After Abigail Anthony’s dissections of Taylor Swift’s music and lyrics, I’m ready to retire all the debate about the pop star. She’s been part of the cultural scene for two decades and is reaching a zenith of popularity now because of an incredible confluence of circumstances. First is Swift’s talent for song-writing and self-exposure. But there’s something else at work. Her audience is broadened beyond normal pop confines because young girls are precocious and younger Millennials are stunted — adding up to an absolutely enormous population of eight- to 33-year-old spiritual adolescents, the target for pop songs about young love and heartache.
The genuinely batty reaction on the far right to the “Taylor Swift op” is hilarious in its paranoia. The bratty embrace of Swift seems forced beyond measure.
Can we find something else to talk about, like the Super Bowl? Oh no.