Taylor Swift – The Singer the Whole World Goes Crazy For! How Did She Go From Nobody to Music Icon!? (Part 1) – 2023/July Week 2 Recommended Playlist
Intro
Every single she drops parachutes straight onto every music chart, and her “The Eras Tour” sold out in literally a few seconds the moment tickets went live. I bet you already know who I’m talking about today! Yep, it’s Taylor Swift.
Meow meow, hi everyone, and welcome back to our weekly recommended playlist. This week is all about Taylor Swift and her story. But her story is just way, way too long, and there are way too many of her songs I love, so I’ve decided to split this into 3 parts to introduce this legend to you. And this is part one!
This Episode’s Playlist Links
This episode’s playlist ( YouTube ):
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRRUz5Ks1DvRhX1_GS2K3TxtnHCfLPwfw
This episode’s playlist ( Spotify ):
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Eqxy5IJ5SMJGAWFD3ipg9?si=007ed9e881194698
Taylor Swift – From Classical Voice to Country Music
To be honest, my impression of Taylor was always pretty faint. She felt like someone I really loved as a kid but who slowly faded into the river of history as I grew up. But when I decided to actually open up her channel and revisit the songs I once thought were amazing, I realized that whether it was the old classics or her latest “Midnights,” they’d all somehow crossed into the “already watched” red line. Taylor is constantly challenging and surpassing herself. I didn’t even notice that the singer who once captured my heart with country music was now, in a completely different genre, blowing me away all over again.
How did all of this happen? It all starts on December 13, 1998. That year, at age 9, she discovered her interest in singing for the first time. Not only that, she also performed with the Berks Youth Theatre Academy. Later she stumbled upon country music, and as she fell deeper and deeper into it, she was inspired by Shania Twain’s songs and made up her mind to explore country music.
She started performing at carnivals on weekends and at all sorts of events that needed music. A few years later, at age 11, she went with her mother to visit record companies in Nashville, handing them a karaoke demo of herself covering Dolly Parton and the Dixie Chicks. And just like every legend, Taylor got rejected. The labels basically said, “Everyone in town wants to do what Taylor does, covering or writing that kind of country music.”
I think for the labels back then, this was just one of thousands of cover demos, nothing special at all. If that was the reason they turned her down, it’s pretty understandable. After learning this, Taylor started telling herself that she needed to find a way to make herself stand out from the crowd.
Learning Music and Signing an Artist Development Deal
When she was 12, she met Ronnie Cremer. Ronnie was a computer repairman and a musician at the time. One day his brother brought Taylor and her family to his computer shop to ask if he could help Taylor record a demo, and without hesitation he said sure! After the demo was done, Taylor’s mom went back to his shop and asked if he could teach Taylor guitar, and of course Ronnie agreed. Ronnie said at the time that even though he didn’t understand country music at all and only knew rock, he still decided to teach Taylor in the end! Honestly, I think Ronnie was probably just in it for the extra cash, because back then he figured Taylor was just some rich kid picking up a hobby. But once he actually started teaching her, he discovered Taylor was incredibly ambitious, and he found teaching her more and more rewarding too. After that, Ronnie also started teaching Taylor how to write songs and helped her create her very first song, “Lucky You.”
When she was 14, Taylor and her parents began working with Dan Dymtrow, a manager in New York, and she set off on the path of a rookie artist. She started modeling all over the place and pitching her own songs, and with her manager’s help, one of Taylor’s original songs got included on a Maybelline compilation CD. Around the same time, she was also invited to interviews at all the major record labels ( did they finally notice she was different??? ). Even luckier, she landed an artist development deal at a showcase for RCA Records. For Taylor, an artist development deal felt like getting the “engagement ring” toward becoming a “signed artist.” The label promises you funding and a chance to sign, while still letting you “keep your own soul,” not being pushed around by the label’s ideas. For someone just stepping into the music world, this was an absolutely huge piece of good news.
After that, the whole family moved to Nashville, Tennessee, so Taylor could be exposed to more music and keep doing what she loved. In Nashville, Taylor worked with some seasoned songwriters, and she collaborated longest with Liz Rose. Every Tuesday they held two-hour writing sessions, but even though they were called writing sessions, most of the time Liz was really just helping edit the lyrics Taylor wrote. Taylor knew what she wanted to say, and she was very capable of creating songs that made people’s eyes light up. It was also at age 14 that she left the label that had been with her since she was 13, because she felt the company lacked care. According to Wikipedia, she thought RCA “ruined other people’s stuff,” and that if she kept going with the contract, she’d waste her youth singing songs she didn’t even like.
First Album: Taylor Swift
In 2005, at a coffeehouse performance, she caught the attention of DreamWorks Records executive Scott Borchetta. At the time, Scott was about to leave the company and start an independent label called “Big Machine Records,” and Taylor became one of its very first signed artists. Right after signing, Taylor started working on her first album, with 3 of the tracks produced by herself and the other 8 co-written with other songwriters. Her self-titled debut album, “Taylor Swift,” was released on October 24, 2006.
My favorite track on this album is “Our Song.” Have you ever had that special feeling, where you and a certain someone have a song that’s just yours? A unique connection that only the two of you can truly understand? “Our song is the slamming screen doors, Sneakin’ out late, tapping on your window. When we’re on the phone and you talk real slow, ’cause it’s late and your mama don’t know.” Every time we hear this song, we think back to those beautiful moments and can’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia and happiness.
As soon as this album came out, it immediately caught the attention of a lot of critics, who said something like: “While this album isn’t exactly mature, you can hear that it’s full of hope and storytelling.” Just like “Our Song” mentioned above, it really lets us feel those days brimming with the love of being a teenager.
I also want to specially call out two other songs I love a lot: “Should’ve Said No” and “Teardrops On My Guitar.” “Should’ve Said No” feels like I’m scolding myself, regretting staying silent and not speaking the truth in my heart. This song leads us to face that emotion and bravely express our thoughts and feelings. “You should’ve said no, you should’ve gone home. You should’ve thought twice before you let it all go. You should’ve known that word, ’bout what you did with her. Would get back to me…” This song tells a story of betrayal and heartbreak. It calls on us to confront our own pain and stand firm in our position. Sometimes we regret staying silent, but this song reminds us to bravely express ourselves and hold on to our inner values.
I hope this song can help you face your own emotions and encourage you to express yourself bravely. Let’s enjoy this song full of courage and strength together, and draw power from it to hold on to our boundaries and values. Don’t have regrets, just bravely speak the truth!
“Teardrops On My Guitar,” on the other hand, leans more toward lyrical country music. Even though it doesn’t have the strong rhythm of the previous two, it loses nothing when it comes to capturing emotion. “He’s the reason for the teardrops on my guitar, The only thing that keeps me wishing on a wishing star. He’s the song in the car I keep singing, don’t know why I do.” This song tells the sad story of falling in love with a friend. Sometimes we silently love someone yet can’t express it to them. This song pulls us into that bittersweet emotion, letting us resonate with it and feel the taste of heartbreak deeply.
I hope this song can stir an emotional resonance in your heart and bring back memories of those bittersweet love experiences. Let’s enjoy this emotion-filled song together and use music to heal our souls. Even if there are teardrops falling on the guitar, we have to learn to face them and rise above them.
Throughout 2006, Taylor spent most of her time promoting her first album, even sitting on the floor of Big Machine Records with her mom, packing up CDs of her lead single “Tim McGraw” to mail to radio stations. Here’s a fun fact: at the time, Taylor was helping open for a country band called “Rascal Flatts.” After a few shows, the band actually fired their original opening act, Eric Church, and officially brought Taylor in to open for the final shows of the tour. Eric joked at the time that she should send him an album to thank him for getting fired, and Taylor really did send him one.
Borchetta mentioned that at first, his peers in the music industry didn’t approve of him signing Taylor, who was just a 15-year-old girl at the time. But she went on to create a previously unknown market: the market of girls who listen to country music. Her lyrics were always incredibly delicate and moving, making everyone fall in love with her. This is an ability most country songwriters either don’t have or never bothered to attempt, but she pulled it off.
Second Album: Fearless
After a two-year wait, her second album, “Fearless,” was released on November 11, 2008. This is also one of my favorite albums. The lead single on this album, “Love Story,” is my absolute favorite. It already showed up on one of my old recommended playlists, but I still have to recommend it one more time! “Love Story” is written based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, and the song is so steeped in literary flavor that if you don’t know this classic, you can’t fully feel everything packed into the lyrics. The song itself has even become a classic for those of us in our early twenties, and it’s often played on repeat at weddings overseas.
“Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone. I’ll be waiting, all there’s left to do is run. You’ll be the prince and I’ll be the princess, It’s a love story, baby, just say yes.” This song takes us back into the story of Romeo and Juliet, full of romance and passion. It calls on us to find the courage to pursue true love, to believe that fate will lead us to the love that belongs to us. This song can awaken in your heart a longing and a pursuit of romantic love. Let’s enjoy this dreamy, hopeful song together and believe in the power of true love. Just like Romeo and Juliet, let’s run together in pursuit of the love that’s meant to be ours.
If anyone deserves the title of queen of love songs, it’s definitely her. This album made the middle-schooler me at the time fall deeply in love. Back then I didn’t understand the deeper meanings, I just loved the lyrics and the sweet feeling in the music videos. Maybe if I come back and listen again in a few years, I’ll feel something different. Today’s fifth song, “Fifteen,” stirred up my memories of youth and reminded me of my first love, of how I once saw that person as my one and only. “And then you’re on your very first date and he’s got a car, And you’re feeling like flying. And your mama’s waiting up and you think he’s the one. And you’re dancing ’round your room when the night ends. When the night ends.” Every time I finish listening, I think how innocent I was back then, but I also remember just how silly I was. Time has moved on, and I’ve fallen in love with someone else now, but every time I look back on those memories, I still remember us back then, and all those memories from that time.
Next up I want to introduce “Forever & Always.” This is a song bursting with a love story and surging emotion, describing a deep and turbulent romance. “And I stare at the phone, he still hasn’t called. And then you feel so low you can’t feel nothing at all. And you flashback to when he said, ‘Forever and always.'” This song leads us into a lost love, full of pain and heartbreak. It pulls us into that feeling of being betrayed and hurt, letting us resonate and feel deeply the fragility and unpredictability of love. If you’re still stuck in a relationship that’s already broken, please be strong and love yourself. Let’s keep moving forward and find the happiness and the forever that belongs to us!
Okay, today’s last song comes from my little sister. She’s actually the one who introduced Taylor to me in the first place, and today she wants to recommend “You Belong With Me” from “Fearless” to everyone. This is a song full of love and intimate emotion, describing a longing for a love that hasn’t been realized. “If you could see that I’m the one who understands you, been here all along, so why can’t you see? You belong with me.” It describes someone silently waiting and yearning for the person they have a crush on, yet unable to be seen or understood by them. But sometimes love needs time and courage. As long as you believe in your own worth and your right to be loved, the day you belong to each other will surely come!
The moment “Fearless” was released, it shot straight to the top of the charts of the time, and she won countless awards because of it. This album became the starting point of the peak of her life, but it was also the starting point of the famous “recording-gate incident”…
Closing Thoughts
So today’s story turned out to be just a tiny bit too long, and thank you for patiently reading all the way to here. You know what? Part one alone took me about 7 hours to research, edit, and proofread ( which is also why I’m late today ). It’s also my first time writing an article over 7,000 characters, so this is a personal record breaker for me! If you can’t wait for the next part, I’ll post it early on my personal website, so any of you Mydon fans who want to read ahead can go check it out!
So if you like my content, please be sure to hit that sacred follow button and let me know you want to see more! Oh, and below are two articles I wrote about the bands “Why Don’t We” and “Marshmallow Kisses” ( external links ). If you’re interested, go take a look!
Why Don’t We:
Marshmallow Kisses:
Reference material for this article: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YP600aVsypeMHUhsqECJVt-UURGQz6_QeO-fhPuLHyA/edit?usp=sharing
Mydondon’s new recommended playlist family bucket ( all-drumsticks meal ) on Spotify:
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