Life Comes At You Swiftly
I have a confession to make.
When it comes to the cultural phenomenon that is Taylor Swift, my friends and I were always of one mind. “I’m not a fan of her music,” we’d say, “but she seems like an awesome person.”
Whenever I said this, it was because first of all, I didn’t know many of her songs, and the ones I’d heard were catchy and fun, but not something I was ever tempted to play on repeat. Secondly, I had heard a few stories that indicated she was a decent person. The most popular tale was how she gave over $55 million in bonuses to every person on the crew of her Eras tour, everyone from dancers to caterers to sound engineers to truckers. Other stories included how Taylor prompted her fans to sign a petition, urging their Senators to vote for the Equality Act, which would have prohibited workplace discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation, and how she re-recorded all of her early albums to retain ownership of them after some allegedly shady dealings a few years ago. All in all, Taylor seemed like a fabulous individual.
I’m not sure why one night, when browsing around for something to stream, I settled on Miss Americana, a 2020 Netflix documentary about Taylor. This film, directed by Lana Wilson, tracks the evolution of a young girl who desperately wants everyone to love and approve of her to a woman who is willing to endure potentially harsh criticism to say what she believes. This is mostly dramatized by two events. In 2009, Kanye West interrupted Taylor’s acceptance speech after winning an MTV Video Music Award to express his disappointment that Beyoncé hadn’t taken the prize. When the crowd began to boo, Taylor didn’t know who they were booing, and for a moment wondered if the enormous crowd agreed with him. (They didn’t; they were booing Kanye, because honestly, who does that? Even Beyoncé was horrified.) Nine years later, in 2018, Taylor decided that years of being apolitical needed to end. Her Senator, Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), had repeatedly voted against LGBT rights, and — even more personally to Taylor — had voted against protections for women against stalkers. As one of the most famous women in America, it seems obvious that Taylor had some feelings about that. So, she spoke out. She expected a huge fallout from fans, and of course there was some backlash. But there was also lots of support. But more importantly, there was the satisfaction of simply saying what’s true and right, no matter what anyone thinks.
After watching the film, I liked Taylor even more. But I still didn’t know many of her songs. The documentary showed some of her writing process, but it was a lot of hesitant singing over chords that were still being figured out. But suddenly, I was curious. And so, I moved straight from Netflix to my Music channel, where I found a collection called “Taylor Swift Video Essentials,” and selected “Play All.”
And folks, I have to tell you — what I saw was a revelation to me. Taylor Swift is a brilliant songwriter. Her songs are catchy, profound, and often heartfelt. I’d heard that she wrote lots of songs at the expense of her ex-boyfriends, and there was some of that. But what I never expected was that she’s funny. Like, really really funny. And smart. And bad-ass. And powerful. And did I say funny? And the jokes are often self-deprecating, but in a way that doesn’t make you worry about her so much as nod your head and mutter, “Same, girl … same.”
“Blank Space” casts her as a manipulative vamp who tears through one Ivy League bro after another. In “Shake It Off,” she plays a ballerina who dances, shall we say, to her own (sick) beat. “Look What You Made Me Do” features a finale where a line-up of over ten Taylors interact in ways that are both outrageously funny and funny-because-it’s-true. And “You Need to Calm Down” is an empowerment anthem (including a shout-out to her LGBT friends and fans) for the ages, featuring cameos from RuPaul, Ellen DeGeneres, Billy Porter, the Queer Eye Fab Five, Serena Williams, Laverne Cox, and everyone else.
And my admiration grew even more when she endorsed Kamala Harris earlier this month, directly following her debate with a certain ex-president. Her message made it clear who she was voting for and why, but she stopped short of telling her legions of fans who they should vote for, just that they should look at both candidates carefully and make an informed decision.
In a development that was as predictable as it was (still) shocking, Donald Trump posted his own message days later, stating simply, “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT.” It was predictable because he’s a geriatric adolescent, but shocking because he is seeking the highest office in the land and thinks it wise to act like a child and alienate the biggest fan base on the planet.
And, it’s also worth noting that in four short, petulant, all-caps words — he made the life of an American citizen significantly less safe. He knows how loyal and deranged some in his own fandom can be. He’s surely aware that someone might take this as an invitation to be MAGA’s own Mark David Chapman or Andrew Cunanan. And he did this simply because she clarified who she’d be voting for after he falsely suggested she supported his candidacy. He did it because he hates. He hates because he’s a hater. And while I’m sure it didn’t take long for her to shake it off … I’m also sure she’s increased her security detail.
And yet, I’m positive she has no regrets.
And so, this is a coming-out column of sorts. My gentle readers, I am 53 years old. My life up until this point has been rich and varied, but I’ve come to realize something about myself, and I feel I must share it with you so that I can live more fully and authentically. I … (deep breath) … am a Swiftie. And while there is some debate on the origins of my community, nature vs. nurture, I have a hunch that I was just born this way. I understand if you have questions. I’ll try to answer them if I can.