Taylor Swift definitely has some political songs like “The Man,” which is focused on the double standard faced by female celebrities, or “You Need to Calm Down,” which is explicitly pro-LGBTQ+, etc.
You’re definitely right; maybe someone like Dolly Parton would have been a better comparison, but even Dolly doesn’t really capture his big Swift is.
Really, my first instinct was to go with Neil Young because he’s one of my favorite artists of all time, and I do think that a lot of his biggest hits weren’t really overly political, probably split about 50:50 even if we remember the more political stuff now. For every “Ohio” and “For What It’s Worth,” there’s a “Heart of Gold” and “Helpless.”
But really I’m splitting hairs because I like talking about music and playing the devil’s advocate. Your initial point that Swift isn’t known for writing protest music is absolutely correct.
Still, neat to learn that Swift has some political content! I in my monumental ignorance just assumed it was all songs about various exes. (I listened to one album and that seemed like the theme though I got bored partway and stopped really paying attention.)
And as much as I hate celeb culture, there’s a small part of me that’s like “maybe we could all agree on a President Dolly Parton?”
Taylor Swift definitely has some political songs like “The Man,” which is focused on the double standard faced by female celebrities, or “You Need to Calm Down,” which is explicitly pro-LGBTQ+, etc.
Neat! Though, I think her political songs aren’t really what she’s known for? I could be completely wrong though!
Edit: I mean, especially when you think about the artists you first listed like Baez and Young.
You’re definitely right; maybe someone like Dolly Parton would have been a better comparison, but even Dolly doesn’t really capture his big Swift is.
Really, my first instinct was to go with Neil Young because he’s one of my favorite artists of all time, and I do think that a lot of his biggest hits weren’t really overly political, probably split about 50:50 even if we remember the more political stuff now. For every “Ohio” and “For What It’s Worth,” there’s a “Heart of Gold” and “Helpless.”
But really I’m splitting hairs because I like talking about music and playing the devil’s advocate. Your initial point that Swift isn’t known for writing protest music is absolutely correct.
Still, neat to learn that Swift has some political content! I in my monumental ignorance just assumed it was all songs about various exes. (I listened to one album and that seemed like the theme though I got bored partway and stopped really paying attention.)
And as much as I hate celeb culture, there’s a small part of me that’s like “maybe we could all agree on a President Dolly Parton?”