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A review by stephsbooktalk
Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music by Rob Sheffield
**I do not rate NF books**
Thank you so much to Dey Street Books for the advance copy!
This book will be out on November 12th.
"An eternal law of pop music: anything halfway cool that's ever happened is because teenage girls made it happen."
I have been a fan of Rob Sheffield ever since I was a tween and watching him on all the VH1 music shows. and reading his pieces in Rolling Stone, And I have been reading his books ever since his first book came out back in 2007. I trust his judgment and just fascinated by his music knowledge. What makes me love him even more than I do (besides his friendship with fellow RS journalist Brittany Spanos) is his love for Harry Styles and the leading lady of this review Taylor Swift.
Look I understand why people do not like Taylor Swift (and a lot of it has nothing to do with her herself), heck I even have my moments where I question my opinions towards her. But ultimately what always brings me back is her music. Specifically her lyrics. I am two years older than Taylor but I felt as if I grew up with her. I will admit she lost me in the Lover era because of "ME!", "London Boy" and "Paper Rings" but then "Folklore" dropped and brought me right back in.
This book dives into the Taylor background showcasing some notable moments but also talks about her lyrics, inspirations and connections to other songs. This is where Rob's music knowledge really shines especially in the New Romantics chapter. I think he could have even gone deeper talking more about her songwriting by album instead of pivot to talking about her current (but soon ending) Eras Tour. Which I will say, as an Evermore stan, I wanted him to talk more about the album and the songs and the production as opposed to talking about the performances from the Tour and ultimately digressing away from Evermore completely.
This book is for the longtime fan who wants to indulge in all things Taylor. And I like to think more Taylor fans respect Rob and his work and would appreciate the thoughts he had throughout the course of her career. I did learn a few new things that I don't believe I ever knew before such as Taylor essentially stealing a line from another performer's song for her anthem "All Too Well". I do feel as if Taylor does not get enough credit for her songwriting. Much like fellow pop icon Mariah Carey, Taylor is such a smart lyricists. And she somehow can make you connect to her feelings because we all have experienced similar feelings.
It is hard to imagine where Taylor goes from here. Rob himself even questions it in the beginning of the book, "How can she keep getting bigger? How can so many people keep hearing themselves in these songs?" I have no clue what Taylor does from here but you bet I will be on the ride to see what she does and what she has to say.
This book was a quick read (under 300 pages) and I recommend reading while listening to Taylor Swift (because duh)! If you are not a Swiftie, you probably would not enjoy this book BUT if you want to read a high level short biography of Taylor Swift to impress your kids, your partner or the water cooler, give this book a read!
Thank you so much to Dey Street Books for the advance copy!
This book will be out on November 12th.
"An eternal law of pop music: anything halfway cool that's ever happened is because teenage girls made it happen."
I have been a fan of Rob Sheffield ever since I was a tween and watching him on all the VH1 music shows. and reading his pieces in Rolling Stone, And I have been reading his books ever since his first book came out back in 2007. I trust his judgment and just fascinated by his music knowledge. What makes me love him even more than I do (besides his friendship with fellow RS journalist Brittany Spanos) is his love for Harry Styles and the leading lady of this review Taylor Swift.
Look I understand why people do not like Taylor Swift (and a lot of it has nothing to do with her herself), heck I even have my moments where I question my opinions towards her. But ultimately what always brings me back is her music. Specifically her lyrics. I am two years older than Taylor but I felt as if I grew up with her. I will admit she lost me in the Lover era because of "ME!", "London Boy" and "Paper Rings" but then "Folklore" dropped and brought me right back in.
This book dives into the Taylor background showcasing some notable moments but also talks about her lyrics, inspirations and connections to other songs. This is where Rob's music knowledge really shines especially in the New Romantics chapter. I think he could have even gone deeper talking more about her songwriting by album instead of pivot to talking about her current (but soon ending) Eras Tour. Which I will say, as an Evermore stan, I wanted him to talk more about the album and the songs and the production as opposed to talking about the performances from the Tour and ultimately digressing away from Evermore completely.
This book is for the longtime fan who wants to indulge in all things Taylor. And I like to think more Taylor fans respect Rob and his work and would appreciate the thoughts he had throughout the course of her career. I did learn a few new things that I don't believe I ever knew before such as Taylor essentially stealing a line from another performer's song for her anthem "All Too Well". I do feel as if Taylor does not get enough credit for her songwriting. Much like fellow pop icon Mariah Carey, Taylor is such a smart lyricists. And she somehow can make you connect to her feelings because we all have experienced similar feelings.
It is hard to imagine where Taylor goes from here. Rob himself even questions it in the beginning of the book, "How can she keep getting bigger? How can so many people keep hearing themselves in these songs?" I have no clue what Taylor does from here but you bet I will be on the ride to see what she does and what she has to say.
This book was a quick read (under 300 pages) and I recommend reading while listening to Taylor Swift (because duh)! If you are not a Swiftie, you probably would not enjoy this book BUT if you want to read a high level short biography of Taylor Swift to impress your kids, your partner or the water cooler, give this book a read!