Does anyone else not understand the insane success of Taylor Swift?

That's pretty much the DL consensus, OP.

I am still trying to understand the fixation so many men on DL have for her. One thread after another thread after another thread after another thread and it never ever fucking stops.

My god the Queens obsessed with Taylor Swift and those that post these never ending threads about her are strange indeed.

Now getting back to you

I tried listening to some of her music last week, for the first time.

It is insipid, self-regarding, repetitious, lacking in melody, poorly arranged and poorly produced, and her vocalizing sounds like someone attempting karaoke at a cheap bachelorette party with a bad microphone.

Throughout her career, she has nurtured a very powerful parasocial relationship with her fans via social media. Her young fans basically grew up listening to her and believe they have a strong connection to her.

I'm sick to death of hearing about her.

Decent tits, great costume designers, and either an adequate voice, or if manipulated a great voice,

But for me she strikes out with the martial. I just can't seem to view act with the eyes of horny and angry fourteen year old junior skank.

AI came early

My gay travel husband (I'm a straight woman) and I had a 5 hour drive from Grenada to Valencia last year in May/June. For the 3 hours that he was driving, I had to listen to Celine Dion and Taylor Swift, and couldn't say anything. I wanted to claw my ears out. He goes to both of their concerts for multiple times too- I really don't get the love for them either.

[quote]Throughout her career, she has nurtured a very powerful parasocial relationship with her fans via social media. Her young fans basically grew up listening to her and believe they have a strong connection to her.

THIS!

Enough about Taylor Swift, I want to hear more abourt R7's "relationship". Gay travel husband??

What an ORIGINAL and IMPORTANT contrarian thought, OP! We've all been blind to her mediocrity! Thank god you came along.

R5

Nothing says I am sick to death of Taylor Swift more than you posting once again, after so many times before, on another Taylor Swift thread.

I am starting to think you are obsessed with her.

She just looks like a big dumb horse walking baaack and forth across the stage, pounting at nothing. And that anonymous, robotic voice.

I think the gals like her because she always looks 'put together', dates hot guys and her songs are self-pitying little navel-gazing warbles.

r11 Huh?

What other threads have I allegedly posted about Taylor Swift on? I think this is probably one of the first. Maybe I drunk posted and am not remembering?

A friend’s daughter in New York saw her and was flying to Paris to see her in concert again weeks later.

Her fans wear diapers so they don’t miss anything by going to the bathroom.

It’s insane.

She dances like a retard.

[quote]Give me Roisin Murphy!

She was cancelled over her anti-trans kids comments.

I’ve said it another thread.

Her fanbase is generally white women.

She is the only white pop act who does not heavily take from black or gay culture, she sells “white girl” and she’s really the only one who does it.

She tried to do black and gay culture with “Look What You Made Me Do” and it was lukewarm so her next project was big flash white girl Disney princess to make up for it.

She’s only popular amongst white women. Unlike other pop stars who came before her, you can actually dodge seeing and listening to her with the exception of her PR romance with Kelce everywhere this year.

If it had been Whitney, that I'd understand. That woman could sing.

Has she reached the level of success of Michael Jackson? Whatever you think about him, he was a superior entertainer unlike Taylor.

He was immensely talented but for me his various mental illnesses killed it.

I’m having a similar reaction to Madonna. Love her music over the years but she seems thoroughly unpleasant- and kind of gross.

The Tylor fandom is bigger than MJ or Madonna. They never had this type of insanity that even involved world governments. Taylor is treated as the second coming, even saving the US economy and film industry.

Even Madonna must be thinking, “WTF?”

R18 No.

Michael convinced the world he was the greatest entertainer of all time. Very universal.

Taylor Swift is what Britney Spears’ career would have looked like if she stayed consistent.

R20 Not true. Madonna had every teenage girl dressing like her in the 80’s. They had Madonnaland at Macy’s lol.

The term “wannabe”, which is apart of our vocabulary, came from “Madonna wannabe” in the 80’s.

[quote] She’s being treated like goddamn Beatles. She is so damn bland and annoying.

The most ironyproof statement of the day.

[quote] AI came early

Al’s partner must have been disappointed.

I got Madonna mania (perfect marriage of great pop songs and a clear vision).

I got Britney mania (slutty hot in a post grunge world. Horrible songs, but perfect for the time).

I got Gaga mania (freak show in the best sense, great dance pop songs with big hooks, great musical talent).

I got Beyonce mania (the holy trinity of beauty, talent and presence that the pop world always looks for, but rarely finds).

I have no clue why Taylor is as big as those other four were at their peaks. Do I get why she's popular? Sure. But THIS popular? No.

Beyonce sings stupid songs with stupid lyrics. She's marginal in her intelligence. Please stop holding this person up as some goldmine of "talent."

DL never understood the success of JK Rowling. How do you expect us to understand Taylor Swift?

I listened to some of her music last weekend while cleaning. It was fine. That's about all I could say because not one of her songs moved me in anyway. They all kind of sounded similar, too. But "fine" is the only word I can think of to describe her music. I think she's more appealing to teenage girls because her lyrics are rather basic and probably easy to learn. They are going thru the time in their lives where they are discovering boys and learning that boys are kind of idiots. That's the only thing I can think of to explain her popularity.

She's fine.

[quote]She tried to do black and gay culture with “Look What You Made Me Do” and it was lukewarm so her next project was big flash white girl Disney princess to make up for it.

This is such a stupid comment. She has at least six songs with features by rappers and hip hop artists.

I love Taylor Swift. She is a great artist because she actually evolves. Listen to some of her earliest country songs, then fast forward a decade or so and listen to her duet with Zayn Malik ("I Don't Wanna Live Forever").

Then fast-forward ten years and listen to her Folklore record, or her song "Anti-Hero" from Mirrors.

She is actually one of the few artists today who is putting out music across a range of genres. And she is succeeding.

What is happening to me?

[quote]I think she's more appealing to teenage girls because her lyrics are rather basic and probably easy to learn.

She has a wide range of fans across all age groups and demographics. You sound old and disconnected from what is happening in pop culture. Wake up.

Superstardom is something that snowballs and builds on itself. She's very talented, but I think the explosive career rise she's having now is more about marketing and collective experience.

Great gowns. Beautiful gowns.

I’m quite amused watching you queens defend this ugly boney overrated publicity ho.

[quote]this ugly boney overrated publicity ho.

She will out-live you, though, won't she?

My theory is that Taylor Swift is the antichrist, while all this time we thought it was Trump.

She’s just so utterly bland and vapid. I will never understand the hype. It surely must be a generation of young to middle aged girls and some gays who “feel understood” and “feel heard” by the way she’s cultivated her social media presence. There’s nothing good about her musically in the slightest. It’s all smoke and mirrors.

Happen to be listening to Folklore as I read this thread. While certainly not a 'swifty', I'm a fan. There are times when her music hits the spot.

It depresses me seeing little girls on the train with their moms going to see her in concert (which you know from how the kids are dressed). You know the tickets cost hundreds of dollars each. In the world I grew up in no kid would have been indulged like that. Nobody spent any kind of large amount on entertainment at all, not even adults. Not on sports, either. The Taylor Swift phenomenon represents the worst of this, to me. First, I can’t believe so many people even have so much money to throw away on something so trivial Second, nobody ever seems to think it’s gone too far and says no to it.

She has a face like a rodent. It gives them hope.

Every year, young kids discover this song and go crazy.

It’s a new classic that will never go away.

It’s a fun song!

I don't begrudge Swift her stardom or money. And, so what? even if I took the trouble to? The dogs bark, but the caravan passes on.

I'm with r4 and r8. These happened simultaneously:

1. Swift embarked on her career

2. Social media harvested and hooked young brains

3. Swift's undeniable talent for a self-regarding Karen-a-Saurus pop hook

was like the Fire Triangle- heat, fuel, and oxygen.

I give Swift all the credit in the world for stoking that fire into billionaire status.

But man, as a pure stage performer, she's so damn basic. I know because I ordered her concert tour movie over the holidays and couldn't get over how underwhelming she is.

Smartly, she probably knows that herself and made damn sure her fans carry the load for her by their collective participation in her concerts.

At least her songs have a melody, but my problem is that so many of them sound alike.

R42.

R39

Spends his days riding on trains watching little all dressed up going to a TS concert and he gets depressed. Sad indeed.

How much time does he spend on trains watching little girls? How many trains a day? How many days? How many fucking TS concerts.

What gay man spends his time on trains watching little girls going to a concert with mom?

This above R39 is what I think of when I think of young gay GenZ men on DL.

“Sitting in car 7 watching the little girls all day”

It’s the start of a CW song praising gay men and their interest in little girls who are all dressed up.

She will be blamed when the Kelce neanderthals take over the world

[Quote]It depresses me seeing little girls on the train with their moms going to see her in concert. You know the tickets cost hundreds of dollars each. In the world I grew up in no kid would have been indulged like that...First, I can’t believe so many people even have so much money to throw away on something so trivial Second, nobody ever seems to think it’s gone too far and says no to it.

Jeez man, even my cold, starving heart thinks you should lighten up.

I'm grateful to have been a tween in the 80's, with the likes of Madonna, MJ, Prince, Boy George, George Michael, Cyndi Lauper, etc. All unique, all pushing boundaries whether you liked them or not. Now it seems like you have the ultra-sanitized Ms. Swift or mentally ill pseudo-pornstars like Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Doja Cat, etc.

[Quote]My gay travel husband (I'm a straight woman) and I had a 5 hour drive from Grenada to Valencia last year in May/June. For the 3 hours that he was driving, I had to listen to Celine Dion and Taylor Swift, and couldn't say anything. I wanted to claw my ears out. He goes to both of their concerts for multiple times too- I really don't get the love for them either.

Well, smell R7! A high falutin, globetrotting frau deigns to grace the DL with her presence to regale us with anecdotes about her pet gay and her offbeat yet exquisite taste in music.

Bitch, I'd rather listen to Taylor Swift queefing than spend even 5 minutes in your company.

R47 “Lighten up.” Sure, I’ll do that. Right away!

As these people who spend 2 or 3K on their and their kids concert tickets, their trips to Europe to see Taylor, etc. should be saving it for their kids to go to college.

With a few exceptions the only people who make it really big now are mediocrities. They’re no longer the best singers, actors, composers. A lot of that has to do with the fact that the stardom these people have usually originated with having kid fans. Like 1D. Who did they appeal to, originally? Kids set the tastes.

The only thing Taylor Swift makes me understand is that the musical tastes of young people has been going downhill for decades. Once the teenybobbers of today age out of Taylor Swift music I don't even want to think what the kids that will replace them will be into.

“I wanna hold your hand I wanna hold your hand”

This is the kind of good shit TS does not write.

No, I don't understand it, but I also don't care, OP. You should learn to let go. I'm sure there are more important things that are deserving of your time than this naval gazing. Release it.

When it’s all over she will be a multi billionaire, Travis will be rich and in the NFL ( that’s football) Hall of Fame

and many on DL will still be moaning about their sad sorry life with no future and no retirement and no hubby., and still hating those that have done so well.

Sad Broke Alone not a way to go thru life

There's a lot to what you write, r51, and I know your observation and my agreeing to it is the equivalent of "Get offa my lawn"!

Hearing and taste buds have a lot in common. As a child, what I wanted to eat as a treat is different than what I want, and appreciate, now.

And I write this as someone who can, on occasion, hear "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies and knows it's perhaps the greatest schlock-pop-sugar hook ever put together, and, oh, do I love it.

But, we're shallow humans. Dress up mediocre talent in good looks and a flair for attention-getting and that's what makes money and money rules.

A contemporary-day Ella Fitzgerald or Patsy Cline would be ignored in today's market, even though if you took the combined talents of Swift, Beyonce, Dua Lipa and the rest of 'em combined, their collective talent wouldn't match what both Fitzgerald and Cline had in their little finger.

r54 r55

R55, you were raised right.

R53, fuck off.

How in 2024- after 100 years of pop/country/soul songs- do they manage to retool the same songs over and over? Without plagiarizing the billion songs that came before it?

"You left me/I was sad/Find myself thinkin bout what we had..."

r49, I wouldn't have said anything if he were in his 20's or even 30's, but he's a 58 year old man.

Not many 20 or 30 year olds into Celine.