NEWSLETTER
In this installment of What We're Listening to, reviews editor Cherlynn Low delves into new releases from Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande, and explores what music means to us when songs are consumed more like books and journal entries.
Cherlynn bass, Associate Editor, Reviews
April 19 should have been declared a world holiday. After all, it was the release day of Taylor Swift's highly anticipated album. The Department of Tortured Poets (TTPD). How could we be expected to work on the most hyped Friday, when there were lyrics to overanalyze and melodies to walk emotionally with?
Taylor Swift – The Department of Tortured Poets
I admit it: I hate myself a little for the enthusiasm with which I press play on albums like TTPD and Ariana Grande's eternal sun (IS). Both musicians had recently left long-term relationships and hooked up with new boyfriends, amid rabid press coverage and incessant Reddit speculation. I usually prefer to listen to the people involved rather than read sensational articles based on what “close friends” said, and for Swift and Grande, songs are usually the closest we can get to primary sources.
I saw these albums as opportunities to get their take on what happened. Of course, it's always wise to take their words with generous grains, just as therapists tend to remember that their patients' storytelling can be biased or unreliable.
Both Grande and Swift have made their lives the subject of their music for years and often have an air of defensiveness. Titles like “Look What You Made Me Do” and “Yeah, So?” It makes me think of people who blame others or don't care about the consequences of their actions. Even songs like Swift’s “Anti-Hero” from her latest album and Grande’s “Thank U, Next” seem at first glance to be about taking responsibility, but actually continue the theme of shirking actual responsibility.
I'm not sure if music has always been based on scrutiny of the artist's life, but it certainly seems to have become more popular in recent years. The level of interest and analysis around things as simple as word choice or order probably hasn't been that high either. It's also worth considering that these two much-hyped albums were released two months apart. Of course, Swift's new music has only been out for about 40 hours, and there are 31 full songs spanning a full 65 minutes and 8 seconds, so I'll have to listen to it a few more times to take it all in.
Grande's album, which was released last month, was scrutinized by fans and critics alike. It was released shortly after her divorce from Dalton Gomez and her (supposedly) budding relationship with her coworkers. Wicked cast member Ethan Slater.
When I played for the first time IS, I felt mostly disappointed and upset. As expected, there was no responsibility for what his actions did to the mother of a newborn and a lot of romanticizing her last man. But even on the second listen, I knew he had some favorite tracks. Other Engadget staff agree with me: IS It's a solid album with quite a few hits.
Ariana Grande – eternal sun
I may not support Grande's behavior (and no one asked me to), but damn, I can't help but like her music. And it's probably because I'm hooked on the melodies and production, not the lyrical content.
Swift, on the other hand, seems more like a wannabe wordsmith. A lot has been saying about his lyrical skills, and I have no desire to retread those waters. I'll just say that, as an occasional aspiring poet, I have to admire the laissez faire approach of rhyming “apartment” with “apartment.”
I'm more intrigued by what I think is the priority of a song's lyrics over its melody and sound. As Billboard Statuses, TTPDThe title alone “draws even more attention to his lyricism than usual.”
Swift's music has always felt like diary entries meant for the public, packed with insider references, Easter eggs, and thinly veiled commentary on former lovers. Therefore, her previous works were very relatable to dozens of teenagers around the world. But as her success skyrocketed, she also lost touch with the average person and, consequently, her songs have become more like glimpses of a life that mere mortals can only dream of. While her pieces still resemble blogs or Tumblr posts, Swift controls the narrative by carefully orchestrating not only synths, guitars and lyrics, but also paternalistic walks and public appearances at delicate times.
Unlike Grande, who has mostly avoided appearing with Slater at high-profile events and also hasn't hidden as many Easter eggs in her songs, Swift hasn't been afraid to show off and introduce herself to her new partner. She is not averse to publicity; she seems to anticipate him and almost court him.
With the general strategy around TTPDlike announcing it at the Grammys and slow teases of lyrics and cover art, it certainly seems that these days, the billionaire with a private jet problem is more focused on her myth and financial worth than on the art of songwriting.
Swift surprised everyone at 2 a.m. on April 19 by releasing a full fifteen more songs besides the initial 16 people expected TTPD. This meant that anyone who pre-ordered the original album would essentially miss out on an entire second album of tracks and would have to spend more. Swift's team also made several versions of the physical album available as collector's editions, all blatant cash grabs designed to maximize revenue.
Grande is guilty of this too, doing so many different versions of “Yes, and?” when that single was released in what seemed like an attempt to get the song to the top of the streaming charts. IS It also has different versions of the cover for fans to spend their hard-earned money on.
Here's the thing. Do I care deeply about any of these albums? No. Did I listen to them eagerly, hoping to gain insight into their seemingly chaotic and messy relationships? Yes. But despite Swift's marketing and positioning of her as a poet (and TTPD offering a closer look at her affair with Matty Healy of The 1975. I realized that musically I didn't really like her album. In fact, my favorite Swift songs like “Wildest Dreams” and “Delicate” are beautiful symphonies of instrumentation and atmospheric synths.
Maybe I'm learning that I care more about the music than the lyrics. Or maybe I think good songs are a combination of the two and should speak for themselves without having to rely on hype, gossip, and marketing tactics. To be fair, that's true of all art, whether it's film, photography, or poetry. And while the irony of me being sucked into the game TTPD and IS Since the promise of learning about their lives isn't lost on me, I guess I just wish I could listen to music (and read books and watch movies) without having to care or worry as much about the creator's choices and actions. But in 2024 (and beyond), that no longer seems feasible.
