by Evyn Firestone

From April 28-30, Taylor Swift took over Atlanta with three sold-out shows made famous not only for the return of Swift to the stage post-COVID, but for a notorious Ticketmaster sales crash. But why is Swift such as big deal, and is it all just about hype? A retrospective about why Swift carries such emotional resonance and appeal is in order for those who remain perplexed.

Taylor Swift is relatable.

The 33-year-old superstar has been in and out of the media for the past 15 years, growing up with a lot of her older fans and becoming a role model for her younger ones. Her lyrics are relatable as they range from teenage heartbreak to revenge, and she stands up for herself in times of opposition. The lessons she has learned throughout the years are projected to her fans by teaching them to stand up for themselves while being kind and accepting to everyone, as well as sending a message of just being yourself

One reason Swift draws such a large fanbase is that she is incredibly relatable. At the start of her career, the young pop-star’s target audience were the people she shared the most commonalities with: other teen girls. With time, her music has matured from country to pop, personal experiences to stories, and her target audience has expanded. One thing has never changed, however — the authenticity of her songs and universality of her lyrics.

While one could deep dive into any Taylor Swift song and overanalyze it for its meaning, there are several main messages that emerge throughout her ten albums. One common theme is the ups and downs of being young and in love. One song that portrays the nativity of being in love at such a young age is Dear John. The lyrics do an excellent job painting the image of a young impressionable Swift and the older man she fell for. This description of losing innocence is a common feeling in teenagers when they grow up too fast and wish to go back to their ore innocent days. John Mayer, whose name is in the title of the song, was 32 at the time he and 19-year-old Swift were spotted together many times. Although they were never an official couple, the lyrics hint at Mayer playing with Swift’s feelings, when she believed they were in love:

Dear John, I see it all now that you’re gone

Don’t you think I was too young to be messed with?

The girl in the dress, cried the whole way home

Dear John, I see it all, now it was wrong

Don’t you think nineteen is too young

To be played by your dark twisted games, when I loved you so?

I should’ve known

Dear John isn’t the only song rumored to be about an older man who manipulated Swift. All Too Well is rumored to be about her relationship with Jake Gyllenhall. The actor was 29 at the time and the singer was 20. The heartbreaking lyrics depict a whirlwind romance that makes Swift just like any other girl, swept up by an older man who is believed to have manipulated her, Swift looks back at both the good times and the worst times of being so easily influenced to love. She even sings about the heartbreak she felt after the relationship ended and how ashamed she felt during the relationship. As heartbreak is something almost everyone goes through, this song reaches new levels of connection with listeners.

We were always skipping town

And I was thinking on the drive down

Anytime now he’s going to say it’s love

You never called it what it was

Time won’t fly, it’s like I’m paralyzed by it

I’d like to be my old self again

But I’m still trying to find it

After plaid shirt days and nights when you made me your own

Now you mail back my things and I walk home alone

But you keep your old scarf from that very first week

‘Cause it reminds you of innocence

And it smells like me

You can’t get rid of it

‘Cause you remember it all too well

Even though these two phrases are from two different parts in this ten-minute song, the message is clear as the theme of young love is achieved. In many other songs such as Mean, Swift makes it a point to oppose hate and bullying, as she herself has been a victim of being turned on by the internet for something that wasn’t true.

Taylor Swift is a strong person and role model to women.

As a celebrity, Swift’s tug-of-war with others have always been in the public’s eye. Swift had just won the Best Female Video award for the “You Belong with Me” music video at the VMAs in 2009 when Kanye West interrupted her acceptance speech. West jumped onto the stage and stopped Swift mid-sentence to say that Beyonce should have won the award and not Swift.

Years later after makeups and more scandals between the two, West released his song “Famous.” It includes an insulting lyric about Swift claiming to have made her famous and there for she owes him something. At the 2016 Grammys, Swift won Album of the Year. During her acceptance speech, she said “I want to say to all the young women out there, there are going to be people along the way who try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments and your fame. But if you just focus on the work and you don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday when you get where you’re going, you’ll look around and you will know that it was you and the people who love you who put you there and that will be the greatest feeling in the world.” Swift’s ability to bounce back from West’s continued harassment serves as a reminder to people everywhere that words can’t hurt, and that hate is not forever.

Kanye and Swift’s feud doesn’t end there. Later that same year, Kanye’s wife, Kim Kardashian claims that Taylor Swift knew about the profane lyric and even gave permission to Kanye to use it in the song “Famous.” Taking it even further, Kanye releases a music video to the song which shows a naked Taylor Swift. Throughout this, Swift has been denying consent to both incidences, but when Kim Kardashian released an edited audio clip of Swift seeming to consent to the lyric, fans were quick to turn on Swift.

Swift denied responsibility for the clip, claiming that it is edited. However, since she didn’t offer proof, she received hate. Withdrawing from the public’s eye for almost a year, Swift launched her album Reputation in August of 2017. This album is full of references and songs about the couple who sent her into hiding. It speaks up about ignoring hate. The album was her way to tell her story.

Taylor Swift fights for artist rights and integrity.

Unfortunately, Kanye West isn’t the only man Taylor Swift has had to deal with. After releasing Reputation, Swift left Big Machine Records and started a new path with Universal Music/Republic Records where she owned her future music. This was the result of the owner of Big Machine Records, Scott Borchetta, selling the label to Scooter Braun. By doing so, Borchetta sold the master rights to all of Swift’s past music to Braun. Everything she had put into those six albums before Lover wasn’t hers anymore. She was offered a contract to buy back an album at a time by releasing a new album for Big Machine Records, but to Swift, that was like signing her death sentence. Standing up for her rights to her own music, Swift has begun to rerelease each album. With “Taylor’s Version” written next to each song, Swift has proven yet again that she can stand up for herself. The albums Red and Fearless have been rereleased; however, fans are still waiting on her self-titled debut album, Speak Now, 1989, and Reputation.

No matter what gets thrown at Taylor Swift, she bounces back providing an amazing role model for young women everywhere. No matter the trials and tribulations Swift has faced throughout the past 15 years, she was able to move on from them and turn them into learning experiences. Swift often shares these lessons with her fans through songs and statements. Her lyrics have proven to carry emotion and important themes as well as true stories making her a big deal. Swift’s huge fanbase looks forwards to the insights and songs she releases as they often have a deeper meaning. Many people connected with those songs and insight again this past weekend, and while will probably be incredibly tired on Monday morning, will no doubt have Swift insight to share.