Is Taylor Swift the Elvis Presley of the 21st century

Teafake why is there always some strange air of desperation with your posts?

R1 I swear no shade on this post. And the many of times I’ve seen this video I never realized her mockery of Gaga. She was a low rent hoe at the time. I cannot believe she came for Gaga life this.

This shit boppy as fuck though. I love Tay.

Shes bigger than Elvis, The Beatles and Michael Jackson combined. She is everything the press has been trying to sell Beyonce as but Bey always came up short

R3 Dayum you might be right. What I love is that future generations will be woka than now, see the racism, and put Bey on a pedestal.

Elvis Presley & The Black Community - That Echo Will Never Die

Nah, she’s more of a latter day Connie Francis.

[quote]Perhaps greater because she didn’t steal blacks music.

Elvis did not steal black's music.

Elvis could really sing, she's no elvis.

I understood the appeal of Madonna when she was young but Taylor is no Madonna. Too vanilla.

r4 "and put Bey on a pedestal"

Ahh, there's the shady angle

Tay is Becky with the good hair.

Yikes.

She has something in common with Elvis -.neither was circumcised.

I wonder what her and Taylor Lautner's lives would have been like if they had stayed together.

Elvis was a major movie star, so no comparison.

[quote] Perhaps greater because she didn’t steal blacks music.

What horseshit. Silly Mary OP.

[quote] Shes bigger than Elvis, The Beatles and Michael Jackson combined.

R3, bigger is not greater, and she's not bigger than all them collectively, and she certainly isn't greater.

[quote]Is Taylor Swift the Elvis Presley of the 21st century

[quote]Shes bigger than Elvis, The Beatles and Michael Jackson combined. She is everything the press has been trying to sell Beyonce as but Bey always came up short

Remember kids, this is why you shouldn't smoke grass.

A message from the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign and AD Council.

Echoing R15…Taylor is not a movie star. Elvis was.

Wrong, R3.

The Beatles are the biggest selling musical act of all time. Not sure why Eminem appears in the picture but it's The Beatles.

She's this eras Shania Twain.

Btw, Taylor Swift is number 26 on that list.

Is she a whole mood?

I avoid knowing “what’s happening” so obsessively that I usually only notice pop phenomena just as the backlash has begun in earnest.

This is different. The idolatry just goes on and on. Is there really no one who can eclipse her? Couldn’t we all go crazy over some dance that originated in Korean monied teen hangouts or something? Didn’t Brazil give us something like that once? The macarena?

[quote] Is there really no one who can eclipse her?

R24, she's already been eclipsed by a band that hasnt been in existence since something like 1970-the Beatles. And 25 other acts.

[quote]Is there really no one who can eclipse her?

All I need to do is stand in front of her.

I love the fact that she gets under the skin of Dump and his MAGAt minions, but she's not anywhere near reached the sales of the Beatles, Elvis, the Rolling Stones, or even Garth Brooks, Streisand, Madonna, Eminem, or Britney Spears, to name a few.

R15, Taylor gets asses in the seats. Her concert film was a blockbuster.

She could be a major movie star if she wanted to but she doesnt want to put herself through the indignity of shitty films.

R20, the beatles have sold more NOW. But if taylor keeps cracking out two albums a year she will easily surpass them.

Shes pretty much the only artist around that actually sells units. Nobody else does. Not even Adele anymore.

Also, she can't act, R28. Cats? Oh, my.

R28, Cats was the shittiest of shitty movies, so...

[quote] the beatles have sold more NOW. But if taylor keeps cracking out two albums a year she will easily surpass them.

R29, the Beatles have sold 183 million units. She's sold 51 million. She has a lot of catching up to do.

R32,Tsylor will still be ar outik under 50 years from now. The Beatles will be dead and fogotten.

*around

[quote] The Beatles will be dead and fogotten.

Sure, Mary, R33. You keep believing that. Oh, my sides!

She hasn't even sold as many records as Metallica!

R36, but she draws more fans than them..

Metalica released their albums when people bought albums. Taylor's first album came out in 2006 when the market was going digital but she still outsold all of her 21st century peers!

Taylor is queen.

Hunty, R37, do you understand record sales?

[quote]The Beatles will be dead and fogotten.

Just wait until one of the 2 remaining Beatles dies and you'll see how many more Beatles albums will be sold (physical, digital, whatever).

Really, R39--you think that the continued existences keep the Beatles, and once they're dead, that's it--no more Beatles sales? You're really dumb.

"The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960, comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time[1] and were integral to the development of 1960s counterculture and the recognition of popular music as an art form."

Are you being sarcastic op? In the very video you posted:

"Haters gonna hate" = phrase invented by who? "Hella good hair" = what culture is notorious for this? Beyonce's Becky with good hair, excuse me?

That still she's crawling through a bunch of twerkers. Twerking invented by?

This is her biggest hit and if it was meant to mock black culture, like Blur's Song 2 mocking grunge, it didn't work.

Say they only had a microphone and guitar. Would you rather see TS or Elvis?

Elvis had black fans in real time before his reputation was ruined because of that racist fake shoe shining quote that was attributed to him and the media crowning him “The King” at the expense of black artists even tho he rejected that label.

Ironically, this drawing of Elvis by a young Jimi Hendrix looks a lot like Trump.

[quote] Shes bigger than Elvis, The Beatles and Michael Jackson combined.

No the fuck she is not.

She’ll likely surpass Elvis because his music hasn’t really endured in the same way Michael Jackson’s or The Beatles’ has, but there are some hidden gems. I prefer this over most Taylor songs I’ve heard.

[quote] She’ll likely surpass Elvis

No, she'll likely not, Nostradamus R47.

R48 Never underestimate the loyalty of her fan base who will buy anything and everything she puts out and the fact she’s a songwriter which causes people to elevate her over other artists.

Years ago people worshipped Madonna then Britney and now it's this flaky wallflower Joni Mitchell vibe blonde who's reputation could not survive a head shaving.

R50, Taylor has been around for 18 years. Shes not some flavor of the month.

Taylor is bigger now than Madonna or Britney were 18 years Into their careers.

Taylor is at peak fame right now and that's saying something because shes been an a lister for many years.

I don't know her music beyond one or two songs. I still listen to older Madonna and even Elvis sometimes but this woman means nothing to me, although it's impossible to avoid her in mass media. Just a rich white girl who sings about white girl problems.

With there ever be Taylor Swift impersonators? I don't think so.

Below is an example of the reverence the world gives to Elvis and how is music is celebrated.

It's exhilaratingly fabulous:

R11 I don’t care what anyone says. From all my reliable sources, internet research, body language perception Becky with good hair is Gwyneth Paltrow.

R52. I still don’t think her popularity will date well. She is actually the Garth Brooks of this decade just with songs you actually know from radio.

It should be noted HOWEVER I know not one non white person who can name a Taylor Swift song while I know many of whites and nonwhites who can name say a Drake or Beyonce song.

[quote] Shes bigger than Elvis, The Beatles and Michael Jackson combined.

But not bigger than Linda Lavin.

I mean, let's get real here,

R3

Check again in 50+ years - that’s how long The Beatles have been in the cultural consciousness and there is no sign of that diminishing.

She is the post Internet Debbie Gibson.

R6 Connie really could sing, sing, sing!

[quote]With there ever be Taylor Swift impersonators? I don't think so.

Guess again, toots.

[quote]Elvis did not steal black's music.

Really R7. I wonder what Big Momma Thorton would say about that with a song she recorded and made a smash r&b hit before Elvis did his version and made it an international pop hit. He sings it in the exact way she does, in that growling raspy intonation - the first time he ever did it. Not sure if he ever credited her, or mentioned it was her song. Maybe he did.

Beautiful gowns...

Did someone on here really say Taylor was bigger than The Beatles and Michael Jackson??? HAHAHAHA! No. Michael Jackson's Thriller sold--when you take things like compilations, singles sales, music videos into account--over 100 million copies. Taylor is far away from that. Taylor is more like a more consistently popular Madonna. It's like she has Madonna's Madonna's peak from 1984 to 1992 but extended over double the time.

[quote] It should be noted HOWEVER I know not one non white person who can name a Taylor Swift song

Black Americans are not the only non-white people on Earth. I know loads of Latinos/Latinas who love her music plus Indians, Chinese, Filipinos, etc. Taylor is massive on every continent on earth minus Antarctica. I say that as someone who doesn't even like her. This is from a few years ago, before she had her current peak, but notice that she is massive almost everywhere.

R62 Her song?

Hound Dog was written by two white men: Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

And Elvis did not "steal" it, he covered it, as artists do all the time. Hound Dog has been covered by numerous singers.

R66, I never said it was HER song, although she is credited on the copyright because of the way she transformed Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller's original lyrics with her intonation and adlibs on the released track. I just said I wonder how she FELT about it. And the poster above say Elvis didn't steal from BLACK MUSIC. You don't have to be black to write, record or release Black Music. Hound Dog was definitely a R&B Black music hit before Elvis even touched it and re-recorded exactly the same way she sang it. And I didn't come up with the term Black Music. White people did. Except they didn't use the word Black in 1953. So take a seat.

Dunno and don’t care a wit about this.

Yet you took the time to hit reply and tap out message R68. Do you actually not care? Or you care JUST enough to let us know you don't care?

Taylor Swift is just the White Women's version of the Proud Boys.

R15 Hoe please. I was in Cats.

[quote]I never said it was HER song,

No, you did say it was her song. You wrote:

"Not sure if he ever credited her, or mentioned it was her song."

It was not her song. So take a seat.

R65 But during any other argument these countries are 90% white with the exception of the fortune cookie ones. You cunts slay me.

Well I am not sure what her name is doing on the copyright of the song then R72. I don't know what else you have to do to claim something as yours.

R74 Words and music by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

Also: "In 1992, Leiber and Stoller recalled that during the rehearsal, Thornton sang the song as a ballad. Leiber said that this was not the way they planned and sang it for her, with Stoller on piano, as an example of the concept. Thornton agreed to try their recommendation."

She got her direction on how to sing the song by two white men.

Got it now?

Idiot, at R75, we are reading the same Wiki. I suggest you keep reading - Like I did, instead of cherry picking pieces that support your story.... And then if you're smart you'll reach the same conclusion I did.

No. Elvis was sexy, a great performer, and a great singer.

Taylor is vanilla, a corporate product, and her songs and voice are forgettable.

Not here to defend Taylor, but you all realize that nobody buys albums anymore, right?

She’ll never catch up to the greats in terms of sales.

R76 Your conclusion: it's her song and it was stolen by Elvis. LOL.

R78, when you take streaming, digital singles, etc. into account, Taylor is expected to surpass Madonna by next year as the biggest female artist of all time. That is huge. I personally don't think streaming and all those all other sales methods should be combined but it is what it is.

Taylor’s “exciting” show consists of diving into water (!) and strutting around in a child’s dance leotard. Zzzz

No, r79. My initial argument was referencing r11 who said Elvis didn't steal from Black Music. Whoever has legal ownership and credited for the song doesn't matter. It was a an R&B Black music song that sold 750k records in 1953 before Elvis re-recorded it in 1956. He stole from the genre, sang it EXACTLY as it was previously recorded, and ran with it. It was a very common practice. The stealing part comes from not crediting the songs origins, the artist who sang it, nor shining a light on the very music he was using as inspiration for his career. That's stealing.

I dont buy that black people dont know any taylor swift songs.

[quote]He stole from the genre, sang it EXACTLY as it was previously recorded

As Leiber and Stoller directed her to do.

[quote] The stealing part comes from not crediting the songs origins, the artist who sang it, nor shining a light on the very music he was using as inspiration for his career. That's stealing.

No you are wrong.

That is not stealing.

Should Nat King Cole be accused of stealing by singing a song first recorded by Bing Crosby?

Jackie Wilson

A lot of people have accused Elvis of stealing the Black man's music, when in fact almost every Black solo entertainer copied his stage mannerisms from Elvis.

Al Green

Elvis had an influence on everybody with his musical approach. He broke the ice for all of us.

All of Elvis' hits were written by white men.

All of them.

[quote]he stole from the genre, sang it EXACTLY as it was previously recorded

We all have ears and can hear that his version sounds NOTHING like hers.

R84, Bing Crosby was a major star. When someone like Nat King Cole covered it, everyone knew exactly who he was referencing. That is a silly comparison. It goes without saying that on a national level, Big Momma Thorton was NO Bing Crosby. Larger artist steal from smaller artist all the time - Just as Elvis did with Hound Dog

And Stoller and Leiber also had original lyrics about "Chicken and Watermelon" which was promptly removed by the recording artist.

[quote]Leiber and Stoller brought me the song, 'Hound Dog.' Parts of it weren't really acceptable. I didn't like that reference to chicken and watermelon, [and] said, 'Let's get that crap out of there.'... "

and more of how she made it her song.

[quote]Thornton recalled that she added a few interjections of her own, played around with the rhythm (some of the choruses have thirteen rather than twelve bars), and had the band bark and howl like hound dogs at the end of the song: "I started to sing the words and join in some of my own. All that talkin' and hollerin'—that's my own." Thornton interacts constantly in a call and response fashion during a one-minute long guitar "solo" by Lewis. These verbal interjections, sometimes called "blues talk", are common in blues music.

[quote]Years later Thornton helped launch a controversy over "Hound Dog", claiming to have written it. When questioned further on the matter, Thornton explained that, while the song had been composed by Leiber and Stoller, she had transformed it: "They gave me the words, but I changed it around and did it my way". In his book Race, Rock, and Elvis, Michael T. Bertrand says that Thornton's explanation "ingenuously stresses artist interpretation as the sole yardstick with which to measure authenticity".

The song was written FOR her, BASED on her appearance and her persona. Leiber and Stoller met her, looked at her, and wrote the song in 15 minutes.

So Yeah, I'm gonna double down on my statement that it is HER song.

R87, Elvis never GROWLED like that on any of his songs before this one. I wonder why he started on this one.

R98 Bing Crosby was a major star. When someone like Nat King Cole covered it, everyone knew exactly who he was referencing.

Oh please. One of Nat King Cole's biggest recordings was "The Very Thought of You" did he need to educate us on the fact that Al Bowlly sung it first ? Or that Jeri Southern first recorded "When I Fall in Love"? Or that Charlie Spivak first recorded "Mona Lisa"?

You have a very quaint idea of how pop culture works.

[quote] Bing Crosby was a major star. When someone like Nat King Cole covered it, everyone knew exactly who he was referencing.

Oh please. One of Nat King Cole's biggest recordings was "The Very Thought of You" did he need to educate us on the fact that Al Bowlly sung it first ? Or that Jeri Southern first recorded "When I Fall in Love"? Or that Charlie Spivak first recorded "Mona Lisa"?

You have a very quaint idea of how pop culture works.

Also this idea that that the Thornton version was somehow unknown: "selling over 500,000 copies, spending 14 weeks in the R&B charts, including seven weeks at number one. "

[quote]The song was written FOR her, BASED on her appearance and her persona.

And her interpretation of the song was all wrong.

Until the white guys coached her on how it was to be sung.

So what are you saying R92, she was dumb and didn't know how to sing? Or that white men are better. I don't understand the point you are making. Honestly. Honest question.

R84 That’s called a cover. Elvis handlers were STEALING. The white man has a history of that activity. You know Africa and slavery and what not.

Thank you R94, I was not trying to be divisive with my posts. I really thought I was stating the obvious. But just gobsmacked that these arguments are actual arguments that have to still be made in 2024. I thought it was a given that white popular artist stole from music that already existed in black genres like R&B and the Blues.

I mean watch the fucking Oscar Nominated Elvis movie. That mainstream movie makes the EXACT same point, Big Mama Thornton is portrayed in the movie, with Elvis sitting right up there watching her perform the song.

But I should understand. Datalounge is SERIOUSLY over black people at the moment.

And considering the above, and to bring it back on topic, I am confounded by the hate Taylor Swift is receiving in this thread and on the board in general considering she is the exemplary Virtuous White Woman, the perfect representative of her race - unthreatening beauty, head cheerleader in love with the star quarterback, flat ass, guitar and all.

[quote]I thought it was a given that white popular artist stole from music that already existed in black genres like R&B and the Blues.

*sigh* You are ridiculous. If you REALLY want to get down to it: annotating music, the western chord scale notes system, the essence of our music, was developed in Europe. Western music has its roots in the folk, opera, operetta etc of Europe. Even most of the instruments used: the piano, guitar or were perfected in Europe into what we know today. As well as the language in which our music is sung. Listen to popular Neapolitan music from the 1880s if you want to hear the roots of our popular music.

So please don't start with the "stealing" business....it only proves your ignorance.

BTW: do yourself a favor and watch this clip. From 2:30. And especially the "Moonwalk" at 6:20.

So Michael Jackson took Bob Fosse's moves, down to the spats and built on it.

That's the way popular culture works.

The clip:

Donna Summer, Barry White, Natalie Cole, and Jimi Hendrix all wrote in their books about being fans of Elvis or listening to his music when they were younger in their books. The idea that all black artists and black consumers of music hated him is false despite what people say today.

So just for the Datalounge Minutes R98 is saying Jazz, Gosple and Soul Music came from Europe people.

And no one is fucking saying Michael Jackson invented the moonwalk. And what an odd and awkward example to pull out of your ass. But I will say, using your words, the move "was perfected," by him.

R91 And Elvis covered Hound Dog after hearing this white band cover it.

Elvis’ version of Hound Dog also went #1 on the R&B charts (meant to capture sales among Black audiences). You’d never know it now but his music was popular with Black audiences when he was first starting out.

Most of Elvis’ detractors barely know shit about his career. They think his career began and ended with “Hound Dog” and “Don’t Be Cruel.” Elvis’ career spanned over 20 years, and he performed a variety of musical genres—Rock, R&B, Pop, Country, and even Gospel. He outlasted nearly every one of his peers from the 1950s. If all he did for the entirety of his career was steal from black artists, his legacy would be similar to that of Pat Boone who is only known today for [badly] covering Lil Richard songs. Many white artists of the 1950s stole from black artists, yet none of them had the influence or impact Elvis had on the music industry, Pop culture, and on other artists. Elvis brought his own talent, uniqueness, and flair to everything he did IMO. That is why he is still musically and culturally relevant 45 years after his untimely death.

I love Elvis too R100. Just because I said he stole music doesn't mean I don't like him. You guys brains are so binary. Elvis was the biggest pop star in the world. OF course he is going to have a resonating impact on the entire music world after, regardless of skin color. But a fact is a fact.

Prince got the name Purple Rain the title of one of his biggest hits from Ventura Highway by America. I understand how pop culture works. And pop culture at the time if Elvis's genesis was white artists taking black popular songs and re-recording them, almost one after another. What is so revolutionary or wrong about saying that? It's a given at this point.

R103 I copied and pasted this comment from a black woman on LSA, a site that ironically hates Elvis. Nonetheless I agree with her comment.

I see R103 was finally able to lift himself from his barcalounger and shake his fist at the heavens. Calm down queen. We all love Elvis.

Another comment from a black woman on LSA I agreed with. Again, that site hates Elvis but I agree with this comment.

“I think this is a good conversation to have. I don't think culture should be equated with race. A lot of people are born and raised in cultures that are different from the culture that most people who look like them are born and raised in, and I think they should be able to build their lives around the culture of their birth because it is a part of who they are. So, I don't see Elvis as racist or a culture vulture for making a living off of a culture that he was born into. The white people who used him as a means to remove rock n roll from black American culture, claim it as theirs and push black people out of rock n roll are the problem. They need to be called out, but you can do that without turning Elvis into a racist boogeyman when he wasn't.”

No one is saying Elvis is racist. I think the fact that he would steal from black music proves that point. You don't steal things you don't covet.

Elvis never claimed to invent rock n’ roll, rejected the king title, and credited the black artists who influenced his sound.

She’s also not a hillbilly

It’s ironic that someone like Tina Turner, who many people consider the queen of rock n’ roll, talked about being influenced by Elvis when discussing her post-Ike music. According to people on the internet she shouldn’t like Elvis at all.

[quote]Elvis never GROWLED like that on any of his songs before this one.

Oh boy.

[quote]So just for the Datalounge Minutes [R98] is saying Jazz, Gosple and Soul Music came from Europe people.

The basis is European.

R100 You are right about that because my dad is a huge Elvis fan and he hate white people lol.

R114 How old is he if you don’t mind me asking? 60s-70s?

Elvis? No way, OP. She's savvy and successful, but there's only one Elvis.

Agreed, 116. She plays the game well.

The only songs of hers that have a shot at being remembered 50 years from now are the Max Martin *ahem* co-written songs from the 1989 album. “Blank Space” etc…

She’s not much of a songwriter without help.

R115 60s.

Seems like Elvis got a pass from Black people like Bill Clinton.

Nothing wrong with that.

Taylor's best song is "You Belong With Me" that's the song that took her to the big time.

[quote]Seems like Elvis got a pass from Black people

A pass for what?

She's this centuries Frank Sinatra! Barbara Streisand. Aretha Franklin!

Only they could sing but whatev!

Has Taylor ever done anything for women of of color?

R121 a pass = accepted as one of the good white boys like Bill Clinton. He gets an invite to the cookout.

R120 It’s also the song that got me past 1st base.

[quote] And no one is fucking saying Michael Jackson invented the moonwalk

Loads of people DO say this. And they are wrong.

[quote] Has Taylor ever done anything for women of of color?

What is she supposed to do? She's an entertainer, not a politician.

Well she did enhance Ice Spice’s visibility. Just sayin. You cunts always tryna come for Tay.

Elvis and the Beatles had talent

Swift is just bland American cheese.

But she is popular, that’s for sure.

Most things that appeal to the most people are usually completely vacuous. Not always, but usually.

She should be on the Mount Rushmore of the Industrial Entertainment Complex.

She's the world's favorite anorexic!

[quote] [R100] You are right about that because my dad is a huge Elvis fan and he hate white people lol.

So he hates you?

R133 what do you mean?

Can you guys, like, stop talking about Elvis and keep talking about me?

What would do Taylor Swift in, do you think? She is like a Trump almost, untouchable amongst her fans.

R136 She is nothing like Trump. Most pop stars have die hard fans to an almost delusional level.

You are saying Trump doesn't have delusional level fans r137?

R138 I said what I stated. Your argument has no legs. Michael Jackson, John Lennon, Whitney Houston were also Trump like. You get my drift. I suspect you are one of those people who just like to discuss Trump on every forum due to an obsession. Keep up the good fight, hopefully the orange cretin doesn’t get re-elected and you can stop obsessing.

No, BrickPolitt, R139 you didn't get my argument. I was on your side. But now I see why people don't like you. Michael Jackson, John Lennon and Whitney Houston are nothing like Trump because they added to culture, left beautiful music and moved the needle of humanity forward with their art. Trump is empty and vacuous and only about himself with a legion of delusional fans who will defend him no matter what he says. And Taylor Swift's fans are pretty much the same way, defending a product that is pretty much empty as the Industrial Entertainment Complex she is a part of. Her music is middling and in no comparison to her popularity.

R140 You still don’t get it. Best.

Well whatever YOU have R141, I certainly don't want.

The question is, was Elvis the Tay Tay of the 20th century?

More unhinged pathetic weekend trolling from Defacto at r141

Whatever the question IS, r143, that is not what BrickPolitt was addressing in r137. The argument he brought up there is what I was addressing.

And BTW, no. She is not the Elvis Presley of the 21st Century. Elvis captured the nation's imagination through his sexuality, the explicit (for the times) nature of his performances. He ignited something in his female fanbase that they had never felt before. Yes there was Valentino and even Frank Sinatra who had legions of women fainting. But that was more of a romantic love fantasy, chaste kisses. Elvis was the first to serve sex up on a platter with his gyrations and hip/dick thrusts.

Taylor Swift is as arousing as a crockpot of oatmeal. So no, she is not the Elvis Presley of the 21st Century. If you can find someone as equally widely popular for no discernible reason from the 20th century, she would be the 21st century version of that.

That’s incredibly fascinating, r145, but I wasn’t talking to you.

Seems like you were addressing the thread R146 since you did not delineate to whom you were talking. So your statement is addressing anyone in the thread, including me. And I responded. Maybe next time be a bit more clear and then you can stand in the fullness of your self-anointed superiority.

r144 you will never have blessings until you learn not to lie.

Cool story, bro. Meanwhile, you’re ugly, Defacto