#also taylor is not the only one releasing multiple versions of an album

[nessa007]

I'm in no way bashing Taylor but why is she continually churning out new versions of her album every time someone else nears the no.1 music position? It looks really bad tbh

[lulabo]

from folklore on, I’ve purchased all albums directly through the Taylor Swift site as digital pre-orders (because I don’t have a CD or record player) and then been (unreasonably) aggravated that following release additional tracks are issued that require either purchasing the entire digital album again or buying as singles from iTunes, which means I don’t have a full album in the album section of my library, which then also annoys me, so I KNOW the sensible thing is to wait and not pre-purchase and congratulate myself on not falling for these tricks once again but also I instinctively feel the need to purchase RIGHT NOW despite knowing all of this, it is the Charlie Brown football of my life and I CAN’T RUN AT IT

(pls excuse my need to vent my spleen because I have chosen to take this personally like EVERY TIME like a well adjusted adult)

[tibby]

i think it's partly bc of rerecording her albums and having fans love the vault tracks that she now feels she cant leave anything on the cutting room floor just in case

i definitely think that's part of it, but - and i say this as someone who likes a majority of the vault tracks - i think it was a good thing that they were initially left on the cutting room floor. including them originally would have detracted from what the albums were trying to say.

speak now and 1989 are the best examples of this. the point of speak now was two things: taylor wanting to prove she could do it on her own, and each song referencing a specific person or scenario. with the exception of when emma falls in love (the weakest of the lot imo) and castles crumbling (which has a feature), the SNTV vault tracks are more...vague in who/what they're about. and sure, if they'd been released on the original album with the secret messages we might have more context, but that isn't something we can say for certain. speak now is the only album that's about multiple people and we can pinpoint who or what each song is referencing (except maybe sparks fly which was included for the fans, and haunted but that could be because i've never cared enough to investigate if it's about john or joe).

as for 1989, i think the vault tracks are definitely stronger than some of the songs that made the cut (as much as i love WTNY and HYGTG, they're not her best work), but i don't think they would have fit into the story she was trying to tell. whether taylor successfully made an album that is about independence and not love is up for debate, but she claims that was her intention. IION and say don't go aren't great fits for that story, especially since it was one she was trying to tell within the secret messages.

i think red's biggest problem is that it was already too long of an album (which is also part of speak now's problem). i think the red vault tracks fit the theme of all the varying degrees of love, but red TV clocks out at over two hours. it's possible that forever winter in particular was too raw a song to release at the time (has she played it live yet? i haven't kept up with eras tour that much).

and while i love the fearless vault tracks, i do wonder if including them would have earned it less acclaim. they're good songs, but fearless is by far her most polished album imo. even the deluxe tracks, which i also adore, kinda take away from how well rounded the standard album is. it's very possible it's only capped at 13 tracks because cds back then could only hold so much, but i also think that it was a better decision for the marketing of the album itself.

but now, with ttpd and the eight million versions of midnights, it's harder to find the good shit because it's surrounded by so much filler. and yeah, part of it is that some of the songs on those albums are just...not good (bejeweled my deepest enemy), but i think a culling would have greatly benefitted them. ESPECIALLY with ttpd. taylor's always been songwriter who releases stuff that could be diary entries, but at least before it was like...you at least edited this. now it just seems like we're getting every single journal entry as is. and it's tiring. 31 songs is too much. hell, 16 songs for lover was too much.

ultimately i think it comes down to the fact that she no longer gets any push back from the people she works with, and fans are both willing to accept quantity over quality and (for many swifties, but not all) there's just a refusal to criticise her work at all. and i think taylor's desire to constantly release new content (which i think is a combination of a constant need for relevancy combined with the fact she's always writing) combined with being surrounded by yes men and adoring fans is impacting her work negatively. which has been the case since lover if not earlier, but i think midnights/ttpd are her most glaring examples of it.

anyway lmao sorry this got long. sorry for never being on here and then finally showing up to have opinions about taylor swift. do you guys still think i'm hot.

[allamericansbitch]

How do you reason if taylor doesnt speak up about palestine in the near future? Because there’s an air of finality in her silence about this cause. Especially now that we know an israeli supporter (capital one) sponsored her US leg of tour, even her eras tour seems dirty. She is so quick to release new versions of ttpd (31 versions as of now), after billie indirectly called her out.

(Sidebar— yes billie may be a hypocrite to talk about wasteful variants of albums to be produced one after another to supplement chart topping. BUT she wasn’t wrong and not only was taylor in a position to set an example of reducing waste in music industry because of her titan status, she used that position to punch down further on billie’s release week, despite it not affecting ttpd’s #1 rank. Talk about stepping on her gown and taking her crown. Olivia creating a distance from taylor since the royalties incident has left a bad taste in my mouth.)

Also, its not helpful that she dated and defended a racist last year, wrote an album about him.

small tangent before i get to the main point: i've said this before billie isn't a hypocrite for the vinyl thing. i think y'all really need to start looking into the actual articles instead of just reading headlines or hearing out-of-context quotes. the entire article with billie was about sustainability and how she works hard to make her variants out of 100% recycled material so they're less wasteful. she wasn't saying she was against all vinyl variants in general, she was saying she's against people who make a bunch of variants and not put the effort in to make sure it's not wasteful like she does. she was just asking people to be more sustainable with their variants.

now to the main point: i've already made peace a long time ago that she's not a good person. when she doubled down on dating a vocal bigot who says slurs for fun and gets off to black women getting brutalized and tried to make it look empowering for her, releasing a song about anyone who doesn't like bigotry as 'vipers dressed in empath's clothing', and just becoming the embodiment of true white feminism and being a huge hypocrite, fully abandoning her activism and regressing to the generic apolitical 'remember to register to vote' posts that she made before she promised to do more, all that plus she's also been openly ableist with parts of ttpd in terms of using problematic displays of mental hospitals/breakdowns and using them as an 'aesthetic', mocking/invalidating other peoples addiction/depression but then asking for empathy with her own mental issues, working with and befriending multiple abusers, zionists, etc all while remaining silent on a genocide that is dependent on gaining traction and attention so people can raise money to help (also releasing the eras tour movie in Israel actively during the genocide, then later selling it to disney+ which is on the boycott list) but making sure she's still the biggest star in the world, maintaining her platform but never using it for anything important or good, asking for more money for herself and fully showing that charts are more important to her than injustice or helping fellow humans, and showing all the causes she once said she cared about don't really matter to her.

i've fully accepted that she's not gonna talk about the genocide she can easily help. and if by a shocking turn of events she does, we'll all know it's because she was losing fans not because she actually cares (which i know isn't the point, it's not about her, and her speaking up will help the cause so much so she still should; but i'm speaking in terms of how it reflects on her and her intentions). none of this should be surprising, i've seen a lot of people say this might be their last straw with her and that's completely valid, but my last straw was used up about a year ago. none of her new behavior is causing frustration to me because i was already frustrated to begin with. i don't need to reason with it because i did a long time ago.

[nothinggold13]

anyway, I think we should all be very loud and vocal and angry about Taylor’s continued practice of releasing different variations of her albums that force you to either pick and choose bonus tracks or else purchase every version in order to own them all, because, uhhhhh, she is not above criticism and what she’s doing here is a cruel and predatory business practice that flies in the face of the art she claims she wants to share with us.

“No one’s forcing you to buy every version” should be saved for material differences like collectible covers or items like the Lover journals or even TTPD’s special magnets and bookmarks and things; it should NOT apply to the music itself.

“It’s all going to end up on streaming anyway,” doesn’t count either because I actually like physical media and I’m still mad about Taylor banishing If This Was A Movie to streaming after she kicked it off Speak Now but didn’t bother to actually put it on Fearless. I’m also mad that Sweeter Than Fiction was only released on one special vinyl because I don’t use vinyls?? I want to have all my music in one place. I want to have a CD I can play in my car without having to switch it out to hear one different song. I spend money on my music because I want to actually own the album I have: something that is not guaranteed with iTunes or streaming.

the more Taylor does this, the less I’m even supportive of having an album + a deluxe edition. Like. Why would I ever want an incomplete version?

I love Taylor as an artist and I want to believe her when she says that she loves creating and then sharing her art with us, but when she gatekeeps and oversells her music like this, I’ve got to doubt her. Everyone knows she doesn’t need to release multiple versions just to make a profit. She’s breaking records with every album she announces! But if she thinks this is a fun way to release albums, then I actually need everyone to get on the same page by telling her it’s NOT. I don’t care if you, personally, random reader, don’t mind forking out a hundred dollars for 5 slightly different version of the same album; it should not be REQUIRED. Some people can’t afford it. Some people are never even offered the other versions (looking at you past Target exclusives + clean variants of all the Midnights CDs that never went up on the Canadian site). If Taylor loves her fans, she shouldn’t be taking advantage of them: full stop.

tl;dr: collectible versions of albums should be limited to aesthetic and bonus materials, NOT songs; every version of the album should be announced together so people can buy responsibly; every song should be equally available on physical media as it is on streaming; Taylor Swift needs to be held accountable for these predatory releases.

[twopoppies]

Hi Gina... I need to rant 😠 lmfao

As a life-long Chiefs fan and KC native all I can say is this T*ylor shit is fucking annoying. I know you talk to a LOT of people in the fandom, so you may not remember, but I'm a fellow Sw*ftie hater (maybe that's too harsh but idgaf) and I didn't think it was possible to get more annoyed with this woman than I've been since I stopped being a fan in 2018. Boy, was I WRONG. I'm a die-hard Chiefs fan. I loved my team even when we sucked and couldn't make it to the playoffs (before Patrick Mahomes), so to see EVERYONE make the game on Sunday about her is beyond frustrating. People (Sw*fties) are seriously saying she's the only reason we won. Like we haven't won multiple AFC championships and two Super Bowls in the past three years. Maybe I'm just taking it too seriously, but when our boys played a kick ass game on Sunday after such a shitty season opener (that we lost), it was so nice to see that we're getting our mojo back but I literally can't look at any post, tweet, article, tv segment, etc that doesn't make the game about her.

God, please don't let her be around for the rest of the season 🙏🏻

Also, I'm not saying they're not hooking up, but this is 100% for PR. I've personally never seen them pan to a celebrity so many times during the game. I've never seen "candid" photos of Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, or any of the other popular Chiefs' players leaving Arrowhead Stadium after a game like we just got with Travis & T*ylor, or "candid" photos & videos of any of the popular players driving through the city, which is so sus. And then what really sealed the deal for me was that T*ylor announced earlier today that her concert film will be shown internationally. She was also named as an entertainer of the year for entertainment weekly and is on the cover. Not to mention, she has a new re-recording coming out in a month and continues to announce new versions of the 1989 re-recording. "Someone" must not be happy enough that she's already broke records with the Speak Now sales, is selling the most number of albums overall, but she must be aiming to break those Speak Now records with the 1989 re-recording sales bc she's releasing new versions quite often. I mean, how greedy can one person be. Like you haven't sold enough albums? You don't have enough publicity? You don't have enough money? It's just gross to me.

Also, I personally just found her reactions over the top for someone who isn't even a fan, especially whatever that head shake thing is at the end. But maybe that's just because I find everything she does annoying and cringe.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CxmAHqjrACL/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Plus, the stats around Travis and the Chiefs have skyrocketed. So they're absolutely getting a lot out of this as well as the NFL like someone mentioned earlier.

I'll attach an article but here are some numbers:

Travis' jersey sales went up almost 400%

Stubhub ticket sales for Chiefs' home games increased threefold in just 24 hrs

Travis gained 325k new ig followers - more than he gained after winning the last Super Bowl

Sunday's Chiefs' game was the most watched NFL game on any network last week

It was also the most watched game among girls and women 12 to 49 yrs old

https://www.axios.com/2023/09/26/taylor-swift-travis-kelce-merch-sales-up-chiefs-kansas-city

And yes, I know I know a lot about her for someone who doesn't like her. But she's inescapable even when I have muted everything related to her... And now she's taking over my everything related to my favorite football team and my city 🤢 Where's Pete Davidson when you need him? 😂

Ok, sorry for that rant. I know I probably sound ridiculous, but I prefer my life T*ylor free just like I prefer my life Ol*via free, and I thought you might understand 😂 Anyways, feel free not to post if you don't want to discuss her anymore.

I hope you're having a good night, Gina. Lots of love.

She really is a horrendous actress. Everything she did at that game was so embarrassingly fake. But clearly people want to believe it because it’s everywhere.

That’s bananas how much his stats already went up and just shows why it’s worth it to do this kind of nonsense, even to someone who’s already really famous.

I’m not interested in football at all, but I’m so sorry she’s contaminating your safe space. 😩

[bisluthq]

But she doesn’t have to go after artists who do confessional songwriting to say that’s not her style? Also the only album I’ve heard recently where I was in shock like “oh my god this is about X” was TTPD. It wasn’t just that there was lots of comments she made which felt pointed, like she kinda went in a rant about artists who sell multiple versions of physical copies of an album and how wasteful it is, and talked about how her album is not longer because no one needs that many songs in an album lol

EVERYONE puts out tons of versions of their album now. A LOT of artists are making albums that are much too long (TTPD was the most egregious but Drake’s was also fuckkkk long). Not everything is about Taylor. Billie is allowed to bemoan confessional/personal tracks being the norm (btw speaking of Drake the Drake/Kendrick feud is like this also??? More so than past rap feuds even like these two have gotten crazy personal? It IS a trend rn??) because that’s not how her and Finneas write and it must be frustrating to not make headlines with your album, when you’re going for #1 as they obviously are, because you don’t do clickbait in your music and just write about feelings?? And she’s allowed to say she thinks as many versions as ALL artists are putting out rn is a bad trend for the environment? And she’s allowed to say albums have gotten too long?? Because, like movies in the streaming age, she’s right??? Taylor is symptomatic of all of this and may even have started many of these trends but they’ve become the norm and saying you don’t like them, when you’re Billie and also hugely successful, isn’t shade?? It only seems that way if you think everything revolves around Taylor which… it doesn’t? Taylor could stop putting out releases tomorrow (she won’t) and these trends will still be a thing for a while and Billie can still dislike them????

[dustedmagazine]

Kaleah Lee — Birdwatcher (Self-Release)

Kaleah Lee got her start recording covers and posting them to Tik Tok, her hushed and breathy renditions of big, charting songs piquing the interest of more established artists and their fans. Her version of Taylor Swift’s “Cruel,” for instance, has garnered nearly half a million Tik Tok plays and got a nod from the pop phenom herself. But playing other people’s popular songs is very different from writing and recording one’s own. Birdwatcher, Lee’s first EP of original material, suggests that this artist will have no problem making the leap.

The disc starts in a fresh and natural mesh of birdsong, acoustic guitar and Lee’s soft voice speaking. “What can you call yourself in the midst of evolution, and decisions, and the stretching of your body, what stays constant?” she murmurs, already a quizzical observer of her own art, doing the work but also marveling a little as it takes shape.

“Being the observer from who I would run, I finally lay low in the grace, hear the earth sing between dawn’s cracks of sun and rest between vines of the past,” she murmurs in the title track, the early highlight of this brief collection of songs. The song weaves multiple vocal threads into harmony and counterpoint, but gently, so that the parts interleave in an organic way, like leaves blowing in a slight breeze. You might hear bits of Mirah in Lee’s soft, unforced intelligence, her way of infusing delicate melodies with intention, or of Cassandra Jenkins in the way complicated thoughts and feelings achieve fluidity and grace.

“Rotting Fruit,” which closes the album, suggests that Lee isn’t quite done finding her sound. It’s earthier and more emphatic, its guitar play luminous and reverberant in a middle range, her voice fluttering airily, then finding resolve in closely harmonized choruses.  Beside it, the other songs look like lovely pencil sketches. This one, smudged with color, shaded and cross-hatched, reveals depths that Lee is only beginning to tap.

Jennifer Kelly

[what-if-nct]

hiiii today's reminder is can we talk about Sabrina carpenter because like i don't go here i didn't even know she existed until feather exploded last year and even now i only know the hits but i CANNOT get "that's that me espresso" out of my head for the life of me

Hiii, yes i heard nonsense like two years ago and i have been obsessed with that little blonde lady ever since. Taylor was talking about putting narcotics in her songs which i wanna talk about miss swift later. But Miss Carpenter also puts some kind of drugs in her songs cause i cant stop listening to espresso. i listened to it like four times in a row while i was blow drying my hair. My hair came out so cute too. i also added little pink bows to it. there is magic in that song, i knew the lyrics after three listens. I randomly say my honey bee come and get this pollen. Im really trying to refrain cause i don't wanna get tired of it but its just so good. And shes so cute and shes my fashion inspo. I just love her.

Now to Taylor another one i can't get out of my mind also everything she does is so kpop coded hear me out cause one she releases albums in multiple different versions, shes been releasing so much music since 2019, she now has given us photocards which im putting my Taylor and Jisung photocards beside each other in my photocard album. So mother and son can be together. But people who dont get it are critizing it. And everything taylor does is for the obsessive fans, the mentally unwell girls, the girls who spent half of their 20s being in an off and on situationship with a little rat boy who couldn't care less about her and has absolutely lost their mind over him. People were saying they wanted the album to give English department but its giving psych ward honey those are the same thing. Also as someone who has been to the psychward three times i appreciate this album and im hoping for a Sabrina album by summer.

[sweetdreamsjeff]

Jeff Buckley, an overlooked inspiration

Sept. 30, 2015

PUB: UWIRE

In a society dominated by artists such as Taylor Swift and One Direction, it is difficult for songwriters of equal or greater talent to achieve the same level of fame if they don't adhere to the conventions of today's popular music.

According to Rolling Stone magazine, Jeff Buckley is considered the 39th greatest singer of all time, surpassing Mariah Carey (79), Christina Aguilera (58) and Brian Wilson (52). This may be a surprising fact, considering that Buckley is generally less notable amongst the general population compared to the likes of Carey.

However, his vocals are immediately attention-grabbing, and it's not necessarily because of his wide vocal range. Longwood sophomore and listener of Buckley, Joel Worford explains that it's his emotion that makes his vocals feel so powerful.

"The big thing about Jeff Buckley was the way that his voice conveyed emotions... through his vocal tone, as a listener, he made you feel a certain way," Worford said.

So, with acclaim from a popular magazine such as Rolling Stone, one may wonder why Buckley isn't as well-known as his peers on the list of 100 greatest singers of all time.

One reason for this may be that Buckley passed away shortly after releasing his first album, "Grace." Another reason may be the amount of profundity that Buckley tries to provoke within the listener.

"I think his music is too complicated, and his lyrics touch on subjects that are foreign to most people. If you've never felt loss or loneliness, then his lyrics aren't going to mean anything to you... His lyrics really transcend basic feelings," Worford said.

Buckley also purposefully tries to stray away from the norm with the way he writes his music. His songs tend to be longer than the three to four minutes of the average pop song. For example, his song "Lover, You Should've Come Over" is six minutes and 43 seconds. His music also features aspects of Eastern music and vocal experimentation. In his song "Grace," he almost sounds as if he is shrieking by the end of the song.

Despite Buckley's tendency to deviate from the average, his music is still relatable to a lot of people. He has been covered many times, specifically his rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."

Buckley's version of this song is generally the first to show up in the search results for the song "Hallelujah" on iTunes, ahead of Cohen's original version. This song also gained popularity from being covered multiple times on talent shows like America's Got Talent.

Buckley has been a huge influence on Worford, as a musician. He said that he is influenced "mainly by (Buckley's) lyrics because his lyrics are more like poetry... And his guitar playing is just really tight."

Although Buckley only released one album, his music proves that there still may be room for growth and diversity in a world that is dominated by pop stars. With Buckley as an example, there are more underrepresented artists and genres that need to be heard and explored.

Worford encourages others to give Buckley's music a chance.

"I would suggest to anyone to listen to Jeff Buckley," he said. "You just never know who it's going to click with, and for the people who it does, it's amazing."

[alexzalben]

MIDNIGHTS CONTINUES BREAKING RECORDS AROUND THE WORLD RACKING UP OVER 6 MILLION ALBUM EQUIVALENT UNITS SINCE LATE OCTOBER WITH 3+ MILLION EQUIVALENT UNITS IN THE U.S. ALONE

SWIFT RECOGNIZED AS ARTIST, SONGWRITER & DIRECTOR

Santa Monica – December 22, 2022 – Taylor Swift extended her record-setting 2022 performance with the debut of her tenth studio album Midnights on October 21st, released on Republic Records/Universal Music Group. In just eight weeks, Midnights has achieved over 6 million album equivalent units worldwide, 3 million in the U.S. alone, and cements her in music history as the only artist ever to have five albums with over 1 million units during release week. The blockbuster release moved almost 1.6 million during its debut week. Midnights is the first album to sell over 1 million physical albums since 2015. 

Universal Music Group Chairman & CEO, Sir Lucian Grainge said, “Taylor is a multidimensional creative force whose achievements place her among the most accomplished artists in the history of music, and we are thrilled and honored to partner with her across so many aspects of her career.”

Republic Records Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Monte Lipman said, “Taylor’s achievements over the past year have been absolutely spectacular! With more than two dozen historic milestones set by Midnights, it’s nearly unimaginable for any artist to sell more than six million albums in less than eight weeks during any era of our business. These accomplishments further exemplify Taylor’s prowess as the consummate artist and storyteller defining a generation.”

The eleven-time GRAMMY winner broke streaming, physical and vinyl album sales milestones around the world as the critically acclaimed Midnights became the fastest-selling album of her career and Swift became the first artist in history to capture the entire Top 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart. Taylor Swift has 36.6 billion combined streams of her music and 22.4 million album-equivalent units to-date in 2022. 

Universally acclaimed as one of her generations’ most influential artists, Swift was also recognized for her work this year as a performer, songwriter and director. Over the course of the year, she earned multiple awards, including: six American Music Awards (Artist of the Year, Country Female Artist, Pop/Rock Female Artist, Music Video, Country Album & Pop Album), extending her lead as the most awarded artist in AMA history; three People’s Choice Awards (Album Of The Year, Best Music Video & Female Artist of The Year); The NSAI Nashville Songwriter Award for Songwriter of the Decade; three MTV Video Music Awards (Video of The Year, Best Director, Best Longform Video for All Too Well: The Short Film), four MTV EMA’s (Best Artist, Best Pop, Best Video, & Best Longform Video for All Too Well: The Short Film); four Billboard Music Awards (Top Billboard 200 Artist, Top Country Artist, Top Female Country Album and Top Country Album); among others.

Swift has also been nominated for a string of forthcoming awards, including: four Grammy Awards (Song of The Year – “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film)”; Best Country Song; Best Music Video and Best Song Written for Visual Media for “Carolina” from the motion picture soundtrack to Where The Crawdads Sing. “Carolina” was also recently nominated for a Golden Globe Award, Critics Choice Award and Hollywood Critics Association Award.  Carolina was also named to the Oscar shortlist for Best Original Song in 2023.

[thelonesomequeen]

the way i see the taylor thing (as a swiftie): i dont like that she is announcing the different colored vinyls all seperately. i'd prefer to know all of them straight away so i can choose to buy the one i prefer. i also dont feel like missing out if i only have one version. if people are buying multiple versions... thats on them and their decision and their problem. she is definitely not forcing anyone to buy them. i cant blame her for putting out different versions, other artists do as well, she's just the one that gets shitted on the most because of it. i think olivia rodrigo has 9 versions and its just the vinyl itself thats different. and with taylors its at least not as bad as kpop albums with the photocards that get put on the street as waste, because people buy those just for the photocards.

Like I said in the post with the link, my commentary is not meant towards Taylor specifically. The article just pointed out the scenario well. I personally dislike it when I see it from anyone. It’s why I also mentioned a popular book series that’s going to release 5 different versions of a book. It just feels like fan manipulation in order to make more money when they’re already rich to me. And it’s not about having a few cover options to choose from when the content inside the album or book is still the same. It’s when an artist releases a few versions of an album and each version has an exclusive track. Or in this book example, it’s the same book, except each edition has a chapter that isn’t in the other versions of the book. That’s what I have an issue with. Because for fans who really love someone’s work, they feel like they have to buy each version in order to get the exclusive songs/chapters to have the full album/book. Hopefully that makes sense? 🦎

[berryberrytaeberry]

Non-rebloggable rAnT

I got into kpop because I thought the idea of having a concept that coincided with lyrics, choreo, lore, costumes, and a final message was like musical theater with the added benefit of not being timeboxed by a single production.

I stayed with kpop because Min Yoongi. (A not inaccurate oversimplification).

Yes, selling multiple versions of one album inflates sales. When you don't get radio play in the west because xenophobia, it cancels out. (Do you know the only bts songs that get played on the radio (often)?: Dynamite and Butter. Of BTS's 500 track deep discography, you know what songs sit within the bottom 3% of my faves... probably those. That could be a whole nother post ✋��✋️✋️).

When Joon was interviewed for Billboard they even asked (amongst many other racist questions) smth to the effect of "Don't you think all these remixes are the reason for your billboard number 1" or smth and KING SAID "if that's a concern billboard has, maybe they should ask themselves that" (SINCE THEY SET THE METRICS). This was also after non western-country listeners were removed from a certain metric and the social artist category or smth was deprioritized IDK IM OLD NOW AND HAVE A JOB AND DONT HAVE ANY MEMORIES it was close to this okay.

All I'm saying is, yes, math is a thing, but also collecting is fun as fuck, and unless there's a paradigm shift, unfortunately BTS and our other kpop faves will be sidelined irregardless of the number of album versions they release. At this point, it's just fun to have them.

MY POINT BEING, Taylor Swift's 34 versions of TTPD is ridiculous and frustrating. Can you imagine if bts did this? They'd be RIDICULED. They made a fucking RnB remix of butter (one song) and their entire validity as an artist was questioned by the west because they're not a white female popstar. THEY HAVE JUST AS MUCH MUSIC AND IMPACT AS HER. The numbers may be on the other side of the world but it's just as real.

I don't like Dynamite, I don't like TTPD, the quality of a song in terms of its metrics has become utterly irrelevant, so the only way I can truly gauge quality is by what I think.

BTS will always be my favorite artist. When I was 10-13 Taylor Swift was my favorite artist, my first concert, my best memories, and i think the music she made then are classics. I don't like all of Rep, I don't like 1989 at all, I definitely don't like TTPD, I LOVE Folklore and Evermore. I refuse to put songs I hate on my playlist, but Champagne Problems is incredible and Run BTS and ON deserve what Butter and Dynamite somehow got. Like what you like friends. Be fucking nuanced.

But 34 albums is STUPID. The fact that she can get praised and rewarded while other female artists and non white artists get trashed for less or the same is terrible.

And I hate that something I loved so much is now unlovable because of capitalist greed. I hate it so much.

[allamericansbitch]

i became a fan with folklore, so midnights was my first real new album release. im a huge fan of 60s-70s music, so i loved the pre-release build up, aside from really hating most of the song titles. then i felt let down by most of the album itself.

i never cared about taylors relationship with joe, but the aftermath of the breakup and the swiftie bad behavior, re-interpreting taylors entire writing career since 2016 to be secret anti-joe help me messages has ruined the fandom for me. i pre-ordered the albatross version because im into the ghosty look, but ive hated this release lead up.

so i was wondering, do swifties themselves always ruin album releases like this? does the album always not really sound like what you expected, in a bad way? or is this just her work mostly sucking lately because she doesn't care about the quality anymore? (which i say because of her time quote that she's just going to release as much as possible as soon as she creates it. you can't do that AND cherry pick only the best. and also her continued work with crappy jack.)

im dreading the rep and debut rerecords based on how absolute shit the 1989 one is. sadface.

it's definitely never been this rough. before folklore, there was always a 'classic' pre-release build-up. a first single, a second single, an album announcement in between with clues and hints as to what the title of songs or the album would be, and those would be hinted at through consistent pictures she'd post on Instagram. she'd give multiple on-camera interviews leading up to the album release as well, even doing photoshoots with interviews with magazines.

i wasn't paying much attention from like fearless-red era but i was here from 1989 to now and the speculation has never been this intense and out of hand. back then there would be rumors or some speculation but it still felt very much about the music and now it doesn't at all. which is why a lot of people have been saying how disappointing all this feels because it's so different from other album releases.

[popmusicu]

Taylor swift exposing the music industry’s double standards

It is no secret that in the Western music industry there is a big gap in the way men and women are treated. 

 Women have to fight day in and day out to receive the same recognition that men get with less effort Sadly the female presence in the Western media is overshadowed by the male presence, If we look at it in percentages, in the “billboard hot 100-year-end chart” of the year 2022, only 30% of the artists were women. Women have to fight day in and day out to receive the same recognition that men get with less effort, and many female artists have expressed their thoughts on this situation, either through interviews or the music itself. 

 At the present, there is an attempt to improve this situation, mainly by the audience and not so much by industry. We are trying to lower the barriers for women to achieve success, but it is a slow process. One of the most important artists in the industry, Taylor Swift, has been outspoken about gender inequality in the music industry. She has expressed her thoughts multiple times in the double standards that women face in the industry.

In 2019 she released an album called “Lover”, one of the songs is “The Man” in which she talks about how women in the industry have to deal with extreme criticism, scandals and media scrutiny. And how women get dragged down for the same acionts men get praised for. Part of the lyrics go; What’s it like to brag about Raking in dollars And getting b*****s and models And it’s all good if you’re bad And it’s okay if you’re mad If I was out flashing my dollars I’d be a b***h, not a baller They paint me out to be bad So it’s okay that I’m mad [i censored it, there’s curse words] She has also advocated for fair compensation and credit for songwriting, which is often overlooked or undervalued for women in the industry. 

And that’s exactly why she’s currently re-recording all her previous albums. The credentials of her first six albums recordings were sold without her permission, which meant that she had no control on how it was used, but now with her re-recording the songs, she has complete ownership over them and regains the control of her work. Taylor Swift has made use of her huge platform to support other women in the industry. She has spoken out against sexism and misogyny in the media and advocated for women’s rights. Overall, Taylor Swift has made a difference in the music industry, and is great to see someone make good use of the reach she has on the population, specially young people. Out there, there’s a huge amount of talented women that are fighting for the recognition they deserve. The whole situation is extremely unfair, a person’s work should not be judged by their gender, race, age, or any other characteristic over which they have no control.

Link to “the man” by Taylor Swift music video; https://youtu.be/AqAJLh9wuZ0

If you want to listen to Taylor Swift, please stream the Taylor’s version of her albums.

-Sofia Aguirre-

[nympha-doras]

aaron & emily: a taylor swift playlist

a hotchniss playlist, telling the story of their lives using only taylor swift songs. inspired by the one i made for harry and nikki.

if a song has been connected to a specific episode/storyline, then they will be first in each section in a specific order. songs that relate to the section they’re in overall, are in album order at the end of each section.

i’ve added in songs that don’t particularly fit with hotchniss as a ship, but fit with a part of one of their lives that had a significant impact on them (like emily’s abortion, and her time undercover with doyle, and aaron’s divorce from haley).

there are a few bonus tracks from speak now deluxe that i’ve added, however with that version of the album not being available on uk spotify they’re currently missing from the playlist. they’ll be added when taylor releases speak now (taylor’s version).

i’ve used taylor’s version of songs where i can, and i’ll be back to update as soon as she releases the rest of her re-records.

below the cut you’ll find a brief timeline/some headcanons to make this make sense a little more, followed by an explanation for the positioning of each song.

enjoy 💜

playlist

    a few headcanons/a timeline to make some of these make sense:

pre show: aaron and emily had an affair while he worked for her mother and she was home from yale for the summer. it was the early days of aaron’s relationship with haley. haley wasn’t 100% in the relationship at this point, she wasn’t a fan of the career he’d chosen, she always had 1 foot out the door. emily took a real interest in him and encouraged him to go for his dream career, she cared and she listened. he felt guilty, but he doesn’t regret the summer they spent together. i’ve also slotted emily’s undercover time with doyle here seeing as this is when it happens

2x09 - 3x11: sparks are flying but aaron is married. they get to know each other again, it’s been so long since they last saw each other, they’re completely different people now

3x12 - 5x01: aaron is now divorced, they’re free to fall in love again. they’ve both been hurt by love in the past so they’re hesitant, they take it slow

5x02 - 6x13: they’re ready to be together, but with foyet after aaron’s family it’s not the right time

6x14 - 6x18: once again, just as they’re ready to be together someone is trying to kill one of them

6x19 - 7x01: emily has faked her death and is now living in paris

s7: emily is back, but she needs time to adjust before they jump into anything 

post s7: emily has left dc, the love they have for each other wasn’t enough to make her stay in a city she no longer felt comfortable in

s12: emily has returned, she still loves him and she hopes he still loves her, but they can’t explore anything because once again someone is trying to kill one of them and aaron and jack have to go into witsec

s13: aaron and jack are out of witsec, no one is trying to kill either of them, now is their chance to be together 

no particular placement: songs that fit into multiple sections, or cover their relationship as a whole

        pre-show

seven before they meet - taylor wrote this about a childhood friend who didn’t have a great home life growing up. aaron had an abusive father, emily doesn’t have the best relationship with her mother.

tied together with a smile written about a girl she knew with an eating disorder, someone who was hurting but didn’t tell anyone - emily’s abortion when she was 15

everything has changed their lives will never be the same now that they’ve met tim mcgraw taylor wrote this about a relationship she knew wouldn’t last, and she wanted to memorialise their time together love story forbidden relationship speak now emily overhears security at her mother’s place talking about aaron and haley’s wedding and dreams of a world where she and aaron could have made it wildest dreams they know this affair isn’t going to last, but they hope to remember each other fondly when it’s over wonderland they shouldn’t be having this affair but they’re “too in love to think straight” dancing with our hands tied their relationship is doomed to die because of outside pressure, but they hate the idea of losing each other and desperately want to hold on for as long as possible august forbidden relationship illicit affairs forbidden relationship

don’t blame me emily undercover as lauren, falling in love with doyle cowboy like me emily falling for doyle while undercover hoax narrates the struggles taylor endures in a toxic relationship. although she has been driven to the edge of hopelessness by her lover, taylor is unable to let go of her doomed relationship - emily being in love with doyle getaway car emily beginning to realise she needs to leave doyle all too well (10 minute version) the end of emily’s relationship with doyle

        s2e09 - s3e11 (emily’s first episode - aaron’s divorce)

enchanted 2x09 - they’re just as enchanted to meet each other for the second time as they were the first innocent 2x15 - aaron beginning to learn from his mistakes and become a better man because of those mistakes

invisible emily falling back in love with aaron, while he’s happily married to haley girl at home they’ve had an affair behind haley’s back once and they refuse to do it again, especially now aaron and haley are married and there’s a child involved gorgeous they’re both attracted to each other, but with aaron still being married to haley, there’s nothing they can do about it dress they’re best friends, but they want to be more cruel summer falling for each other while aaron is still married to haley i think he knows they’re starting to fall for each other. emily knows it’s a bad idea, they work together and he’s married, but she lets herself fall anyway. willow they weren’t expecting each other, but they want to take each other hands and jump into it together. gold rush emily falling in love with aaron, while he’s still married to haley ivy emily falling in love with aaron while he’s still married to haley

we are never ever getting back together haley divorces aaron

        s3e12 - s5e01 (aaron’s divorce - foyet’s attack, haley and jack going into witsec)

a perfectly good heart 4x17 - demonology disagreement tell me why 4x17 - demonology disagreement false god 4x17 - they’re still in love, despite disagreeing with how to handle the death of emily’s friend afterglow post 4x17 - aaron apologising to emily after demonology

fearless falling in love with each other after aaron’s divorce - the start of a new relationship, the fearlessness of falling in love mine they’ve both been hurt in past relationships, but falling in love with each other makes them believe in love again sparks fly they’re starting to fall for each other, sparks are starting to fly between them state of grace neither have had much luck with love in the past, they didn’t see each other coming, but they could have something good and right and real together. treacherous they’re starting to fall for each other. they both know it’s a bad idea - they work together, he’s recently divorced - but they let themselves fall anyway.

jump then fall they’ve fallen in love, they’re going to be there for each other no matter what

        s5e02 - s6e13 (foyet’s attack, haley and jack going into witsec - first mention of doyle)

soon you’ll get better 5x01 - emily looking after aaron after foyet’s attack forever winter post 5x09 - emily helps aaron heal after foyet’s attack and losing haley evermore post 5x09 - emily helps aaron heal after foyet’s attack and losing haley superman post 5x09 - emily waiting for aaron to be ready for her and for them after foyet and haley’s death stay beautiful they know they want to be together, but they also know that right now isn’t their time, and they hope it’ll come one day …ready for it? post 5x09 - emily has fallen for aaron but knows he isn’t ready for a serious relationship after everything that happened with foyet, but she’s in this for the long haul so she’s willing to wait to wait until he’s ready

        s6e14 - s6e18 (doyle comes after emily - emily fakes her death)

bad blood 6x16 - doyle threatens emily and her family mad woman end of 6x17/6x18 - emily goes after doyle on her own haunted (acoustic) 6x18 - aaron loses emily to doyle my tears ricochet 6x18 - emily faking her death

        s6e19 - s7e01 (emily fakes her death - emily returns after faking her death)

you all over me post 6x18 - aaron missing emily after they’ve faked her death red post 6x18 - they loved each other passionately, in burning red, losing each other was one of the hardest things they’ve had to go through. marjorie post 6x18 - the team mourning emily this love 7x01 - “this love is good, this love is bad, this love is alive back from the dead” doyle is dead, and emily is able to return. their love comes back from the dead.

look what you made me do emily has done a lot that has hurt both herself and those she loves because of doyle

        s7

come in with the rain 7x12 “i’m having a bad day” - aaron knows he can’t push emily, but he lets her know he’s there for her and to come to him when she needs to you belong with me 7x16 the triathlon - emily watching aaron with beth bye bye baby 7x24 - emily deciding she needs to leave, aaron’s love isn’t enough for her to stay last kiss 7x24 - emily deciding she needs to leave, aaron’s love isn’t enough for her to stay the lakes 7x24 - emily needs to escape and a part of her wants to ask aaron to go with her it’s time to go 7x24 - emily deciding she needs to leave, aaron’s love isn’t enough for her to stay miss americana & the heartbreak prince 7x24 - emily telling aaron she’s leaving exile 7x24 - emily telling aaron she’s leaving

teardrops on my guitar written about an unrequited love - emily’s pov while aaron is with beth a place in this world written about the uncertainty of the future - emily’s pov during s7, trying to fit back into her old life after faking her death call it want you want aaron helping emily heal after she returns from the dead mirrorball emily isn’t quite the same after returning from the dead, she’s fractured like a mirrorball, reflecting the person she used to be back to her family to make them think she’s okay this is me trying emily struggling after returning champagne problems aaron hoped they’d become something more once she returned, but she struggled too much after everything happened and couldn’t give him what he wanted happiness there was happiness because of each other, and there’ll be happiness when she leaves coney island a heavy feeling of loss and nostalgia for a past relationship where effort was not equal from both sides

        post s7

white horse aaron accepting that emily is leaving and they won’t get their chance to be together breathe aaron accepting that emily is leaving and they won’t get their chance to be together forever & always (piano version) aaron coming to terms with emily leaving just as he thought they were getting somewhere we were happy they were in love, they were happy, but they live separate lives now come back…be here emily leaving for london back to december their first interaction after she leaves if this was a movie hoping emily will come back. i almost do there’s so much they want to say to each other whenever they call each other, but they both know they can’t, that it would just make the separation harder holy ground their love didn’t last, but it was good and something they’ll both treasure the moment i knew the team’s first christmas without emily message in a bottle they try to keep in contact as much as possible, but being in different time zones and both having such demanding jobs makes it difficult the very first night they miss each other, they wish they could go back and be with each other again out of the woods reminiscing on their relationship all you had to do was stay they were on the verge of being something, all she had to do was stay i wish you would a part of emily wishes she had never left  clean the hidden message to clean is “she lost him, but she found herself, and somehow that was everything.” emily lost aaron but leaving, but it was essential to find herself again after what she went through with doyle death by a thousand cuts losing emily hurt aaron, “tryna find a part of me you didn't take up, gave you so much, but it wasn't enough, but i’ll be alright, it's just a thousand cuts”. dorothea emily’s off running the london interpol office, but she’ll always have a place back at the bau with her family right where you left me emily left, she moved to london and started a new life. but he’s still in virginia, still working at the bau. right where she left him.

’tis the damn season fits with either 9x14 or 11x19 - emily returns to help the team out with a case and reconnects with aaron

        s12

untouchable emily is back in the states and they’re ready to be together, but it can’t happen with scratch after aaron and jack, and them having to go into witness protection

        s13

that’s when reconnecting after aaron and jack come out of witsec begin again they’ve not had much luck with love - both with each other and with other people - but they’re finally in a place where they can watch it begin again cardigan reconnecting after aaron and jack come out of witsec

change things are finally changing for the better, they’re finally getting what they’ve always wanted, nothing else is in their way and they can finally be together run they’re finally getting their chance and they’re not going to let anyone or anything tear them apart again endgame they want to be each other’s endgame, they want to last. but neither have had much luck with delicate they’re ready to be together. they want it to last, but they’re scared it won’t, because their past experiences with relationships haven’t given them reason to believe it will. king of my heart they’re the ones each other has been waiting for, the one they want their happy endings with. new year’s day they want forever with each other, they don’t just want the midnight kiss, they want to still be there the next morning helping each other clean up after the party, and every morning after that the archer they’re ready to be together. they’re scared that their past experiences with love will mean this relationship will end the way all their others have. paper rings they want to spend their lives together, the shiny superficial things don’t matter as long as they have each other. cornelia street they wouldn’t survive losing each other again me! they’re irreplaceable to each other, they’ll never meet anyone like each other. it’s nice to have a friend the song follows two friends from childhood to their marriage. aaron and emily have known each other since their early 20s, and are now happily spending the rest of their life together daylight neither have had much luck in love, but they finally have each other invisible string their past relationships have paved the way for their relationship. their romantic pasts have taught them what love shouldn’t be. peace they’re ready to be together. they’re scared that their past experiences with love will mean this relationship will end the way all their others have.

        no particular placement

i’m only me when i’m with you they know each other better than they know themselves, they only show their true selves to each other. the best day jack’s pov, growing up with aaron and emily never grow up jack growing up with aaron and emily ours people are going to frown upon their relationship no matter when it happens - he’s her boss, and the fbi have rules about this kind of thing (thanks rossi) - but they’re in love and they don’t are what anyone else thinks style written about a relationship between 2 people who keep leaving and coming back to each other - they separate and are reunited 4 times before they get their chance to be together i did something bad emily flirting with the male unsubs to get what they need out of them so it goes… they know how they feel about each other, and they’re gonna keep fighting to be together no matter what gets in their way. parts of the song also relate to lauren/doyle. this is why we can’t have nice things the cases and unsubs always interrupting their free time the man people assuming that emily isn’t an agent because she’s a woman, having to flirt with the unsubs to get what they need out of them you need to calm down the unsubs need to calm the fuck down and give the team a break epiphany the songs describes someone hoping to find peace in their dreams despite living in a world of chaos and violence. no body no crime it’s a song about a murder, ofc i was always going to put it on here

you are in love they’re in love lover they’re in love

the 1 in another life they could have been the 1 for each other