"A couple of months ago, when we first heard about The Life of a Showgirl, Taylor Swift's heavily hyped 12 th album of new material, on an episode of her fiancé Travis Kelce's podcast, we were told it contained all "bangers." This was interpreted to mean reliably catchy, super-accessible pop of the kind she did a decade ago on her blockbuster album , which would differentiate the LP from her recent, more contemplative output. I'd like to trouble that thesis with a quick longitudinal study."
"Play those four 2010s smashes back-to-back, and a picture emerges of a young woman who loves frothy, peppy bops-from the bordering-on-pop-punk verve of "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" to the cheerleader chant of "Shake It Off." Even the spookiest, 2017's spiteful "Look What You Made Me Do," is uptempo and sparkly, borrowing its chorus cadence from Right Said Fred's camp classic " I'm Too Sexy." Bottom line, when Swift pivoted from country to pop, she went pop -maximally, for most of a decade."
Eight of Swift's last nine studio albums led off with a No. 1 hit on Billboard's Hot 100. The leadoff singles can be divided into two sets: the 2010s and the 2020s. The 2010s hits exemplify frothy, peppy bops—examples include the pop-punk verve of 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together', the cheerleader chant of 'Shake It Off', and the uptempo glitter of 2017's 'Look What You Made Me Do'. 'ME!' featuring Brendon Urie stalled at No. 2 behind Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road.' The 2010s era represents a maximal pop pivot from country; the 2020s leadoff singles indicate a different direction.
Read at Slate Magazine
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