Not to be that person, but I really do think that over the course of her nearly two-decade-long career and 12 studio albums, Taylor Swift has crafted one of, if not the best, discographies of the 21st century. I’m not sure how valid that take is, as I don’t have any experience in the discography-rating business; I’m just a music lover with a chronic need to rate and rank any piece of media that I consume. However, I’m still going to explain why I have been feeling this way. I don’t think that there is an artist (other than Swift) that I can point to as having a song for everything. As a 19-year-old college student, I think that I have experienced all kinds of relationships, and I still can find a Taylor Swift song to feel any of my feelings. Just got broken up with? “All Too Well.” Missing your mom? “The Best Day.” I could probably take well over 800 words, giving every situation a Taylor Swift song that fits it perfectly, but I’ll stop there. So, what I’m trying to say is, billionaire status and private jet usage aside, Taylor Swift is the kind of artist that only comes along once in a lifetime.
It’s always interesting to me when I hear people complain about Taylor Swift’s music, claiming it “all sounds the same” or is “only about breakups.” I believe that it is Swift’s ability to cover so many aspects of the human experience that makes her such a good recording artist. On a personal level, I know that I have turned to her music in hard periods of my life; from when I was 12 years old and my middle school boyfriend broke up with me, to being 19 years old and finding out that the girls that I had built what I believed to be lifelong friendships with were, in fact, bad friends. In two very different situations, I turned to the same artists’ music to get my feelings out and feel seen in some way. In other words, the types of relationships that Taylor Swift’s music covers are much broader than just romantic love.
One thing that I’ve learned about halfway through my college experience is that relationships are hard. All of them. No matter what, sometimes it feels as though they only get harder the more you grow and develop. It is for this reason that I find it so incredibly important to find some sort of outlet to allow yourself to channel the big feelings that come with adult relationships. That is what music has always been for me. Specifically, Taylor Swift’s music. To me, there is something so comforting about listening to a particular song that makes me feel supported and seen. There are specific lines from Taylor Swift songs that I turn to when I don’t know how to proceed in certain situations regarding relationships. For example, one of my favorite lyrics that stuck with me while dealing with ending several friendships was from “Long Story Short”:
“Past me
I wanna tell you not to get lost in these petty things
Your nemeses
Will defeat themselves before you get the chance to swing”
So, if like me, you are currently struggling with complicated relationships and want some guidance or comfort, I strongly urge you to turn to Taylor Swift, she just might surprise you.
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