Dear Taylor,
Where to even begin? Congratulations, I guess, are in order. Your third re-recorded album, Speak Now, will come out next week, on July 7th. You’re knocking these out of the park every single time. I cannot wait for the 2024 version of Reputation. That will be a fine day.
But let’s back up a little bit. Since your first country record in 2006, things got out of hand, and fast. Releasing a record every two years, you made country pop works with Fearless and Speak Now. And that’s when you started to explore other things, which led you to become the chameleon you are now. Oh, but you did it so brilliantly. The transitions were so swift (see what I did there?)!
With Red, you incorporated elements of rock and electronic music, before going full-blown synth-pop on 1989. Everyone thought they had you figured out by this point, so you had to prove them wrong, didn’t you? You did a fine job. Reputation was a slap in the industry’s face. “The old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, because she’s dead!”
Lover, released the year before the Great Collapse, as I like to call it, was the path to recovery. After finally parting ways with Big Machine Records, you wrote this beautiful ode to artistic freedom and mental health. Then came the pandemic. The whole world came to a stop. Artists, not being able to tour, were even more depressed than regular folks. Being stuck at home didn’t inspire many to work on some new material.
Once again, you were different. Everyone was either trying to lose weight, or drinking the pandemic away. You kept quiet and worked your arse off. You created not one, but two inspired and inspiring records that will stay with us for a long time. Folklore and Evermore are a celebration of simplicity. They feature beautiful acoustic music, catchy songs, and some of your most gorgeous vocals to date.
The dispute over your masters is highly publicised. Re-recording an album has been done before. Re-recording six, though, has not. Your strong stance sends a powerful message about artists’ rights and intellectual property. It calls for better ethics in the music business. About fuckin’ time. Your brave fight is making big waves and will change the industry for the better. For that, everyone who has ever released a song should be grateful.
You still took the time to bless us with Midnights last October. This gem broke all the records again. It became the most streamed album in a day, with 185 million plays. You also became the first artist in history to monopolise the entire top 10. I mean, no biggie. Oh, and your Eras Tour broke the record for most concert tickets sold in a single day.
I remember when years ago I first heard one of your songs. It was a little single on the radio called Blank Space. That thing stayed in my head for weeks. I hated that I loved it so much, so I kept it quiet, you know. I was playing alt-rock, I couldn’t possibly enjoy top-of-the-charts pop music.
It was just not allowed.
It took me a while to understand, but music is very much like love. Love doesn’t come into a finite quantity inside of you. The more you love, the more of it you have to give. You don’t run out. Music works in a similar fashion. The more you listen to great music, the more you start appreciating very different things.
You’re only 33, yet you’ve changed this industry like no one else before. You’re my generation’s Beatles, and anyone who will argue with that is missing the point. Many people disliked the Beatles in the sixties. Some still do to this day (I know, right?!) But when history is being written right in front of your eyes, it’s always a good idea to have a look. You might learn a thing or two.
There’s no magic bullet in your story, no one can contest the sheer amount of work you put in. You sure found the magic touch, though. Your words always resonate. Your voice gets better with each record, more nuanced and dynamic. Your range keeps expending (I want to lie down in your lower notes and die there). You manage to surprise us every time, while still comforting us with the things we now expect. The perfect balance.
Even if you quit tomorrow, I have enough of your music to inspire me till the day I die. But, to be honest, I cannot wait to see what you have in store for us next.
I hope it’s not too lonely at the top, Queen, because you’re making the rest of us mortals look bad.
*****
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