I find it of the utmost importance for a writer to be transparent with their audience. It is for this reason I must make a confession: I have not always liked Taylor Swift.
Let me defend myself by prefacing that I have never disliked the artist; however, I am guilty of indifference. How did I manage to avoid one of the most famous women in pop culture for the past 13 years, you may ask? The answer, my friends, comes very swiftly.
This being said, Swift’s newest album has turned me into a “lover” of her music.
Swift’s seventh album, Lover, became 2019’s top-selling album in the U.S. a mere two days after its release on Aug. 2. The last artist to sell a million album copies in the first week of sales was Swift herself in 2017 with Reputation. Breaking her own record, Lover has sold more than three million copies internationally in its first week, becoming the number one song in over ten countries.
Lover is everything you could want in an album. From angsty pop to doo-wop inspired folk tunes, there truly is something for everyone. Originally a country singer, Taylor Swift gradually transitioned into a pop artist before our eyes. Her music soon became less influenced by her Nashville musical roots. It wasn’t until her fifth album, 1989, that she shook it off and never looked back.
Along with her music, she has also blossomed into an advocate for equality. Swift has not always been outspoken on controversial, political subjects and has been heavily criticized for this in the past.
Nowadays, we expect celebrities in the entertainment industry to also be political advocates. Given such a large platform, they have the opportunity to influence many people who look up to them to get politically involved.
This concept reminded me of lyrics from Propellerheads’ “History Repeating,” featuring Shirley Bassey.
“Some people don’t dance if they don’t know who’s singing. / Why ask your head, it’s your hips that are swinging.”
While I fully support advocacy through the arts, is it right to require artists to take on this second, full-time job? Can we only enjoy music by artists who are politically active in the media?
I think it’s worth consideration, but it’s not something we have to worry about in Swift’s new album where she directly tackles subjects of homophobia and sexism.
Released during Pride Month on June 14, “You Need to Calm Down” directly speaks to those who attack the LGBTQ+ community. In fact, on Aug. 26, the artist won “Best Video of the Year” at the Video Music Awards for the aforementioned hit single and used her acceptance speech as an opportunity to urge fans to sign a petition for the Equality Act.
The lively song can also be viewed as Taylor’s response to the media’s harsh perspective of her. Swift is no stranger to sexist judgement; nobody blinks an eye when male musicians write songs about their past relationships. Any woman who has had to work twice as hard to earn the same respect as her male counterparts will love the powerful feminist anthem that is “The Man.”
In my opinion, the most important lyrics of the album are not sung, but are spoken at the end of the final track, “Daylight.” Voiced over the underscore of the outro, Taylor says “I wanna be defined by the things I love. Not the things I hate. […] I just think you are what you love.”
I think this quote perfectly captures the message of the album. It is imminent that life will have hardships, but our perspectives can influence how they affect us and how we choose to view the world. Lover is an account of Swift’s journey to search for the good in people and to “see daylight.”
Leave a Reply