It’s no question that the impact of Taylor Swift on the music industry is immense. Some would even say she is the music industry. The Grammy Award winner recently earned an honorary doctorate of fine arts degree from New York University. Her speech was one for the books and had the audience in fits of laughter. However, the superstar also imparted important lessons she has learned over the years in the music industry.
She said in her speech: “We are led by our gut instincts, our intuition, our desires and fears, our scars and our dreams. And you will screw it up sometimes. So will I.”
Swift is indeed a woman of words which is apparent in her song-writing abilities. She has the ability to make you dance with her dynamic songs while also ensuring you sing your heart out over that one boy in freshman year of college that made you think maybe falling in love isn’t so hard and then he goes ahead and proves you wrong.
Taylor Swift must have lived a thousand lives before this one since she has penned the most relatable, hyper-specific songs that different people from different walks of life could relate to. Here are some of them:
“Champagne Problems” (from “Evermore”)
The narrative of “Champagne Problems” centers around two people in a relationship who are headed into different paths. One wants to get married and the other is battling an inner turmoil.
The bridge packs a punch with its lyrical profoundness: “One for the money, two for the show, I never was ready so I watch you go, sometimes you just don’t know the answer when someone’s on their knees and asks you. She would have made such a lovely bride, what a shame she’s f*cked in the head.”
It speaks of the importance of being on the same page with your partner.
“Nothing New” (from “Red” Taylor’s Version)
“Nothing New” is about growing up and realizing the world isn’t so kind after all. As children, dreams are our anchor and we are bright-eyed in peaking through the future; boundless and unstoppable. However, in growing up, we come to face the reality that sometimes dreams aren’t enough and that the best laid plans could go awry. This is encapsulated in the song’s chorus that goes, “How could a person know everything at 18 but nothing at 22? Would you still want me if I’m nothing new?”
The song validates the experience of being disillusioned by the real world and how growing up, we have to leave behind the fallacy of a fairy-tale life.
“The Man” (from “Lover”)
This song is straight up a feminist anthem. With its upbeat sound, you are guaranteed to sing your heart in smashing the patriarchy into a pulp! Swift is able to voice out the microaggressions and double standards women face all over the world. In the chorus of the song that goes, “I’m so sick of running as fast as I can, wondering if I’d get there quicker if I was a man,” Taylor is able to ask the question all women have thought of at some point in their lives.
“Paper Rings” (from “Lover”)
When we think of love stories, we think of passion and grand gestures. In “Paper Rings,” an easy-going and fun relationship is at the center of the song’s pop and upbeat tune. It talks about the playful chase of the honeymoon stage and eventually wanting to settle down without the spectacular things life has to offer.
Forget expensive peonies and diamonds, Taylor only wants to get married as the chorus goes, “I like shiny things, but I’d marry you with paper rings. Darling, you’re the one I want.”
“Mirrorball” (from “Folklore”)
Mirrorball is for the people-pleasers out there. In the song, Taylor compares herself to a mirrorball or a disco ball. The sole purpose of a disco ball is to entertain the dancers with its refracted vibrance, which is an allegory to her wanting to please and entertain everyone around her.
The bridge of the song reveals just how much Taylor changed her personality to be able to appease people who she didn’t even know. The line of the song goes: “And they called off the circus, burned the disco down when they sent home the horses and the rodeo clowns, I’m still on that tightrope, I’m still trying everything to get you laughing at me and I’m still a believer and I don’t know why, I’ve never been a natural, all I do is try, try, try.”
The circus is a metaphor for the act she puts up just to entertain the crowd, despite its toll on her.
Taylor Swift has been a part of our lives for the last decade and it’s amazing to think that we have grown up with her and her songs. Her hold on the younger generations is completely warranted since she is able to impart valuable life lessons in her art which also immortalizes the collective experiences of the people who relate to her songs.