It's quite amusing watching "discussion" about the age of her audience. 5 or 6 years ago I thought she was just a manufactured plastic girlie artist built for teenage girls. I got interested in the stories about her wanting to gain control, as a songwriter and artist, of her masters. Then we saw her live on the tv at some BBC Festival in the UK and realised she could actually sing and had a bit of a presence and connection with the audience. Maybe Lover was out, must have been close, I dunno, didn't know any of her music, I hadn't been bothered, so I don't remember what she was playing. On the strength of that, as well as continuing to follow the ownership stories with interest, I started to listen to some music (including the very first album). I was very quickly hooked. She's always made "adult music", from the outset, through the eyes of the age that she was at the time. She's never made music specifically for young girls. She just happened to be one herself and was able to make music that connected with a bunch of people - and at the outset she was lucky enough (or worked hard enough) to reach and connect with her peers and younger. And with her marketing and socials she nurtured this. Because she was quite successful she got quite an audience, including these young girls that we all seem so interested in classifying/dismissing her audience as. It's, what, 16 years later now? Maybe 12-14ish since the big breakthroughs? Because she managed to produce material with legs, that audience STAYED with her, they're still listening to those songs and lapping up whatever she does next. Many of them are mothers, career women, etc now - and the majority are never gonna quit her. Same time, a bunch of us old misogynists have found out how utterly brilliant she is - so we're all buying the music and the tickets too. And because, among other reasons, the media narrative is "young girls", somehow she's STILL attracting young girls, at the moment. How much longer that is, I don't know. I was wondering whether she might want to distance herself, hence the swearing. But I don't think that anymore now. She'd be crazy to deliberately try to lose an age group. The thing is, she won't, the littles will dig the swearing just as much as we might have done when we were little. The issue might be their parents might not approve - so that makes her cool... even if she's making boring "grown up" music now as far as the littles themselves are concerned I personally thought most of the swearing on Midnights felt a little forced - not all of it - but I was ok with all of it. The swearing on the new one sounds a lot more natural to me. By the way, I'm still totally hooked on The Tortured Poets, main album. I listen to it at least twice a day. Yes it's a grower, but it GRABBED me first listen with a huge "yeah, thank you Taylor". I don't really care where it gets judged for posterity, I love it. One thought: our first listen was the CD, on the big stereo, pretty bluddy loud... I finished work early like I try to on Fridays (I'm a homeworker since the pandemic), letterbox rattled, I came downstairs, we made a light lunch, turned the tv off and turned the thing up loud. Several folks seem to have experienced it better once they got off of streaming and into hearing it loud (I've yet to try headphones). On the anthology extra tracks, I might listen to them while working, but they are receding into "not essential" for me. I know lots of you highly value some of these, and I do dig them, but I'm not hooked on any of them. Even if she does release a 2 CD version, at the moment I'd be getting it for "completeness" (and to get a CD that ends with Clara Bow ). I feel no reason to purchase a download like I did Midnights (same with that, I never listen to that version, the extras, loved as they are here, seem "not essential" to me personally - I play the regular CD and love it like that).
I noticed that too. Lines like "Weird but f--kin' beautiful" on Midnights felt awkward to me, but the swearing on the new album doesn't give me that same impression.
Very well-expressed post. I'd love to agree with it wholeheartedly. The thing is the new album is all too samey and melodically unimaginative for me. A few killer tracks do stand out though. But it's all too "teenage" coming from a 35-year old artist. Meaning all too calculated. Plus, 31 tracks (with the modern mad measurement of success we have today) means 3 times more chances of being number one in the charts than with a 10-track album. The laws of streaming rule. And she's marketing-savvy enough to know it.
Correct - Betty and Inez are 100% not the same people and Inez is secondary character in all this. Correct - the girl in the song "August" is the same one that picked up James in her car in the song "Betty". The song "August" is from her view of that summer but her name is most likely NOT August or Augustine or whatever. Regardless, the song "Betty" is a brilliant track with a brilliant set of lyrics tying "Betty", "August" and "Cardigan" together with the POV of all three of those characters (Betty's POV in "Cardigan", James' POV in the song "Betty", and unnamed girl's POV in "August"). Note - when I first listened to the song (maybe because Taylor was singing it) I pictured James to be a girl (and still do). And saying if it was her intention to leave it open she could have used a unisex name, well....she names James after one of Blake's children "James" who is...a girl. I will forever straight up ignore what Taylor is saying (and almost surprised she didn't embrace the possible vagueness).
I thought this article was great and the bit about “Guilty as Sin” is making me want to give that song a much closer listen Memo From The Tortured Poets Department: You Need To Calm Down
This has been my experience as well. The 2-hour version became somewhat monotonous for me, with some standout moments but a lot of seeming sameness. Breaking the short (relatively speaking) version into 4 sides was just the ticket. I’m in Taylor overload and took a break for a few days, but I’m ready to revisit the LP version with a fresh perspective. Later on I might just cull some of those extra “anthology” tracks into a mix on Apple Music. dan c
I got the ghosted white version, made in Mexico (I had no idea Mexico still had any vinyl plants!). Happy to report that it’s a very good pressing. Clean, centered and quiet. dan c
It was Delicate at the Radio 1 Big Weekend in Swansea. She starts in the wrong key and endearingly has to stop, explain and restart. She then proceeds to absolutely mesmerise everyone there and those watching subsequently on YouTube. Is it cool that I said all that...?
Glad to hear it! My ghosted white copy from Mexico (Vantiva, in Guadalajara) had some non-fill noise on the first disc. I was thinking of looking for a German pressing, but those seem hard to find around here. I was just in a store today that had four different versions of the album with different cover art and bonus tracks, and they all that the "vinyl made in Mexico" writing on the shrinkwrap. Maybe I'll get one of those and hope for the best.
At first, I wasn't too pleased with all the cussing on the album, given all the children that are present at her concerts etc. But then I thought about her in the sense of her career trajectory and I think she is at her 'Plastic Ono Band' stage. Did horrified parents suddenly go nuts at John Lennon because he started cursing with f-words in songs like 'Working Class Hero'? I wasn't born then but I wonder if there was outrage then - maybe not. Maybe it wasn't a huge seller like The Beatles were, whereas TTPD is breaking records for most streamed album ever etc.
From Amanda Palmer on Twitter (edited for forum rules): "I’m listening to the new Taylor Swift record and came here to say that I’m pleased it contains a dozenfold more f***s than any Dresden Dolls or Amanda Palmer record and I find this comforting because perhaps my f***ing lyrics will be culturally validated in f***ing retrospect."
I saw her last year in Nashville and don't recall seeing many children. Plenty of people in their 20s and 30s and some teenagers, but not many children. Honestly, I think people (in general, not directing this at you) need to get it out of their heads that her fans are mostly people under 20 because it's simply not true.
The theory that was put out wasn’t that Betty was Inez—that’s clearly incorrect—but that the unnamed “Augustine” character is Inez. (Which is also incorrect.)
I don't think it is true either. Most Swifties in general seem to be older people - my niece is one and she's in her mid-30s! But regardless of the age of the listener, I don't think people should be cussing in their songs. That's just my view. A lyricist should be able to find ANY words to replace the f- words, and show a little decency. Swearing in songs seems to be a normalised thing and maybe it's because I'm getting older but, it's not something I like. But having said that, I heard the 'clean' versions of 'Down Bad' and 'The Bolter' and the songs really need the f- words in there to give it fire! So I've just contradicted myself there, lol. The clean versions don't have any inspiring words to replace the swear words, and they sound worse for it. "Bring back the cussing" was my reaction!
John and Yoko naked on the cover of Two Virgins definitely created some outrage… though apparently less than the “more popular than Jesus” comment did.
the f word is rock n roll and IMHO no other word can replace it as long as it's not over used like some rap..
Huh. My physical copy doesn’t suffer from crackle, non-fill, scratches, warps, inner groove distortion, an off-center spindle hole, or a stupidly high noise floor. And it was cheaper, too.
I can’t help thinking that Taylor intended the title to be a little different . Probo a minor typo when she sent the title in. Didn’t realise until too late. The Tortured Pets Department
I've read elsewhere that some editions were in-fact pressed at Optimal. Perhaps that's what you have. Or you bought the CD. And, for the first time I'm saying this, the CD/digital mastering is far superior to the vinyl. I truly disliked what I heard on my vinyl today. The Amazon Music stream (which of course is the full 31 tracks), listened to on headphones, was a pleasure.
