Deep Thoughts with Taylor Swift

 Swifties, the newest album from Taylor Swift is here! Midnights is an ethereal, fall-filled medication on the things that bother us late at night. On first listen, I would say this album has taken the  energy of the song The Archer, from the Lover album. Join me in the Lavender Haze and let me know which of the 4 album covers you have! I have the "midnight" blue one. 

It's not 'Folklore' Anymore: T-Swiz is BACK

Imagine my surprise when I heard on the morning news that Taylor Swift is releasing a FULL 16 SONG ALBUM tonight at midnight! I sent texts, calls and some carrier pigeons out to alert my fellow swifties to alert them about FOLKLORE. This is not just one measly song, but 16, and so soon after last August's LOVER. What will finally reign as the song of the summer? I'm counting the minutes until midnight.

GIF from GIPHY

Are You Ready For It???

It's time to get back to blogging! Stay tuned soon for all the details on what I've been up to this spring, and of course, soem juicy details about the upcoming Taylor Swift Reputation tour!

via Gfycat

Sometimes You Must Shake It Off: The Taylor Swift Experience

Lyrics for Welcome to New York
(c) PipPepPop

Swift's guitar and MTV award
(c) PipPepPop

     Last November, I learned that a Taylor Swift-themed exhibit was Welcome to New York, and I freaked out like a tween. The Taylor Swift Experience came to Fulton Street and it was good, campy fun! I went with my 'squad' a few weeks ago to check out the multimedia travelling show, which began at The Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. After the New York turn, the exhibit is on the way to the Mississippi Grammy Museum. The price tag couldn't be beat, for 11 dollars we got more entertainment than a typical exhibit.

Red dress
(c) PipPepPop

     The first floor had a gift shop full of Swift swag and the singer's memorabilia. There were more recent stage costumes (see the RED dress below) and the very cute and sparkly ringmaster suit from the Red Tour. There were lyrics (see left) for the song Welcome to New York. Swift penned other tracks for the Red album with Ryan Tedder. Read more about Tedder's collaboration in my past post. Swift's famous glitter guitar was included in the exhibit. I have been coveting this beautiful 6-string since I saw it at the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Swift has contributed a beautiful educational wing to the CMHOF. Childhood items were also on display for the singer.  There was a saddle from Swift's early horseback riding days, report cards, and a baby baby blanket. There were media pieces in the display area including early home movies from the Swift family.  The walls of the area were covered with listings of each tour and venue locations, with total number of fans attended.

Promo card (c) PipPepPop

   The second floor of the exhibit was interactive and our favorite part. The feature attraction was a multi-colored tile dance floor. The tiles changed color in time to the pulsing music. As swift hits played on the screen, the lit-up dance floor changed as you stepped on each tile. We waited each time times until  Shake it Off cycled through, then busted out our best moves while singing along. It was very therapeutic and it may become part of my new stress-reduction routine. The media floor also had a recording studio where we recorded We Are Never Getting Back Together and played it back with the music video. Outside the studio, there were screens with headphones that let you playback Swift's country-tinged Mean, with individual voice and audio tracks that you could control. The Grammy winner has taken a 21st century take on a museum, making the most of audio and video to engage fans. The second floor auditorium was playing past Swift's past performances performances and concerts. I recommend this to anyone who is a dreamer or who is looking to inspire the next generation of dreamers!

Shake it Off on the video dance floor
(c) PipPepPop

Mr. Misunderstood Live: All Hail Chief Church

The "Chief" backed by a choir. (c) PipPepPop

     Most artists do not play a double set on their tour. Eric Church is not like most artists and Holdin' My Own is not like most tours. Church is a tough guy and a gracious performer. He invites the audience in for a party, even taking a camera under the stage to pour shots of Jack Daniels for the crew when singing an ode to the famous whiskey. My only complaint about the show up front is that time is "just a suggestion" as my mom once remarked about a late-starting event. Church was once thrown off the Rascal Flatts tour for playing a too-long opening set. They gave the spot to Taylor Swift and the rest is history. The show was scheduled to start at 8 P.M. at The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the world's most inconvenient arena.  At about 8:30 P.M., Church came to the stage. He still beat some of my friends to the show. (They appeared a few songs in, apparently held up on a long beer line.) The show ended after 11:30 P.M., and for those who know the NYC subway late night schedule, it took me a long time to get to the train station and catch the last train home of the night.

(c) PipPepPop

As a performer, Eric Church is not much of a talker. He hides behind a pair of defining aviator sunglasses,his expression always looking tough. When he does talk, he makes it count. He spoke of travelling and life on the road like he was talking to a friend. I felt like we were in an intimate venue a she casually walked the stage, singing into a microphone with a guitar dangling down his back. He played hits from his 2015 album Mr. Misunderstood with it's blusey radio hits Kill a Word and Record Year, and the title track, a rocking  tune about making dreams and finding his place in the world.

 When you think about me, do you think about seventeen?

Do you think about my old jeep, and about the stars in the sky?

It's funny how a memory sounds like a melody;

Like a soundtrack to a July Saturday night... 

Springsteen. 

     My favorite part of the concert was when Church began his 2012 stadium anthem, Springsteen.  This song is a tribute to the great king of Jersey rock and songs about dreamers. Church goes into the traditional Bruce Springsteen-like "Oh" chanting during the song. In this live version, he also went into a verse of Born to Run, forever enmeshing the two songs in my brain. It's a nostalgia tune for an old flame, and it has the heart of the Boss. As the stadium swelled, I cheered, I sang, and near-wept at the perfection of the performance. 

Ryan Tedder Writes for Friends

     Musical genius Ryan Tedder (and Stevie Wonder) may have lost a Golden Globe Award on Sunday night for their original song from the movie Sing, but he gained new friends. Tedder and his buddies from OneRepublic will be opening for U2 for several stops on their Joshua Tree tour this year. Stevie and Bono are hardly Tedder's most famous collaborators. American Idol contestants David Cook, Jordin Sparks, and Adam Lambert have all sang Tedder penned songs. Brits Leona Lewis, Adele, James Blunt and Ellie Goulding have also made big hits from Tedder's words. A few months ago, I wrote about his lyrical and rhythmic prowess for his own songs. Now it's time to review Tedder's most famous collaborations as a songwriter for American artists.

5. Colbie Callait Collaborations: 2011

(c) PipPepPop

Both of Callait's collaborations with Tedder are beachy, reggae-style songs from the All of You album. Brighter Than the Sun peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 song chart. The music video plays like a tropical vacation sequence. The background beat is filled with clapping and repetitive guitar melodies, perfect for an afternoon of margaritas. Similarly, Favorite Song is Callait's song with rapper/actor Common. It was also co-written by Ryan Tedder. I would say this is one of Tedder's most different songs when compared to the others.


4. Kelly Clarkson Collaborations: 2009
     Clarkson and Tedder collaborated on most of her album All I Ever Wanted. Her biggest song
Already Gone is a beautiful, sweeping anthem about forgiveness. Like many of Clarkson's songs, it will bring on the tears by the last chorus. Here are the opening lyrics:

Remember all the things we wanted

Now all our , they're haunted

We were always meant to say goodbye

Even without fists held high, yeah

Never would have worked out right, yeah

We were never meant for do or die

    Clarkson's upbeat If I Can't Have You departed from Clarkson's other upbeat pop-rock songs. It's use of synthesized music  met with some critical reception, but it's typical of some of Tedder's other songs. Another ballad, Save You, is known as Tedder's nod to Mozart due to it's intricate piano melodies. Again it's another Clarkson tearjerker.

3. Gavin DeGraw Collaborations: 2011

(c) PipPepPop

     Sweeter is the name of the album and the sexy single about DeGraw meeting a beautiful girl and stealing her away from her guy. A rocking piano captures the traditional Tedder "driving beat," as both writers are masters of the ivories. The the music video has the couple goofing around in Brooklyn. My favorite lyrics are from the bridge of the song:

You're like an angel, got me feeling like a devil 

And I wanna give you something-

 if you promise that you won't tell.

I just wanna take someone else's holiday,  

Sometimes the grass is greener,

And someone else's sugar's sweeter. 

     Their other collaboration is the hit that took DeGraw from the guy that sings the One Tree Hill theme to the guy that opens for Billy Joel and Shania Twain.  From the many live performances I've attended, I have heard that Not Over You is not about DeGraw's ex-girlfriend. The song follows a brokenhearted man that seems okay, but knows he is not over the relationship. The first performance of the song before the album was released is here. I fell in love with this song over and over again in 2011 and it becomes more endearing with every listen.

2. Taylor Swift Collaborations: 2014
     Tedder was one of the many collaborators working with T-Swiz on her first pop foray, 1989. He produced and co-wrote her synth pop hit Welcome to New York. Swift performed this love song to youth on Good Morning America when her album was released. Check out the video here to embrace the vibrancy of the city along with the pulsing background beat. Tedder also co-wrote with Swift on the haunting I Know Places, which Swift began as a voice memo. This information can be found on the bonus Target version of the album, where Swift gives commentary on several songs.

1. Maroon 5 Collaborations: 2012-2014
     Two of Maroon 5's albums included songs co-written and produced by Ryan Tedder. The first was Lucky Strike from the Overexposed album, a classic Tedder beat with a pounding percussion and bass. View a live performance here. The song has more lyrics than a Stephen Sondheim piece, but its incredibly tight with lyrics. The opening sequence of lyrics is as follows:

(c) PipPepPop

You're such a motivator, I gotta get you here,

So sick of saying yes sir, yes sir.

You're such an instigator, wanna play the game

Take it or leave it, that's her, that's her.

  And I can't wait another minute,

I can't take the look she's giving.

You're body rocking, keep me up all night,

One in a million, my lucky strike.

     The band's biggest Tedder hit is 2013's Love Somebody. It's a simple concept, finding somebody to love a la Queen. It's a mid-tempo synth dance beat, similar to a Lady Gaga's early hits. The music video is oddly beautiful and full of half complete members of the band, emphasizing the song's desire. New Love is a lesser-known Tedder-penned song from the 2014 album V.  It is coincidentally also about forgiveness, a common theme here. The final song is V's Maps. The second the song premiered on the radio, I yelled out "Tedder's done it again," before I heard the production notes. The song has the driving beat and a haunting repetitive vocalization of the word following, following following..." Like some other M5 videos the scene plays out like a movie, jumping into flashbacks as front-man Adam Levine searches for his lady. She misinterprets a situation and he follows "the map that leads to you. " When he finds her in the hospital, and in a cruel twist of Tedder fate, it's too late to Apologize.

BONUS: Beyonce: 2009
     Even Queen B has made Tedder's songs super hits. Similar sounding to Clarkson's Already Gone, Beyonce's little song Halo is also a Tedder hit. As I Am... Sasha Fierce produced at least 5 major hits (like Single Ladies), Beyonce went on to sing another Tedder hit, XO in 2013. The song was covered in 2015 by John Mayer as a stripped-down acoustic version.

For the ever expanding list of Ryan Tedder songs, visit their Wikipedia page.

T.Swiz: A Study in Literal vs. Figurative Storytelling

     I just heard Taylor Swift's newest catchy single, New Romantics on the radio for the first time! I had some time to reflect in the car about how Ms. Swift's recent music videos have portrayed her epic songs. While older and typically country favorites like Love Story (a classic and literal "Romeo meets Juliet" at the ball theme) and You Belong With Me (pitting band geek Taylor against cheerleader Taylor), things from the 1989 album have taken storytelling up a notch. These are not just music videos, these are mini-movies in some cases and true works of art.

Shake it Off
LITERAL: This song sounds like it appears on  the screen. SIO is a big, fun dance party with a pounding brass line. Taylor appears as a ballerina awkwardly pirouetting, an Adidas jumpsuit-  wearing rapper, and her regular self in a cute black crop top and leggings (think Audrey Hepburn). What to all of these scenes have in common? Dancing and having a good time, which is really the whole point of the song. Yes, the haters are gonna hate, but let it go and dance your troubles away! Grade A

Blank Space
LITERAL: Taylor is in a mansion full of wonders (Unicorns), ornate hedges, long dinner tables, and her couture wardrobe is to die for. She invites a gentleman over to visit, and they enjoy long walks, horseback riding, dancing in a grand empty ballroom, riding bikes, picnics, and other sorts of "falling in Love" vignettes. I personally love the long list of ex-lovers, signified by a hallway of oil painting and Taylor is shown straightening out her newest portrait. Then begins "screaming, crying, a perfect storm," and the tables turn. Word to the wise, do not cross Taylor, she may drop you phone in a pond or cut holes in your shirts.
GRADE A+

Style
FIGURATIVE:  There's a cute guy, as always. He's having late night fever dreams about Taylor, remembering her at the beach, her with bare shoulders exposed (scandalous)! White t-shirt, check. Red lips, check. Driving in a car, check. James Dean-ish looking guy, check. Still , this story is largely experimental and has an 80's vibe. Lots of fade-ins and fade outs, mirrors, white billowing curtains with projected images, a lot of real artsy things. Also, this song was alleged to be written about Harry Styles (momentary EWWW).
GRADE B-

Bad Blood
IS FIGURATAL  a word? This song is remixed with Kendrick Lamar for the music video version, so let it be said I prefer the album cut of the song much better. The song poses Taylor as a movie-style action star kicking ass and taking names as she assembled a squad (mostly a whose who of models) to have a girl gang fight in a post-apocalyptic wasteland This may not be what actually caused bad blood (alleged with Katy Perry over as backup dancer)  but is certainly espouses the sentiment. Kendrick raps and plays some sort of Charlie's-angels-esque boss. Please also enjoy Tina Fey and Amy Pohler's SNL spoof about their own squad.
GRADE C+

Wildest Dreams
FIGURATIVE: Here, Taylor plays a movie star (with deep brown locks) with a "handsome as hell" co-star in a Casablanca-like desert setting. They have chemistry during filming and off-screen a steamy affair ensues,Of course, he appears at the movie premiere with his wife and Taylor is heartbroken. She leaves the premiere and he chases after her car, but it's too too late to change her mind. She catches him in the rear view mirror.  Does anyone remember Britney's Lucky? Something about this video reminded me of that. It also reminded me of the surprise ending of Dido's White Flag music video.
GRADE B+

Out of the Woods
FIGURATIVE: This song says "Are we out of the woods?" repeatedly, but the woods themselves are a construct, a state of mind, something only temporary,. Therefore, Taylor clawing her way out of muddy woods, getting chased by wolves, trapped in the snow in a flimsy dress with more wolves, etc... is the most figurative explanation of this story. The last words of the video: "She lost everything, but she found herself, and somehow that was everything" really drive this point home. It's all about the journey. A relationship, which may be terrible, can yield something positive. What doesn't kill you will make you stronger.
GRADE B

Feminist Thoughts About the Grammys

First of all, who suggested Pitbull close out the show with Taxi? Is this the American Music Awards or the club or something less honorable than music's biggest night? Second, do you think he uses the same group of dancers for every award show and dresses them as sexy cowboys, sexy taxis etc...? And what is Sofia Vergara doing there dancing in a taxi costume? In conclusion, this sound sounds like it heavily samples from Shaggy's Murder She Wrote and looks like the inspiration for my next big hit, Magic Mike 3: Taxi Time (trademark on the title pending, but I'm seeing big things from a marketing angle).

Has anyone thought about including a female host at the Grammys? And no, I'm not talking about Chrissy Teigen's "hosting" duties with LL on Lip Sync Battle (pouring drinks and passing out the winning belt).  I find LL Cool J to be like an episode of many of CBS's procedural dramas, completely likable, but not very memorable.

I never thought I would hate vampires... but the Hollywood Vampires performance made me rethink that. Alice Cooper is too old to be wearing blood and makeup, someone might think something is really wrong with him. This goes double for Joe Perry because these guys have all been on death's door at some point.  Furthermore, Johnny Depp looks like Captain Jack Sparrow playing a guitar. I cannot take him seriously.

I think Taylor Swift might have been wearing a bathing suit in her Grammy acceptance outfit, but her bob looked flawless. She had a lot of positive things to say and she won several awards despite Kanye West's negative onslaught thrown her way. Fortunately Mr. West was nowhere near the podium and could not jump out and interrupt her speech. Furthermore, she spoke about not letting the naysayers get to you, and I think  it showed in her show-opening performance, where she stood alone, sans dancers and squads, and sang about triumph. She literally came Out of the Woods. #SquadGoals

Meghan Trainor is trying to steal the looks of Adele and Florence Welch (Florence and the Machine). Also Ms. Adele was unfortunately flat (or so we thought) during parts of her performance. It turned out to be a mic that fell into the piano and distorted the sound. It just proves that even Adele can have a bit of a rough time. Start,s they are just like us.

Meghan Trainor, Adele and Florence Welch- triplets?

I realized I want to be Bonnie Raitt when I grow up. It's now official. First of all, she gets called Ms. Bonnie Raitt. Second of all, the plays a kick-ass guitar. Third, she looks amazing for 66 years young and rocks the white streak in her hair.  I love her motorcycle zip jacket, too! Plus, she gave a stirring blues tribute to the late Mr. B.B. King. 

To sum it up, she can make you bawl with I Can't Make You Love Me  and make you feel sassy with Something to Talk About, one of my favorite karaoke songs.

Lady Gaga treated us to a tribute (full video) to David Bowie, and in true Gaga fashion, it was a literal tribute. LG appeared in short, bright red hair, a ton of glam makeup, and a sequined jumpsuit. She fired off a list of hits including :
Major Tom
Let's Dance
Rebel, Rebel
Suffragette City
 (Ch ch ch) Changes and more....

Queen Bey, 2016

Destiny's Child, 2001

Beyonce appeared unscheduled ans almost out of the mist, like Prince, to give out the last award of the evening. Is Queen Bey too cool for us now with all of her Big Game performances to give a head's up she's coming to the grammys and giving out the biggest award? It seems like just yesterday (or about 15 years ago, but who's counting),  Queen B in an an Austin Powers movie and dominating the red carpet with Kelly Rowland and Michele Williams (and possibly LaTavia and LeToya but there's more to that story and their Grammy win), wearing clothes designed by her mom, Tina.

A Note About Fall Music I Can't Stop Spinning: Taylor Swift

CD: Taylor Swift: Speak Now
RELEASE: October 25th

Taylor Swift's new album SPEAK NOW has blown up. I'm happy with most of the tracks, but at the same time, I feel TS is a little TOO. TOO everywhere, TOO vengeful, TOO singing the love-or in this case- unlove song. Still, Speak Now is off to a solid start.

Most Addictive Song: The Story of Us
Reminiscent of FEARLESS track Forever and Always, this is the album's quintessential "time to breakup but not dwell and mope" song. It's got power and it could easily be the breakup of a love or a friendship. It emcompasses the discomfort of awkward situations, plus has verbal cues to move each "chapter" of the song along.

Bubbly Love Song: Sparks Fly
"Drop everything now, meet me in the pouring rain.." and fall in love with this song, which reminds me of the sweet Hey Stephen and passion of The Way I Loved You from Swift's FEARLESS.

Sweetest Song: Mine
It's already broken as a huge hit, and yes I do agree with the EW bullseye that Mine is very TS-"being together even though I've been hurt by love before," I cannot stop listening to it. It has a great pace, a sweet message, and its' secretly what all girls dream about (finding that guy that says he'll make all the sadness go away).

Song I Listen to to Contemplate: Dear John
Not sure what this is all about...

Best Revenge Song: Revenge
Who can compete with this "She's evil and you shouldn't be with her" rock song that has intensely catchy lyrics like "She's better known for the things that she's done on the mattress." Plus, the opening line where TS instructs the girl to go sit in the corner and think about what she's done is Pat Benetar-level badass.

Song That Sounds Like Another Song: Speak Now
Now this song sounds so familiar, I could have sworn it was called You Belong with Me, except we've moved from high school to the real world. And there's wedding that must be stopped. This song also wins honorable mentions for the Song I Could Pass On award for the reason above.

Song I Could Pass On: Innocent
I get it, Kanye is finally forgiven. But this song is so somber it has no magic of excitement that makes a Taylor song a TAYLOR song.

Another Note About Breakups

I LOVE, and I do mean love, the new John Mayer video for "Half of My Heart."

It's clean, it's classy, and more importantly it tells a story. I can't wait to see it on the big screen tv.

View it for yourself: it reads like a 1950's noir film.

Beautiful.


And Taylor swift's beautiful "ghost track" adds to the song without complicating the story.

I will definitely dissect this video futher at a later time, and its relationship to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.