I’m Casey, and I love Taylor Swift.
Cross that out. I’m Casey, and I love Taylor Swift, 1989 era. Whoever she has become now... is very different. Who is the old Taylor? And what has she become now? Here is a look at how I've interacted with each of these Taylors over the years and why I wish the new Taylor was dead –maybe.
The really old Taylor
Now, I’ve had an interesting past with T. Swift. While my love of her music didn’t come until 2014 with her release of 1989, I enjoyed her previous “country” releases. In 2009, I chose her song “Our Song” as the background music of a speech where 11-year-old me gave away my pageant crown to the next queen. (Yes, I was a pageant girl back in the day. Yes, I cringe.) So basically, I’ve been listening to Taylor for a long, long time.
The old Taylor
However, when “Blank Space” was released towards the end of 2014, I remember buying it on iTunes (in the dark age when Swift wasn’t on Spotify) and listening to it on repeat (and belting it out) in my car. I specifically made it my mission to memorize the lyrics, but the bridge always tripped me up. But, in time (aka 3 days), I did memorize the lyrics, and in the same vein, my love for Taylor Swift blossomed. Shortly after, I vividly remember being in Walmart with my Dad around Christmas time and telling him that I was buying the CD as a gift to myself because I couldn’t wait until Christmas morning to have the CD in my hands.
Beginning in December of 2014, I put 1989 in my car’s CD player and never took it out again for three years. Yes, I listened to the album for three years straight, and I have no shame. I loved every song for different reasons, and even as I graduated high school and moved on to college, the album was a security blanket of sorts for me. The album, to this day, reminds me of the second half of my senior year and how great it was.
The new Taylor
On August 21st, Taylor returned to Instagram hinting at the release of a new album, and with it, a new single. As the Taylor Swift fan I am, I got irrationally excited, telling everyone near me whether they cared or not (*cough* my housemates). However, the hints that Swift dropped, while exciting, also made me nervous. For instance, the snake. I get the implications given the feud with Kim Kardashian-West and whatnot, but I could already tell that we weren’t dealing with 1989-era Taylor anymore. Alas, I was still hopeful, and I kept reminding myself that no matter what, I still had 1989.
Fast-forward to August 24th: “Look What You Made Me Do” came out. I sat at my dining room table, put in my earbuds, and prepared myself for something I’d been waiting for almost three years. The intro reminded me of a fairytale and held promise. But then the base dropped and I realized that this was not what I was expecting… at all. The pre-chorus had hints of the Taylor I was used to, but then came the chorus (which automatically made me think of “I’m Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred) and I was devastated… I disliked her new song.
It wasn’t the pop style that I loved from 1989. I went on to tell everyone how much I hated the song, while also playing it for them so they could hate it too, when I realized that I was singing along. What was happening?! On my way to classes, I’d have the urge to play it. While I still cringed during some parts, I ~enjoyed~ it. The beat was catchy, the video she later released was clever (side note: the line of Taylors in front of the plane at the end was the best part of that video, hands down), and it had some quotable lyrics.
Surprise! On September 3rd, Taylor released “… Ready for It?” Once again, I listened to it and found parts I liked (the chorus) and parts I disliked (everything else). What is this new robot-y sound? This is so different than the sound I came to love from 1989.
The verdict
1989 will always be my favorite T-Swift album, whether it be the red-lipped Taylor persona, the pop beat lyrics, or the memories I associate with the time I originally heard it. While I wish everything Taylor did was similar to this, I understand where Taylor is coming from and the fact that she is changing. Do I have to like it? No. But I understand it. I guess I have 13 more tracks from her upcoming album, Reputation, to figure out my official verdict of this “New Taylor”. However, I am really glad she’s back on Spotify because based on the two songs she has released thus far, I’m not sure if I could justify buying her new album.
While I understand that everyone changes with time, the die-hard Taylor fan in me still holds out hope that the old, pop Taylor will be resurrected and I’ll have a new “Blank Space” to jam to come November 10th.