{"id":7053,"date":"2023-11-13T02:24:55","date_gmt":"2023-11-13T03:24:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=7053"},"modified":"2023-11-13T03:58:20","modified_gmt":"2023-11-13T03:58:20","slug":"the-taylor-swift-phenomenon-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wifamily.news\/?p=7053","title":{"rendered":"The Taylor Swift Phenomenon Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

This post originally appeared at https:\/\/www.wisconsinrightnow.com\/the-taylor-swift-phenomenon\/<\/a><\/p>\n

I am a Swiftie. More than that, I\u2019m <\/span>the<\/span><\/i> Swiftie. At the ripe age of five, I sang her songs and danced to her music videos. Now, at 18, I still sing her songs and dance to her music videos, but now I also analyze and cry to her lyrics, spend thousands (of my parents\u2019) money on concert tickets and merch, and spend countless hours online ruthlessly and knowledgeably defending her name from random strangers on Facebook and TikTok. But I love what I do for this 33-year-old woman who doesn\u2019t know my existence, and I\u2019ll continue to fight in her army and, eventually, die on her hill.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the last months, Taylor Swift has absolutely blown up in the pop culture atmosphere. Re-recording her albums, going on the world-renowned Eras Tour, and now, being the new face for the NFL (I\u2019m just kidding, football bros. Not really, though).\u00a0 So, what has caused this recent Taylor Swift phenomenon? Why is she booming now after 17 years in the game? And <\/span>why<\/span><\/i> do you have to see her <\/span>every time<\/span><\/i> you watch football?!<\/span><\/p>\n

Miss Americana<\/h2>\n

Not only is Taylor Swift incredibly successful and brilliant, but she is a humanitarian. She is constantly sending money to fans in need, children battling cancer, and charity groups- often anonymous so as not to bring attention to herself through her donation. At each Eras Tour stop, she donated thousands upon thousands to local charities, with a local <\/span>food charity in Seatle<\/span><\/a> stating that they can now provide \u201chundreds of thousands of pounds\u201d of fresh produce for families in need.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This summer, in the midst of her tour, Taylor also gave around $55 million in bonuses to her tour workers, specifically truck drivers. Each truck driver received a bonus of $100,000.00 and a handwritten note from Taylor thanking them for their hard work and dedication to her tour. In an<\/span> interview,<\/span><\/a> one of her truck drivers said that the bonus was \u201clife-changing money\u201d and would be used on a down payment for a house or his child\u2019s college tuition.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now that I\u2019ve gotten logical reasoning out of the way, let me tug my own heartstrings to tell you why I\u2019m a Swiftie.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Taylor
Jenna at age 8 at her 1st taylor swift concert<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Taylor\u2019s music is unlike any other and is often confused with Shakespeare\u2019s work (click <\/span>here<\/span><\/a> to play <\/span>Taylor Swift or Shakespeare<\/span><\/i>). Her lyrics go beyond catchy radio tunes, so much so that I shamelessly spend hours annotating and interpreting them; they cut deep and resonate with your every emotion. She writes so vulnerably, truthfully, and intensely that it often feels like she wrote her songs about you. One thing I\u2019ve loved about Taylor all my life is how my mother and I can listen to the same song and equate her lyricism to our own unique experiences in a way that feels so deeply personal. Every listener of her music can identify themselves within her lyrics, all in completely individual ways.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Taylor Swift has inspired many things in my life, as well. I firmly believe that having grown up surrounding myself with a symphony of beautiful writing has made me a better writer (after all, you are what you eat) and more emotionally perceptive. Taylor was never one to party or have a rebellious phase; in fact, she struggled with friends- leaving messages for her younger fans that it was okay to strive <\/span>on <\/span><\/a>your <\/span>own<\/span><\/a>. Girls like myself needed this message- as I spent many lonely days in school listening to her music, feeling like I had nowhere to fit in. If I didn\u2019t have anywhere to go or anyone to hang out with, I could find a place to belong in Taylor\u2019s music.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Years ago, in 2015, my dad took me to Taylor Swift\u2019s 1989 World Tour. It was my second Taylor Swift concert and a total surprise. Obviously, she put on an amazing and captivating show with a light-up dress, incredible vocals, and vivacious choreography. One specific moment that my dad and I both recall from that night was her deliverance of the \u201c<\/span>Clean Speech<\/span><\/a>.\u201d Being 11 years old and struggling with friends and self-image at school, one line from her speech stuck out to me and has followed me every day since: \u201cYou are not the opinion of someone who doesn\u2019t know or care about you.\u201d Teenage girls struggle every day with high school politics, boys, social media, and beauty standards, just as I have and do. But Taylor has, too- and lived to tell the tale.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Taylor offers peace and validation in tears and smiles; she told me that it was okay to be on a different track than others. She demonstrated kindness and generosity towards strangers and fans, making me want to demonstrate the same type of kindness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI want to wear pink and tell you how I feel about politics\u201d is a quote from Taylor\u2019s 2020 documentary <\/span>Miss Americana, <\/span><\/i>a quote that I\u2019ve seriously considered getting tattooed in ink on my body. I\u2019ve been interested in politics my whole life- and while my politics could not oppose Taylor\u2019s politics more, I still love that quote. Learning from Taylor, I\u2019m loud about the things I believe in. I believe that if you\u2019re not willing to stand for something, you\u2019ll fall for anything. I have strong expectations of myself and others. I do wear pink. I love glitter and spend hours doing my makeup. But none of those things have to take away from my determination, intelligence, or success.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Re-Recording Her Albums<\/h2>\n

In 2019, Taylor Swift\u2019s 15-year contract with Big Machine Records ended. Before she could step in, her entire discography was sold to Scooter Braun, making him the chief owner of Taylor\u2019s five studio albums (Self-titled, Fearless, Speak Now, Red, 1989, Reputation). This was devastating, but Taylor immediately took action to re-record her studio albums, adding the phrase \u201c(Taylor\u2019s version)\u201d to each re-recording, signifying she now owned it. Thus far, she holds Fearless, Red, Speak Now, and on October 27th, 1989. All over the world, Swifties have rejoiced, knowing that the music that Taylor <\/span>wrote<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>recorded<\/span><\/a> herself <\/span><\/a>is now hers again.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adding to the success of the re-recordings, Taylor released her 10th original album, Midnights, last October. Midnights broke <\/span>multiple records<\/span><\/a> (something Taylor isn\u2019t unaccustomed to). The album caused a frenzy among all young girls and women worldwide, as Midnights was an album created unlike any other album: it was composed of songs written throughout her career and on her \u201csleepless nights.\u201d The album was a massive success and the perfect segway to her career\u2019s next and most fruitful era.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Eras Tour<\/h2>\n

The Eras Tour began in March of 2023 and is projected to end in late 2024, however, Taylor continues to add dozens of new tour dates due to high demand. Upon the announcement of the Eras Tour and the release of select ticket pre-sale codes, the ticket-purchasing company Ticketmaster crashed. Neither the company nor Taylor\u2019s team had anticipated such high ticket demand, and the site instantaneously froze, leaving millions of Swifties with pre-access (not even general sale) codes without tickets. Swifties were beyond devastated at Ticketmaster\u2019s failure, so they<\/span> sued.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Eras Tour kicked off in Phoenix, Arizona. I was lucky enough to attend opening weekend (thank you, Dad!), and let me tell you, my life was changed. I\u2019d seen Taylor in concert three times before, but the Eras Tour was the performance of a lifetime. The show pays homage to 17 years of her career as she performs all her albums\/aesthetics as \u201ceras\u201d (Fearless Era, 1989 Era, etc.) The 3 \u00bd hour show features 44 songs and 2 unique surprise songs played at each show. I went on to attend two more Eras Tour concerts, and at each one, I was crying before she even appeared on stage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some Era\u2019s Tour stats: <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n