Taylor Swift has had an explosive career since the launch of her second album, Fearless, in 2008. Since then she’s been an award-winning icon for the country-pop crossover genre for the teen generation and, more specifically, break-up anthems.
Most likely your favorite Tay Swift song has to do with parting ways from a significant other (i.e. “I Knew You Were Trouble,” “We Are Never Getting Back Together,” “Last Kiss,” “Dear John,” “Back To December,” and so on). It seems to be a critical theme in the romance-obsessed singer’s work. Is that why we turn up her songs full blast when they come on the radio? Or is that why we roll our eyes whenever we see a picture of her and her new famous beau online? There are two sides to every story…
The Whiny Side: I think the crucial turning point for Taylor Swift coming off as “whiny” and tiresome was her 2013 Grammy performance. She opened the music awards ceremony with a peppy rendition of “I Knew You Were Trouble.” During the song, she used a British accent for the speaking portion of the hit tune, implying that she was mocking her latest ex, Harry Styles of One Direction. Not very classy, Tay. But before that, every one of her fans couldn’t seem to count all of her famous exes on one hand. There was Joe Jonas, Taylor Lautner, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Mayer, Connor Kennedy, Harry Styles… and maybe Zac Efron?* It seems to be her everlasting reputation: girl who gets broken up with. Maybe take a break from the boys, Tay?
The Wonderful Side: All quips about her disastrous love life aside, Taylor Swift is still a mega successful superstar. Her latest album “Red” has already sold over 5.4 million copies worldwide. Admit it, no matter how much you find her annoying, you just can’t seem to not find her music catchy and relatable. There’s a reason why her concerts sell out in minutes, why she wins so many awards, and why we still try to analyze which song is about which ex-boyfriend. It’s because we love her anyways. And hey, not every song is about a break up, right? “22” is about being young with your friends, “Mean” is about the negativity of bullying, and “Change” is about her career ambitions. Taylor Swift’s got a lot going for her, and just remember: if she didn’t have all those break-ups, we wouldn’t have all those awesome songs!
What do you think readers? Has Taylor Swift faded off your radar? Or are you still hitting replay on “I Knew You Were Trouble”? Comment below!
Photo Credits:
billboard.com, digitalspy.com, and huffingtonpost.com