Since the release of Taylor Swift’s new song “Look What You Made Me Do,” the nostalgia for old Taylor has been too real, particularly after watching the music video, which paid homage to the Taylors of years past. But, as T-Swift said herself “I’m sorry. The old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Because she’s dead.” In memoriam, here’s a look at the all of her phases.
1. Country Taylor
Her first album had a small, niche following of young teenage girls, but come on. “Our Song”? That’s a jam. Add in “Teardrops on my Guitar” for dramatic unrequited love and “Tim McGraw” for some authentic southern flare and you have yourself a country star. She also created an iconic look with those tight blonde curls. “Picture to Burn” also should’ve warned us about the 2017 Taylor that was to come…
2. “Spillover” Taylor
Taylor’s words, not mine. She once said that she considered her blend of country and pop more “spillover” than “crossover”, and who am I to argue with T-Swift? There was a time when Swift was a staple at every country awards show and mainstream events. Fearless and Speak Now were the two majors albums of this era which came with some massive hits like “You Belong With Me”, “The Story of Us” and “Love Story”. This was also the year Kanye stormed on stage at the VMAs and took the mic from Taylor. Tragic, but also iconic. I used to think of these as the golden years, but now it’s hard to say.
3. Red Taylor
This album officially started to pull Swift away from the country genre and put her on the map as someone who could seriously pull off pop, not that anyone ever doubted that. She also debuted a new hipster look, complete with bangs and lots of, well, red. Every 22nd birthday still blasts “22” and anyone who has ever dated a douchebag can relate to “I Knew You Were Trouble”.
4. 1989 Taylor
And here comes pop Taylor. After moving to New York City, Taylor found a new style and sound. Upbeat and fun, but still not afraid to take shots at those she feels have wronged her, 1989 was a fantastic couple of years. It was hit single after hit single after hit single. And the special guests on every stop of the tour were just the cherry on top. The big Kimye debacle of 2016 sadly put this era to a close.
5. Recluse Taylor
Since summer 2016, AKA Kim exposing Taylor’s approval of Kanye’s “Famous” lyrics via Snapchat, Swift went into hiding. She was rarely spotted, and some even speculated she was being carried around in a big box. Probably not true, but still fun to talk about. Taylor stayed out of the public eye, but of course she was cooking up something…
6. The New Taylor
I guess if the old Taylor is dead, that makes 2017 Taylor the new one? She’s certainly different than all of the other past Taylors. She seems to be coming for blood this time with “Look What You Made Me Do” and looks like she’s giving up the victim reputation for a new, more aggressive one. I guess the best defense is a good offense, and that seems to be the approach she’s taking. I guess we’ll see on November 10th.
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