Junior Jewels is a brand new club at the University of Georgia dedicated to none other than Taylor Swift.
The club gained traction immediately, which is not a surprise seeing as to how Swifties are so large in number. When I came across the table during the Engagement Fair, there were so many people near it that I had to circle back around when it cleared up. My favorite thing about the club is that you don’t have to be a hardcore Taylor fan to join. They accept everyone; from those who may only know a few songs, to those who could probably tell you Taylor’s entire life story. I personally like to think I fall somewhere in the middle. Any UGA students out there looking for friends who like Taylor, or who are trying to get into her music, definitely consider going to a meeting. I met some other members at the Taylor-themed silent disco the university held, and it was honestly one of the most fun nights ever.
As someone who really likes music and the deep meanings it can have, I knew this group would be perfect for my survey. Taylor Swift has a lot of songs, and I wanted to know what specific songs stood out to everyone and why they have such a deep connection to them. Here are picks from the executive board.
The president of the club, Tarabeth Looney is a freshman at UGA. She said her favorite song is “invisible string,” featured on the folklore album.
Tarabeth says she loves the idea of being connected to someone for your whole life, especially unknowingly. She specifically highlighted the lyrics “one single thread of gold tied me to you” and described it as “a thread so fragile, yet so strong.” She really loves soulmates and believes that the song perfectly embodies how soulmates are connected.
Kailee Jordy is a freshman and the Vice President of Junior Jewels. She responded saying her favorite song is “right where you left me,” on Taylor’s album evermore.
She said that listening to the song makes her feel like she’s reading a book. Kailee explained that Taylor did a really great job at capturing a lot of emotion in the lyrics and making the listener feel the same emotions as the girl in the restaurant she’s singing about. She says that this song is really good at showcasing how talented Taylor Swift is.
The secretary of Junior Jewels, freshman Madysen Farrell, said her favorite song is “The Archer”, from the album Lover.
“I’ve always found that sad songs have the most impact on me,” she explained. Madysen also went on to say that she believes sad songs always have great emotional depth and lyrics that are able to really touch the heart of the listener, and “The Archer” does just that for her. She added that the song “perfectly encapsulates the pain and troubles that [she’s] felt throughout life and it helps to not only express those feelings but know [she’s] not alone.”
Treasurer and freshman Rebecca Hines really likes the song “You Are In Love”, from 1989.
They said that the song reminds them of true love and that they’re a romantic at heart. “The lyrics ‘pauses and says, you’re my best friend’ are all anyone could want in a relationship,” they said. Rebecca believes that the lyrics are magical and poetic, “just like love”. They said the live performance gives her chills, and the song is very underrated (I agree!).
And here are some accounts from other members of the club, starting with UGA junior, Terrell Roberts, whose favorite song is “Call It What You Want”, from the album reputation.
He said he really likes this song because it’s such a different tone from the rest of the album, and he thought it was “one of her most personal tracks at the time.” He explained that the sound of the song was a “full-scale artistic transition”, especially after the work she did on the previous album, 1989. The song captivated him sonically and lyrically, and he related a lot to the lyrics. To Terrell, “Call It What You Want” further proves that she’s one of the best writers in the industry.
Rebekah Yohler, a sophomore, submitted “Out of the Woods” as her favorite song, and says that it reached this status after she heard it live during the 1989 World Tour in Atlanta. She also specifically highlighted Taylor Swift’s Grammy performance of the song.
“The way Taylor sings the chorus makes me really feel the anxiety she intended to incorporate into the song, and the bridge is one of the best ones she’s ever written,” she told me. “On a more personal note, I tend to feel nervous and anxious in platonic and romantic relationships because my mind wants me to think I’m not good enough or the other person will get tired of me. I really understand the feeling of wanting to be secure in a relationship and ‘out of the woods”. She also explained that she has a tattoo of two paper airplanes on the left side of her chest, a reference to the lyrics “two paper airplanes flying, flying, flying.” She references the lyrics again when she says that the song makes her want to literally “hit the breaks too soon, and get 20 stitches in a hospital room.”
Freshman Katie E. told me that her favorite song is Speak Now‘s “Sparks Fly”, and gave the cutest story as to why.
Katie said that in the first and second grades, she stayed with her best friend every day after school. They lived in the middle of nowhere and both of their families had large horse farms where they’d play in the paddocks and run around the woods together (can’t get any more early Taylor than that!). “We rode around in trucks with our moms and her older sister; we were always listening to Taylor Swift,” she added. “But my friend’s mom’s favorite song was “Sparks Fly”, so we listened to that one the most.” She associates the song with long car rides in the rain, running through fields of daffodils, and her childhood best friend.
Tessa, a freshman, is obsessed with “Forever Winter”, a vault track on Taylor’s version of Red.
“This song goes beyond words for me, but I’ll try to do it justice,” she started. “Taylor has plenty of soul-shredding deep cuts, but I can’t listen to this one without crying because of her desperation singing about mental health struggles and suicidal ideation,” Tessa said she really likes how the warm, holiday-inspired instrumentals contrast with the lyrics of the absolute brokenness Taylor would feel if she were to lose a loved one. “The song is a painful yet beautiful blend that I interpret as a message to anyone listening that it does get better when you have even one person to support you and show you warmth.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, call the Suicide and Crisis Hotline at 988, or use the Crisis Textline by texting ‘HOME’ to 741741.
Tatum Powell, a freshman, said her favorite song is from the album Midnights. She chose “The Great War” as her pick.
Tatum said she loved the story behind it and thinks it’s a great follow-up to the song “Afterglow” — another favorite of hers — featured on Lover. “I love the lyricism behind ‘The Great War’ and the enemies-to-lovers subtext it has. I wish I could go back and listen to it again for the first time.”
As I said earlier, Swifties are very dedicated and large in number. I got a lot of responses, but I couldn’t fit everyone in the article. So, as a way to help everyone feel included, I created a poll where everyone could vote on their favorite Taylor Swift album so we could see which one UGA students believe reigns supreme.
Her self-titled debut album had 0% of the votes, Fearless had 14.3%, Speak Now had 35.7%, Red had 7.1%, 1989 had 0%, reputation had 21.4% of the votes, Lover and folklore both had 10.7%, evermore had 14.3% and Midnights had 0%.
I was not surprised that Speak Now won (hopefully we’ll get Taylor’s Version soon), and I wasn’t surprised that self-titled didn’t receive any votes. However, I was surprised that 1989 and Midnights didn’t get any either.
While the Junior Jewels club doesn’t account for every Taylor fan at UGA, they do represent a good chunk of the population. I love knowing people’s favorite songs, and I especially love knowing why. I’m big on the fact that music tells a story and can represent feelings we have trouble putting into words, or the feelings that we think nobody else is experiencing. Reading everyone’s responses was so fun, and after seeing the songs and explanations, I tried to listen to the songs from everyone’s individual point of view, trying to put myself in their shoes.
I definitely would do this again with a different artist, because of how personal and fun it can be to see people talk about the various connections they have to music. If you haven’t already, you should definitely think about why you like your favorite songs. Whether the reason is because of some deep personal anecdote, or a silly inside joke with friends, it’s still valid and any connection is an important one.