I like a Taylor Swift song.
No, please. I’ll wait for the laughter to stop, the dropped-jaws to close, the head-shaking to slow to an “embarrassed for me” stare.
Ready?
Okay.
It’s You Belong With Me.
Okay. You’ve started laughing again, haven’t you? I can tell. Come on. Focus.
Good?
Now, as I was saying, it’s You Belong With Me. The first 71 times I heard the song, I’m not sure I even actually heard it. I couldn’t get over just how produced Taylor seems; not musically, but personally. She started in the industry so early that listening to her talk — rather than sing — just feels weird; like you’re always watching a performance. And so her music has just never appealed to me. To say it felt “transparent” would be too nice; “hollow” would be better.
But, thanks to Imeem, it kept coming up as an auto-suggested song while listening to other tracks by artists like Kelly Clarkson — whose latest album is actually really, really good — Katy Perry, P!nk, Lady Gag–
*raps desk with ruler* I swear to god if you don’t stop with the laughing. Get it together.
Anyway. The song.
Is it derivative? Um… it borrows from pop culture like an economist borrows during periods of low interest rates;¹ or like a mofo borrows your Game Genie for Sega Genesis in the 4th grade and never brings it back.²
*ahem; clears throat; straightens tie³; regroups*
Is it completely unchallenging and the definition of “safe?” Let’s just say that if music was like sex, this song would be abstinence.
But, it’s catchy and, damnit, that’s enough.
Oh, and please don’t insist that UK-born pop is “real pop” or that the best pop is written by rail-thin, emo-nstrous brats who just can’t get over their first break-up ever yet, don’t shower out of political opposition to hard water and write lyrics you couldn’t decipher after an entire week with a Webster’s and Urban Dictionary. That stuff is good, too, but I swear: people treat euro-trash pop like it’s the sperm of god and they’d be incomplete without an immaculate conception.
The point: You Belong With Me is what it is — the new country-pop we’ve come to know over the last decade. And it is good at being what it is. I think it’s obvious Taylor wasn’t trying to impress me with the record. And once I shrank my ego enough to realize that, it was totally worth a listen.
_________
¹That’s one for you finance kids out there.
²Hate that kid.
³I always wear a tie when I write.
You’re in good company! I love Taylor, though I don’t like any other young artists like her and rarely venture outside of my alternative, folk, borderline-emo music bubble. I plan to marry her too, because she’s adorable.
Haha. I’m glad to be in good company. I knew I couldn’t be the only one.
All I’m going to say is wait for the post I have lined up for tomorrow.
Uh oh. You like Cobra Starship, don’t you? Or maybe Colorado’s finest 3OH!3?
I won’t laugh at you! I’ve never heard that particular song, BUT I do like the pop-version of Taylor Swift’s “Love Story.”
What’s the pop version? Got a link?
Here’s a link to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbDrbOZglQo
The urban dictionary thing made me laugh so bad HAHAHA can I quote your words for my status? Lol will totally give you credit, so genius. You know many rappers are like that too? Peeps think they’re awesome only because they sound different, by different I mean you actually don’t get that much how good they are but everyone said so just because the mixing are raw and they use totally difficult words.
Yes, I’m talking about Aesop Rock.
Quote away! And yeah: rappers are so guilty of it; so guilty.
You’re not alone! I struggled with this realization—gulp…I don’t *really* mind Taylor Swift—when that “Love Story” song made it big last year. I just…couldn’t help myself!
Thing is, I’ll listen to her on the radio, but I won’t bring myself to buy any of her songs. A contradiction, I know. Whatever.
It’s my kind of contradiction.
Wow, dude. You are a brave man. If I posted this, I would be fearful of my man card… just sayin.
What happened to country music by the way. It went from Conway Twitty, to Taylor Swift? I do not like this evolution.
Country music has turned pop in a large way, dude. Keith Urban is a big deal and he’s from Australia (not exactly Texas, you know what I mean?).
I like to pretend Hannah Montana doesn’t exist. But I’ve never listened to this Taylor Swift. However, I do have more than one Pussy Cat Dolls song on my iPod, so I’m not really in a place to judge.
But I did laugh.
I do pretend Miley Cyrus doesn’t exist. I fail at it over and over again because she’s everywhere.
It’s ok, I still like you.
All right! That’s awesome news. I was getting nervous that I had thrown away all my goodwill today.
I forgot to mention that I do like me some *cough* Katy Perry and *cough* Duffy.
Sounds like something’s caught in your throat. It’s okay, though. All welcome here.
i found your dignity…. it’s curled up in the fetal position under the couch.
don’t you dare try and get it back.
I knew it would be at risk. I knew it. I’m a daredevil with my pride.
I have a Miley song on my ipod.
I always turn it down when I play it, just in case someone can hear it through the ear phones.
Of course. Wouldn’t be caught on the street with that.
Actually, that reminds me: for the record, I do not own a Taylor Swift song.
Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! *points*
Oh, *snicker*, um, you’re serious. *flattens smile down*
Oh. Don’t frown. Unless you’re terribly, terribly disappointed in me; then I understand.
TS always says in interviews her mom is her best friend…which, I am sorry…I think that is creepy. She is super produced, but seems like a good kid who can make some decent pop music.
It does seem like she could use a little… separation.
I’m not laughing at you, I think you’re very brave. That said, I actually enjoy a Taylor Swift song from time to time. They’re fun to belt out when you’re driving…and no one you know can hear you sing them.
“No one you know can hear you sing them.” But now we know…
I love this song, too, for many reasons. But the main one is that it’s just plain catchy. And that’s what good pop music is, is catchy.
Thank you. That’s really all it is.
I think Taylor is cute enough and she is talented, but she’s young and her songs are young. You Belong With Me – like all her others – is ridiculously overplayed and it makes it hard to stomach it, let alone LIKE IT. However, I did hear her new song the other night called “Fifteen” and it’s actually pretty good.
I wonder if she has staying power…. time will tell I guess!
I’m really curious about most of the new, young artists. I really can’t see them being professionally relevant in a decade.
What happened to your ballsack?
Oh, you lost it in the FIRE THAT IS THIS BLOG.
Haha. *drops head in shame* I… I don’t know what I was thinking. I will earn back your trust.
Right now, even though you may not realize, we’re holding hands in a sharing circle while burning lavender or sage or some other such magic shit. We’re singing Cumbya.
That’ll do. Apparently an intervention might also do me some good.
I’ve never heard Taylor Swift before, so I went on youtube and watched a video of hers and honestly, it wasn’t bad.
I’m not into teenage twangy-pop stuff but her music seemed a tad more sincere than crap like Miley Cyrus or Jonas Brothers.
The Jonas Brothers. Nothing nice to say about them.
I *gulp* like a Miley song – “The Climb.” I’ll go put my helmet on.
Wow. Uh, well. Hmm. I still think you’re a good person.
Ok, so I am embarrassed to admit that I like this song too. BUT I was really happen to see this post because I can FINALLY comment on the video without people I know looking at me like, “HUH?”. So, I like the video it’s cute, but one thing really REALLY bothers me. Did she really have to play the part of the pretty girl too? Could she really not find one other girl who she thought was pretty enough for the part? Did she think she did too good of a job playing the dorky girl (she did do a good job) and had to show people that, WAIT, I am still the pretty girl! I am only PLAYING a dorky girl. Ugh.
Thanks for letting me get that one off my chest. Whew.
I agree. It’s weird. But I guess Avril did it in that “I don’t like your girlfriend” song.
Aw, crap. I am not making this easier for myself, am I? An Avril Lavigne reference?
*sighs in relief… *
You ARE normal. Thank gawd… I’d build you up into this perfect intellectual, artistic supergod and now I realize you are NORMAL just like the rest of us. We all have music we secretly enjoy.
I didn’t even know who Taylor Swift was until I accidentally caught a biography special on her recently. Not bad! Not bad at all!
Haha. I have a lot of music secrets. Maybe I’ll drop another next week.
Ha ha! I haven’t liked any of Taylor Swift’s music, but I’m with you on this one. You Belong With Me finally got me, and I am ‘shamed, so very ‘shamed.
But if I ever, EVER come to like a Miley Cyrus song, please someone put me out of my judgment-impaired, musical misery. It would be a mercy killing.
[...] rather than write about how they do serve their purpose — despite being attached to a guy who likes a Taylor Swift song — and pretend like I didn’t laugh when I read the DC Blogs teaser, I thought I’d [...]
Ok you know what? I hear about this Swift character a lot and trust your judgment so I will give it a listen.
Check it out. And I’ll email you because I just listened to a few albums, totally unlike Swift, I’m curious to see if you’d like.
I think everybody expects this star to create more succesfull songs.