What is wrong with Stay, Stay, Stay as Taylor says at the end of that song "it's so fun." Besides that my favourite is probably "All To Well" the original version though not so much the new longer version. I love the line about "dancing round the kitchen in the refrigerator light." It was just really visual and beautiful and for some reason stayed with me. But I also love a lot of the early stuff like Tim McGraw, Picture to Burn, but if I had to pick a favourite probably Mary's song. Fans made a brilliant fan video of it as it has no official video and it is lovely and mostly how I pictured it myself. I also love Long Live. The perfect graduation song. You talk mostly about the streaming aspect and how this lines the pockets of the Scooter guy. But what if you are a bit old fashioned like me and have the physical CD that you have ripped to your MP3 player or if you downloaded them when they were originally released is that okay? Does any of that money go to evil Scooter. Just asking out of interest. I don't understand why people are streaming and paying for songs again and again if you have a physical copy or downloaded it when it was originally released. Who gets money if you listen to a song from "free" on RU-vid or is that a whole other can of worms?
I love "Stay stay stay" and "Girl at home" and "Starlight" aka the songs that I think I'm supposed to not like lol But my elite underrated fav is "It's nice to have a friend", if you listen to it as if it's a little childhood friends to lovers but with lesbians, it's such a perfect little treasure. Also I love "seven" because I love pain and love to suffer.
Please I beg you, make every other video about Taylor Swift you said you could make. I need a whole playlist just of you over analysing the mastermind herself 💜
When you said that The Eras Tour concept is every tour... I'm gobsmacked by how I've been blindsided by this obvious fact?!?! Wow she really is a marketing genius
Mark Kermode has this principle about documentaries - if they can make you care about something you had no interest in beforehand, then they are successful. So - huge success for me Dan. I do comment this every single time, but good lord you can tell a coherent story. Smart and funny and a lovely-chat-over-a-nice-pot-of-tea of a video, as always.
This is such a good video!!! Omg please make the video about the parasocial relationship with Taylor and her fans! As someone in the fandom, I find it so fascinating because you're right. The many ways she both encourages and discourages it (and when she chooses to do either one) are so interesting!
Thank you so much for this video Dan! I am an og Swiftie, I’ve been with Taylor since Fearless the original. In Year 7 at school (2008 for me) we had to do a PowerPoint on our fave artist. I did Taylor, with the song Fearless playing in the background. No one knew who she was! How things change 😂 You perfectly explained that feeling of we are so happy for her, but I’d be lying if it wasn’t slightly sad seeing those old vocals go. The emotions, the breaths, the slight changes. We pick up on it all. But she deserves to own her work, so it’s all for the greater good. Also YES FINALLY SOMEONE TALKS ABOUT DEBUT! I am so excited for her version of those songs. Hearing her new vocals will be a crazy experience.
I literally had the same thoughts! Fearless (TV) and Red (TV) felt really similar to the originals, just more polished and with better production - but for some reason with Speak Now (TV), it's different. For example, in her version of Dear John, she somehow sounds angry, rather than the heartbreak, disappointment and sadness resonating in the original version. Nevertheless, I still support her re-recording process and don't mind the lyric change at all.
Breathe and Treacherous ARE godtier and I am so glad someone finally agrees with me on that! (Also this video is so well done! Please make the other videos you mentioned you wanted to make 💖)
Something that i feel gets left out of the Kelly Clarkson part of the story is she suggested it because her former mother-in-law, Reba McEntire, had re-recorded her entire back catalogue as a way to own her masters
i think this is a really good question you've posed that i hadn't quite considered yet. to me, the lyric change brought to mind the bit from miss americana, where she talks about the sexual assault case, and so the idea that even inhabiting the ghost of her teenage self, she just couldn't slutshame someone with good conscience, because she knows all too well (lol) how misogynistic and horrible people are, and what can happen to your reputation (lol) as a result of how people talk about you anyway if you make more taylor videos i will absolutely be watching them because a. i love everything about her and b. it's so fascinating seeing the truly reciprocal parasocial relationship between taylor and her fans, and the fact that taylor encouraged it from the start
You’ve perfectly put into words what I’ve been kinda thinking about Taylor’s version of debut for months, ever since the production of girl at home changed on Red TV. As much as some of those songs are so nostalgic, I want her to just go wild and reimagine all of debut as she would now. I know that’s likely not gonna happen, but I’m glad someone out there shares the same sentiment
You are INCREDIBLY fucking talented, Daniel J. Like... literally, you ARE in my top 5 favorite Comedians. You have the creative flow of a genius, and I don't use that lightly. Your timing, your rhythm... I've always been addicted! I feel the way about you that you feel about Taylor, or...oh, I don't know, any of the Greats (was trying my best not to make a stereotypical Janet or Nigella reference). In the field of entertainment, the only field I REALLY CARE about, you are A MASTER of the craft. A gifted entertainer! I could not have more respect for your talent, or dedication to sharing with us. Baking with Layton and all of your think pieces/commentary videos/vlogs have brought me so much joy through the years. I'm so happy to find, after unintentionally taking some time away from your channel, and now remembering how much I love watching you and returning, that you are still making stuff. Sharp and sassy and funny and intelligent and entertaining as ever. Please never ever stop using that voice of yours, it's one of my very favorites. You are pure brilliance, Daniel. A light.
ive been waiting for this vid since the twitter thread, so excited to see ur in depth thoughts and everyones responses!! Edit: Okay, so bloody happy w how eloquently you can dissect this feeling! And i get the feeling of changing art for the rerecords but i LOVE how this makes her discography like a living breathing thing!
Thank you Dan for expanding the taste of someone who now tmrw at work imma put on a Taylor Swift album for the first time. I’m american so I listen to mainly us rap like Young Nudy, 21 Savage, Young Thug, Curren$y, Lil Tjay, etc and a lot of uk music like OFB, C1, Suspect, M Huncho, Nafe Smallz, D Block Europe, etc. Taylor Swift is just always been a name that I just heard and never dived in too deep into her music. Now i’ll actually give it a go and see what she’s got to offer. With how popular she is, it’s gotta be nothing but bangers 🔥🔥
I hope you enjoy! She’s a very different energy from your usual, but particularly her “Folklore” and “Evermore” albums make for a perfect down time soundtrack
for me, it's really nice to see someone like taylor swift do something like this, my favourote artist wont even perform music from her first album bc it doesn't sound like that anymore and that's heartbreaking for me as an OG
Dan, this is SUCH A GOOD VIDEO! Very insightful, curious, funny, entertaining. Nicely executed as well Made me look at the whole thing in a new light and, dare I say, get excited for the first album (TV)✨
when your brand is built upon a bedrock of authenticity, being genuinely authentic is also a business move. this confusion between calculating and vulnerable is actually what turned me away from her during reputation. I desperately need a video where you dig further into this and her role in the parasocial relationships her fans have with her. also, long story short. mad underrated
It’s truly a fascinating idea. It’s also everywhere - the question of “authenticity” as a RU-vidr is one we’ve been exploring for a decade at least. Without any personal knowledge, just empathy and media consumption (which comes with its own biases), my reading is that Taylor Swift has every intent of authenticity, still making music for the dorks like she was when she was younger, fostering that connection. I think she still feels the insecurity of her youth, and that’s a driving factor in her work. But! When you’re one of the most famous people on the planet, you’re inherently at a distance from the people you create art for. So that authenticity will always have an asterisk on it.
I mean Taylor also completely reproduced Girl At Home. I respect her decisions to make changes to her own work and infuse them with a more mature touch. We all grew up along with her.
DANIEL J??? MAKING A TAYLOR VIDEO??? My crops are thriving, I am hydrated, and my back pain is eased. For what it's worth, I understand why she decided to change it and wholeheartedly support. I'm still a little sad because I've spent 13 years with the prior lyrics. Despite the fact that it is slut shame-y, we have to remember that she wrote it when she was 18-20 and I'd be lying if I said that the majority of us hadn't related to the line at one time or another 😂 I do agree that some of the emotion from Speak Now TV feels like it's missing. And with Speak Now being my favorite album, that's going to be a hard adjustment. But I'm willing and ready to try.
I love all these essay/deep dives. I don't watch satc, don't listen to Taylor. But as a Dan fan, I like your style of video essay writing and the depth/deep dives you do, even if it goes "off topic". It doesnt really feel off topic when it's all related, cause you make it so Smashed it again Dan. Loved it ❤
I recently hear a rumour that HARRY STYLES may be collaborating with taylor on 1989, and we’ve seen that they’re on better terms now, accepting their pasts like adults and maybe I’m grasping at straws here but if they do do a colab it can be so raw and emotional, both of them revisiting their immature past selves that led to one of the most passionate relationships of their lives. I’m so excited to see how the grow up version of haylor as a platonic relationship will look like (specially after listening to ‘question’ in midnights). I really want it to happen so bad and I’m so excited for 1989 since it has some of my most favourite and comfort songs.
Took me a bit to finish this one since I could not be less interested in Taylor Swift, but I’m glad I stuck with it. Great video full of thoughtful takes! RIP my recommendations tho
Yes yes yes to all of this! You've perfectly articulated what I've been trying to say when I talk to people about why I'm so excited about this entire project, and specifically about what debut is going to sound like! (also I did a tier ranking of Taylor's songs just yesterday and Breathe was in god tier so I feel very seen right now!!)
Again you post something on a subject miles away from my usual fare and again I click anyway for the way you tell 'em and remain engaged from start to finish. I haven't ever followed 'T-Swizz' but I get what all this stuff is about now.
Amazing video. I’m not a Swifty, but I do enjoy the music I’ve heard from her (across many albums). You said you could make a whole other video about her parasocial relationship with her fans, and I’d be really interested in that. I was only wondering recently why she is so popular beyond just people enjoying her music. If that’s a video you’d actually consider making, that would be amazing! Your explanation of the subject in this video was so well done
Super interesting video! I will say that it’s unlikely that Max Martin will be back for 1989, as a producer. He was also absent from the Red re-recordings, which…was sadly kinda obvious with the pop songs (wanegbt and 22 for instance). So 1989 is definitely the re-recording I’m most nervous for! Style is literal pop perfection so I’m hoping the new version ends up hitting the same. On another note though, the Taylor’s version of fearless and speak now are literally perfect. Her voice has matured so well and so many of her softer songs benefit from that. It’s also so fun to hear the new vault tracks!
I too, have similarly not stopped thinking about a taylor swift lyric. But mine is the "f- the patriarchy" line she supposedly wrote back in 2012, released in 2021. Because I truly don't know if i believe that. Changing my mind on a daily basis BUT IT'S SO IMPORTANT if she did or did not!
I think she did because It is not a reflection on her own politics but his the lyric shows that he present himself as an ally while dating a teen girl while he is 30 years old she is calling him performative and It suits Jake very well so i think It is but even If It wasnt written then It still suits the narrative of the song very well and i dont care
I have many a thought on the Taylor Swift rerecords from the perspective of a long time casual fans. Although I respect any artist's anger against the larger music industry, I don't think I have to mindlessly buy into it. Taylor Swift wants to rerecord her records so that she can devalue the original records: good for her. Good business move. But I don't know if I can stretch as far to say that its good art. Taylor Swift's music has grown up alongside her as well as us. You belong with me, is a perfect teenage girl song. So there is something incongruent when you hear a 30 something year old singing it. The song (imo) becomes worse for everytime we dont hear her having to strain for the high notes, because she sounds so much less like a teenage girl living through that experience. And I kinda feel that for every rerecorded song to some degree. I thought it was interesting that you said the same circle of people having been producing these rerecords as the originals, as we've lost max martin and nathan chapman who have been subbed in with antonoff and dessner. All four are great producers. But they make different sounding songs. All too well (TV) desperately lacks the clarity in production that a country producer like Chapman brings. I guess you can prefer the new version. But it operates more like a cover than a replacement. If anything, in terms of art criticism I would argue that these rerecordings are a fascinating study in arts singularity and how impossible it is to reproduce it. Of course, when not paying attention to granular details they are essentially identical. But the best stuff lies in the finer details. Anyways, enjoyed the vid. My favourite underaated Taylor song is come back be here x
I totally agree. You can tell she tried to imitate her sound from that era but her voice has changed so much over the years that it doesn’t quite work. And because she can’t really relate to the songs anymore it doesn’t have the emotional impact that they had when she was that 19 year old girl going through all that which makes them sound somewhat empty🤷🏼♀️
I feel like girl at home changing got talked about for half a day after red TV was released and then no one cared much after. Very few were really saying they'd stream the original (I imagine even fewer stuck to that), and tbh the main topic surrounding it was that people just preferred one or the other, I don't recall seeing any mentions of devaluing the original in the same way that with this lyric. In fact, do I think it's quite telling of who taylor is as an artist that she would rather risk people stream the original than maintain a slutshamey view of camilla belle (a very real person, unlike the "whore" in misery business), who people are forgetting is at the centre of this song. I imagine "being known for what you do in bed" for an actress would be horrific (and probably awfully has happened) and if current day taylor wants to take a little of that vitriol back, cool, the venom is still in the song and I have no doubts it's written by a seething 18 year old girl, God forbid a woman change a nasty, slutshamey lyric without getting piled on about it being a poor business decision when they might not even know girl at home was changed at all
on purpose or not, what are your thoughts on the re-records potentially mirroring the six stages of grief? fearless: denial (like you said, it’s a remaster, not a reimagining) red: anger (I mean… atwtmvtvftv…) speak now: bargaining (trying harder than ever to strike the balance between old and new, and not always coming out ahead on that) 1989: depression (it’s the poppiest, arguably happiest album on the list, and I can unfortunately see a world where she just can’t get that to come through the same way) debut: acceptance (going back to where it all began, finding some well-deserved closure) reputation: reconstruction (another interesting contradiction, seeing as the album was initially embracing her own destruction - what if this is the final piece she needs in her long-term healing?) whether the storyline(s) match up with her healing from the end of her relationship, or the loss of her original music (i.e. that heartbreaking look back in the I Can See You MV), or something else entirely? I’m not sure yet. but I think I see a pattern here. thoughts?
Dan!! You really can make everything interesting, i found myself fully emersed even though I never really cared for Taylor or her music (nothing against her, just not my thing)
I love the change! But, not being a native speaker, I had to read the lyrics to fully get the change. I had noticed she has changed the lyrics, but was so used tomthe original one ( which did kinda made me feel icky) that my brain didnt fully register it. I love that she still finds says to express herself authentically
amazing video. your eloquence is always so impressive. one question: what are your thoughts on girl at home (taylor's version)?? as an og red stan??? the implications of changing the tempo/vibe in that one were definitely a huge part of what got me down this rabbit hole
Potentially controversial: I do not care for Girl At Home and I truly cannot believe she selected it over Better Man in the first place, so the updated version doesn’t affect how I feel at all…
@@DanLayton very interesting!!! I agree tbh, better man is so superior. I couldn't believe she cut nothing new after I heard it 😔 one of my all time favorite songs now
With all this being said, I wonder if she might simply not make a rerecord of TS TV? I am certain I am missing a point here. And I find she should go all the way, personally and do something wildly creative. Yet there is something strangly poetic//romantic about leaving that first album untouched :)
I’m a lot older (I grew up in 70’s with Bowie , Queen etc) but I have diverse taste and like a lot of new music, as a side note I’m a vinyl collector and obviously collect Bowie (way too expensive since he died) but also have a now near complete collection of ABBA and Wham but (here comes the kicker) I don’t know any of Taylor’s music apart from the one album I own 1989, so I’d like to both thank you Daniel as I’m now going to collect Taylor Swift but also damn you as I’m gonna be a lot poorer! (Joke) thank you for a very good and informative video and if anyone wants to suggest singles/songs/albums I start with please feel free to let me know! Thanks …… the collecting bug is already starting I’ll be going on eBay after watching this!
Correction Taylor has re-released 2 songs from 1989 album, ‘Wildest Dreams’ TV and 'This Love' TV. How dare you forget lol 😊. I enjoyed your video, thank you 🫶🏼
The difference with the PTB lyric change for the radio edit is that the decision was probably made by the label and/or radio stations, not Taylor herself.
People love to say Paramore stopped performing Misery Business because of that one lyric but it was much more than that - it was the entire song and how it fully blames the girl for foung literally nothing wrong other than dating a boy Hayley liked, a boy who, based on the lyrics, has no agency whatsoever in being with this girl. I'd argue 'once a whore, you're nothing more' isn't even the most slut shame-y lyric of the song. Which is not to say Paramore shouldn't perform it, Hayley's acknowledged it was something she wrote at seventeen and now as an adult she views things differently and chooses to kearn from it, but i think saying that one lyric was the issues oversimplifies the situation
Dan, this is an excellent video in so many ways, but I can't enjoy it properly because I MUST know your opinion on the gaylor movement. When you're looking, queerness is so integrally thematic to her output. Some of the theories about her personal life are... frankly, bizarre, but if you stick to the analysis of her lyrics and visuals etc, it's an excellent time. I highly recommend losing an evening or two to it. (I'm also about to go into my last year of a film studies phd so I'm not easily convinced!)
Do I enjoy some of Taylor Swift's music? Yes. Am I a big fan? I mean, not particularly. Was I nevertheless riveted through the whole video because when you wax passionate about something, it's entertaining no matter the subject? Of course I was, it's a Daniel J. Layton video! Once again, you have made me care about something I'd never really even thought about before. Well done, sir.
How I mostly know Taylor Swift is Todd in the Shadows Love/Hate relationship with her, meaning even a dedicated metal head like me has a few Swift songs on my big playlist as I always hunt out Todd's Top Ten each year
@@DanLayton It's only big songs, so Wildest Dream, Style, Exile and Antihero, but you can always tell absolute craft in them. And I'd be remiss if I didn't recommend Todd in the Shadows as a content creator to check out, if you've got a free 20 mins! Loving the essays by the way!
@@Merc1987 i like todd in the shadows but his videos about Taylor are a miss for me,he doesnt listen to the albums only the singles so his opinions are usually not very depp or informed he also has a level of casual misoginy when talking about her that put me off like his video of blank space he doesnt get the greatness of the satiric content of that song and how the sound of the song is a play on the "basic" critic that woman in pop face all the time,i think Julia cudney is better when It comes to Taylor
As someone who’s been listening to Taylor since debut, the mattress line has always felt uniquely out of place in her early discography. Could you make the argument that the line change is more true to the original album?
I think I’d rather make the argument that that’s evidence of the girl trying to fit in by throwing the other girl under the bus, talking how the “cool kids” talk, even when it feels out of place coming from that person. That’s an interesting thought!
also - the picture to burn gay lyric always read to me as an excuse for him breaking up w her (not attracted to all women vs not attracted to her) but given the time it was written i can absolutely see why it comes across as an insult / attempt at social suicide
@21:10 Bieber boy !!! I don't have any appreciation for TS or JJ for that matter, but I do enjoy your exposé style vids ...... even for your British politics, but man, button up your shirt a bit, or wear a 1970's gold chain and medallion ....... one or the other.
@@DanLayton - Mate, love your work, you do you. Fashion is certainly not my thing, but as a grumpy old Gen Xer, just sayin, put your shirt and "sagger" jeans together and it looks like someone too pissed to get dressed!
