How do I say this without offending the unwaveringly loyal and passionate fanbase that Taylor Swift has created and maintained over the course of a solid decade? There is no right way, so I’ll just be open and honest with you from the get-go.
I haven’t ever considered myself to be a Taylor Swift fan.
Now, before you get your panties in a wad, let me explain myself.
Not being a “fan” doesn’t mean I’m not a fan, if you know what I mean. I think of her fanbase, and I think of diehard fanatics staying up until midnight the night before she releases an album. I also think of people refreshing their browser every ten seconds in hopes that their fingers are speedy enough to pre-purchase concert tickets at the drop of a tour announcement.
Her fans are the type to know every lyric to every song she’s released, and on top of that, they know exactly who she’s singing about, too. They have her merchandise, tattoos of words she’s written on their bodies, and dedicated eras of their lives to the many different versions of her development.
But Taylor Swift has done more for her fanbase than just that. It’s said that no matter what you’re going through in your own life, there is at least one Taylor Swift song that explains exactly how you feel. She’s captured the intricacies of heartbreak, love, friendship, growth, and everything in between within the three to four minute songs she’s graced the world with.
She has filled a gap for her fans in a way no one has done before. Sure, there are SO many artists who write songs that hit differently, but Taylor Swift is as admired and as loved as she is because she’s unparalleled when it comes to being relatable.
In short, to be considered a Taylor Swift fan is to not only know and listen to her music, it is to know, adore, and deeply, deeply resonate with the songs she sings. People love Taylor Swift, of course, but more so, they love finding themselves in the stories she writes.
So, if you’re following, it’s not that I’m not a fan of Taylor Swift. It’s that I don’t classify myself as a member of her fanbase because I fall short in regards to the standards one has to live up to as a loyal TSwift follower.
I think of myself as just a girl who sometimes listens to her music when she’s in the mood. I don’t know every lyric to every song she’s written. I’m not counting down the days until she releases a new album. I’m not up-to-date on her love life, and I definitely don’t have a tattoo that’s in reference to her on my body.
All in all, I’m pretty neutral.
Do I like her music? I would be lying if I said I didn’t, but do I listen to it often? Can’t say I do.
What I will say is that I respect Taylor Swift a whole lot… for many reasons, one of those reasons is why I’m dedicating a whole blog post to her today.
Taylor Swift has recently re-recorded and re-released new versions of her old albums. I’m not going to dive into all the reasons why (mainly because I don’t know), but long story short, Taylor did not have the means to manage or distribute her work under her last record label. In simplest terms, her music wasn’t really her music. Her record label, agency, and contract were keeping her from ultimately having control over the fullest bodies of work she created.
Until recently, that is, when Taylor switched record labels and made sure to secure ownership over her future masters. She has also recently fulfilled her promise to re-record old albums and release them based on the original, uncovered versions.
And I just can’t think of anything more badass than that.
To go back and take ownership of your stories. To dust off lost art and to let it see the light of day. To deviate from watering down any version of what you truly want to say for the sake of someone else. To say exactly what you want to say without intervention or suggestion.
There is truly nothing like it.
That is why I respect the hell out of Taylor Swift.
I listened to her new release of the ten minute version of “All Too Well” the other day, a song (the original recording) I’ve heard many times in the past, and I could not help but think about how empowering it is to reclaim your voice after being coerced into scripting a narrative that lacks authenticity, especially when someone else is profiting off of keeping you tight-tongued.
Whether you like Taylor Swift’s music or not, you have to recognize the resilience and courage in salvaging what others had taken from her. To birth those songs back into the world based on the rewrite of a grander, more encapsulating, truer storyline is nothing short of awe-inspiring. It has shown her ever-loyal fanbase, and the world for that matter, that your story does not have to end with, “he said,” “she said,” or “they said”.
It can end with, “I wrote.”
But I also want to add that your story doesn’t have to be written. It can be sang or said or acted or sign-language’d or whatever the hell’d you want, as long as it’s what you want.
Make sure you recognize that just because someone stole your voice in the beginning or silenced you into lip syncing a verse that felt like a slighted version of what you actually wanted to say, doesn’t mean you can’t regain control and claim your voice as your own moving forward. In the bluntest terms possible, claiming control over what is yours is the most empowering feeling ever.
So to wrap up this rant, I want to give my absolute kudos to Taylor Swift herself. I still don’t think my respect for her re-writes grant me permission into her colossus of a fanbase, but I’m fine with being on the outside. Over the years I’ve learned that the perspective I can cultivate from being slightly outside a group is what’s formed the basis for my ability to write. And unlike Taylor Swift, I may not be writing billboard hits or songs of the year, but I’m continuously finding the courage to write about my life, my experiences, my stories, based on… (Taylor’s Version).
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