:)
Been talking with a few different people about Taylor Swift lately and it’s just been interesting. Because, I’m a fan, I’ve liked her for a long, long time. She put out specific music at just the right time that I needed it multiple times, and a lot of her songs are really important to me. So everything we’ve been talking about comes from this place that includes the history I have with her and her music.
I have these two friends who don’t know each other who both went to her show in Atlanta, and talking to them separately, they had two Very different takeaways. One’s a big fan, and we talked about her experience and her favorite part. Her favorite part was the “Willow” stage, which she described as having “insane witchy vibes.” But I’ve seen pictures from that, and as my sister says, Taylor Swift just looks like she wants to be Florence Welch so badly. And also, you can’t have “insane witchy vibes” for a song that asks a man to wreck your plans. Or when your make up is a cat eye and a red lip. Like, you can, but you can’t get on Florence’s level.
And then my other friend and I were talking about “Vigilante Shit” and that stage the other day and I watched a video and it’s fine? Like it’s cool I guess, but it’s basically just blocking with some sitting and posing on and with a chair? I had so many friends text me when Midnights came out being like “omg you’re going to LOVE vigilante shit, it’s so your vibe.” And I can totally see how they’d think that. It’s dark girl boss revenge pop with strong Gotham Rogue/Catwoman energy, which was very much my vibe in high school. High school me probably would’ve eaten it up. But now I can’t help but be like “okay this is the same vibe as no body no crime, except that song was better.” AND THEN I rewatched the “I Did Something Bad” stage from the Reputation Tour in 2018 and like that stage is awesome! It’s powerful, it’s impactful, it’s got grit and tooth and anger and purpose. The “Vigilante Shit” stage and song just doesn’t have that for me, nor does it have the storytelling strength of “no body, no crime.”
Like, she’s had her controversies, but Taylor Swift is just so palatable that “insanely witchy vibes” and “Vigilante Shit” just fall flat for me now. And I like her! It’s a weird feeling because now, whenever my old friends text me about Taylor Swift, it reminds me that so many of my older friends don’t actually *know* me anymore. They love me, but we’ve been apart for so long that they don’t know me. And I know for a fact I do this too, so like I get it, but still. I’ve grown since then, and I think I’ve outgrown Taylor Swift in a way - at least this current version of what she’s doing. And most of her stuff are love songs, which I’m really not into at this point in my life, so it’s like a double whammy. It’s weird. I have this history and gratitude to her music, but I’m also like, moving beyond that. It doesn’t feel like *me* anymore, and that’s a weird thing to try and articulate. It’s a weird thing to realize you’ve outgrown someone whose music grew up with you.
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