Author: meredithrein67

“Pouring out my heart to a stranger:” The power of Taylor Swift’s songwriting

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By Meredith Rein
Sequoya High School

Since her 2023 kickoff of The Eras Tour, Taylor Swift has been more relevant than ever before. Whether one is a fan or an excessively close-minded individual, it just doesn’t seem like they can shut up about the Grammy-winning powerhouse that is Taylor Swift. Those who do criticize Swift’s success usually denounce her songwriting ability. This is simply projection. Swift is the most meaningful, talented and intentional songwriter that the music industry has ever seen. Her unique ability is not unseen when considering the reaction of both the hardcore “Swifties” and those who attempt to tear her down.

In every single song that is in her discography, as well as the ones she has collaborated on, Swift “pours her heart out to a stranger,” elevating the standard of innovative, inclusive, and articulate songwriting.

Of the 12 albums that construct Swift’s discography, listeners are able to hear the transformational and experimental choices Swift has made throughout her career, which spans over 20 years. Some notable songs that mark her shift of lyricism over the course of each “era” are “Picture to Burn” from her first album released in 2006, and “Chloe or Sam or Sophia or Marcus” from her second most recent album released in early 2024. The lyric “I really, really hate that stupid old pickup truck you never let me drive,” while still technically relatable to a specific audience, does not show Swift’s capability of using the English language. However, the series of lyrics “could it be enough to just float in your orbit? can we watch our phantoms like watching wild horses? cooler in theory, but not if you force it to be” provide a wide variety of context for her listeners to relate to whatever situation they believe fits. Not even considering the incredibly eloquent manner in which the lyrics above were written, there is no possible way that someone can say that those lyrics, derived from incredibly different songs, sound anything alike or have the ability to predict that the entireties of each song sound similar to each other.

As a dedicated Taylor Swift fan, I have experienced the emotional traction that her lyrics carry. Though maybe a little para-social, no matter what emotion I am feeling, I can scroll through 274 songs, knowing I can find one that will be able to bring me comfort and clarity. While I will likely never turn the lessons I have learned from Taylor Swift’s lyricism into lyrics of my own, Swift has greatly impacted the music industry, inspiring many contemporary artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Gracie Abrams, and Maisie Peters, as well as rising Gen-Z stars Conan Gray and Olivia Rodrigo. The recently rising artists above, three of which performed as opening acts on The Eras Tour, have attributed much of their inspiration in their respective careers to their experiences much like the one I described.

As I grow up, I realize the positive impression that simply listening to Taylor Swift’s music has made on me. When I write, I find myself working in vocabulary words that I have gathered from different songs. I see the similar impact on my peers who believe in the magic of Taylor Swift, as they exuberate joy and intelligence. I see the opposite in those who undermine her influence, as they introduce negative aura into any room.

In my favorite song of all time, “Fresh Out The Slammer,” which resides on Swift’s 11th album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” Swift sings “fresh out the slammer, I know who my first call will be to.” My first call will always be to Taylor Swift, and I know I am not alone in that belief.

Meredith Rein

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Hi! I’m Meredith Rein. I am going into my senior year of high school at Sequoyah High School, which is in Canton, Georgia. I am currently one of the head editors of Sequoyah’s yearbook, the Paragon, which basically entails that I am responsible for making sure the book is as refined and structurally accurate as possible. I adore Yearbook and could spend hours editing small details of each page. Aside from yearbook, I am the chair of my local library board. I volunteer at the library a lot because of that, and have really found a way to involve myself deeper in my community. Though, I don’t have a ton of time for it, I love to read. My favorite books are Normal People by Sally Rooney and Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare (thank you to my freshman year lit-comp teacher!). I also really enjoy listening to music and going to concerts. My favorite concert I have been to was Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, which literally changed my life. However, I am going to Harry Styles at Madison Square Garden this fall, so that might change. I also love Broadway shows and anything theatrical, even though I have never done anything related to theater. The New York City dream will always loom relevant in my mind. Inverse to that interest, I love college football and attend multiple games a season.

My family is a massive part of who I am, including my chihuahua, Seamus, who is the absolute light of my life. My parents, who have given my sister and I the ability to see many places all around the world have provided me with so much perspective that broadens my scope of life every time I travel somewhere new.

As I’ve grown up, the movies and TV shows I have watched have inspired my love and determination towards my current goals. Discovering the television show, Glee, was detrimental to me. Rachel Berry, one of the main characters, made me feel seen in ways I never knew an “silly” musical show could. Rachel knows she’s talented and runs a strict program of seriousness. Nothing will get in the way of her goals, and that’s why she is so off-putting to some. She is commonly viewed as too much when she is being authentically herself. When I completed my first watch of the entirety of Glee, seeing Rachel’s growth from a stubborn, confident but shut-off Broadway wannabe to a Tony winning actress, gave me an inexplicable amount of hope. I, too, have been deemed as too much to specific crowds. But as long as I am determined to complete what I set my mind to, none of the negative adjectives some might use to describe me really matter. The movie La La Land changed my mindset as well. La La Land follows Mia and Sebastian, who are both aspiring pros in their respective passions (Mia: acting, Sebastian: jazz pianist) find each other in very unlikely circumstances. We go through the movie falling in love with the idea of them being a couple, believing that they are made for each other. But we reach a very important lesson in the end: passion is such a powerful concept, that in Mia and Sebastian’s case, couldn’t be individually satisfied if they were together. This ending invoked such a bittersweet feeling in me, but overwhelmingly taught me something similar to the story of Rachel Berry, which is that you must follow whatever you are passionate about despite the possible universal restraints.

Overall, I am a “thought daughter” (a term TikTok so eloquently created). I love thinking and having the opportunity to turn my thoughts, though sometimes scrambled, into something meaningful that others have the possibility to connect with. I love discussing things from classic girl drama to hard-hitting worldly problems with my friends. I love cracking open a crisp can of Diet Coke and watching whatever show I am locked in to at the moment. I am complex, yet incredibly simple, a contradicting nature that I believe follows me throughout every activity and relationship I partake in.