The Words and Music of Taylor Swift

The Praeger Singer-Songwriter Collection

by James E. Perone

This scholarly analysis of the music of Taylor Swift identifies how and why she is one of the early 21st century's most recognizable and most popular stars.

• Provides the only scholarly critical analysis of the songs and recordings of megastar Taylor Swift

• Places Swift, her work, and her public stances in the context of her generation and its definition of "empowerment" and "feminism"

• Explores Swift's work as an extension of the early 1970s' confessional singer-songwriter movement

137 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 14, 2017

Reviews

[kayleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm writing my undergraduate thesis on Taylor Swift, and James E. Perone's exploration of trends in her songwriting is really helpful for that. He's concisely mapped out her appeal to various demographics and pointed out lyrical and sonic trends that I haven't even noticed as someone who has been a Swiftie for the past thirteen years. However, when it comes to Swift's reception, especially in the realm of feminism, his analysis is a bit out of touch. I wish he provided more criticisms of Swift's feminism because his explanations lacked literacy in what intersectional feminism actually entails. While he does acknowledge that Swift's feminism - up until 2017 - does not account for race or religion, he describes her efforts towards anti-bullying as being at the heart of, or at least reminiscent of intersectional feminism. I understand what he's trying to do, but equating bullying to social oppression undermines the systemic underpinnings of oppression rooted in race, religion, etc.