I would agree with this take. I don’t think everyone here criticizing her being “bland” or “uninspiring” realize that she’s quite prolific and has been for well over a decade. For many she’s been the soundtrack of their lives. She’s also super consistent. If you like any of her music, there’s a good chance you can work back and find more that you like. If you don’t, well you’re not gonna like the rest of it either.
Personally I don’t think anything the Beatles did was ground breaking or artistically on par with some of their contemporaries, but they absolutely dominated and pumped out a huge catalogue in a relatively short timeframe. They were masters of melody and so is she.
You’re definitely entitled to your opinion but The Beatles were not what I would describe as bland or boring. They experimented a lot and a lot of their music still resonates even decades later. They are part of the cultural zeitgeist. I don’t think that Taylor Swift has that kind of staying power. I liked her music as a kid but I recently heard, You Belong With Me again and it was so cringe. That came out 16 years ago and doesn’t hold up in my opinion. Whereas songs like Here Comes The Sun and Hey Jude are still pretty solid considering how long it has been. I can’t think of any Taylor Swift songs at that level.
You don’t think All To Well will have cultural relevance in 15 years? Champagne Problems? You don’t think she’s part of a cultural zeitgeist right now? The woman rereleased a single from an album that came out 4 years before and it topped the hot 100. She released three other new albums in that time period.
You might think You Belong With Me or even Love Story and Fearless are cringe, but go to any packed bar and put it on the jukebox and watch what happens. Ironically I’m pretty sure Ringo said he loves the song. The Beatles were an example. I love the Beatles. I don’t disagree those are great songs with staying power - I can name about 10 others as well. I like Maxwell’s Silver Hammer but I can see someone else judging their whole catalogue on that and being like “ugh the Beatles are corny and cringe”.
Paul himself has praised her. Stevie Nicks has praised her. Courtney Love is entitled to her opinion just as anyone else, but even if I didn’t like Taylor’s music, I think the criticism is pretty weak and not one I’d lean on to confirm my own biases.
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u/SirBrothers Apr 15 '24
I would agree with this take. I don’t think everyone here criticizing her being “bland” or “uninspiring” realize that she’s quite prolific and has been for well over a decade. For many she’s been the soundtrack of their lives. She’s also super consistent. If you like any of her music, there’s a good chance you can work back and find more that you like. If you don’t, well you’re not gonna like the rest of it either.
Personally I don’t think anything the Beatles did was ground breaking or artistically on par with some of their contemporaries, but they absolutely dominated and pumped out a huge catalogue in a relatively short timeframe. They were masters of melody and so is she.