Taylor Swift returns with new single We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, taken from her October-due, fourth album, Red. Unsurprising-if you've noted the title- the single is a spunky break-up song, that sends out a very clear message to the ex involved: "it's over, Gurlfriend"...or rather "boyfriend"....so move on!
What is surprising about the single, is the poppier route Taylor Swift has taken, here. It's not David Guetta/ Red One territory, and it's still guitar-led, but it's definetly less "Country" than her previous offerings.Whether that will end up hurting her sales and popularity in the States, I'll be interested to see, but the shift in genre is not the problem I have with the song: it's pretty much everything else.
Taylor Swift has so far demonstrated a knack for producing catchy music with a strong narrative. However, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together seems weak on both fronts. Lyrically the song sounds more like a stream of conciousness than a polished lyric, and as such, has an immature- but fittingly carefree- feel. The song's production doesn't quite hit the mark with me either, being (slightly) repetitive and (majorly) anaemic.
Let's face it, We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together was not aimed at a male, in his late twenties, and as such I think I was never going to "get" it. Saying that, I can envisage tweens, teens and young adults really getting into the spirit of the song: chanting along to the chorus and embracing the empowered lyric. If she accomplishes that, then I'm sure this will be another his for Ms Swift, but it's a miss for me.
Rating: -C
I do quite like it, I cannot put my finger on who she sounds like vocally here....its like a love child between Ke$ha, Avril and Hayley Williams with a couple more randoms thrown in....
ReplyDeleteGood review, right on the money imo. Except nobody into country music ever considered her songs country. They were always criticized for being not country but pop songs. In that light I don't know how much of a "genre shift" this offering is.
ReplyDeleteBut I think we all jumped the gun and reviewed the single already under her vocal profile.
Perhaps we should have shown some restrained. ;D
I think it's only "country" for those outside the states. We don't get much exposure to any other kind, unfortunately. And i wouldn't either if it weren't for you :D
ReplyDeleteI thought it would grow on me and i've listened to it a few times over the last few days but I just can't relate to it. I actually like Taylor swift, though.
ReplyDeleteOh that's not just outside the States. I am sure most of Taylor's American fans also mistake her stuff for "country". Besides which, the prejudices and assumptions of what country music is and how "terribly" it is are as rife in the States as anywhere else. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd that is in part the fault of the Taylors Swifts. Or rather the big Nashville studios who produce that crap. ( it's one of the reasons Cash, Nelson and Kristofferson moved to Austin Texas. Yes Texas is by all accounts a horrible place to most of us Europeans but musically...Austin is one of the world's hottest music scenes)
I sure do hope I will manage to at least dispel some of the prejudices against country music in the larger sense. :)
I salute you and your crusade! :D In fact I need to make a little "ad"- you know the ones below the "other posts you may like"section- featuring your post.
ReplyDeleteCheers! I appreciate you facilitating/allowing my crusade on your blog. :)
ReplyDeleteThat "ad"would be cool. It seems there ARE some people here who, to their surprise, find there's stuff they like in the genre.
Living in the south myself where country music is very strong in its roots I can say that Taylor never sung true country music. Her music is really Pop music with elements of country mixed in. This however is as far from the genre she has ever gone. I can tell exactly what audience this was aimed at which could explain why its doing so well. Little kids especially girls generally throw their money at whatevers "in" or Popular so...yeah...
ReplyDeleteits probably her weakest songs ever
ReplyDeleteive never really liked her music but songs like mean, love story, teardrops on my guitar are just better songs and i can't help but singing along to those songs
but ive listened to this like ten times trying to see if it will grow on me and it hasn't
this sounds like avril lavigne circa 2000
but good luck to her and her fans are probably starving for new material
supposedly this song broke itunes records
Very weak effort by Swift but maybe not weak at all because I just learned that this song has become the fastest selling digital single in history. Like I said under her profile, the song is just so very immature sounding compared to her previous efforts. I guess she's just cashing in on her niche of having thousands of young girls relate to her songs. And I've always wondered why people call her a country artist. More like country pop.
ReplyDeleteI live in the South as well and also have a hard time calling her music "country."
ReplyDeleteLOl Millions buy a big Mac everyday. Hardly makes it a strong culinary effort though. ;)
ReplyDeleteNow that you mention it, I can hear the Avril connection.
ReplyDeleteWhatever. I meant this weak effort is obviously paying off big time. Not that becoming the world's fastest selling digital single in history makes the song any better or that it means that she put more effort into it because of that fact.
ReplyDeleteYes my point was to question what is considered a good pay off for something which essentially is supposed to be a creative/ art expression.
ReplyDeleteDoes it "pay off" because it sells or would it be a bigger "pay off" for an artist to write an actually really good song?
Yeah, I get you. I would personally rather put out a quality song than a shitty one that sells a lot. However, I don't know what's more important to most people (like the artists who actually put out songs). I don't think it's worth it but I also don't think the song's massive sales have anything to do with the song. Like "Born This Way"- they seem to just be buying the song because it's the first lead single in a while. Anyway it's all subjective if the song is a quality effort anyway.
ReplyDeleteWell, seems that to the artists I like, quality is more important. Of course, that is one of the reasons I like said artists. ;D
ReplyDeleteI know it would be more important to me for sure.
Much like certain aspects of singing, song writing is not entirely subjective I'd say. Also, there is always the test of time/cultural barriers/generational barriers. I would say the crossing of any of those is a standard of some sort for what constitutes a good song.
You know I never used to like her very much, then ages ago I listened to 'Innocent' from 'Speak Now' and it really floored me, she is certainly a fantastic writer and her voice is improving as time moves on which is good! Yeh she is growing on me, and I know she is not really my thing but she is stunning to look at!
ReplyDeleteis it me or does it sound like Jojo's too little too late/Kathrine McPhee's Over It?
ReplyDeleteWell this song actually did grow on me. I think we all had very big expectations for Taylor and this was a so called let down. I didn't force myself to listen to it over and over. At first I tried but then I just left it alone. But then I myself started craving for another listen after three days. Now I must say, I really do like the song .
ReplyDelete