Taylor Swift gave a live rendition of her latest single, Everything Has Changed at the Macy's Fourth Of July celebrations. The song, taken from fourth album Red, features British vagabond Ed Sheeran, who crossed the Atlantic ocean (tiny guitar in hand) to join the Diva on stage in Texas.
It was a nice performance from the pair, but Taylor did seem slightly more subdued than normal. Though, to be fair, she was hardly going to be doing back flips on that elevated stage. Oh well, enjoy!
Thoughts?
Kudos to Taylor...an entire song without going off key! ;-)
ReplyDeleteI really don't like Taylor Swift at all, but I do enjoy this song. And her vocals here didn't make me want to punch a wall, so well done Miss Swift.
ReplyDeleteMy laptop is still having audio problems and I can't watch to the performance, so I want to thank you for confirming that it's on-key....her first on-key performance is a long time...This is emotional for me, sorry, lemme go grab a few tissues.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that, must be a bummer to have those audio problems. But didn't you say it was the speakers? Why not use headphones in that case?
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, you can grab some tissues and bask in a fan's pride. She did well...for a Taylor Swift song ;-)
It wasn't the speakers themselves, it was in the laptop's audio device. Sound just appears suddenly and disappears randomly, with or without headphones. I guess it's just having mid-life crisis :)
ReplyDeleteAnd yes I'm basking in fan pride (even before listening to the thing). I'll go watch on mobile and when I hear for myself that she did well, I'm gonna need even more tissues.
She's overrated and he is just, ugh.
ReplyDeleteI feel you could just as well go the other way around too. Both are incredibly Meh to me.
ReplyDeleteI really don't get the Ed's popularity anymore than Taylor's.
Ed is doing stuff I know many dudes been doing for ages and much better than he does. Americana is rife with guys with guitars singing folk like " sensitive" tunes.
Taylor's popular because she writes songs that are relatable to the younger generation (and some of the older), and can play various instruments (regardless of whether she can play them well or not) including the guitar (acoustic, electric, 12-string), electric banjo, ukelele, piano and drums, sings live(regardless of whether she sings and writes them well or not), doesn't use auto-tune and has a good-girl image that comes off as natural without being forced. That's why she's popular.
ReplyDeleteStill not getting it. Seeing as there are many who do all of the above. Only much much better.( wish I could remember where that is a quote from LOL)
ReplyDeleteThat's why I say, Young Tan could just as easily have turned that statement around. Ed is the same. very popular for doing something many others do much much better.
I guess the other acts that do what Taylor does, but better, and aren't as successful/popular as her, weren't well-promoted or given enough exposure by their labels. There's no other possible explanation imo. If there were better artists (who did the same thing) and were given as much promotion as her, they'd certainly be more popular/successful than her. That demographic would cater to them not her.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I said Ahmed, they didn't get the media exposure. Which isn't always the willingness or effort of the label but the size of the label.
ReplyDeleteOf course most of them don't care for that kind of fame so it works out for them. Just makes it harder for music lovers to find them.
" her vocals here didn't make me want to punch a wall" ...LOL
ReplyDeleteAlmost every singer has their voice tuned one way or an other in their recordings, more or less. And knowing that she sounds so off key live it's absolutely sure that her voice is tuned.
ReplyDeleteTaylor doesn't use auto-tune. She goes off-key because her sense of pitch isn't well-developed (tone deaf).
ReplyDeleteI think Mark might have meant her studio vocals. He did specify..."in their recordings" .
ReplyDeleteAnd seeing as how often she goes off key live, obviously her studio vocals have been tuned ...substantially.
Least, I haven't heard her go off key in official recordings.
Um, what you don't realize is that she goes off-key in almost every single recorded song (studio vocals). The problem is not in live or studio. The problem is that her sense of pitch is in many ways a mess.
ReplyDeleteSeriously? And people still buy those albums??? tsk tsk tsk
ReplyDeleteYes, she was off-key at least once in every song on Speak Now, but thank God it improved with Red (studio and live), but she still goes off-key
ReplyDeleteAnyway, people don't buy her albums for the singing only. There other factors that contribute to the album's quality, as long as the singing is bearable though. She doesn't go extreeeemmmeeely off-key (most of the times), she just gets a bit flat.
Yes, I am aware these days people do not necessarily buy music albums by singers for the singing anymore.
ReplyDelete" Hail Hail Modern world!" ;-)
For example, I don't like Carole King's voice/singing a lot, but she's a very good songwriter which compensates for my slight dislike for her timbre. So that's why I stand by the great importance of production and songwriting to produce a good (as long as the vocals are at least okay).
ReplyDeleteWell off key to me does not rate as " okay". It rates as amateur who doesn't deserve a recording contract in my book.
ReplyDeleteNot much caring for the voice is not going to make me buy an album either tbh.
Of course for me personally...Taylor falls in both categories. Amateur singing with a voice I don't like.
And Carol Kings songs have been covered by great singers..and will continue to be covered by great singers. You know my stance on Taylor's songs in that regard. ;-)
Dont hate on my boy ED if anything hate on Taylor
ReplyDeleteI for one don't hate either. They seem pleasant enough folk. I just think, at what they do, within their genre, they are highly overrated.
ReplyDeleteSlightly off-key for a few bars in the song, then going back on-key is what I call "okay" not "good". But it's OK, we have different views on appreciating music :)
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah I love James Taylor's cover of "You've Got A Friend". My problem with Carole's voice is that it's sharp. I don't like sharp voice, it's just a matter of taste tbh (My favorite voices are either soft, thin, Adele-thick, or piercing). And as for how Taylor's songs will not be covered by great singers...we'll see I guess :)
Yes, i think the differences in what we each consider okay have been thoroughly covered.
ReplyDeleteI forgot your speaker problem. Still, I would think there was a visual clue...that wasn't James Taylor? ;-)
Yes, I know that wasn't James Taylor. But due to my speakers' condition, I couldn't listen to it and can't therefore can't comment on its quality. The James Taylor cover is the one I heard before and I love it.
ReplyDeleteWell, when you can, you should listen to Ofra. Beautiful voice. One of the most beautiful there has been in popular music.
ReplyDeleteand though in Hebrew, she sang a lot of music inspired by her yemenite background. Big Arabic influence.
Great person also, believer in peace through mutual understanding through music.
I could not agree more.
ReplyDeleteWell, I've never really learned Hebrew before (I've learned Arabic, English and some French. Spanish and Italien are on my to-do list :) ), so I'm pretty sure I won't understand a thing. But from what you've said, she seems like someone I might check out.
ReplyDeleteMy Hebrew is practically non existent Ahmed. But her voice is gorgeous and I like the melodies. Also she sometimes sings in English or French.
ReplyDeleteWell I'll make sure I check her out when my speakers (ever) work again.
ReplyDelete