JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Congrats to Taylor Swift

Not sure anybody wants my two cents on this, but I think we are comparing apples and oranges when we are talking about talent vs. star quality. I like Taylor Swift. Do I think she is really talented and does she wow me, no. However, that being said, the girl has talent. It is not typical for an 11 year old to pick up a guitar and put together melodies and lyrics that catch a listener's ear. She is cute, she can sing well enough and she can write a catchy tune. She appeals to the masses for all those reasons. And I have to say that as a mom of three daughters, I am thrilled that Taylor Swift is out there in such a huge way - and Justin Beeber, because I would much rather have my kids listening to her music than some of the incredibly disturbing hip hop that is out there. The latest one I heard from my 15 year old is entitled "I just had sex" and take a listen to the lyrics of that song. Thank God for Taylor Swift.

I understand the frustration that an incredible musician or singer must feel when someone praises Taylor as being "so talented." My guitarist who is legally blind and plays like Eric Clapton is "so talented" it makes me cry! But Taylor's talent is a talent for having star quality. She has a little bit of everything and that sells. That's entertainment right?

I find myself being in the strange position of leaning toward the opinion of Big Jim on this one. I think it is a case of THE EMPEROR'S GOT NO CLOTHES.Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon because she has being successful and no one knows why,so most are saying she is good because it is not popular to go against success, success breeds success. She is far from a good singer,(to my taste) but I don't down her for that, seeing I am not a great or even good singer myself, but I do like her internal rhyming ability in her songs,that is a skill that not all writers have.I don't think her songs are great,but different,and she is young,I would not show what I wrote at her age.LOL

There have been successful singers(acts) in the past that had little singing ability, like Dylan,Tiny Tim, etc.so why not Taylor, after all, people have different taste in singing as well as in food, clothing, art, etc. I've even had people tell me they like my singing, I don't even like my singing, but who am I to argue with them, I'd be insulting their taste. Taste is an individual thing and sometimes there is no accounting for it, but live and let live. If she is good, she will last, if she's a fad, she will pass,(hey,that rhymes) let her enjoy her time in the spotlight. It must hurt those that have great talents and get over looked for much lesser talent, but that's life, we must learn to live with it, just shake our heads and wonder why.

We could have this same conversation about acting. Kim Kardashian? Snookie? Really? My guess is that they must be frustrating the heck out of people who actually take acting seriously and have spent their lives perfecting their art form, like Meryl Streep. Success requires much more than talent - that is the bottom line.

Without reading the last posts I wonder why anyone would say Taylor Swift has no Talent or doesn't deserve the attention she is getting. She writes in a unique style that people like.
Millions of people. And they continue to like her music.
What more criteria do you need? It doesn't matter who helped her write her songs in the beginning. She is writing her own now.

Did Taylor Swift do it all on her own? I seriously doubt it. How many kids are singing the National Anthem at Professional Sports events at age eleven? Someone set that up for her. So she had help early on.
Who was bringing her to Nashville when she was eleven years old and arranging for her to sing at venues? She wasn't hitchhiking.
Most young Stars do. Tiger Woods comes to mind. Does anyone think he would have had the success he had without his parents?
It doesn't take away from their success tho. They still had to have that special something or they would never have the success they had.

What she has achieved she has done on her own. Her continued success is all on her. If the fans love her music and she gives them what they want she will continue to be the darling of the ENTERTAINMENT industry.
Her individual talents don't matter. It's the whole package that makes her a superstar.

I wish I had that kind of talent and focus when I was young. That only happens about once in every generation. That is what makes superstars.

I count two in the top 10 - Highway 61 and Blonde on Blonde. The Beatles have 4 in the top ten: Pepper, Revolver, Rubber Soul and the White album. Stones, Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye and The Clash have one each.

It's interesting how many of those albums were made between 1965 and 1968

Scott

Some of my fav music is mid to late sixties....BUT.......other stuff from other eras and genres should be listened to as well......obviously the guys who compile these lists have blinkered vision..... and selective hearing.

Agreed. For instance, I'm not a religious person. But if anything could push me that way it would be hearing the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing the Hallelujah Chorus. Somehow I don't see that making the RS list

Plenty of other examples, of course....

It occurs to me I've contributed to substantial thread drift. Sorry about that. I'll stop now

Scott

the lass can sing
the girl can write
it's clear to me
like black and white

I like almost everything I ever heard by Hank and I like Dylan's hits but I can almost guarantee you I could play you some Kristofferson stuff (if I could find it) that would make you say "you gotta be kidding--Ain't no way he wrote that junk."

As for McCartney, I think he's as deep as he needed to be. Even Yoko and John recognized the quality of Paul's songs by seeing how many were recorded by others. I never liked the song much but I sure liked his philosophical song lyric "Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs. I want to know...what's wrong with that?"

I really do agree with what Marc said about how "Our Song" said the same old thing in a different way. How many times has a slamming door been a way to say "I love you?" That might be the song that really made me notice her though I thought "Tim McGraw" was pretty good too. But I thought she was a flash in the pan then. She may still be a flash in the pan but she's a lot bigger flash in a lot larger pan than 99.99% of all other artists.

Tracy Tracy you are very in tune my friend.

Taylor is talented, and in many cases what's important to the industry and general public is the TYPE OF TALENT. Dancing is more important (look at ALL the dancing shows), in pop than singing for many stars like J Lo for one. Being a cover girl does not hurt Taylor or Beyonce one bit, Business & Career wise.

I have a 12 year old girl over here that writes CONTAGIOUS little melodies with crafty little lyrics and she plays her acoustic alone to the click track.. and sings her own harmonies.
She writes about BOYS! so is it any wonder every young girl in the world can relate to her... That's what Taylor does, so what more is there to say.

Nobody in the mainstream or KIDS care very much about guitar players of any kind, that was YESTERDAY!!! Lucky for Guitar Hero Game they know about them at all......

Taylor Is -

Taylor is - A GREAT role model for the ENTERTAINMENT business.

Taylor is A very crafty effective songwriter - some people do not realize that she writes CATCHIER tunes then they EVER will. I'm experienced enough to know this. And she would love my songs, I'd bet my life on it. Because I have two girl artists here 15 & 12 who adore Taylor and one is FLAT out better than Taylor as a singer already. And they come to my studio singing my songs....

Taylor is - a hard working committed individual, who did not let her certain LACKS in ability stop her from being a MEGASTAR. Sound familiar hum Madonna for one.... Thinks about it.

Taylor is - teaching kids to write catchy crafty songs, she's the reason these girls over here are so motivated. She's seems genuine and humble. Good for her. She is RELATE-ABLE to young kids.

Taylor is - Gorgeous, this never hurts in the world of Entertainment.

--------------------

Taylor is Not -

Taylor is not - Carol King or Joni Mitchell as a songwriter.

Taylor is not - Joni Mitchel or Carol King as a musician

Taylor is not - a great singer! If she was in a band with Ann Wilson or Melisa Ethridge or countless others she's be a back up singer, strumming away. She's no Christine Aguilra either.
Not even unique is any way musically.

Taylor is not a great guitarist - like JPFer's Janis Ian, Joanne Lurgio.... etc.

When my friend and I discuss how incredible his young students are as developing songwriters & developing all there skills....
I always remind him of WHO there idols are.... While I totally appreciate the talents of the students and there idols such as Taylor.
I call them "take-able" that's boxing talk for a champion who is "take able" able to be matched or beaten.

When your musical idol is Taylor Swift your idol is take able. When it's the current heavy weight champion Wvaldimer Klitschco
then the belt is take-able..
When your musical idol is Stevie Wonder and the Heavy Weight Champ is Ali
You need to GO FIND SOMETHING ELSE TO BE!

Popular music is NOT making kids today sit down and practice on the guitar alone for six hours a day...
Jimi Hendrix Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton they made you do that when they were VERY popular. That was a lifetime ago...

Taylor is A very crafty effective songwriter - some people do not realize that she writes CATCHIER tunes then they EVER will. I'm experienced enough to know this. And she would love my songs, I'd bet my life on it. Because I have two girl artists here 15 & 12 who adore Taylor and one is FLAT out better than Taylor as a singer already. And they come to my studio singing my songs....

Jeeezzz: Way to insult everyone on this site. Congrats on your "experience". Why not post one of your wonderful tunes, that she "would love", sung by one of your singers who is "flat out better"?
Ott

Why don't you get to know somebody somewhat, so you know how to attempt to interpret what there trying to explain or say? And know how they really are, before you open your mouth.

My intentions were not too insult everyone on this site, if it were I would have been GONE six years ago. Your taking it the wrong way. Very easy to do when emailing or typing on a forum.
You learn this as you go, oops another insult. Ya know typing as if you were talking with somebody in the same room.

As for calling me out on the material, I have already posted the singer and tunes.. I back up EVERYTHING that comes out of my mouth 100% I am not a talker who doesn't do.

Call me out, then call me out to kindly explain better what I meant, then I'd be glad to.
That said, I can see how someone who does not know me can take that the wrong way. But Jeeezzz! don't you have 628 posts?

Later

I had totally forgotten but not long ago somebody posted this on a thread.

There is no good time to mention this, but I am really tired of seeing Mike's music workstation as part of his avatar, signoff, or whatever. Sir, please delete this. I can see it on multiple music magazines.

And three people came after one asked "Are you kidding" and the other two took to my defense.

Oh yeah it was Ott who posted the comment. Somehow I never took it the wrong way.

I am in defense of Mike here......If he says that his songs are way better and he has singers that are way better then it is true.
.....Writing a song that is way better than Taylor Swift's and having a singer who can out perform her is not that hard to achieve......as I stated already she is not that special either as a writer or performer so by that token Sub can do it in his sleep.

Hi Jim

Thanks, but actually I didn't say that or mean to say that.
I said and meant that I'm experienced enough to know when a writer ANY writer has catchier songs than I do, or more catchier songs or as catchy songs.
The young singer who adores Taylor is a flat out better singer. I'm experienced enough to know that as well.

I was actually complimenting Taylor.

Taylor deserves the success she has had.

... and in case there is no enough heat in this thread, so does Justin Bieber.

Tom

Tom you deserve to be president of the USA.

Boy this is a hot topic.

I know and have seen better singers in Churchs around the country. Just because someone is onthe top 10 doesnt't make them the best singer around. Not every singer will want to be famous; singing in their church /or ministry is statisfying for them. Or they can be in a local pub singing for friends/community for the fun of it.

In small towns across this world are singers just singing for the sheer enjoyment of it. Some not so good some better than whats on the radio today.


Petra

You do know that the song is a satire- right? It has lines like, "She kept looking at her watch", and "it was the best 30 seconds of my life". I don't know the group but it appears they are making fun of the terrible hedonistic hip hop excuses for songs that somehow make it to the radio and our kid's ipods. Satire or not, I still hate that it gets written.

If I had a fifteen year old daughter.....(I could not go through that again) but if I did, then she would have had a decent enough musical education that she would not be impressed with any of the crappy stuff WE adults are discussing.
I know lots of fifteen year olds and MOST are NOT impressed with the current crap they hear on the radio. They tend to listen to older music or trawl through Itunes or Youtube till they find something they like.