Swiftie analysis: Why do people love Taylor Swift?

August 9, 2024 - 6:00pm

Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift at the world premiere of her 'The Eras Tour' movie.

AFP / Valerie Macon

UNITED STATES — Do you know the feeling when you first hear something, see something, or even eat something and you just know it is going to be good? That was Taylor Swift for a lot of people.

Whether it was "22" or "Shake It Off," people were seriously hooked. Her songs continuously played on the radio until people who were not even fans were singing along.

Time and time again the question remains: Why?

In 2022, Taylor announced her first tour since 2018, and the following year also revealed even more concert dates around the world.

Tickets were near impossible to get, some even selling at prices over P175,000. People flew far and wide to attend a show.

The very high demand of tickets was enough to send anyone into a frenzy, but there was the promise of a three hour-long concert spanning almost all of Taylor's discography — a captivating show full of lights, impressive sets, outfit changes, and more.

Where it all began

Taylor's rise to fame is not just a recent fad, having been in the industry over half her life.

Her family moved to Nashville, Tennessee, at a young age for the sole purpose of pursuing a musical career. She signed a record deal when she was 14 years old and had her first radio hit, "Tim McGraw," two years later.

Many people still associate Taylor with the infamous 2009 MTV Video Music Awards incident when Kanye West interrupted her acceptance speech to say Beyoncé’s "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" was "one of the best videos of all time."

Taylor seemed to handle the situation pretty well, even releasing a song called "Innocent" on her third album "Speak Now" after the incident, pardoning Kanye on his behavior and forgiving him.

Some said it was Taylor "rising above," especially as she had just won the first of her four Album of the Year Grammys (so far), though the incident left tension between the two artists.

A poet of sorts

One large part of why people love Taylor Swift is her expert lyricism. Some people even refer to her as a genius mastermind (a special nod to her song of the same name from 2022's "Midnights").

Her lyrics are autobiographical, often hinting at her breakups and relationships. Taylor has never confirmed who each song is about, but there are times when it was obvious.

For example, in her hit song "All Too Well," she sings about the person who broke her heart "used to be a little kid with glasses in a twin-sized bed."

Jake Gyllenhaal, long-rumored to be the subject of the song, previously had a photo of himself on social media as a scrawny kid with glasses but has since taken it off his feeds.

Taylor has said she wants her fans to read her lyrics since she is most proud of them.

In the early days of her career, she would capitalize random letters in her lyrics to allude to future plans or a surprise, forcing fans to read them to discern the message.

In 2022, Taylor received a fine arts honorary doctorate from New York University, which recognizes distinguished artists, and as an artist, she is putting specific feelings that many cannot express in words.

Controversies

In 2016, Kanye released "Famous," a song that allegedly features lyrical references to Taylor.

Taylor was enraged, having worked hard for her success. She denied ever agreeing to this lyric, which led to Kanye and his then-wife Kim Kardashian to release a secretly recorded message where Swift allegedly gave her consent.

The hashtag #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty started trending on Twitter. Taylor was ruined even after a second Album of the Year win under her belt.

Taylor disappeared from social media, choosing to work on herself and her relationships over scrambling for her reputation and fame.

She bounced back with a sixth album named "Reputation" in 2017. Though it was revenge-themed, "Reputation" still carried Swift's familiar songwriting skills.

Prior to that, the singer-songwriter resurfaced for a defamation trial involving a man who claimed he lost his job due to the accusation that he groped Swift's backside under her skirt as they posed for a photo in 2023.

Reclaiming her work

In 2018, Taylor reached the end of her 13-year contract with Big Machine Record and signed with a new record.

She was thankful to the label, which was then owned Scott Borschetta. Swift tried to buy back the masters of her first six albums but the company said she could not have full ownership of the music she created.

The situation further escalated when the company was sold to Scooter Braun, which Taylor did not know about, who was friendly with West, who now goes by the name Ye.

As a result, Braun owned the rights to Taylor's early works. Taylor was initially defeated, but she took matters into her own hands.

On February 11, 2021, Taylor announced the re-release of her album "Fearless" with the subtitle "Taylor's Version."

This was Taylor reclaiming the rights to her albums. As an additional tread, she also released "Vault" tracks, which were songs that she wanted to include in her previous album but never made the final cut.

Taylor followed it up with the re-releases for "Red," "Speak Now," and "1989," with only "Reputation" and her eponymous debut album left to re-record.

"Taylor's Version" of her past albums broke records each time they came out.

Taylor through and through

Throughout Taylor's career, she never forgets where she came from and constantly expresses her gratitude.

In a 2009 interview with Marie Claire Magazine, a teenage Taylor said, "I get tired a lot, but… I never want to be the girl who wanted something so bad her whole life and then gets it and complains about it."

Swift is known for going out of her way to please her fans, who are called Swifties. She released the 31-track "The Tortured Poets Department" in the middle of a sprawling world tour this year. Some say that her 11th album could earn her a record-extending fifth Album of the Year plum.

She always acknowledges her collaborators and crew for all the work that goes into her productions and projects.

From providing her backup dancers with health insurance to paying each truck driver that transported her "Eras" tour stage in North America a bonus of $100,000 (P5.8 million), Swift showed she values everyone's work, even those behind the scenes.

This is Taylor Swift

There are so many reasons people go to Taylor's concerts: the hype, her voice, her songs. She is a great singer, and an even greater writer.

This sweet, lovable, little country girl who grew up in a Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania had a guitar and a big dream, and she worked all her life towards that dream and made it happen.

It is the epitome of the American dream, and anything that is respectable and well-earned proof of the American dream will be rooted for.

The strength of character Taylor displays and her overall kindheartedness make her someone people want to cheer on.

So, take it from a shameless Swiftie, we do not just love Taylor because she makes great music, we love Taylor Swift because she is Taylor Swift.