies music. The BBC musically has always been bland middle class main stream. I'm not surprised they gush over this twaddle. The thing that annoys me is how many of these fans pay their TV licence. To quote tiswas "This is what they want", well see tiswas was not on the BBC!

 

[Kerby]

Who are all these huge, middle-aged women?
Sounds like Terry Wogan listeners!

You got there before me

 

[MickDundee]

Folklore is an excellent album. Definitely a massive pleasant surprise back in 2020, and it had me delve into a lot of her back catalogue.

I find it quite hit and miss but she’s an excellent songwriter.

And this is coming from someone who is primarily into mid-90s skate-punk/punk-rock (for those in the know, Epitaph/Fat stuff mainly).