By Jacqueline Ayala, Social Media Editor
I can’t exactly publicly diss Taylor Swift for the world to see (even if a few other staff members and I kind of already did write a whole article criticizing her not long ago, when The Life of a Showgirl came out), at least, not without disclosing how I do consider myself a “Swiftie” in different aspects.
As a kid, I would force my sister to watch her music videos with me; I put my New Year’s post with the song “22” in 2022; I wear her Folklore cardigan consistently; and I was a proud attendee of The Eras Tour. So, why am I talking about how Taylor Swift’s magic lyricism might have fallen off? Because I truly believe it has. The question is: When did it start?
We all know the answer, but we don’t want to say it. It all began when Joe Alwyn and Taylor split in 2023. This was just before she began The Eras Tour, which has become one of the peaks of her career. After the breakup, she released The Tortured Poets Department, an homage to the end of this relationship and the start of a new one: her and Travis Kelce.
The difference between her breakup songs and her love songs between the two relationships is clear. After two years of dating, Swift and Kelce announced their engagement and married after a brief engagement. During their engagement, she released The Life of a Showgirl (TLOAS), which was not a fan favorite compared to her other albums from recent years.
The lyrics felt surface-level compared to those of her other albums like Folklore and Evermore. You might be thinking, “Jacqueline, those albums were written when she wasn’t actually in love with someone.” Well… the Lover album suggests otherwise. Granted, some of the songs on the album weren’t perfect. And yes, I am talking about the song “Me!” featuring Brendon Urie. Not the most lyrically impressive song, and if it was released with TLOAS, the song wouldn’t exactly be out of the ordinary. Because it’s frankly not the best song.
So what has been said about the TLOAS album? Well… some say it was written so Kelce can actually understand it (with so many head concussions in football and all), but I fear that may not be the case. Swift has been writing music since the age of 14, releasing her first album at 16, and is now 36 years old. That’s 20 years of a long-running music career, including several genre switches which impacted her fanbase. But who is the fanbase now?
Swift’s music has attracted people of all ages. From little kids to people her age and older, the demographics aren’t really based on age. Maybe her music may not be my taste anymore, but if that’s the case, why do others feel the same way? My opinion has shifted over years, but I’m not alone because the idea that Taylor’s music has not been as well-written as before has recently become a larger consensus.
I don’t want to say her music has gotten awful and low quality. Actually … I just might be saying that. But the shift between the depths of songs like “Maroon,” where she sings “we lost track of time again laughing with my feet in your lap,” or “The Prophecy,” in which she laments that “I look unstable gathered with a coven round a sorceress’ table,” or “The Lakes” in which she laments that “I want auroras and sad prose; I want to watch wisteria grow right over my bare feet ‘cause I haven’t moved in years and I want you right here” (all of which are on different albums) to songs like “Wood,” where she says “His love was the key that opened my thighs,” it’s hard not to take notice of the shift of tones and expressions. And it only gets worse.
Recently, Taylor released The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, which included four new songs she wrote after the success of her album. Now, a couple of years back in high school, I would stay up until midnight to listen to the new songs. But that’s so high school, and I don’t have time for that anymore, nor was I impressed by the original album, so it’s safe to say … My expectations were already low. And when I put on “Cleveland” and heard the lyrics “She’s not as hot as she was, but she was only a four,” I finally realized the Taylor Swift I grew up with is not the same one I was listening to, and couldn’t help but let out the biggest sigh at 8 a.m.
To get a little harsher in my criticism, Taylor’s music feels purely created for profit. Why else would she have several vinyl colors for people to collect, a cardigan for every album, and more overpriced merch simply not worth the quality? Over the years, it seems Taylor Swift is now more of a persona than the actual artist we saw before The Eras Tour. There’s a lack of passion in her music, which people are welcome to disagree with. However, it’s not really easy to defend when, in “Cleveland,” she is barely even singing, not even rapping, just speaking.
I believe her marriage with Travis Kelce has deeply impacted her music. From appearing at football games to openly talking about his … wood, it now seems her vision with her music has purely revolved around this relationship.
Before, Taylor’s music had stories. The love triangle in Folklore, her song “Speak Now” involving someone crashing a wedding, even in her debut album “Our Song,” has a story being told through music. Now it just feels as if she’s bragging about how great her love life is with images we do not want to envision.
This isn’t to criticize the marriage of Taylor and Travis. I’m not a part of the relationship, nor do I really want to be if a song like “Wood” came out of it. I’m afraid I have to admit Taylor Swift has lost her touch. That’s not to say she can’t get it back. “Babylon,” one of the newer songs in The Encore, does have some potential to be listenable. Still, I would skip it in a heartbeat if it popped up in the morning.
Now, if these new songs are your cup of tea, feel free to tune me out. My music taste has shifted drastically as I have gotten older, but I have never once been one to say “I hate Taylor Swift” because that’s far from the truth. I am a writer and a poet, so my idea of good music depends a lot on my version of well-written lyrics. Taylor’s music has gotten me through several moments of my life: my first breakup, my high school years, my second breakup; her albums have been vital to me growing up.
I do believe she still has the capability to write good music. But right now, all it seems like to me is a profit scheme to add onto her billionaire status, which she does not need.
If you truly believe that all of Swift’s songs are awful, here are a few of my favorites which just might persuade you that the Swift we know right now is not the one who some of us have known and loved in the past.
Jacqueline’s Top Five Taylor Swift Songs:
- “the lakes – bonus track” on Folklore
- “Florida!!! (feat. Florence + The Machine).” on The Tortured Poets Department
- “Clean” on 1989
- “Haunted” on Speak Now
- “Sweet Nothing” on Midnights
