I don't mean to be harsh, but I, the new Dallas Observer music (and arts) editor, love Taylor Swift. Bite me.
You might have read this headline and wondered why I didn't delete some of the bad words. Like, "New" or "Observer" or "Taylor," maybe "Swift." But I had reason to use all those words. Mainly because Taylor Swift is good and I do
"But you're wrong because Taylor Swift doesn't make good music," you might be thinking, along with all of my ex-boyfriends. Does someone who "doesn't make good music" win 10 Grammys? Maybe, but that would be 10 mistakes on the Grammys' part, and that seems high. (OK, Christina Aguilera won Best New Artist in 2000 instead of Britney Spears. That possibly was a big enough mistake to equal nine regular mistakes, but not 10).
"But she always plays the victim," you're thinking again, possibly saying it out loud at this point. Maybe, but maybe she writes her best songs when she feels victimized. Did that ever cross your pea-sized mind?
I don't want to be harsh or get political or start a movement for everyone to stop shaving their armpits, but we (America, my ex-boyfriends) typically don't bring up the V-word about Taylor Swift's male counterparts (Ed Sheeran, Justin Timberlake).
Because when Timberlake casts a Britney Spears lookalike in his "Cry Me A River" music video, it's art. (I agree. It was beautiful.) And when Ed Sheeran pens an angry song called "Don't" and doesn't necessarily deny that it's about fellow singer Ellie Goulding, it's just an artist making art out of a bad situation. (I agree. It was beautiful art). But when Taylor Swift sings about John Mayer in "Dear John," she's playing the victim? That seems — dare I say it? — sexist.
This is an old argument, and it's like continuing to argue about Earth being flat. The correct people know the correct argument, and the wrong people are on the wrong side of history. Which side of history do you want to be on? (Answer: the correct side.)
Maybe you think Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake and Ed Sheeran are all bad, but that is wrong. They are all good. Besides that one not-good Justin Timberlake song in Trolls that got him an Oscar nomination. (That big mistake equals about seven regular mistakes).
I understand if you don't love Taylor Swift. I wasn't always her diehard fan. When my father first introduced me to her in 2005 (he loves claiming he discovered her), I thought she was just fine. She had a fake country accent and spoke way too much about some guy in her class named Drew, but overall she was fine.
My love for Taylor Swift really came into full bloom when I first heard "All Too Well" from her fourth album, Red. She sang in my car CD player the words I played on repeat: "so casually cruel in the name of being honest." For the first time, a young woman put my exact feelings into a melody. That was and is good.
If you're not convinced, which I'm not sure why you wouldn't be at this point, my editor told me to ask other Taylor Swift fans about her. So I texted my friend who has been a true Taylor Swift fan since the beginning. She even met Swift in 2007 after she opened up for Brad Paisley at what was then the Smirnoff Music Centre.
"Why do you like Taylor Swift?" I texted.
"V relatable. V real. V kind. V good music," she texted back.
See? Two people say she is good. Now you have to believe it.
But listen, if you're worried this section of your favorite website is going to be filled with just stories about Taylor Swift (like Why Does She Sing 'Those Georgia Stars' in the Song 'Tim McGraw' When She's Never Lived in Georgia?), rest assured that won't be the case. We still will deliver the music news covering all genres and musicians. When necessary, maybe even Taylor Swift.
Also, one time she liked my Instagram post, so now I worship her.
