The Weakness of Taylor Swift's Songwriting
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- Опубліковано 13 лис 2021
- Taylor Swift keeps reusing the same tired, simple chords over and over, more or less writing variations of the same song - and this video exposes her weakness as a songwriter.
That explains why most of her songs sound the same to me.
I mean, there is a reason she stopped playing country and only made to folk albums. One Carrie Underwood is better and inspired more young women in country music.
No true folk music fan is going to buy her two so-called folk albums.
her songs sound the same to you because you're a basic hater who hasn't even listened to 10 Taylor swift songs
7 songs out 243? damn
They literally are the same, usually the same chords just moved up the neck of the guitar using a capo.
@@Balghaethat’s what I was gonna say!😄
Swifties will say that this is actually a rabbit hole and that we're not intelligent enough to understand her overuse of the same chord progression
It’s always we don’t get or aren’t smart enough 😅
Swifties are stupid who cares what they'd say
Only k dot fans are allowed to say that tbh his music complicated af
Or they say that you are old!!
My mom was listening to the new taylor album while i was in the other room. I literally thought that it was one very very long song and not the whole album. My mom then tells me "all her songs sound the same"😂
Your mom is hilarious 😂
as a beginner to intermediate at best guitarist this video made me feel like a creative musical genius
It goes beyond chord progression. Taylor writes sentimental songs, bit never genuinely sad songs. When she writes about Romeo and Juliet it is not a tragedy anymore. Not sad. Her breakup song are sentimental and sometimes angry, but never really sad, and deeply hurt. Nothing has the sadness of "drivers license" or many Amy Whinehouse songs. Her emotional range is also reduced.
i love olivia Rodrigo ALOTTTTTTTTTTT shes one of my faves but to me drivers license wasn't really sad, it felt like a pretend sad.
You should check out Elliott smith if you like sentimental songs
@@Ob-sw9sdI think olivia has potential she tries to do something interesting with her music where even if I don't listen to her music I don't dislike it
@@basskit_ sentimental songs that will absolutely destroy you.
@@syntheticsilkwood2206 i know she can do interesting things on her songs, i LOVE her rage songs sm. But her sad songs aren't really sad if yk what I mean
I just find it amazing that she and many others attract fans excited by listening to what is essentially the same song garnished with different fluff over and over and over.
you're lucky to find it amazing. I find it so sad. And the amount of money people pay to listen to this crap is astonishing
@@Kalymnahfr
Its not even a matter of opinion really. The majority of her songs use the same chord progression. There is objective music theory to back up the fact that her music is indeed all the same.
I don't think the music is even that big of an interest for fans of taylor swift; I think it's more about the personality (or rather, being able to self-insert as the personality of Chief Girl-Boss Taylor Swift)/ the "vibe". I recently came to a realization that most music listeners don't even listen to the music at all; they just listen to the singer and as long as the singer sounds "cool" or sexy they like song.
The majority of van goghs paintings used the same stipply over blown colour, the majority of turners were fuzzy nonsense, etc. Just because you don't like something doesn't make it bad. Working within 'limits' is a creative way of expressing yourself. If you judge her by this, you reveal your own lack of knowledge. @@orange_turtle3412
i've actually run into an issue several times where i was playing one of her songs on the piano or guitar (just the chord progression) as accompaniment to practice singing and i've accidentally switched over to a completely different one of her songs without realizing it. that's how similar her songs sound to me. i would get to the end of the song and realize i'd started out playing a completely different song and accidentally switched over and didn't even know it.
Today I learnt that I do not possess a musical ear.
The comparisons just sounded of noise to me.
bro literally,like i think whats offensive is similair melodies,which I did notice with 2 songs: the lucky one and untouchable and i think he knows and lavender haze,thats it.
Are you a musician? This helps. But to each their own, it’s clear Taylor has a certain fan-type (young college girls, high school).
I've never been impressed by Taylor Swift's lyrics, too stream of thought describing what she is seeing, but I guess I know why many of her songs sound the same to me once I go past production.
Same, her best song is probably shake it off
listen to folklore
She seems to struggle using imagery and strong metaphors. Her subject matter scope is also incredibly small, tending to write about the same things over and over.
Ok so you don’t like stream of conscious… that doesn’t mean it’s not good, it means you don’t like it
@@badgasaurus4211 I can gave you 10 ts song with 10 diff subjects like right now
She probably has an "if it ain't broke don't try to fix it" mentality.
Yup! That's how US-based record labels want it.
Because you know....
Money..money...money...
Just like the patterns of storytelling similar stories over and over again. Just because it's a new relationship doesn't mean much has changed.
It's great for making money, but not artistic legacy. She won't leave much artistic legacy
@@nichobee She's Taylor Swift, lmao. Of course she will
@@firebird4269 'lmao', her cereal box music will leave very little legacy.
I wish there were more videos like this. Not to bash Taylor Swift, but to show that Taylor isn’t the end all, be all artist that her fans built her up to be. I find it so disrespectful when people say that Taylor is the best songwriter ever or even one of the best. Many artists before her have written songs with more substance and more meaning, such as, war, segregation, racism, pain, illness, thankfulness...and yet almost all of her songs are about her breakups or people not loving and adoring her.
ah yes, the issue with this would be- taylor swift is a white woman. the second she says something about any of the issues you mentioned, her career would be over. She perfectly understands that she can't speak about issues like racism,war and segregation- because she has never experienced that, and writing about it would invalidate all the people that have gone through these experiences. but she has experienced breakups, media attention, slut shaming, body shaming, lack of confidence- those are things she CAN speak about, and they just happen to resonate with a lot of people around the world.
Here are some of Tswift's songs that matches the messages that you mentioned
WAR- "epiphany" from folklore- draws imaginary from war to nurses and doctor dealing with covid patients
SEXISM- "the man" from lover- addresses gender bias in the music industry/other workplaces
POLITICS- “Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince" from lover- about disillusionment of American politics and inequality, set in a metaphorical high school
ILLNESS/PAIN- "Soon you'll get better" also from lover- about serious illness in her family since both of her parents have had cancer and her mom is fighting it again during that time
THANKFULNESS- "All of the girls you've loved before" again, lover- being thankful for the women that her boyfriend has met
(Also, note that most of these songs are from her ONE album)
@@googoogaga490 Exactly! and there are so so so many more which show more depth to life. Other albums also have so many songs which touch upon other issues or even something happy
Hello! Well, adding to the comments already there over here, even though she touches over a variety of meaningful things like you mentioned and more, factually, yes, most of her songs are actually about love and how beautiful it is (Yeah, no, breakup songs dont make the majority). But is that so bad? So many poets and lyricist specialize in writing about love. Like you said, one of the best songwriters include Bob Dylan and our very own Paul McCartney are known for their romantic song writing. Poets (because TS considers herself more of a poet who has a story writing mostly over the same chords) including Shakesphere and Wordsworth are often quoted for their Romantic sonnets. Maya Angelou has always written about racism, sexism etc. All of these are great and do have versatility in their writing as well. And so does TS. Just because she's known for something, doesnt mean she isnt good at it. That is the reason why she has resonated with so many. I dont intend to compare all these people. Obviously these are legends and reformers.. and TS has barely started. But all these great people and great lyricist did get alot of criticism back in their days. Maybe that's the case with TS? could be.
Ellie Goulding > Taylor swift
1:15 the way I knew what the next chord sounded like before he played it is crazy
actually it kind of is crazy but this is how music works on your expectations. you have heard that chord progression thousands of times in your life, along with a few others that are accepted norms (I, IV, V; ii, V, I; I, vi, IV, V; etc). There is nothing wrong with using these progressions and almost every popular song has some variation of one or more of these in them. The trick is using them in creative ways that fool your expectations, which is what delights us about music.
@@gfunkk oh yeah I’ve heard about that kind of stuff since I’m a musician. That’s really funny how Taylor’s music is so predictable and yet so many people love her to death because of it. It confuses me how such generic and obvious music is so popular, especially among girls. I don’t notice Taylor changing the chord progression at interesting times either, I can almost always accurately guess when and how the song is going to change with a lot of her music.
Of course I don’t hate Taylor swift myself, but I could never become so close to her music because of this issue. If she changed melody more often and had slightly more interesting chord progression timings I’d definitely like her a lot more.
@@blorpxd what do you expect them to listen to? Mahavishnu orchestra? Schoenberg? It’s popular music, it’s literally been the same chord progressions in over 90% of songs since the 50’s.
@@gfunkk I’ve found other songs to have more unique chord combinations, and those who don’t usually make up for the lack of surprise using a unique rhythm of percussion. However in Taylor’s songs usually I’ve found a lack of changes in percussion or other added effects to make up for the lack of chord change. Even if there is an interesting percussion part or vocals in the background, they’re usually only during the chorus and are repeated the exact same way whenever the chorus is played, still creating a lack of surprise.
There’s a reason why Taylor has so much music and it’s because it lacks creativity in the music. The song writing isn’t bad when you listen to just a few of her songs, but once you hear at least 10 you start to realize they’re mostly about how some guy (who’s name is left anonymous) treated her terribly by either cheating on her or ignoring her.
Taylor’s music is still very repetitive compared to other artists. Obviously I haven’t listened to all 243 of her songs, but I think I’ve heard enough to say confidently that the most unique thing about Taylor swift is how strong and dedicated her fan base is for such repetitive music.
@@blorpxd Er... No, sorry, no. The private jet is terrible, musically she's not remotely close to The Beatles (despite her worldwide success is similar), all that is true. But her subject matter goes from children dying of cancer to abortion to murder to revenge, to insecurity, to safety, to anger, to bullying, to getting over anger... and yes, love, the birth of love, the death of love... And that applies to most mainstream music (yeah, I love power metal too, but pop is popular for a reason).
There are some very valid criticisms of Taylor Swift, but Taylor Swift sucks because the sky is red with pink polka dots is not one of them. She's written about MANY topics. She's just been made famous by sensationalistic media for her break up songs. She's got more than that (and everyone is allowed to dislike or hate every single one of her songs if they so please... but they're not about the same topic). Cardigan, it's nice to have a friend, soon you'll get better, safe and sound, I did something bad, this is why we can't have nice things, mean, The Man, You need to Calm Down, Karma, Bigger than the Whole Sky, Ronan, Shake it Off, Blank Space (yeah, it's a self-trolling song), Welcome to New York, The Best Day, Christmas Tree Farm, No body, no crime, Fifteen, Anti hero, Bad Blood, New Romantics, Miss Americana -OK, this one is half politics, half love-... I mean, dislike all you want and need to, your feelings are valid. Hate if you need to, too. But if you criticise, criticise with knowledge. The private jet is hateworthy enough to justify any bad feelings without the need to say untruths. She has a lot of songs not about love and lots of love songs not about her exes.
So, I don't give a shit about her, she's a billionaire that doesn't need anyone. But it terrifies me that you've listened to some songs that confirmed your biases and decided that " I’ve heard enough to say confidently..." Confidently? Dude, when I went to an exam with confidence was because I had studied the full syllabus, so I was confident that whatever the teachers threw at me, I would pass with flying colors.
I mean, people vote after getting informed. And you have chosen to "confidently" decide that her songs are all about the same stuff and their fans are the only unique thing about her.
Maybe, just maybe, you could get the whole info before speaking with confidence. If a surgeon had learned 10 lessons of 243, I wouldn't feel confidence in that operating theater.
I think Swift's music is basic pop with nice bridges, and only a pair of her songs are REALLY good musically (as in to survive being listened by people who don't understand English and just respected for the music), I think her forte are her lyrics. But, no, she doesn't always write about the same stuff.
Wait till the Swifties figure out that these examples are not all of it. They'll have a melt-down.
No they'll just say "it's about the story"
“Greatest storyteller of all time” 😂😂😂
They will never they are just a bunch of teenage girls who think she is the music industry and that's pathetic af
there's like 21 plus 😢
Outta 270+
This was eye opening and quite hilarious because her fan base loves to make the argument that she’s so great at writing when we all know her voice is mediocre at very best, so the songwriting is the only thing they have going for them. Love this video.
Taylor's lyricism is not mediocre, and I doubt you can find as good and popular of a lyricist today, also, the fact that she can use them so much but still make it different and interesting enough for people to appreciate is definitely a plus.
@@justanordinarydemigay5243 I said her voice is mediocre at best not her lyricism. And it’s the truth.
@@Msgabbb I won't argue with you, then, because your mind clearly can't be changed with logic...
@@justanordinarydemigay5243 it's not logic it is subjective just because it is popular opinion doesn't mean it's logical
While Taylor's lyrical depth is debatable, her sonic talent is obviously mediocre to boring as F.
Mariah Carey is a great example of a true icon not just for having a distinctive tone in her voice, but also for her amazingly overlooked songwriting!
I gave a like to this video because it articulated a point and backed it up with facts. I think Taylor is better at working hard and marketing herself as a pop star than she is as a musician. Maybe she can play and sing much more complex music but doesn't because it might be harder to sell, but until I hear her do so I will continue to listen to Eva Cassidy, Joni Michell and other great female artists.
Never a fan but, being an older guy, I'm not Taylor's target audience. However, I witnessed something interesting a few months back. I was at a karaoke bar (celebrating a friend's Birthday). It wasn't a closed bar so there was a 50/50 split between young (20-somes) and old (40-50-somes). Lots of participation from both groups and a fair bit of audience participation when a classic song was sung. However, on three separate occasions, various singers got up to perform Taylor Swift songs. They struggled with the vague melodies and idiosyncratic phrasing and, in each case, talk-yelled the lyrics while laughing in embarrassment. If it had happened once, it would have been fairly unremarkable but the repeated examples had me thinking, "Maybe these work as songs because only Taylor can sing them." (Ryan Adams covered Taylor's "1989" album to mixed success. To me, it sounds like Springsteen covering gum commercial jingles.)
There are a few of her singles that will endure, I suppose, especially those with fun videos. The fact that so many young, potential singer-writers love Swift probably means there will be a renaissance in 15-25 years. (Think of all the recent 'country' artists who sound like Fleetwood Mac.)
Positive: Taylor is productive, hooky and assertive; she's really helping out record stores.
Negative: Her songs are samey and all seem to be about her ex-boyfriends; they sound excessively caffeinated at my local grocery store; her last album came out with four different covers but the same songs!
p.s. The blending of "All Too Well" and "Champagne Problems" sounded surreal. As more songs got layered, I felt like I was grocery shopping!
p.p.s. Can you do the same thing with Bob Dylan now?
Maybe only autotune can sing them... Nowadays, there is not one musician in the world with at least mild popularity who doesn't use autotune, and it's getting out of control. The point of singing is to let out your talent, not to fabricate the authentic experience of music. I can only imagine what Kurt Cobain would think if he listened to modern music today.
@@runfusion look up videos of her resent tour. I think this is not autotuned. what do you think? but yeah it really is used a lot with popular musik lately
@@alyp.3909 kinda hard to auto tune a LIVE TOUR… her albums are definitely auto tuned though
@@runfusion yeah I know but what is wrong to make your music sound even better? She is a perfectionist and it does not sound so much different from her real singing voice, thats what I meant
@@alyp.3909 I know it doesn’t sound much different, and it is very important to make your music sound as good as possible, and that deserves respect. But the people saying that Taylor Swift is the most talented musician of all time are wrong, since she needs to use artificial means to record an album. Yes, she is definitely talented, but not talented enough to deserve nearly as much attention as Elvis got.
Funny that you mentioned all that you said in this video. Because only a few weeks ago did I realize that Taylor Swift's Eras Tour achieved demand, statistics, and heights so unbelievable, the story is almost biblical. So I started researching her music and this research is slowly making a swiftie out of me. However, I agree with your points because most of my favourite Tay Tay songs don't use this progression (which she actually used in 21 of her songs). And in fact, some of my favourites are either different and/or more than four chords.
It's possible that Taylor Swift's music is popular specifically because it's so samey.
Life is full of constant change. Not all of it is welcome. Change can be stressful, especially for people who have homely, romantic souls. Sometimes we like to go home after a difficult day and have enjoy our favourite comfort food - the specific snack or meal which has been delicious and unchanging since we were young. This food is soothing and dependable, reminding us that although time does pass, some things remain the same. It's nourishing in the present, and yet also conjures feelings of nostalgia for a happy past.
I'm sure that, to many, Taylor Swift's music is the the audio equivalent of comfort food. Even though she continually releases new music, the fact that her new music sounds approximately the same as her old music - often with the same themes - is probably exactly what a lot of people want.
It helps, too, that her music seems quintessentially late-00s (to my untrained ears), and many younger Millennials and older Zoomers probably grew up listening to her earlier songs. This gives it a sense of "timelessness", much as anything associated with one's childhood.
I don't listen to her music, but I can understand why that might be appealing.
Very interesting (and most likely true). Thank you for writing this!
Bullshit
No. It’s popular because she has an amazing marketing team that has been spending millions since day 1 to make her famous
Yes, that’s actually the whole point of developing a formula for movies, music, tv, food, is to appeal to as wide a range of people as possible, because changing it up increases the chances that someone won’t like it. So instead they don’t fight to win, they fight not to lose. The music industry in general is very formulaic, and is the mark of corporatism. It’s much easier to see in other crafts, like food (McDonald’s/Burger King), movies (marvel/illumination), chips (Doritos/cheetos). The reason corporations strive for formulaic products is for all the reasons you just stated as it’s significantly more profitable, and Taylor being formulaic is not too different. I like fast food too, same as everyone else. But for some reason no one compares Ronald McDonald to chef gusteau, or Bobby Flay. Unlike swifties
Exactly…. You could make the same criticism of most things in pop culture, there is going to be an underlying sameness…. Most tv shows you can line up the main characters and say they are the same characters as the scooby doo gang, or giligans island, or Friends. You can see that most good dressers follow similar formulas that work for them, Steven king books follow a similar formula too one another, Anne rice follows a similar formula… you break the formula too much and people don’t like it. Success comes from following a formula and occasionally breaking from it but generally going back to it…
It's a good point, but chord progressions and what they sound like are akin to a cinematographer's work in movies: unnoticed by the vast majority, appreciated by only a few. John Ford ensured his easy retirement with shots of rocks Monument Valley, but he's still considered a great director because he gave the movie-going public what they wanted over and over again. Taylor is doing the same.
And it's not even really a shot at people who loved westerns in the 50's or Swifties today. You like what you like. Enjoyment of music isn't (solely) based on the originality of it, in melody or lyrics. It's how it hits your ear. For Swifties, her music hits their ears just right.
Like most, I'm not her audience. I like a few early hits, but my musical tastes have ossified. But again, I like what I like.
Good points, and thanks for speaking up. I'm wondering if you have listened to her last 5 albums (not just the hits). A year ago I was saying exactly the same things you've said. I liked a few early hits, etc. but wasn't paying attention to anything more. When Midnights came out, I was surprised at how much I liked it, so I decided to listen to folklore and evermore. I totally fell in love with those albums. (The Folklore "Long Pond Sessions" movie added several more layers of appreciation.) Then I tried Lover and, again, I was amazed at how much I loved it. I alread "knew" that I didn't like Reputation, but decided to listen anyway. It turns out that Reputation is one of my favorite albums. I still enjoy the early hits, but my favorite songs are scattered across the last 5 albums. If you have not heard them in depth, I would recommend giving it a try. I'm annoyed with myself for taking so long to discover how much I love her deep cuts.
@@gaylenwoof Someday, maybe I will but for now pop is not really on my radar. I'm not denying she's talented, but my desire to explore music doesn't extend to trying to understand Taylor Swift better.
When I listen to music instead of podcasts, I generally head toward Classical for the emotions it wrenches out of me. Or jazz. I'd say the closest I get to Taylor is female folk rock singers of the 90's, like Patty Griffin, Sara Bareilles, and Shawn Colvin. They're singing about bad relationships, too, but they're more a little more grown-up about it, which is maybe bias on my part, since I can't really see Taylor Swift as a grownup since she got famous in her teens.
I'm glad you found songs you like in the deep cuts.
@@VinceLyle2161 Fair enough. But when you say that you can't see her as "grown-up", I find myself wishing I could hear your reactions to folklore and evermore. Perhaps you won't like those albums, but I think it would be impossible for you to think of her as anything other than fully mature (as a singer and as a songwriter, and as a human being). Part of my consternation stems from the fact that just a year ago my own reactions were virtually identical to yours.
@@gaylenwoof I didn't like TS at all until folklore and Evermore hit and I was like holy shit she finally matured. But midnights wasn't that great
All crap
Please come at the white stripes (Jack White) for the same thing!! I’m a fan, but when I was a teenager playing cover after cover on guitar I quickly realized they are all constructed sooo consistently 😂
And that Meg drummer..pretty lame.
Lots of musicians do this and pop also tends to stay within certain bounds
The White Stripes is some seriously good shit as a band and Jack White is a genious. I do not know what songs you are referring to, but he uses many chord progressions. Of course the traditional blues, which is his trademark, has the same progression always. Meg is a fantastic drummer, you must understand the idea behind the band.
@@TheJimbo1791 I think the point is- lots of musicians use the same cord for many songs and it’s not really a measurement of their skill or quality.
I don't listen to music too often any more, but she's been all over the news here (Canada) and I felt I had to sample a little of her music. For context, I was born in 1959, and consider my musical era to be the '70s and '80s. I found her stuff, well, just boring. Nothing remotely interesting, catchy, nothing that made me want to sing along or physically move. When a great or fun song comes on, you involuntarily want to move (tapping your foot, or bobbing your head). Taylor Swift... nothing. I find her 'music' self-indulgent, boring, and tedious. But that's world we live in, Donald Trump was president (and may be again) and Taylor Swift is popular. But if you'll excuse me I need to cleanse my ears with some Talking Heads.
I felt the same and I tried listening to all her music. Nothing sticks. Nothing make me feel anything but annoyed, bored, or eyerolled. I found her to fit into modern western girl problems which I don't relate. People kept saying she is a good storyteller but all I see in her stories is an over privileged girl who is over dramatic with too many personal issues. Too many emotional problems. Too many day dreamings. Too many pettiness. Kind of the typical modern American girls now a days who has daddy issues and relationships problems. Even if she is still he daddy's little princess she obviously has relationship problems where she saw anyone who dumped her as the problem. Also the victimhood. But hey that sells now a days I guess.
THEY WERE BRILLIANT.
I listened to her 3 most popular songs expecting something catchy. But I agree with you. It's like walmart music. Not a big fan of Madonna but at least many of her songs are distinctively different. @@CrimsonEclipse
Funny how he didn't criticize her lyrics once, just the chord progression(s)
He should because she has similar story telling in many of her songs even if it's a new relationship.
@@CrimsonEclipse
No actually her songs don’t
@@soulfireonfire6423 actually many are very similar but hey it take a while to process all her songs since she has so many.
@@soulfireonfire6423ACTUALLY, they do. 😆 Cope
Thematically it’s love songs, break up songs, and girl power. The lyrics are derivative, simple, purely aimed at females, and forgettable
Kudos for having the intestinal fortitude to listen to her music
No one knowing anything about music calls it music.
Let me summarized the good and bad things about her singing/songwriting
Bad: She tends to use same chord progression more often than other artists, her voice is subjectively good but her vocal range is limited
Good: She's versatile when it comes to genre (country, pop, rock, edm, folk), her lyricism is above average at worst
She hasn't made a single rock song
@@basskit_ rock has many subgenres. Her old songs from the album Speak now were considered country rock/pop rock by many critics.
"...she tends to use the same chord progression more often than other artists..." Is that true? He did not say that. I doubt that he checked other Artists. It is most popular progression precisely because songwriters USE it most. If they did not it would not be most popular😁
That's also the chord progression from "Let It Be" 🤣
That said, the I-V-VI-IV progression is in soooooooo much pop music and she constantly uses it, just changes the keys.
But let it be has a bridge that breaks up the boring chords, Taylor Swifts songs are so linear and monotone.
And also it's not at all the chordprogression from let it be
I was being semi-sarcastic. It’s the chord progression from the main melody, but it does change up and play around a lot. Taylor uses it in everything, just transposes keys and adapts lyrics from whatever guys she’s… uhm… that given week.
@@bitchass9073 Taylor swift has, in general, very good bridges. In some cases, (like Lover, which is super boring in general), the bridge is better than the rest of the song. The bridges in Karma, Look What you Made me Do, Cruel Summer, Love Story... those are great. So, I see how some of her songs can be considered boring (I find folklore -save for Exile- and Evermore boring and repetitive), but her bridges are not the problem. And "Lover" is a really good pop record, with very different songs. That record was not monotone at all, such a pity that the worst songs were the singles.
@@isabelguzmanmiranda5025to me, a good bridge doesn’t save a bad song though. My problem with Taylor Swift is her massive influence on pop music, and how she is keeping it exactly the same it has been for so long. Music has to evolve
Funniest lyric "and the saddest fear comes creeping in." As opposed to the happiest fear? Like someone throwing you a surprise party?
if you pay attention to the suffix in 'saddest' it's saying it is THE worst. THE most sad. She is never saying that there are happy fears, just that there can be a range of strength in the sadness that accompanies the fear. It's followed by "..That you never loved me..or her..or anyone...or anything" Thinking about the possibility that someone you had loved and cared for in a relationship could've never loved you or anything else in the world can really hurt, making it the saddest, or worse, fear that she has. I would understand where you were coming from if she only said 'the sad fear comes creeping in' because would be insinuating that there is another kind of fear that is happy, but adding 'est' to the end makes a scale of sadness.
@@user-jokingsage No, the "saddest fear" comes creeping in. The fear is the saddest fear. Words have meaning, it's all right there as a modifier.
@@christopherkelley1664 yeah. its the saddest fear. i know that. just because there is a most sad fear does not mean there is a happiest. it is just more sad than other fears.
@@user-jokingsage It implies a range of fears, from not sad to sad. Is there a fear that is 0% sad?
A good way to examine your writing is to see if your modifiers create unnecessary questions or implications. Neil DeGrasse Tyson once said "We are stardust in the highest exalted way." Exalted already indicates high, but using the word high in addition to exalted opens up the questions: Is there a middling exalted way? Is there a lowest exalted way?
Since it was extemporaneous, he can get a pass. But a lyricist should be more precise.
@@christopherkelley1664 Fear and sadness are different emotions, and yes, there are fears that are not sad (for example, fears that could make you angry).
On the contary, NDGT I feel was wrong in saying "the highest exalted" because "exalted" is a superlative adjective already and using it with another superlative adjective is redundant.
Saying one fear is "the saddest one of them all" means that in all the range of sad fears one can have, this one was the worst, that a person one loved was a psychopath.
If you want to find trouble with her lyrics, you can mention "riding shotgun in the front seat of his car". Girl, if you were riding shotgun, we already know you were in the co-pilot seat of his car. As for "We can leave Christmas lights up until January..." that's pretty normal, she could have said "February", which has the same amount of syllables, and it would have made more sense.
But, "the saddest fear"? That has zero problems, gramatically, semantically and syntactically.
SPOT ON. On behalf of my ears, thank you for noticing.
This video aged really well after seeing the reception of TTPD
Taylor Swift has a rudimentary knowledge of music on the guitar and piano.
She is a good lyricist which is her greatest strength when it comes to songwriting.
Lol
@@durosuave I'm not being a hater T.S. has talent.
I just think her success is partially due to how bad today's artists and music is.
I think Taylor's knowledge is clearly more than rudimentary. She just chooses to write accessible music using familiar chords because that's what she likes, and what can have the greatest reach to the broadest number of people. She's like a skilled cook who **could** make you a white tablecloth tasting menu with white truffle foam and dry-aged bison Wellington and idk a yuzu soufflé or something, but instead she **chooses** to make you just the world's greatest grilled cheese sandwich, or a perfect Caesar salad. Accessible doesn't mean bad.
Our brains can only do so many things at the same time. By not forcing us to spend energy trying to decipher complicated chords or unique time signatures or dissonant harmonies or cryptic lyrics, we're able to feel the music rather than thinking about it or analyzing it in UA-cam sheet music breakdowns. She wants us to experience the music, the stories she writes and the feelings she's trying to convey, she's not trying to teach music theory. This ain't math rock, this is pop, and at this point I'm not sure if there's a living soul on the planet who does it better than Taylor.
@@its_cleanso she COULD write better music but she CHOOSES to write mediocre music because her fans are slow and she doesn't want to confuse them?
@@cinnamonnotmylastname7663 That is exactly not what I said, but ok
Thank you. Please keep doing this. I’m a singer and musician and I just. Can. Not. Take anymore.
This progression and other combinations of I-IV-V-VI of the diatonic scale are the basis of popular music in America, whether fans of complex music like it or not. There's a reason for that: it's much easier to write catchy tunes with these progressions. And attractive melodies are what makes music popular. It's just a fact of life.
Catchy? 😂 Do you mean cheesy?
Fantastically explained ❤
It would be one thing if it was just one artist but 4 note songs are everywhere in (I wish I could limit it to just pop) music.
I really appreciate this. I have no musical education, but a good ear, and had a feeling there was a sameness about her melodies. Well, now I know, fortified by evidence.
i really don't get the hype around taylor swift. i'm not a music expert but her lyrics are also so mediocre most of the time, and swifties act as if she is the reincarnation of shakespeare. there are a few good lines that i can think of but overall, her lyricism isn't that great. there are a lot of artists who are really good songwriters and lyricists but don't get half the popularity and praise taylor does.
I was an avid Taylor swift hater a while ago, but her folklore album is beautiful. I think her best lyrically music is the lakes from folklore, seven from folklore, happiness from evermore, would’ve could’ve should’ve from midnights.
Amen-someone who validates my opinion about Taylor Swift
😂😂 You're absolutely spot on. That's gold.
I can't believe you made me listen to Taylor Swift. Fortunately, the songs are so forgettable it won't be a problem in a about 10 minutes.
So why bring it up.
@@soulfireonfire6423Well they are quite basic and easily forgettable.
I concur
@@soulfireonfire6423 cry
I'm still learning about music so I wouldn't be surprised if I was corrected, but I think we're too focused on the fact that Swift uses the same chord progression too much instead of focusing on the fact that she somehow manages to make so many songs with it, to the point that some of them actually sound different from one another.
Unless people are attentive, they maybe would've never guessed that idk, Love Story & All Too Well share the very same chord progression.
It's creative & also not at the same time: She keeps reusing the same chord progression but she's still able to make many songs out of it, some different from others. Ig it's somewhat admirable even if for others, it can get boring at times.
You're absolutely right. Variety of chord progressions doesn't matter. Variety of melodies matter, and there's untold millions within a chord progression. Most sophisticated musicians can't find them. She can.
she uses the same chords because shes creatively bankrupt
@@MendingWall2basci
@@MendingWall2basic
She has many songs with other chord progressions also, her making songs in the same chord progression doesn’t make her a bad artist as, that chord progression is popular in all music.
Truly, I was expecting song number 7 when I heard "thoughts and prayers". But, right at the end works *just* as well, sir.
This is a big problem now with music. In many studies done it's revealed that music today especially pop music in the last 10 years till now has no variety in chords, in type of instruments used, and it's the same chords, same instruments. It's got worse. Taylor is good at selling and she focuses on what sells and when I say "what sells," I mean what will get radio stations want to play the song more often, what will get distributors to play the song more often, what will get movies producers to buy the songs etc. She is only playing into the hands of the machine that exist because it makes money and it pleases the simple minded audience...for now. Hey, if this is for you, awesome but she is only doing knowing what the big music outlets, channels, broadcasters and labels want. So what do people expect? It's not going to change.
I totally agree on your perspective. Even when she reinvent herself she is following the latest trends. Like she got into cottagecore Indie music because it was trending at the time and she needed to get into the market to make the sells.
Even if I don't like her stories and her sounds no matter which genres she jumps into. I do have to admit the girl knows how to sell. She knows what's popular at the time and will jump on that train to get into the market.
Yup a people pleaser at her best
This is the exact reason why i subscribed to this channel and do not have the time to listen to the drinkers ramblings.
Thank you Echo Chamberlain.
she "only" won 14 grammys, but 4 times album of the year
She also weites Melodies. Some of those consist just of the root Note, so on a piano you would just Hammer one Single Note.
I fail to understand Echo, what could possibly be wrong with using the exact same chord progression for seven songs...... and probably many, many more!!! LOL.... just kidding!!! I totally agree with your assessment and analysis of Taylor's ridiculously limited scope of "Recycled Songwriting." As a writer myself, and probably you as well, we all need to be aware of reusing the same or similar chord progressions..... and thus, being stuck "in a writer's rut..." Anyway, thanks so much for sharing this valuable insight.... and I'll be prayingmfor The Holy Spirit to save and liberate "these helplessly trapped chords!!!" Ted Schempp, Nashville. P. S. In your opinion, did Michael Jackson and Prince fall prey to this same "Treadmill?" Thanks.
Let's make one concession (LOL): The V chord is an add 11, so you can have the note C (root of the key) playing all the way through as a common tone.
I think I do sort of have a musical ear because I swear a lot of her songs have the same melodys but I'm also an idiot who doesn't know much about music & can't carry a tune singing to save my life 🤣 but even I noticed ???? I also get that each artist has their signature style (especially Taylor because she is very marketable). I like some of her music but not all of it.
Axis of Awesome have entered the chat..........
Just a few more songs with the same chord progression: Demons by Imagine Dragons, Let It Be(Intro) by The Beatles, She Will be Loved by Maroon 5, The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars, Baby by Justin Bieber. It’s extremely common.
But the way of use matters. Taylor's is straight boring and lacks lustre
Yeah but Taylor’s melodies are boring and don’t pack a punch
Nicely done and I concur but to play Devil's Advocate: I IV V ?
i watched this video and all of a sudden a pumpkin spice latte magically appeared in my hand, i dont know how
actl i dont find chord progressions to be the biggest issue sometimes. but the problem now is even the melody sounds samey and bland.
The minimalistic and formulaic studio production with small range of instruments used and lack of dynamic range is what makes all expensively promoted pop music sound like it was pumped out of a factory, not the chord progressions in my opinion - there are only so many of them anyway.
I think that this in a way also makes an argument against itself - these are all at least good songs that sound different from each other, yet they all use the same chord progression. I think it's a very cool ability to be able to get so much out of one musical idea. Kind of wish i could do that, although I'm sure that it's an ability you can obtain with experience.
My thoughts exactly... The idea that working within a limited 'palette' and still creating popular and interesting harmonies and lyrics is a weakness is baffling? Do we criticise painters because they work to a style and with a certain palette? In fact in most arts, people who try to do too much variety tend to get looked down on as dabblers - it's the people who deep dive into a subset of an art that get the plaudits... obviously if you're someone 'into' the techniques of chord structure, she won't attract your interest. Just like somebody who hates landscape will never like a constable..
@@largeformatlandscapewell more like she still hasn't matured probably
@@naheenisapoet69 I'm a bit against the whole 'matured' word as so many amazing artists produced there best work when 'immature'. Perhaps if you value a certain sound that could be interpreted as 'mature', then yes
@@largeformatlandscapebasic
@@largeformatlandscapebasic
The reason she's famous is: group mentality, they can call themselves swifties and talk about the new album. But you know that, at night, when you're alone in bed on Spotify with earbuds, it sucks.
I love doing exactly what you just said sucks. And I can assure you that I enjoy every moment of it
But that’s just my opinion so
The reason she’s famous because the music is bops, I hate HATED Taylor swift for so long, but a big fan of folk-indie music her folklore evermore albums are great. If you took time to maybe just listen to her more in depth songs maybe you’d like her(you don’t have to like her), the over-saturation of her more basic popular pop songs makes it perceive her music is terrible. Honestly I don’t choose to listen to those songs because to be honest those are her most tiring, but songs like the lakes, glitch, are great!
I am waiting for the A-G-Am-F v Taylor Swift trial. I am looking forward to the list of experts demonstrating Taylor's history of abuse of this chord progression. I seriously hope that A-G-Am-F is able to get out of that relationship and seek counseling.
But seriously, even Todd in the Shadows has remarked on the "four chord pop song" being a trope. Taylor Swift is no different than any other pop artist using the same four chord progression. The band Journey is well known for their abuse of the "four chord pop song" trope.
You realize it’s C not A major?
"Taylor Swift is no different than any other pop artist..."
This is hilarious. I love it. My guitar teacher hates her and says that she just writes simple songs for teenagers that have no music appreciation or ability.
on point
This has ALWAYS bothered me!! Glad other people hear it
He was right about the rabid swifties
Brilliant video
I accidentally threw it back to tolerate it (I thought it was look what you made me do)
I have nothing against the girl, but I laughed out loud at your video.
Is She a Dude??
And when she isn't using this progression, she uses the same 4 chords and just changes the order... like I Knew You Were Trouble (Am F G C)
Look out! The Taylor Swift PR Industrial Complex is coming after you now, Boomer, Hater, Jealous!!
Truly talented songwriters don't need a PR Industrial Complex.
So Lonely, by The Police.
When it's done well, you don't even notice it.
could you do a progressive analysis of her self-written songs all throughout her career?
Swift fan backlash is a minor threat.
Twits love her.
when i was starting out in music, someone told me that you should always have someone in your life that will keep you from, "listening to your own press..."...apparently, Taylor doesn't have anyone in her life telling her that she's less artistically than she actually is...
I think, in fact that she can make emotional songs over such generally simple chord structures makes her a good lyricist/songwriter. She also does have nice ways of mixing things up with the way she plays the chords. Also her arrangements and harmonies are very interesting for repeat listens. For example, All Too Well, Out of the Woods and Should've Said No are very different sounding songs with completely different energies, even though they use the same chord progression thus, evokes different emotions. Plus, no normal music listener will know about the chord progression nor care.
To me, this sounds like a "critic" judging a painter by his ink strokes instead of the paintings they painted and missing the whole point of it.
Agreed. I don't understand everyone's obsession with "using the same chords". The reason why Hallellujah mentions "the minor fall, the major lift" is because some chords have very distinct feelings. Mi major goes up, sounds brilliant. Chords are repeatedly used to convey certain emotions because they sound more akin to how humans perceive those emotions. Using chords correctly will lead to a repetition of chords being used, just as using a hammer to hammer nails will lead to repetition of the use of hammer and nails. Chords are tools in harmony, and considering how they actually vibe and sound, I see why the same ones are used repeatedly.
@@isabelguzmanmiranda5025 Totally agreed! Repetition is a great tool to evoke emotions and when paired with a twist, its killer weapon!
You must not be a musician lol
@@jetsonesque And so is 7+billion people who just enjoy the music and tryna get through life.
The first song I heard when you played The Progression was Champagne Problems.
I'm a lot older than the average Swiftie but I like her, both as a person and as a musician. She genuinely has something. I also reserve the right to be critical: overuse of this chord progression, overuse of certain melodic devices, excessively wordy songs.
Have you listened to the lakes from folklore it’s great!
How do you know it is overuse of the chord progression? It is the most popular and progressions are chosen to fit the melody and lyrics. Got better progressions for them?😊
Anyways folklore >>>
I will give credit where it is due, she is very creative with what she does and the formula she knows. But being creative within the confines of the same formulaic four chords is ultimately....no creativity at all to me.
I have always said she’s a very safe artist. She needs a producer who pushes her out of her comfort zone.
The formula of a innocent quirky white woman who comes from privilege
She has a lot of the songs with the same chord progression, but if you look at the other songs without the same chord progression like, hits different, seven, the lakes, style, tolerate it, happiness, evermore. As a avid Taylor swift hater back around 2019, these songs got me into Taylor now her lyrics are very poetic and yes there’s other artists also great or some say even better than Taylor, her lyrics are still great.
I'm dead LOL This video had me laughing out loud. I write music too and I know that I use the same four or five progressions, usually in minor keys and I have a tendency to use dimished and domimant 7th chords a lot.
That’s pop for you. It’s a formula that guarantees sales. This hapless chord progression has been used and abused for the last forty years!
playing champagne problems with a picture of fearless tv in the back..
And this love with a picture of speak now in the back...
The 7 songs of the Apocalypse.
"The great Taylor Swift chord progression psycho-nightmare." Sums it up. I haven't laughed this hard in probably a year. This Echo Chamberlain guy is a genius in getting the point across. Swift is either a dunce (which I doubt) or a greedy, self-absorbed egoist willing to trash our rich musical culture by polluting the impressionable minds of the young with so much trash that little space remains in them for the appreciation of real music. If you like pop, instead listen to Joni Mitchell. Or better yet, listen instead to Miles Davis or John Coltrane, or Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven. There's so much good music out there, and it's not hard to find, if you simply ignore Spotify's rankings.
I owe Swift big-time, back in my dating days asking someone if they owned a Swift album early in the piece saved me a lot of time and massively reduced my risk of aneurysm. It worked a treat in my professional life too.
Romeo almost ran the red while looking at Juliet.
Too much champagne consumption can cause problems if you drive afterwards.
❤ ❤❤❤❤
Taylor isn’t an artist or musician she’s a cult leader…
I’m gonna play devils advocate and say Mean used the vi-V-IV progression and the I-V-IV, so, yeah
That was honestly very funny
I credit her massively as a business person to be able to monetize herself with the same songs over and over. She is a master of branding and PR. She acts silly and weird so teeny boppers can relate to her. I guess it infuriates me though because there are artists with 100x the talent but a fraction of her net worth. I don’t fault her but I fault her brain dead fans who can’t appreciate good music.
all I can say is..during the period or time that Taylor's career was peaking i think way back Love story song era...i found new artists too like Regina Spektor and Sara Bareilles..Jason Mraz..Christina Perri and others..whom I thought to have better musicality and lyricism ..not to bash Taylor but truth is there will always be better artists ..it's just sad that others put her in such a light that she is "the best" out there 🥲🤌
Swifties never seem to get bored with Taylor Swift's songs once they become old. Why is that?
Because they glaze her
Is it because they’re mostly the same as the new ones?
Because some people like the taste of shit and refuse to open their mind to things that aren’t shit.
I'm glad your not directly bashing her. There are 10 albums with different genres like country, pop, seasonal, electric pop, rock with different relatable lyrics
She has a lot of the songs with the same chord progression, but if you look at the other songs without the same chord progression like, hits different, seven, the lakes, style, tolerate it, happiness, evermore. As a avid Taylor swift hater back around 2019, these songs got me into Taylor now her lyrics are very poetic and yes there’s other artists also great or some say even better than Taylor, her lyrics are still great.
isnt blues basically also the same 3 chords ?
I came across the following in an article on chord progressions. Do you deny that the melodies and lyrics in the songs you chose are DIFFERENT? So the question is, what chord progressions would you have selected for each of them and why?
If you do not agree with the extract please explaint why. If you cannot come up with better chord progressions I suggest you apologise to Taylor Swift and Swifties.
“While there are many common chord progressions in pop music, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Experimenting with different chord progressions can help you find the one that best suits the melody and lyrics of your song. Don’t be afraid to try something new or to modify an existing progression to make it your own.”
💀
Great video. I've never listened to any of her music beginning to end but I thought 2 out of these 6 songs sounded rather good, (good like Backstreet Boys kind of good). I think her presence outside of music is actually more of a nuisance than anything else. If she just kept to herself and focused on music like, I don't know, Bob Dylan or something, people might have respected her a bit more.
At least now we know she writes her own songs! 😄
The thing with Taylor Swift's music and songs is first that they're extremely RELATABLE and secondly that only Taylor can sing her own songs and not sound weird.
no offense but ive NEVER found taylor's music relatable,,
@@airsinferno none taken. People have different experiences. No one can force it down your ears if you're not interested.
@@Aiibh her fans try
fuck those fans (i say that as a swiftie who likes kanye's music as well lol)@@rosanaconta3416
@@AiibhDon’t people find it relatable because the lyrics are painfully obvious? For most songwriters that would be an example of weak writing. But for some reason Taylor has gotten away with it for years and years. I haven’t heard a single good metaphor from her
Now she’s doing 4-1-5-6 repeatedly
4:13 what is this supposed to say i dont get it? like all the songs play at once and have the same chord progressions and they sound nothing alike?
Sounds same to me
But she's a pop singer. Does she even have songs that don't use these chords? It can't just be 7. She has multiple albums. Maybe 7 per album, on average?
Is this video critiquing the over use of the I-V-vi-IV progression or those exact four chords? Because both are absolutely valid criticisms
She’s won double the amount of Grammys than Prince. (14/7). Let that sink in
Ahhh...Taylor Swift and formulaic music...
Are we going to next have a breakdown of Nickelback, or are we going to not subject our ears to such torture?...
I grew up in another era and as a Gen-X born in the '60s and who got exposed to several exciting music genres, I must affirm that Taylor Swift's music has become so hackneyed: using the same chords, the same cliched lyrics that reek of aesthetic poverty, more of style than substance--and too formulaic. Much as she has gorgeous looks, I'd rather be happy enjoying Edie Brickell (and New Bohemians), Janis Joplin, Suzanne Vega, Tina Turner, Kate Bush, Jewel, Kim Wilde, Stevie Nicks, Tanita Tikaram, Joni Mitchell, Enya and many other extraordinary female acts who have much more depth, much more artistry and with their own distinct sounds and signature styles. I was once asked when I was made to choose as who are the greatest between Janet Jackson, Bjork and Taylor Swift, naturally, I'd pick Janet and Bjork. Perhaps I am getting older, but the music of the past decades was much more exciting and much more varied
She has a lot of the songs with the same chord progression, but if you look at the other songs without the same chord progression like, hits different, seven, the lakes, style, tolerate it, happiness, evermore, . As a avid Taylor swift hater back around 2019, these songs got me into Taylor now her lyrics are very poetic and yes there’s other artists also great or some say even better than Taylor, her lyrics are still great. You don’t have to like Taylor but she has substance
I wish you would is also a great song, Taylor swift
If it ain’t broke…