This past summer semester, ipop – Department of Popular Music head Ralf von Appen taught a first-ever mdw seminar focused on the American singer Taylor Swift. Von Appen subjected Swift to close academic scrutiny together with academic assistant Mira Perusich and 23 students.
The resulting discourse to which this gave rise was enriched by four guest lecturers. Blogger Asaf Peres, speaking from New York through videoconferencing software, shed light on the characteristics of present-day Top 40 hits. Malte Kob of the Antonio Salieri Department of Vocal Studies and Vocal Research in Music Education provided detailed insights into voice analysis. Music producer Patrick Pulsinger, a guest lecturer at ipop this semester, as well as the musician and ipop faculty member Josef Doblhofer contributed their diverse knowledge of the relevant repertoire. But the central research question, which ultimately extended across the entire semester, was this: Just why is Taylor Swift so successful?
Swifties
In order to answer this question, attention initially turned to the people without whom this success would not have been possible to begin with: her fans. These self-proclaimed “Swifties” are a group characterised above all by inner cohesion. At the centre of this pop-cultural phenomenon is not exclusivity but rather the inclusion of fans independent of their backgrounds. Just how involved the fans are with their icon can be seen in the role played by supposed “Easter eggs”: Fans suspect and diligently search for hidden messages from Swift in her statements, lyrics, posts online, or even colours and numbers. The Swifties’ relationship with their idol can also be recognised in social media interactions in which Swifties communicate with the singer and express their support on a consistently familiar and friend-like level.
Lyrics & Aesthetics
In analysing her songs, the students’ findings as to the chord progressions used by Taylor Swift were fairly unsurprising but still revealing. Almost half of the 60 analysed songs use the same chord progression (I/IV/V/vi) and are also composed largely with chords native to the key. Moreover, the veracity of Swift’s nickname—“Queen of Bridges”—was confirmed: 85 percent of the analysed songs contain a bridge of some sort.
A look at her output in terms of production, on the other hand, turned up some surprises. For one thing, a multiplicity of sound sources and sounds are in play. What’s more, each of her albums adheres to its own different and clearly defined aesthetic—manifested in, among other things, the differing groups of instruments that are employed. While she stuck mostly with acoustic instruments for her debut album Taylor Swift, it is mainly synthesisers and drum machines that one hears on 1989. With the exception of the indie folk albums Folklore and Evermore, Swift’s transition toward synth-pop has continued all the way through to her most recent album The Tortured Poets Department.
Analysis of Swift’s lyrics likewise revealed a certain aesthetic. The theme of love runs through her lyrics like a golden thread—with the result that for practically any phrase related to love and being in love, one can find a corresponding song. Other themes are more the exception. One indication of how fans interpret certain lyrics is the phenomenon of friendship bracelets: the line “Make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it”, heard in the song “You’re On Your Own, Kid”, inspired fans all over the world to make their own friendship bracelets and exchange them with each other at concerts.
However, it is more than just Taylor Swift’s lyrics that enable fans to identify with her: in the way she uses her voice and in her art as a singer, Taylor Swift likewise conveys a natural style. Her vocal sound is clear with almost no rough edges, emphasising this supposed naturalness. Swift re-released her initial albums in order to obtain the rights to them following a lengthy conflict with her former record label, an undertaking where the aim of the production was literally reproduction—with the only perceptible major difference being her voice.
When one compares these two versions, a certain degree of vocal development does indeed become apparent: on the so-called Taylor’s Versions of her old albums, she sounds more mature and seems more assured in her overall intonation and agility, while her singing on the “original releases” sounds more child-like and less mature. One is also struck by how, on the original versions of her albums, the backing vocals were processed with Auto-Tune while her unprocessed voice exhibits an authentic character.
Image
At issue here is what could be understood as staging or as accentuation of the authenticity that Taylor Swift also projects in other areas. Her image and her persona—i.e., the way in which she is perceived by society and the personal facets that she portrays and conveys to the public—are characterised by a high degree of approachability.
She succeeds both in providing private glimpses into her everyday life and in appearing as a huge pop star. In the concert film The Eras Tour, the audience is presented with a show that is perfectly choreographed and planned down to the very last detail. In formats such as the Tiny Desk Concerts, on the other hand, Swift does without elaborate staging and gives solo performances of a selection of songs while also providing insights into their backgrounds and her songwriting processes. The documentary Miss Americana likewise presents the viewers with personal aspects including Swift’s first major—albeit late—instance of political positioning, in which she spoke out against a conservative senator. The rarity with which Swift takes a clear stand on the political level could, however, be read as a precautionary measure taken out of a desire to avoid driving away fans with other political orientations.
Feminism
The question as to whether Taylor Swift can be viewed as a feminist cannot be answered in any universally valid way: while she presents herself as a feminist and also explicitly claims to be one, she in fact represents highly heteronormative and conservative feminine ideals. While the release of Taylor’s Versions could be read as a feminist act, there remains the question of how inclusive this feminism embodied by Swift actually is. Whether Swift’s political positioning and her lived feminism are sufficient is something that every person must ultimately decide for themself.
Social Media & Conclusion
Taylor Swift’s success cannot be ascribed to any single formula, seeing as there are numerous different aspects interacting here. Of import is also the fact that communication and interaction via the Internet, especially via social media, represent new ways of generating reach. Such platforms were not yet available to the big pop stars of earlier decades. And in Swift’s case, they probably do number among the reasons why her presence and relevance have achieved such significance and broadness in recent years.
