Story by Jon Stalnaker AKA The Studebaker Dude
I am NOT a Swiftie (not that there’s anything wrong with that). I’ve certainly been aware of her as she has been on the music scene for a long time, but I just thought of her as an artist for younger people. An accomplished artist, whether you like her or not, she is a superstar entertainer. I went to Wikipedia to research her accolades and was blown away. I’m not going to list them all because I don’t put that many words in my stories. But I will certainly list the major awards and some of the things that surprised me.
14 Grammys, an Emmy, 40 American Music Awards, 39 Billboard Music Awards. Included in those are 3 that are considered the most by any artist. 23 MTV Video Music Awards, and 118 Guinness World Records. She has sold over 50 million albums and spent 44 weeks as the number 1 artist on the Billboard Top 100 list. She was the woman of the decade (2010s) according to Billboard. In 2015, Rolling Stone Magazine called her the youngest person on their list of the greatest songwriters of all time. In 2023, Forbes recognized her as the 5th most powerful woman in the world. She certainly has earned the title of Pop Icon.
I decided to purchase one of her CDs, so I could hear what I have been missing. The only song of hers that I was familiar with was Shake it Off. I like many different genres of music but even though she is known for being a multi-genre star, so far I find her music forgettable. It’s not that I don’t like it, it’s just that pop music doesn’t grab me like other music does. When I bought her CD, I had to buy a second one, so Amazon would deliver them the same day. The other music I bought is a 5 CD collection of Louis Jordan. Now THAT’s the kind of music that moves me. Sorry Taylor, I’m not a big fan of your music yet, but I am a big fan of you. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike your music, there’s a big difference here. To be fair, I hurriedly listened to the CD, so I could write this. I will listen to it more.
Being a football fan, I was exposed to Swift mania on social media and TV. I was disappointed at all the negative comments that were flying around. Taylor took it like a champ and why wouldn’t she. She doesn’t need their approval as she has certainly proven herself and her undeniable talent. The trolls that were dissing her would probably be shocked if they saw what I just saw on Wikipedia. I didn’t even touch on many of the other accomplishments on her list of atta girls… I enjoy the love story of Taylor and Travis Kelce, and why wouldn’t I? I’m a big fan of the Hallmark Christmas movies. She showed herself to be a decent, fun-loving person, and for that, she won me, and many others, over.
I write this story, not as a Swiftie, but as a poke at the haters that help feed the mob mentality against her. I was watching the Grammy Award program where she was presented with one of her Album of the Year awards. I watched in disgust as Kanye West jumped up on the stage to spoil her moment. Did he convince me that Beyoncé was more deserving of that award? No. I felt sorry for Beyoncé as well, as it must have been embarrassing to her too. What Kanye did was make a fool of himself. Might I suggest that all the haters on Facebook and TV broadcasting that slammed Taylor Swift for celebrating and supporting Travis and the KC Chiefs were simply acting like Kanye. So, to all you haters out there, I have two words—”Dig Yourself”. What does that mean? It means take a good look in the mirror when you are tempted to join the “He-Man Taylor Swift Haters Club”. Do you really want to look like a fool? I’m not asking you to become a Swiftie, I’m just suggesting that you give her some of the respect that she has earned with her hard work and talent. Don’t take my word for it, look it up for yourself, it’s impressive.
I know that buying and listening to one CD is not enough to make a judgement about her body of work. It was a statement that I wanted to make, that I would listen for her music and not just slough it off as teenybopper music. I send her my respect, and a warning for all to not get caught up in hate talk. If you find yourself sounding like Kanye, then I suggest you dig yourself. It’s not that I don’t like you anymore, it’s more that I want my friends to be the better person that I know you to be.
