Taylor Swift Does Ten @Ten for Jay Leno
Just when you thought you knew Taylor Swift. This Ten @ Ten segment from Friday's (Dec. 4) episode of The Jay Leno Show proves she has more great stories up her sleeve. This is the part of the show where Leno poses ten rapid fire questions. Swift had just a few quick seconds to answer and she nailed each question like the pro interviewee she has become. So when he asked about the strangest place she'd ever written a song, she responded that it was in the men's bathroom in an airport. And when he wanted to know the last concert she'd been to, she rattled off Kings of Leon (yes, she had a backstage pass). Leno even got her to talk about her worst gig ever: at 12 when she was playing an acoustic set at some kind of rock fest where beer-drinkin' guys were saying, "Take your shirt off!"
But they didn't just talk music. Leno asked Swift about the last time she asked a celebrity for an autograph (Bill Hader from Saturday Night Live), about any good-luck charms she has (the number 13), if she'd ever seen a ghost (yes, at Girl Scout sleep-away camp when she was 10) and the last thing she'd bought off TV (those leopard-print curlers you snap together and intertwine when she was 12). She also named seven hockey teams in 13 seconds and talked chores and phony phone calls. It's a neat way for any Swift fan to get to know her a little better in just seven minutes.
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Dave says:
Leno’s ratings are in the….basement, so it stands to reason he would latch on the the cash cow and milk it for all it’s worth.
Carter says:
Why would her parents allow her to perform at a rock fest at the age of 12, with drunken men around yelling obscenities? That sounds like child endangerment bordering on child abuse on behalf of her parents. Disgusting.
Sam says:
cool.
Michael says:
Hey, they don’t call her the Olive Oyl of country music just because of the way she sings.
kayko says:
Illinoiscountrygirl, I agree and thank you for saying that. I really appreciate it.
Illinoiscountrygirl says:
kayko- I just couldn’t let that one go without saying something, that’s a disgusting remark! I thank you too, and know you are sincere.
D Trotter says:
Illinoiscountrygirl, we’ve probably argued a time or two about the merits of Ms Swift, but I have to agree with Kayko. Even if you aren’t a Taylor fan, you show a ton of real class when you speak out against mean-spirited attacks. Differences of opinion are what makes America a great country, but these nasty comments aren’t opinion.
Fearless will be #1 in 2009 says:
Shania also started out singing in bars after closing time because she was underage. It just shows that Ms. Judd doesn’t know the first thing about Taylor’s ten years of “paying her dues” in the industry.
barb b says:
alison are you that obcessed with ts
you follow ts every move i dont see
you doing that for carrie let me put
it this way carrie is a private person
and ts is about publicity
S says:
I enjoyed watching Taylor on Jay Leno because she didn’t sing.
WHO CARES??????? says:
Oh flower, get real!!! The cu special was GREAT!!! You are just jealous because ts was not on it!!!
Joe says:
Carrie Underwood was awesome tonight. She has soul when she sings.
K says:
I’m not really a Taylor fan, but I thought the Jay Leno segement was really adorable- she is definatly very personable.
Flower, your attacking of Carrie Underwood is very sad. She is one of the mhe most gifited vocalists in any genre of music, and she has incredible vocal talent. Miss Taylor may be a talented writer and visionary, but she doesn’t have a tenth of the vocals Carrie does.
Her special was very entertaining, and her fans saw a very refreshing, comedic side to her. Just because you chose to base your assumptions on a few minutes doesn’t mean you are correct.
Carrie is a very private person, and she keeps her relationships out of the tabloids. Taylor may be more open and bubbly, but she does not keep any aspect of her life or relationships private. She seems to think she “owes” her fans explanations on everything, including her breakups and relationships with high-profile actors and musicians. The way she talks about people is somewhat disrespectful; these people have feelings and fans as she does. No one deserves to be dragged through the mud time and time again. It never seems to be OK for her to keep any reaction or feeling private, and that’s a turn-off to me. She is in the tabloids quite often for various remarks or relationships because she chooses to put them out in public.
Carrie may be more private and quiet, but there is absolutly nothing wrong with that. Who cares about her boyfriend or private life? I don’t need to hear about that. Carrie knows her talent is what should garner her attention, and I respect her for that.
Your comments about her beach photographs are just ridculous. Of course she’s going to have her picture published; she’s a celeberity for goodness sakes! She was on a private vacation; it isn’t her fault she was photographed.
Taylor put her beach photographs out for the public, and in a video no less. Matter of fact, Taylor puts every picture of herself out in public or on her various websites. She seems like a nice girl, but there’s no doubt she loves the attention more than Carrie. She asks for it with everything she puts out.
I hope someday you can look past your jealousy and just leave Carrie alone.
amsanvel says:
Everytime I see a post about Taylor Swift here in CMT, I go to the comments section just to get a laugh! It’s the same everytime! The bullies that hate TS and say she doesn’t sing country music. Some complaining to Allison blogs too mucha about TS and she doesn’t deserve all the attention she gets. Some others defending TS… There is always at least one complaining that she doesn’t write that much about Carrie Underwood. It’s kind of fun to read them.
By the way I like both TS and CU and a lot!
underwoodfan says:
i am not a big fan of Taylor’s but to say something about the girl’s body is just wrong. You don’t think that young girls get enough of that from the media. Also we need to stop fighting about swift and Underwood. i will admit to doing it before but it doesn’t solve anything.
Robin says:
I’m not fan of Swift’s music, but I always think her interviews are cute. This was no different. She seems to get as much of a kick out of remembering something as she does telling the story about it.
Dave - everyone tries to get ratings whether they have them already or not. Oprah’s has her on twice (as well as Martina, Sugarland, Tim and Faith, Carrie, etc.) and she doesn’t need one single person for ratings.
Carter - I’m quit sure her parents were there. Again, I’m no fan of Swifts music, and it’s really weird to think about hearing her sing “Tim McGraw” at a drunk feast, but you go where you can play.
Michael - Never heard anyone call her that. There is no need to make personal attacks even if you don’t like someone’s music. Beauty is in the eye of the holder.
Leave it to Flower to bring up Carrie again. I’m sure there will be a blog about her special, so you can probably just wait a few hours to post your hate there.
D Trotter and kayko - why never a word about the personal attacks of OTHER artists that are right here in blogs about Taylor that Taylor fans create? All this crying over who said what about Swift, but never a word to her other fanatical fans that personally attack other artists? hmmmm
Anissa010 says:
Whatever happened to artists who could really sing. I will give it to Taylor Swift that she does have great songwriting skills, but as far as her voice, I think someone in the music business thought of a great marketing plan and how to make a lot of money, cause that girl definitely doesn’t have the vocals.
flower says:
taylor is awsome and #1 country cd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
hotelmotel says:
I dont think its borderline child abuse for Swift to be singing at some drunk fest. Its certainly a bit shady but it may well have helped her develop skills as a performer.
Hopefully her parents or some responsible adult was there to ensure that there were no real problems.
Anyway, if Swift can handly drunks at some rock fest that probably is good preparation for handling all the vitriol over her that is now on the web.
D Trotter says:
Robin, the only comment from Flower I see is “Taylor is Awesome”. If she said something rude, it must have been deleted … so “Flower, be nice!” Okay? (Would you two ardent fans agree to a mutual cease-fire? Just asking?)
Seriously, Robin, its nice to see you stand up to the bullies a bit, though even the choice nasty comments left (”the Olive Oyl of Country Music”, “TS is ugly.”), are ALMOST sweet compared to the first 7 or 8 SICK hate posts, most of which have been deleted.
I’m sure you’ve read Alison’s nice blog on Carrie’s show by now — there were, what, over 15 comments, every one of them really positive, not a bash among them? That must make for a pleasant experience for fans. Unfortunately, its one that’s foreign to Taylor’s supporters on these CMT blogs.
If Taylor’s fans want that kind of experience, they CAN get it –at the New York Times Magazine. A link is available on Alison’s new blog on Taylor. One of the most sophisticated and intelligent reading audiences anywhere, and not known for being Country fans, and they make one great comment after another! So THAT’S what it’s like! Nice!
Foster Grant says:
Carrie comments are positive because she really DOES have the talent she pretends to have, unlike manufactured, purchased and marketed to death tyty
Robin says:
D Trotter - Carrie comments are positive right now because the blog is fairly new. Most people don’t critique her voice because there’s not really anything to critique. They negative bloggers make primarily personal attacks (or say she’s not country). You’ll probably see more critique and talk of dislike for Taylors music on CMT (or the like) because that’s where they are talking about the music and not fashion. Even if a blog on CMT is about fashion or a cute interview, it will turn to the music unlike the NYT. Country fans are pretty particular about who calls themselves country (other artist get this discussion by posters on CMT as well as Taylor (Carrie, Rascal Flatts, Kenny, Keith, etc.) and whether they are talented (or an embarrassment to the genre (artistically) - other artists get this too (Rascal Flatts)). If you were to get an article about them in the NYT, it would probably just be about the topic at hand also.
Robin says:
D Trotter - also, it’s not just CMT (and country sites) where bloggers are talking about music and Swifts lack of ability. If you look over at Rolling Stone in the Grammy article, the posters are lambasting Taylor’s ABILITY. They are not making personal comments about her, they are talking about her ability and it’s not good.
So, to say it is just here and great where ever there’s not country fans is not accurate. The problem comes with “music” fans it appears.
Amy says:
What I find hilarious is how some people think their opinion=fact. So if she “cannot sing”, why is she being recognized by people in the music industry who know far more about singing than you or me? The CMAs are not fan voted awards. And she got 8 grammy nominations!! The most prestigious committee of people in the music industry (not mindless idiots on the internet) believe she CAN sing and deserved 8 freaking nominations. These people have more credibility as they’ve been judging musicians for years and they know the true meaning of a good singer. So who are YOU to judge her? Unless you’re a multiple grammy award winner, you saying she “can’t sing” means absolutely NOTHING. End of discussion.
Robin says:
Amy - only you are saying that someone giving their OPINION is FACT. Other than that, it’s recognized as an OPINION. People don’t need the Grammy’s or the CMA’s to tell them when someone is off-key. You point me to ONE single televised performance she had that was not off-key and I’ll go listen to it. Just to speak of the two award committee’s you brought up - Grammy’s and CMA’s, her last performance on the Grammy nomination concert last year was the MOST embarrassing spectacle to date. It was horrible. The CMA awards that she took home FVOY she sang two songs of which both were off key. That is an embarrassment to the CMA’s and country music fans alike.
While it is MY opinion that she can’t sing (of which many people feel the same and the even the one’s that like her admit she does not sing well live, but they like her anyway). What is fact vs. opinion is that she sings off key. That is a measurable fact. An opinion is that the off key singing is bad. But, what is measurable is measurable.
Again, point me to one televised performance where she’s not off-key. Now, let’s say you found one (which I don’t believe you can), that one would be one out of all the rest. That’s sad.
Why is she being recognized by the Grammy’s? Because they are trying to become more commercial because their ratings were dipping. Why did she win the CMA’s - well some of them were legit (EOY, album), IMO - the FVOY was a direct result of Kanye West.
You don’t have to agree with me for my opinion to be a legitimate opinion. I do have evidence to back my opinion up. It’s not just because I like her or I don’t. That doesn’t mean that everyone is going to come to the same conclusion I did from the evidence, but to say there is no merrit is just silly fanatical fan speaking.
And, music fans have every right to judge good music (or not).
Amy says:
Ah so we’ve resorted to the “she’s only winning awards because of Kanye”. If THAT’s the best excuse you can come up with…well what can I say?
So I guess Taylor had the best selling album of ANY genre last year because of Kanye.
I guess Taylor sold out MSG and Staples Center in a couple of minutes because of Kanye.
I guess Taylor sold out EVERY concert she put out in the US, London and Australia because of Kanye.
I guess Taylor had the longest running album in the billboard chart this decade because of Kanye.
Oh wait…but all that happened way before the Kanye incident. What will be your excuse now? What next? She writes great songs because of Kanye? Want to take away any more of her accomplishments and attribute them to Kanye?
It boggles my mind how incredibly lame some people can be…
Amy says:
I think Taylor has an unconventional voice and I honestly love how different her voice sounds when she sings live, that’s my opinion (and apparently the grammy committe and 4 million fans agree with me). Just because she doesn’t hit the big notes like Whitney Houston does not make her a terrible singer. More importantly, Taylor has a BEAUTIFUL studio voice. Her voice sounds great on the album. That’s what matters at the end of the day because people don’t buy an artist’s album based on their live singing. People buy it because they put out great songs on their albums, which Taylor does time and again. It is ridiculous to hate on her to this extent just because she doesn’t sound incredible live. Live singing is just one part of what makes a great musician. If live singing was the most important part of music, then Christina Aguilera would be a bigger star than Britney Spears.
Madonna and Janet Jackson were heavily criticized when they started out because they couldn’t hold a tune live. Look at them today, powerful and legendary artists. That’s because they somehow managed to make up for their lack of vocal abilities. Taylor will do the same thing, she has all the qualities needed to stay at the top of this business(looks, personality, clean-cut image, talented songwriting skills, huge fan base, etc). Her live singing abilities will NOT hold her down, I can guarantee you that much.
Robin says:
Amy - stay focused. We weren’t talking about all those things you listed. I said I BELIEVE she won FVOY at the CMA’s because of Kanye. I did not say she won every award because of that. Whether you like it or not there are people who voted for her for that EXACT reason. Bob Oermann - country music historian - said prior to the awards when asked about the Kanye incident, what he thought - he said “wow, Kanye just handed her EOY at the CMA’s”.
So, it’s an opinion that’s out there by more than just a few random people. I happen to think EOY was legit. But, I do not think FVOY was. But, I guess being a fanatical fan, that is not enough? People cannot have a different opinion than you have about Taylor about anything.
Robin says:
An “unconvention voice” is one thing. There are alot of country singers that have had “unconventional voices” and don’t hit the “high notes”. But, they stay on key. Taylor does not just not hit the high notes, she doesn’t even write high notes for herself. She can’t stay in key live with the small ranged music that she writes for herself.
Now while you may enjoy it. That is your opinion and right. It is also the right of people with opinions other than yours to blog about their opinion since this is how this whole process is set up. It is not “hating on her” to discuss her music or artistic ability even if it’s an negative opinion. “Hating” on her is mocking her and making fun of her for “personal” things (calling her fat, ugly, etc.).
You should learn how to deal with other peoples opinion. I don’t happen to dislike Taylor as a person. I think she’s a great to have in pop culture. She is a great role model for kids. That you can count as a compliment to her as a person. I do not like her as an artist and have no issue posting about it. I back my opinion up with something substantial. I don’t pull them out of thin air. Again, you can disagree with me all you want, but I won’t be quit. Pop country culture happens to matter to me. The quality of it matters to me a great deal.
flower says:
robin what is wrong with you? I never said anything rude about cu. taylor can entertain her fans on stage in her video’s and sign autoghraphs until all of her fans leave her concerts and has a good voice!!!! the only thing that cu has is the voice she just stands there and sings which i guess is ok with her fans but that;s it! taylor might not have the best voice in country music but she is one awsome performer!!!!!!!!! and I and alot of people i no would pay for and go to a concert that puts on a great entertaining show verses a one that just stands there! that’s alot of peoples opinions not just mine! taylor is awsome and will be in country music for a very long time!!!!
Amy says:
*Sigh* I accept your opinion. I think you missed the point I was trying to make. You bring up her live performances multiple times so I’m guessing that the one thing about her that you can criticize. All I’m saying is that “live singing” is not the most important trait of a great musician, there are other qualities that make up an artist, all of which Taylor is fortunate enough to possess. Nobody is perfect.
Anyway, I don’t want to keep arguing and come off as one of those fanatical groupies (which I’m NOT). Nothing you say will change my opinion and nothing I say will change your opinion. I’m just going to sit back and watch Taylor sweep every award show. I don’t want to get worked up over every little thing. Everyone is entitled to have their own opinion about her, I just think some of you go a little too far and criticize her unfairly. But yeah…never mind :)
Foster Grant says:
flower, your obsession with taylor is only exceeded by your hate for carrie. You’re not fooling anyone
flower says:
i do not hate anyone, i did like cu on ai but after she won she was just different, she was not that down home girl that i saw on ai!! taylor is that down home young girl just like faith,reba and martina!!! that is why i love taylor and have always loved faith,reba,and martina for so long!!!!now do you get it!
D Trotter says:
Okay, Robin,as per your request,here’s some live performances from TV and the internet where Taylor wasn’t off key: “Drive”, “Run”, on Leno, on Today, on Oprah, on ELLEN, on the AOL sessions, on the the “Stripped” sessions, on the Grammy’s, on the 2009 AMA’s, the 2009 VMA’s, at the V-Fest Concert, on “Crossroads” with Def Leppard …. on and on and on.
It’s actually the other way around — the times she HAS sounded off — and there are a lot of mitigating circumstances for some of them –have been exaggerated and distorted beyond belief into statements like you make that she’s ALWAYS off ke
D Trtotter says:
… the New Year’s Eve Performance … the Save the Hall performance … Justin Timberlake’s Vegas Benefit for Children … Dancing With the Stars …Saturday Night Live
Robin says:
D Trtotter - I will go back and re-listen to some of those performances, but will was going to post if I found the right spot that “Drive” was one of the best performances I’ve heard her do. She needs to sing more country songs because that was a great rendetion. Although, I’m pretty sure it was autotuned (not because I’m assuming it was but because I have an engineering friend that I’m pretty sure worked that particular show and we talked about it earlier this year after I spoke on liking the performance). But, anyway, that’s beside the point for now.
timcun says:
D Trotter, you listed a lot of live performances by Taylor where you say she wasn’t off-key but I have to disagree. I listened to most of them (until it became too painful) and she was terrible. For example, her Crossroads performance with Def Leppard was embarrassing. I love Def Leppard and watched it for them but had a hard time tuning out her flat, off-key singing.
flower says:
robin and barb if you think i hate cu then you should go to taylor’s message board you will be surprised to see what i said!!! go there!!!!
D Trotter says:
Tincum, You are certainly free to disagree, but I stand by everything I said. I have most of these performances by Swift recorded, and even on the Home Theater external speakers with the voice boosted way to the front, her voice is NOT off key.
Now I get that some people just don’t like the KIND of voice she has, especially when she gets a little loud and strident doing the teenage angst thing, just like some people never liked Bob Dylan’s raspy voice. And I’m betting that you are one of those, especially if you think she was so off key in the Crossroads show — she didn’t hit bad single bad note in that show!
Robin, I agree with you about her doing more standards. I think the way she did “Run” on the George Strait tribute was beautiful.
As for Autotune, we know some artists have used it, even live — hey, word is some artists on the CMA’s actually lip-synched their performances. But Taylor has gone on record as saying she has never used it live. Good enough for me.
D Trotter says:
Sorry, I meant to say she didn’t hit ONE single bad note in the Crossroads show.
Kevin M. Hart says:
Dear Robin, don’t be ridiculous, suggesting that Taylor needs Autotune to be in tune. I suspect that it has, at times been used on her vocals as well as nearly every other vocalist/singer in the past few years. There are a large number of live-performance amateur videos on Youtube proving that she can stay in tune just fine. Her weakness seems to be on the lower-pitched notes that are below her natural range. And I agree that she is often unsteady there. But that should be seen as a credit to her as well: she wrote or co-wrote the songs and she puts the song, and the required notes, above her own ability to sing it perfectly. The music, now that she has created it, will be here for eternity, but none of us will be. That shows a level of maturity that is not just beyond her years but well beyond that which most people ever develop in their lifetimes.
What you don’t seem to get is that while everyone ADMIRES Carrie for her vocal athleticism and power, Taylor’s fans LOVE HER. There is a delicate vulnerability in Taylor’s voice that can bring tears (of joy or sorrow or awe or a perplexing combination of all three) to a listener’s eyes. And the words are delivered in a truly heartfelt manner: they are, after all, HER personal lyrics (most of the time). Moreover Taylor’s voice is beautiful: there is never even a hint of screeching or squealing (not to imply that there is in Carrie’s, but most female vocalists do exhibit some of this). Also, Taylor is pretty good with her guitar. If you don’t play, then don’t comment. I do play guitar, and I’m telling you, she’s pretty good.
So, in Taylor, people see a young woman who creates and develops songs from nothing (lyrics, melody, harmony and rhythm) and delivers them with both her voice and instrument in a way that is intensely appealing (even if not always perfectly in tune). I believe that the world will be seeing a lot more from Taylor in the years to come. So much more that everything she has done so far, and it is very impressive, will, when we look back, seem like just the first chapter in a great novel.
flower says:
kevin, you are so right!! if you don’t play or sing or wirte songs you can’t talk! I used to sing in a band in the 80’s and yes I was the lead singer the music I sang was more like pat benatar and heart it was fun and we wee good!! so i agree with you if you don’t or didn’t play anything or sing how can you talk!
Robin says:
Kevin - while I’m leaving my full response to after I re-listen to all the one’s D Trotter suggested, I will say this. I do sing and play guitar and piano. But, it doesn’t take someone who sings to know when somone is singing in pitch or not.
With that said, her guitar playing is not note worthy in anyway. It is good enough to say she’s doing it. Great thing about a guitar is that as long as you’re strumming a set line, you don’t have to worry about cracking and staying in pitch like you do with singing.
With that said, the only performance I re-call of hers that I thought was good was “Drive”. I thought it was really good, but I’m not implying that she needs to be auto tuned. I am saying the engineer of that show told me he personally autotuned her performance. There’s no implying anything there.
Now, again, I leave my full response to when I’ve had a chance to listen to all of the suggested recordings.
By the way, I like Carrie, but I am a fan of a ton of country artist to the exact same degree that I am of Carrie. So, I’m not a “Carrie fan” with an opinion. The artist I like range in being rewarded for their talents to not be recognized, so if I had a problem with Taylor because of her recognization, it wouldn’t be because of Carrie because Carrie gets plenty of recognition.
Seems to me that Carrie’s fans are quit in love with her too. They don’t “just admire” her voice.
D Trotter says:
Sounds like Kevin, myself and you, Robin, all have similar musical backgrounds, but I have to side with Kevin on the issue of Taylor’s guitar playing. None of us has any idea HOW good she really is — it’s hardly her main function on stage.
It’s safe to say she isn’t Doc Watson, but it’s equally wrong to dismiss her as just a strummer, “not noteworthy in any way”. She is a fine rhythm player — a talent which is frequently — and erroneously undervalued. And we know she doesn’t strum so much as “accompanies” her songs — and does it well. She plays bass runs, hammer-ons, slides, tosses in central motifs and riffs, and can fingerpick harmonics, slides and 2-note fingerpicking patterns a la McCartney’s “Blackbird.”
There are literally dozens of YouTube videos … at radio stations, at fan gatherings, etc., … where she picks up her acoustic, and without any other musical support, delivers a very nice solo performance (it should be noted that — without screaming fans and electric instruments, she sounds remarkably ON KEY and just like the records, even on these amateur recordings –obviously w/o autotune!)