Four new studio albums. The same goes for the four re-recorded albums. A concert movie paired with a billion-dollar oxygen-breathing world tour. And, of course, there are some very high-profile relationships that made it all the way to the Super Bowl.
For some, the constant flood that peaked last year is starting to add a new (and previously unimaginable) feeling: Taylor Swift fatigue.
And that's a feeling that was only solidified online in the days after the release of “The Tortured Poets Department,” which morphed from a 16-song album into a 31-song, two-hour epic within hours of its release.
Many critics, including the New York Times herself, suggested that the album was too full and simply not her best. And criticism of the music has now opened up a wider scope for discontent unlike anything Swift has faced in recent years about her prolific, world-conquering work.
“If you produce too much…too quickly…in a shameless attempt to completely saturate and dominate the market rather than have something important or even half-interesting…it’s like art suffers!” Vanity Fair staff writer Chris Murphy Posted in.
That's not to say no one heard the album. Far from it. Spotify announced that 'Poets', released last Friday, ranked first. Most Streamed Albums in a Day More than 300 million streams.
And of course, many of Swift's biggest fans, known as “Swifties,” loved her 11th album, or at least decided to air all their reservations in private conversations. The first day of the album's release was greeted with the usual lyrical analysis of the main hints hidden in the songs, an attention to every word rarely taken up by other artists.
Some people admonished Swift for selling so many versions of “Poets” as part of a cynical corporate launch that it doubled in size after orders were placed. (Would you rather choose CD, vinyl, or Phantom Clear vinyl?) The Daily Mail put it this way: “Taylor Swift's 10 Worst Lyrics from Her New Album — Ranked!”
Women's satirical magazine Reductress published a post titled 'Women do their best to like Taylor Swift's new album so they don't face the consequences.'
Those who dare publicly criticize Swift are well aware of the potential backlash. Vanity Fair writer Murphy I made a dark joke about it.. At least one user Paste Magazine decided not to include the author's name. that harsh review From Swift's album, Mention safety concerns for the writer.
Unusually, Swift herself is widely known for admonishing some of her most militant defenders in a particular song from her new album, “But Daddy I Love Him.” Some in Swift's fan base strongly disapproved of her brief relationship with Matty Healy in 1975, and now appear to be bristling at the record-breaking amount of real estate Healy is spending on her latest album.
Strange and complicated times in Taylor Land.
“It’s going to be a tough few days for our fan base,” Nathan Hubbard, co-host of the Ringer podcast “Every Single Album,” wrote on social media. Thread about 'Poet' on Friday. “They will hear her unaccustomed and valid criticism (if her critics are bold enough), and many will have to reconcile her own truth that this is not something they like, while still properly celebrating it and supporting her. It will. ”
Indeed, combing through the 31-song double album after midnight felt like a “hostage situation,” Hubbard wrote.
In a new podcast episode released over the weekend, Hubbard and his co-host Nora Princiotti reveal that while the album may be incomplete, Swift addresses a tumultuous period in her life through “Poet.”
Princiotti said that he enjoyed much of the album and was careful to specify that “Poets” contains several “special songs”.
But she also allowed for “tough love.”
“I didn't hear anything new musically,” she said, adding, “Swift could have done a little more self-editing.”
“I don’t think the fact that it’s a double album that’s over two hours long is a strength of this album,” Princiotti said. “And with my second album in a row, I think there’s still that sense of, ‘Okay, where do I go from here?’”
Princiotti ultimately graded “Poets” a “B”. And in her podcast world and that of Taylor Swift, Princiotti admits this may be an all-time low.