Taylor Swift’s poetic songwriting sets her apart from other artists. Even her most upbeat tracks never fail to be raw and relatable. For many M-A students, this songwriting is the reason they feel so connected to her music.
Swift’s coming-of-age songs speak to many students. “My favorite song is ‘Never Grow Up’ because my mom used to play it when I was younger and it taught me to never take anything for granted and to savor my childhood,” senior Miller Scott said. Highlighting the line “Don’t you ever grow up / It could stay this simple / I won’t let nobody hurt you,” Scott associated the lyrics with his mom being protective of him. Through revisiting universal childhood experiences with the perspective of someone who has outgrown them, “Never Grow Up” promotes living childhood to its fullest.
Although many people focus on Swift’s breakup songs and past relationships, much of her work gets lost along the way. Contrary to popular belief, a large portion of her discography covers much more difficult topics. “Taylor Swift has many songs that have nothing to do with relationships. For example, in ‘The Man,’ she talks about how misogynistic society is, and how if she was a man in her situation, no one would be talking about how she normally writes breakup songs,” senior Lainey Egnal said. In the song, an inspiring feminist anthem, Swift tackles the complexities of gender disparities in the music industry.
Swift’s eighth album, folklore, includes a trilogy of songs about a love triangle between fictional teenage characters. “betty,” “august,” and “cardigan” each explore a different perspective in the situation. “The love triangle connects to my heart because I was in a love triangle,” sophomore Nicola Melani said.
“my tears ricochet,” another song on folklore, has a powerful bridge with lyrics corresponding to each of the albums Scooter Braun bought without her knowledge. “‘And when you can’t sleep at night / You hear my stolen lullabies’ is a great lyric because it’s about Scooter Braun and how he stole her songs,” freshman Ines Bensoussan said.
For others, Swift’s lyrics are relatable because of their shared struggles. Her music can help fans process their difficulties and make them feel less alone. “‘Soon You’ll Get Better’ makes me cry every time, because it’s about her mom being in the hospital, and my mom has a lot of health issues,” senior Angeleah Fayette said.
It takes some serious dedication to decode all of Swift’s songs, but it’s worth a little digging to get the full experience. “Sometimes, when things are popular and you hear them a lot, you almost tune out what is actually there,” sophomore Lila Weber said. “She not only writes songs, she tells stories.” With attention to detail, a whole other world of Swift can be discovered, it may just take a deeper look.
