Taylor Swift

[XeRocks81]

definitely one the best lines she’s ever written

[KevShmev]

I actually think the new version of the normal length of All Too Well was a letdown.  The guitars aren't as in your face as the original.  I love those rocking chords just before the "maybe we got lost in translation" bridge, and the new version doesn't have the guitar as high in the mix and thus doesn't have the intensity of the original, but I still agree that she is the bomb.

[KevShmev]

As for her best lines, it is hard to beat that bridge from All Too Well, I agree, but she has so many good ones.

I think "All that I know is I don't know how to be something you miss" from Last Kiss is particularly great as well, as it sums up perfectly a relationship slipping away and that feeling of helplessness that there is nothing you can do about it.

[Stadler]

I can't remember all of them, but we must have said "wow, that's a great line" like five or six times on that ride. 

[KevShmev]

I can't remember all of them, but we must have said "wow, that's a great line" like five or six times on that ride.

I referenced Last Kiss from the Speak Now album, but from Red, I think this line from Treacherous (one of my favorite songs of hers) is a great one:

"And I just think you should, think you should know
That nothing safe is worth the drive."

[KevShmev]

As if we needed more proof of what a sweetheart Taylor is...

https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/taylor-swift-don-mclean-gift-hot-100-record-1235004943/

Don McLean received an unexpected surprise from Taylor Swift in the mail this week, after the younger singer-songwriter broke his decades-long record on the Billboard Hot 100.

On Wednesday (Dec. 1), the “American Pie” singer shared a photo of Swift’s gift of flowers and a sweet note. “What a classy artist!” McLean tweeted, sharing Swift’s handwritten inscription that reads, “Don, I will never forget that I’m standing on the shoulders of giants. Your music has been so important to me. Sending love one writer of LONG SONGS to another. Your fan, Taylor.”

[MirrorMask]

Yeah, she's been absolutely classy and sweet, but one extended version of a song doesn't make her a "writer of long songs", as everyone registered on a Dream Theater forum should know 

[KevShmev]

Yeah, she's been absolutely classy and sweet, but one extended version of a song doesn't make her a "writer of long songs", as everyone registered on a Dream Theater forum should know 

Right, it makes her a writer of a long song (singular).

[MirrorMask]

To paraphrase a great quote from an horrible movie (Street Fighter), "when Taylor Swift made a 10 minute song, it looked like the most amazing thing she could do. For Dream Theater, it was a Tuesday" 

[XeRocks81]

it does remind of a thought I had the other day. When us prog fans think of long songs or "epics"  what we have in mind isn't really the same thing at all as songs like American Pie or the new All Too Well version.   A long song from Dream Theater is in the mold of old epics from Yes or Genesis or Pink Floyd etc. where they all included extended solos and/or instrumental passages.   But here Don Mclean or Taylor Swift are basically singing the entire time.

[KevShmev]

Never underestimate the power of storytelling.  Both American Pie and All Too Well feature great storytelling.

[MirrorMask]

it does remind of a thought I had the other day. When us prog fans think of long songs or "epics"  what we have in mind isn't really the same thing at all as songs like American Pie or the new All Too Well version.   A long song from Dream Theater is in the mold of old epics from Yes or Genesis or Pink Floyd etc. where they all included extended solos and/or instrumental passages.   But here Don Mclean or Taylor Swift are basically singing the entire time.

Also Blind Guardian's 14 minutes And Then there was Silence is filled with lyrics (and therefore vocal lines) from beginning to end. Actually I'd very much welcome a long DT song where James sings at least 85% of the time, something like Voices (yeah, it has a long solo section obviously, but it's not as dominating as, say, the solo section of Metropolis).

[KevShmev]

Also Blind Guardian's 14 minutes And Then there was Silence is filled with lyrics (and therefore vocal lines) from beginning to end. Actually I'd very much welcome a long DT song where James sings at least 85% of the time, something like Voices (yeah, it has a long solo section obviously, but it's not as dominating as, say, the solo section of Metropolis).

I will preface this by saying that DT is one of my 2-4 favorite bands/artists of all time (whether they rank 2, 3 or 4 depends on what day you ask me), but lyrics and storytelling isn't exactly a strength of theirs.  They have had some good lyrics over the years, and some really good ones early on, including the one you mentioned in Voices, which I think is JP's greatest lyrical achievement to date, but not sure at this stage they have the storytelling chops when it comes to words to pull off a 10-minute plus song that is almost all singing and very low on the instrumental sections.  I get that Taylor Swift is not for everyone here - hell, I am still kinda shocked she has been for me, to the point where she is my most-listened-to artist of 2021 and it's probably not close - but great lyrics and storytelling are her greatest strength, which is why All Too Well works so well as a 10-minute song, even if I personally think that the 5 1/2-minute version from the original Red is still better.

[MirrorMask]

Found this version of Wildest Dreams:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGDkg3QiJmk&ab_channel=TaylorSwift

Damn the lady can sing.

[KevShmev]

Found this version of Wildest Dreams:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGDkg3QiJmk&ab_channel=TaylorSwift

Damn the lady can sing.

I guess it shows how much I've listened and watched in the last year when I knew what that was going to be before even clicking on it. 

But yeah, great performance.   

Also, INB4 Bill expresses his mad love again for Wildest Dreams. 

[Stadler]

You called?   

[KevShmev]

You called?   

That was not mad love.

[Zook]

I'll gladly take more songs like The Very First Night.

[KevShmev]

I'll gladly take more songs like The Very First Night.

Yeah, that and Message in a Bottle are fun little ear worms, and I like the balance she struck with not only Red, but the From the Vault tracks on Red TV. Just a couple of dance pop songs.  1989 is great, but I wouldn't want her to go back to dance pop being her main genre. 

[Zook]

I'll gladly take more songs like The Very First Night.

Yeah, that and Message in a Bottle are fun little ear worms, and I like the balance she struck with not only Red, but the From the Vault tracks on Red TV. Just a couple of dance pop songs.  1989 is great, but I wouldn't want her to go back to dance pop being her main genre. 

Me too. That'll get in the way of her progressive metal concept album.

[KevShmev]

Me too. That'll get in the way of her progressive metal concept album.

 

To all fans, if you have not seen this interview yet, watch it.  It is nearly an hour, but it is most excellent.  The interviewer is great, and listening to her talk so in depth about her songwriting is a joy to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQacWbsLbS4

[Zook]

After 3 minutes all I could think about was why they each had 2 cameras pointed at themselves and why it kept cutting back and forth. It's like those interviews where for no reason they cut to a black and white shot.

[KevShmev]

After 3 minutes all I could think about was why they each had 2 cameras pointed at themselves and why it kept cutting back and forth. It's like those interviews where for no reason they cut to a black and white shot.

I suspect that is done for the sake of breaking up the visual a little so viewers do not have the exact same shot for x-number of minutes.

I loved the part of this interview where Taylor talks about how for Folklore, she threw away her "this is what I normally do" checklist.  I can think of a few artists (no names!) that I wish would do that once in a while.

[Zook]

After 3 minutes all I could think about was why they each had 2 cameras pointed at themselves and why it kept cutting back and forth. It's like those interviews where for no reason they cut to a black and white shot.

I suspect that is done for the sake of breaking up the visual a little so viewers do not have the exact same shot for x-number of minutes.

I loved the part of this interview where Taylor talks about how for Folklore, she threw away her "this is what I normally do" checklist.  I can think of a few artists (no names!) that I wish would do that once in a while.

It just annoyed me.

Would you rather they bring back the inspiration board?

[KevShmev]

After 3 minutes all I could think about was why they each had 2 cameras pointed at themselves and why it kept cutting back and forth. It's like those interviews where for no reason they cut to a black and white shot.

I suspect that is done for the sake of breaking up the visual a little so viewers do not have the exact same shot for x-number of minutes.

I loved the part of this interview where Taylor talks about how for Folklore, she threw away her "this is what I normally do" checklist.  I can think of a few artists (no names!) that I wish would do that once in a while.

It just annoyed me.

Would you rather they bring back the inspiration board?

I didn't necessarily mean DT, although I would certainly welcome a curveball from them, but I don't expect it, especially at this stage of their career.  It feels like most sudden left turns in direction work best when an artist does them in their early years rather than the later ones, although I am sure there are a few examples to the contrary.

[MirrorMask]

Well, in 2016 we got an astonishing curveball 

[KevShmev]

Well, a year ago today, we got Evermore. 

[NoseofNicko]

Finally bought Red (Taylor’s Version), I’ve never listened to the album so looking forward to listening to it. I actually like I Knew You Were Trouble and We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together so I’m sure I’ll atleast really like the album.

[KevShmev]

Finally bought Red (Taylor’s Version), I’ve never listened to the album so looking forward to listening to it. I actually like I Knew You Were Trouble and We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together so I’m sure I’ll atleast really like the album.

The original is better by a pretty sizable margin in my view, but if you have never heard either, I am sure TV will do just fine. 

For me, it was worth getting for the From the Vault tracks alone.  Forever Winter is still something else. 

BTW, Ms. Swift turned 32 today. 

[XeRocks81]

yeah happy birthday to our girl Taylor, feeling 32 indeed 

[KevShmev]

yeah happy birthday to our girl Taylor, feeling 32 indeed 

And of course the detective fans are now convinced that she will be announcing TV of Speak Now any day now, as she didn't say anything about the 1-year anniversary of Evermore (which she usually does, apparently), and of course Back to December from Speak Now has the "When your birthday passed and I didn't call" line, so it would be just like her to tie them together to announce it sometime in December. She is clever like that.

[Zook]

Everything is connected. Taylor Swift is the true mastermind of Marvel Studios. Kevin Fiege is just a puppet figurehead.

[MirrorMask]

she didn't say anything about the 1-year anniversary of Evermore (which she usually does, apparently)

You mean that she is used (as in, it's a little tradition repeated over time) to talk about the anniversary of an album that is just one year old?



 

[KevShmev]

she didn't say anything about the 1-year anniversary of Evermore (which she usually does, apparently)

You mean that she is used (as in, it's a little tradition repeated over time) to talk about the anniversary of an album that is just one year old?



 

Exactly.

I would implore any fan to watch the below.  Fantastic performance of Speak Now from the titular tour in 2011.  Fun little theatrical stage presentation, Taylor's voice sounds tremendous here (I think this live version slays the studio version), and the last two minutes is a shining example of why her fans absolutely adore her. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgklxw_hNNk

[Stadler]

I love that live video.