By JONAS MILLER
Staff Writer
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It’s that special time of year again; Halloween is coming up, then Thanksgiving, and following that, Christmas. Yes, the leaves are falling and there is just a happy hum of excitement in the air. But forget candy, or turkey, or even presents, because something bigger is happening before all of that holiday nonsense, something big. Taylor Swift is blessing us with her latest album of music. Titled 1989, stemming from Swift’s year of birth, her latest album is sure to impress. Swift has officially made the jump from country to pop in her sixth album.
So much hype surrounds this album that thousands of people in Canada were lured into buying what ended up being eight seconds of white noise. That’s right, they bought eight seconds of Taylor Swift singing exactly zero words. Due to some sort of iTunes glitch, Swift accidently released “Track 3” this past Tuesday and it immediately shot to the top of the Canadian charts.
It seems silly to think that that many people bought nothing, unless you’re an avid fan of Swift’s music.
When you’re favorite artist in the entire world releases anything new, the first thing you do is buy it. Never mind listening to it first, you don’t have time for that; you need to own the song in its entirety before you put it on repeat for the rest of the day.
I am not ashamed in admitting the fact that I own every single Taylor Swift song…ever. All five albums, and their deluxe editions, and any other piece of music with the name Swift attached to it. If you name it, I know the words to it.
Swift and her music have been a part of my life since middle school. Each song has an individual emotion and memory that it carries with it. Some I like better than others, but each and every one of them has a special place in my heart. I feel as though that’s why she is such a popular artist. Her songs carry such weight, such emotion, it’s very difficult not to identify with them in some way. Even from a guys perspective, most of the songs have applied or do apply to my life in some way.
Personally, I’m very excited for Swifts newest album, not from a fans standpoint, but just from someone who likes good music. She has evolved musically in such a way that only true musicians do. Many reviewers are comparing her new music to that of Madonna and Phil Collins, who both were very prominent artists in the late 80’s.
Swifts goal for this album has been to capture what she thought music sounded like the year she was born. Basing my opinion solely off of the three songs she released prior to the album coming out, and my knowledge of how music was back then, I feel as though she captured it perfectly. The music is very ‘pop’ but it has that throwback flare and sense of timelessness that older music has.
Some are calling the new music repetitive, others say it has too much of dance beat, that it’s “not her.” I think that’s ridiculous, her music is whatever she wants it to be, and for every hater there’s a dozen screaming fans that love her just as much as I do.
Taylor Swift has grown from a smalltime country girl, to a pop superstar, and she deserves every ounce of fame and praise that she receives. I’m excited to add 1989 to my music library, and even more excited for two long years from now when she releases her next album.
