JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Taylor Swift back with new songs!

OMG! So I just heard that Taylor Swift just released a platinum edition of her album “Fearless”. I guess it’s supposed to have 6 new songs and a dvd with all her music videos, behind the scenes footage, and pictures from her tour. I loved her album and single “You belong with Me” so much that I’ve been waiting to hear something new from her. I plan to get a copy sometime this week. Have any of your heard any of her new songs of the re-released album? What do you think?

Oh My Gawd!!!

Like seriously?

I have not heard this but I must say that I like her music and admire her.

Tom

I'm getting kind of annoyed with her "reinventing" Fearless. What's wrong with just putting out another album.

I heard someone on TV mention how she was frustrated that she released an old album yet adds new songs to it and she had already bought the old one and now has to buy this one just for the 6 songs...I don't think Fans like that too much. They are paying for an entire album...so they want more than 6 new songs...and I am sure she has written hundreds...unless you are doing a greatest hits, such as Mary Chapin did, years ago with Party Girl and other favorites... with a collaboration of all her albums in one with a few added new ones, then this is great!! She added songs from soundtracks, and ones she only did live...it is not a copycat album it is a collection...:)

It is funny how I have heard complaints about this very thing--this week!

Kim

Fearless is the second studio album by American country pop artist Taylor Swift, and was released on November 11, 2008 on Big Machine Records.I am hardcore fan of Talyor Swift and i have great collection of his music.The few tracks of her new album which i like most are............
"Fearless"
"Fifteen"
"Love Story"
"Hey Stephen"
"White Horse"
"You Belong with Me"
"Breathe"
"Tell Me Why"
"You're Not Sorry"
these tracks are awesome.

Whassup street teamer?

This thread is annoying . . . am I the only one that gets that feeling?

Naomi,

Hope to see you this week at the Frank Brown festival. Will be pretty cool. One of the reasons you might find some re-release versions on CD's is because the recording process takes a long time. Right now everyone is trying to keep their name and face out as long as possible to capitalize on popularity.
Touring, and personal appearances take up a lot of time also. We are at the end of the main touring season which goes from late Feb. and winds down in Oct.-Nov. Taylor just did Saturday night Live last Saturday, and is going to hit all they awards shows that are this week.
I have not heard the new record but I imagine it is something new to have things out there while they are getting ready for a new release that will come around Feb. of next year.

People used to do a record a year. Now with the accelarated attention spans, they have to do two forms of product a year. That is why you find, greatest hits, parts in movies, product endorsements, magazine shoots for covers, books, new videos, public television appearances, come all the time.

MAB

personally I can't stand her screaming nasally voice but she has the same type as the others I can't stand either so I guess that's equal justice to treat all those nasal-screamers alike

I have no interest in Taylor Swift or anything that she has any part of.

Todd,

I understand. I am ambivilant one way or another. But Apparently more people who actually buy music in this country dissagree with you. She was the biggest selling artist of last year in any genre of music.

You nor I are much of a marketing interest to the industry. They market to 70% women, ages 14-45. Those are the people that actually spend money on music, T-shirts, go to concerts, buy DVD's, etc. So it is really irrelevant what either of us think. As a buying public, we don't exist.

MAB

I like Taylor Swift don't get me wrong. She's precious, I just wish she would put out a new album instead of reinventing the old one. I don't like having to buy the old songs two and three times just to get the new ones.

See you at the festival Mark, I'm looking forward to it. Hope everything is well with you.

Naomi Sue

I am completely aware of that.
I guess it's just the petulant little child inside of me that likes to try to shout above the din that makes me post these things.
And I also suppose that if she (or her management) wanted (her) to sing/record one of my songs, I would not turn down the money. I am not THAT principled! I got a family to feed.

Nice reply Todd

I do like Taylor Swift, but I am a pop music head (some of the stuff I listen to would make you run back to Taylor swift )

I guess love her or hate her, she grabs attention, here we are again heading into a Taylor Swift thread

MAB: Yes I am in that record buying public marketing target market. Haven't bought a t shirt yet

Cheers

Alan

A lot of people go back and forth on the entire Taylor phenomenon. I personally see a TON of young artists wanna bes. Writers, artists, whatever. They are everywhere, every contest, every karaoke, you can't go anywhere without people wanting to be the next Taylor Swift or American Idol.

I met her once and she seemed like a very nice young lady. The people who I know that have dealt with her speak very highly of her. The people who are on her team are making a lot of money.

From my point of veiw she writes very interesting songs. She is very developed for her age and has captured her generation of females. The older women can remember the times they were that age and going through the things she is going through.

Basically she has reshifted the bar around her to change the dynamic. I have seen that personally one time before with Garth Brooks. There are not many that can do it, change the paramaters of the game and dictate the rules as to the way the game is played. She is very internet savy, and controls pretty much every decision in her universe. I wish more young people would be that smart.

And her sales figures reflect that. That doesn't lie.

MAB

Taylor Swift, IMO, is one of the most talented artists on the commercial pop/country music scene today. She's cute as a button and hugely popular with the younger set - but not JUST the younger set. Of course she, being a female, the claws of jealousy are never too far away - meow! Miley Cyrus seems to be a victim of that very same "meow" mentality.

I have a hard time believing someone so young as Taylor Swift can write songs so far beyond her years. She's one of those truly gifted individuals and although I don't "buy" her music, I DO recognize and respect her talent. "Fifteen" is the song that gets five stars and two thumbs waaay up from me. I think it should be a requirement that every young girl listen to the song and read the lyrics. CD sales don't lie and hosting SNL (as she did this past weekend) puts Taylor Swift among the company of America's most respected entertainment stars. I wish her luck!

Taylor Swift's SNL Monologue

Duncan,

I am with you. One song to me stands out as a very good example. "Our Song" on her first album is the epitomy of one of our primary critiques from those of us who critique and guide for a living. "Say the same thing, yet say it differently."

In the song she is a young girl with a crush. Now it would be very easy and is usually done by most writers to pick out an actual song or singer to use as the background of their love.

Taylor uses sounds. The sound of a screen door closing, talking low on the telephone so the "mama don't know." That is clever as Hell. I have heard that same sentament written hundreds of times, even did it myself a few times. I didn't think of it. Wish I had. But I didn't.

There are always a lot of people who go on the "That all sucks" band wagon. Fine. Those are opinions and we all have them. I just know that she is much different than anything I have seen and impresses me. I think I am in a pretty large camp.
Wish I had written with her three years ago when I probably had the chance.

MAB

Good post Marc,

Ya know we work with young kids here in the studio and my buddy Laine tells them something that is very simple and SO very important to me.

"Don't be or become one of those musicians or songwriters who HATES"

Man, ya know the ones who hate and knock everything.

I read something once that made me know what I personally was all about, and that was this simple fact.

"The more you LOVE music the more MUSIC you love"

Now don't get carried away, this does not mean you have to completely lower your standards.

That said I still will not deny that this (because that's how life goes) is the worst period of popular music I have ever heard. Age has NOTHING to do with that, if it did then I would DISLIKE the 1940's 50's & 60's

Taylor has got the whole package, she sings, she writes, she plays, she's smart she markets, and she's pretty!

She is musical and has a GREAT sense of song. She's not trying to be anything more than she is... There is nothing musically she is doing that hasn't been done before as good and better. Neither is ANYBODY else. And especially on the charts.
She is breaking ground anyhow, that is a great thing.
She's a great role model. Far greater than say Amy Whinewhore

All that said do I own her album? No I don't but I do have to soon just for professional reasons alone. as I mentioned I have a 13 year old artist over here that is breathing down her neck ability wise. Yeah when you directly work with someone with obvious and commercial appealing talents your whole outlook changes. Mine changed 20 plus years ago but this reminds me of then in a way.

Regardless of what WE think if I hand you a guitar and say
Play and sing me something you wrote for 60 seconds and then I hand Taylor a guitar and say play & sing me something you wrote
for 60 seconds... Then I turn around to 10 people and say choose one, and 9 of them pick her... what does that tell you?

That is basically how the music business works, at least the general idea. You wanna try it sometime if you don't believe me?

Then the odds keep going up, 9 out of 10, ninety out of a hundred. At least her talents go that direction. There is stuff on the radio constantly that you would swear is a commercial or a skit, some kind of parody or a joke. Then you go WOW! they were for real with that.

Taylor unlike many top chart artist does NOT have to be forced down your throat to like or at least acknowledge her talents.

I wonder how far she can take all this?

Mike
This is it in a nutshell



She sings. She ain't Martina but what she does she does very well.

She Writes. Songs about young love. And who doesn't love that. They are fun, uptempo, and simple. But they have some great hooks.

Whoever is orchestrating the songs is doing a magnificent job.

Her guitar playing may never be fantastic but I watched her rockin' out on an electric and she did just fine.

She's a fox. No one can deny that.

The Last and probably the most important. She MARKETS.

You add all that up and it means success. Elvis had it.

One other factor is she comes across as genuine. A really nice young lady. People relate to that.


Personally I am not a big fan. But I don't have to be. She will do just fine without me.
Good for her.

She is one of the young ones out there right now who deserves to be there because she really does have the talent. I am not particularly a fan because the music is not what I enjoy, but that does not mean I don't recognize her gifts. My only comment earlier in this thread was simply a reaction to another idiot street-teamer.

I am always drawn to the "knockers" and can draw almost the same comments to the Beatles in 62' and 63'. Shallow, pop-oriented stuff, George Martin didn't think much of the material. I think they proved themselves.

I tend to think Taylor will morph over the years. She is already controling a large stake of her publishing and merchandising. That will bring her income for many years. She has designed much of her own videos and every aspect of her tours, which say to me she will proably end up wearing many hats. Producer, director, I can see her actually getting into movies. And while not quite the Meryl Streep catagory, I tend to think she will have a bit more heft than a Miley Cyrus.

Nobody knows. But you can tell things about the people they surround themselves and the continuous decisions they make as to how they will conduct themselves. I think this girl has an enormous amount of things on the ball, both in front of and behind the scenes. I have said it before and I will say it again. The last time I saw all these things converge it was Garth. I saw that one up close from the beginning.

I asked his manager, Bob Doyle, once about the managing decisions he had made for Garth. he said "Garth manages Garth."

Garth made continuously good decisions. From song selection, to the way he treated people he worked with, the good will he constantly built up, the way he interacted with his fan base, he was always in the drivers seat and really the only bad decision he made was the Chris Gaines thing, which still sold two million copies. I wish I could make bad decisions like that.

I study music history. In every era, the world is populated by flash in the pan, fly by night songs and artists. We romantically listen to classic radio with the Beatles, but forget that at the same time the domination of radio were the Royal Guardsmen, Gerry and the Pace Makers, Herman's Hermits.The Beatles just led everything.

We remember the greats like Clapton, Stones, Kinks, Hendrix, but tend to forget the Bo Donaldsons and the Heywoods, The Archies, and the continuous pablum that is most popular music.

It's funny to go back and hear some of the Dick Clark Bandstand picks of the day or Kasey Casum America top 40 shows from any particular era and see the absolute silliness out there.

So yeah, this era may have a lot of forgettable music, a lot of here today, gone tomorrow acts. I only know that I am doing better than I ever have, comparitvely, I have a lot of friends on the radio, and have a lot of good times in this business, and corresponding with you guys.

Tomorrow I head to Fla. for a 10 day Frank Brown Songwriter's Festival in Perdido Key. I will host 10 writers for a three day songwriter's retreat on the Gulf Coast beach. (As soon as the tropical storm Ida blows out, which it is doing right now.) I get paid to show others how to make the best of their time, money and efforts. I get paid to talk about, create and develop songs and songwriters.

I don't have too much to complain about. Wish you all could be there.

MAB