Gen Xers - Do you find Taylor Swift’s music bland?

[Anonymous]

Aaron Dessner has been more involved with writing and producing her stuff in the last few albums so musically she is improving.

It’s made for fund father-daughter bonding. I took DD to both a TS concert AND to see The National. They are Taylor Swift’s favorite band, after all. (David Letterman’s too, but I digress).

(Seeing The National again on Monday at Merriweather Post, in fact … alas, DD is away at school).

[Anonymous]

I really like her slower songs like Seven, How did it End?, Exile. Not a fan of her more classic pop music but I don't care for pop music generally.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t get the hype. But that’s pop music. Anyone can get popular with bubble gum music. Her songs to me are typical pop songs, nothing special. I don’t find her particularly talented but her songs are catchy and I guess that hooks a lot of people. Her voice isn’t great although she has worked in it a lot and gotten better. Her team around her done a great job of branding and selling her has a brand and her gimmicks with fans have been successful.

This is what I don’t get. I find very few of her songs to be catchy at all. And they’re are other not terribly talented pop stars (thinking Brittney Spears here) who manage to put out catchier songs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You know that Dua Lipa basically copied 80s and 90s songs?

Now that's some boring music.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would never go out of my way to listen to it, but I'll bop my head to it when it's playing in the background at TJ Maxx or whatever.

Really, I think the only song of hers that has ever made me bop my head is Shake it Off, and I don’t even particularly like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gen x and really like her music

You all are jealous. Plenty of men singers who are boring and bland. But you never call them out.

Because they are not a worldwide phenomena?

+1 there is nobody comparable, male or female. And there are so many talented, worthy artists. And nobody is calling TS out; it’s a reasonable, measured question and conversation (although I gave not read further in the thread).

[Anonymous]

Why does Lana del ray, who is massively, massively talented have this level of popularity? It’s interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does Lana del ray, who is massively, massively talented have this level of popularity? It’s interesting.

And when I say level of popularity - presidents want their endorsement, their presence at NFL game is focused on more than the game, they need basically a presidential level of security, colleges kind nyu have classes about her, literally, etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Old gen x never really listened to pop music and certainly would not listen to Taylor. She reminds me of Madonna in term of influence but I did not listen to her either.

I was always left of the dial and Taylor is not left of the dial.

What I find amazing is a lot of the high schoolers who are in bands listen to a lot of the same things I listened to in my youth. Very few people listened to those bands back in the day. So it is crazy hearing these kids playing these bands!

OP here.
It’s crazy isn’t it? My own college aged daughters listen to The Cure , The Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, and while it warms my Gen X heart, I find it really sad, that today’s music is in such a sorry state now that they have to go that far back for the good stuff.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Older Gen-X here. Plenty of terrible bland music from my high school years that was immensely popular: Asia, Belinda Carlisle, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, Toto, etc etc

Don't put Toto and Asia in with Debbie Gibson!
Belinda was better with the Go Go's.

Gen X (1970) here and I find TS extremely boring. Nothing about her music has a fun hook or is interesting.

Bingo! I’m confused by all the posters saying her music is catchy but nothing remarkable.
I find her music (yes, the early stuff) to be the least catchy pop music out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:She's no Black Sabbath.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think some of her lyrics are phenomenally good but yes a lot of her music is bland or generic or predictable in a way I just can't get excited about.

Even Folklore which I liked better than other albums -- it's like it sounds *like* music I like but it is not the music I like if that makes sense.

I think she's just in a category where I'm never going to love an entire Swift album because she works in a genre that just isn't for me. But I still like individual songs and appreciate her as an artist. I feel similarly about a lot of pop acts -- Lady Gaga and Charlie XCX and Olivia Rodrigo. All of whom I like! But when I sit down and listen to a whole album from and of them I find it just doesn't hit me the way I want it too.

Though I really love Lana Del Ray who I think of as Swift-adjacent so who knows I might one day love an album.

I can barely think of any artist who has put out an entire album I’ve liked in its entirety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Old gen x never really listened to pop music and certainly would not listen to Taylor. She reminds me of Madonna in term of influence but I did not listen to her either.

I was always left of the dial and Taylor is not left of the dial.

What I find amazing is a lot of the high schoolers who are in bands listen to a lot of the same things I listened to in my youth. Very few people listened to those bands back in the day. So it is crazy hearing these kids playing these bands!

OP here.
It’s crazy isn’t it? My own college aged daughters listen to The Cure , The Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, and while it warms my Gen X heart, I find it really sad, that today’s music is in such a sorry state now that they have to go that far back for the good stuff.

DP. It’s so true though isn’t it? They just don’t make music like they used to. My kids are in elementary and middle school but they know more classic rock, 80s and 90s music than current stuff (but my DD does love TS). My 11yo had to do a music project at school last year with a group and he kept suggesting bands they’d never heard of, including the Beatles!

[Anonymous]

Her songs are fine to interesting. I just wish her voice was better. It just does nothing at all for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Old gen x never really listened to pop music and certainly would not listen to Taylor. She reminds me of Madonna in term of influence but I did not listen to her either.

I was always left of the dial and Taylor is not left of the dial.

What I find amazing is a lot of the high schoolers who are in bands listen to a lot of the same things I listened to in my youth. Very few people listened to those bands back in the day. So it is crazy hearing these kids playing these bands!

OP here.
It’s crazy isn’t it? My own college aged daughters listen to The Cure , The Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, and while it warms my Gen X heart, I find it really sad, that today’s music is in such a sorry state now that they have to go that far back for the good stuff.

DP. It’s so true though isn’t it? They just don’t make music like they used to. My kids are in elementary and middle school but they know more classic rock, 80s and 90s music than current stuff (but my DD does love TS). My 11yo had to do a music project at school last year with a group and he kept suggesting bands they’d never heard of, including the Beatles!

+1 I enjoy listening to my old bands and taking my son to my old band concerts, but the internet killed the radio star.