Tuesday, December 1, 2009

a confession


Are you ready to be shocked? Brace yourselves, faithful readers.

Alright, here it is... I adore Taylor Swift.

Now, I know that this news totally blows your mind because you think of me as so incredibly edgy with my many posts on poetry and cats, but you are just going to have to believe it.

This confession is also major because I don't want it to reflect upon and embarrass the two dear friends that I share this blog with and who are both the epitome of hip (what with Mae's concern about archiving her children's school work for the long hall and Lorelei's near mania for children's libraries - there is a real chance that these ladies are going to cut me loose!).


Alas, I kid. Those two are as dorky as I am (thus my love for them), but loving Taylor Swift is still a goofy thing to admit to since I am not 15 (I'm more like two 15 year olds and a first grader).

Other celebrities her age annoy me to no end (cough, Miley) so I'm as surprised as anyone as to how much I enjoy Ms Taylor. Sure, she has cute style and is up for anything (check her out on SNL), but I think the heart of her appeal is that there is a real sincerity to her songs about young love.

Her songs are, yes, simple and sweet, but in that way they are also able to capture an earnestness and vulnerability that reminds me how it felt to be in high school when every emotion was so new, so heightened, so raw - even when you were happy.

via weheartit

Anyway, I sent the acoustic version of Taylor Swift's Fifteen to my friend Ruby who, because she is such a beautiful writer, knew exactly how to express how this teenager singer taps into a thirtysomething's nostalgia:
"It makes me remember the first time I ever held hands with a boy. It makes me remember the first time I ever got caught kissing a boy. Joe Silvio. Italian hunkahunka, football player, Catholic, older brother to a new born baby sister. It makes me remember the poem I wrote in high school about all those people there. I memorized a bit of it...In a place of jagged edges, may our circle of light shine through. In a place where there are no benches, tell me where to sit, to read, to believe what I say I believe. It reminds me of my dramatic nature, my mother's dramatic nature:-), a smug teenage self rolling my eyes. I'm with you, friend. That kinda shit does all sorts of things to you. It's really nice to be all ages at once, as Madeleine L'Engle says we are."
Doesn't Ruby just nail it? Taylor Swift's songs totally speak to the inner geeky teenage girl and it is nice, every now and again, to feed her needs too.

P.S. Oh, and I am so outing Lorelei... she loves herself some Taylor too. So does her 1 1/2 year old daughter who is obviously already laying the groundwork for her future teenage soul...

4 comments:

  1. I'm not too familiar with her music, but I'll give her this: she was seriously funny hosting Saturday Night Live {like the best host this season far + wide}.

    Cheers.

    ReplyDelete
  2. no worries. i'm obsessed with lady gaga. obsessed, and can't even give you a good reason why. there, i said it.
    do you ever read olivia's blog?
    http://www.olivia-rae.com/
    her dad writes songs for taylor swift, fyi.

    p.s. she's wearing my wedding headpiece. that makes her pretty cool in my book.

    ReplyDelete
  3. No need to be embarrassed at liking ms Swift, I'm an almost 40 year old man and I find her to be a wonderful representative of all humans of all ages. She seems to have been born with and then developed through hard work and dedication an ability to speak the emotions and thoughts of everyone, male or female. On top of which she is very charming, beautiful and as honest as any human can be. Have you ever read her personal blogs? She doesn't post them as often anymore but she writes very thoughtfully and descriptively about her life, it gives one an insight into what makes up such a talented individual. her latest blog and the archve are at http://blogs.myspace.com/taylorswift

    also her video blogs are very depictive of her ife and her self-deprecating humor, and her zest and love and appreciation for all that her life has brought. You can see her blogs at http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.viewVideos&contributorid=9146216

    ReplyDelete
  4. No cutting you loose. We're all big Taylor fans, here, too. Paige would forsake me to go and live with her, and someone's big Christmas present (I can't say who, but it rhymes with Wailey) is tickets to the T.S. concert (which sold out in 10 minutues, so we're totally gonna be heroes.)

    My favorite is "Fearless." I sing my heart out with that one. But I like "Fifteen," too, and I hope everyday that when Bailey sings along, she's really listening...might make being 15 seem less lonely.

    And Lola, I agree she was hilarious on SNL. Her monologue was the best.

    ReplyDelete

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