I’ve Been Thinking About Taylor
Hello! It’s been a slow start to a new year. As I told a friend: I’ve been very busy being lazy. Self Care. Alone time. Yay me.
I’m in no rush. Pulled into a spot at the supermarket and decided to stay in the car til the song was over. Cat Stevens’ “The Wind.” I let my music take me where my heart wants to go. Yes. I need to do this more often. Stay in the car and finish listening to songs.
I’ve been thinking about Taylor. Haven’t you? I mean, how could you not? She’s everywhere. You can’t escape her. I think that was the plan.
And … I’ve been thinking about my dear friend Gregg Sutton who departed a few months ago. Once when we were recording a song demo he yelled at me (sort of) to open my mouth WIDE because I wasn’t quite reaching the notes. It kinda freaked me out but I did what he said and lo and behold, I reached the notes. I still forget to do that. But now that he’s gone I remember more often.
Where was I? Oh yeah. Last night I dreamed I was in a writing session with Taylor Swift and I had an idea called “Sue Love” as in … file a lawsuit against the thing that has brought you harm. I told Taylor I’d LET her write it with me. 😂 She said she’d have to check with “Mather.” I thought to myself — who the hell is “Mather?” I punted: “Ok. Uh … is that someone you’ve been working with? He/She/They can have a piece.” Then I realized she was saying “mOther.” She had to ask her mother if she could write “Sue Love” with me. What the hell does that mean?
I was discussing ‘Taylor vs. Beyonce’ with my daughter Layla who worships both women for separate reasons. She says Taylor has taught her about her romantic relationships. Beyonce has taught her about her power. Two different cuisines. They’re both huge. The former is huger. The hugest.
So much so that “Swift” is my go-to NYT Wordle ‘start-word.’ I just know, with the zeitgeist being saturated with her essence, it’s gonna be the answer to the puzzle one of these days like “gravy” is on Thanksgiving or “ghost” on Halloween. So far no luck but I’m sure as soon as I change my start-word they’ll use “Swift.” Grrrr.
My family has sat around many-a-dinner-table with friends of all ages deliberating Ms. Swift. Her sharp marketing calculations. Her social media game. Her ticket sales. Whether she’s as big as the Beatles? (No!) Was it mean to invite Sabrina Carpenter to open for her after the Olivia Rodrigo debacle? Her ability to put her finger on the heartbeat of the young woman experience. Love her, hate her or ambivalent one can’t argue that she’s a cultural icon. A mega-star kind of rare celebrity who as Michael A. Cohen writes — may have the influence to shift political tides.
Imagine what a feeling that must be. To know you have the power to change the course of the country. The world. Yet, coming out for a specific candidate (rather than just rallying the vote (which is awesome) or posting on IG (awesome too!)) could, as an ‘advisor’ cautioned in Miss Americana, “halve the number of people who come to your next tour.” Uh oh. But So what? She’d still have massive following. Perhaps if one signs up for that kind of fame, speaking out at critical moments comes with the territory. I wonder what Beyonce would do.
Taylor’s mom worries for her safety and security (the swatting, the stalking). Any mom would. I would. It’s a fair argument. Her mom has my empathy. Still…
In the clip we see Taylor arguing that she wants to be “on the right side of history.” (Yay.) She says it’s “important to her.” (Understandable.) She seems sincere. She’s clearly emotional. I hope this scene wasn’t scripted. I hope they weren’t acting. I hope that Dad and Mom (and advisor) weren’t given those lines so that we the people would be spoon-fed the reason why Taylor Swift won’t go the full distance. But we do get to observe her fighting back … in a documentary. But this is real life.
She says she regrets that back in the 2016 election she didn’t come out against a certain someone (say his name!). She “wasn’t going to pop my head out of the sand for anything.” She says she’s sad and that she “can’t change that now.” I respectfully disagree. Yes she can! Put your money where your fans are, Taylor. You say you wish you “acted differently.” There’s still time. Because here we are again. And you’d still have plenty of fans. ❤️
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