Taylor Swift Honored by Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame has been on a mission since 1969 to celebrate great songwriters -- even if those songwriters are young and country and altogether different from other songwriters they've honored over the years. So their latest Hal David Starlight Award is going to Taylor Swift at their annual gala next month. It's a prestigious award named for the SHoF's Chairman. It was established "to honor gifted songwriters who are at an apex in their careers and are making a significant impact in the music industry via their original songs." Apex? Check. Impact? Check. Swift sure fits that bill. She'll join other award recipients like Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, Alicia Keys, John Mayer, John Legend, John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls and last year's honoree, Jason Mraz.
©2008 Country Music Television, Inc., a Viacom company. A division of
M&M says:
SYMPATHY AWARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHO CARES!!! SHE CAN WRITE BUT SO CANT SING WORTH ANYTHING!!!!!!!!!!
David Smith says:
This is a slap in the face of all songwriters worldwide.
The bar has been lowered so far that young female singers
can write trash and sing like trash, and win awards.
American music is like everything else here in the U.S.A.
MEDIOCRE AT BEST And the people responsible for Taylor
Swift and all the other NO TALENT performers are a disgrace.
THIS GIRL IS THE BIGGEST JOKE I’VE EVER HEARD. Members of
the Songwriter’s Hall Of Fame who do the voting. YOU have
no class. You wouldn’t know good music if it bit you in the ass!!!!
Robin says:
M&M - it is a writers award. It’s not a “singing” award.
Miranda’s the only other one that is better than Swift in this area, but she is just now starting to reach to where the Apex of her career will be. I don’t like Swift’s writing, but 50 million little girls have been influenced by it.
D Trotter says:
Robin, I believe I may decide to join Kayko as someone who sees no purpose to reading these trash comments anymore. Take a good look at those comments above, because those are the people with whom you will be left.
Always Right says:
D Trotter,
It would be even better if you want not comment at all with your mindless drivel.
Always Right says:
*would
rosyz says:
I dont like her songs ; they are not for me but congratulations on her songwriter award.
Olive says:
Miranda has the writing edge, too bad her album release is the same year as Carrie. I would have loved it more if it was the same year as Taylor. That way she will compete against Taylor rather than Carrie.
Amanda says:
She deserves that! Go Taylor!
Robin says:
Thanks Trotter - I’ve always dreamed of being in a “word” world with Moe and Curly.
trink says:
Congrats Taylor!! Can’t wait till the new album comes out late this summer :)
Veeta says:
D Trotter is the only decent poster left here. The rest are all Carrie Underwood goupies looking for any reason to trash Taylor. What sad and pathetic lives they must lead…haha!
M&M says:
TS will get all the awards at the cmt video show because poor taylor didnt get any awards at the major award show so she has to get sympathy awards now!!!!!!!!!!
lifetime says:
CONGRATS to Taylor…way to go..you are one of the best songwriters and people no it!!!! can’t wait for the new cd!!!
ME says:
Carrie Underwood got the sympathy award at the ACMs after losing to Taylor Swift at all the MAJOR awards like the Grammys, CMAs, AMAs, CMTs. Everyone knows who the real ETOY was but the ACMs rigged the results because Carrie fans would go on suicide watch if Taylor beat her at yet another award show. Enjoy your ONE award show win while you can, Taylor will go home and kiss her 4 grammys and the countless other major awards she has won last year and that she will continue to win. It seems like the new year hasn’t changed anything, the girl continues to roll!!
lifetime says:
I agree 100% with you….ME…you got that right!
PHIL says:
something wrong w/m ear cowgirl pistol packin that is that southern for i aint gonna nowhere
rosyz says:
People pls. stop bickering about Carrie and Taylor. They both have their own huge fanbase and both popular. They are two different people but both good role models. They are both talented but have different style of music and different ways of entertaining.
barb b says:
first of all ts should have never beaten
carrie at the grammy’s sympathy vote we all
know it she may have gotten awards that is
before that dreadful performance at the grammy’s
people dont forget!!!!!!!!
Bz says:
CONGRATS Taylor!You deserved it.You are an awesome role model to million of girls(&guys too) out there.Keep writing good music& I cant wait for your album later on this year.Dont worry or pay any mind to those who talk trash with no talent whatsoever!Taylor rose to fame all on her own whereas others like Carrie, had American Idol to be known.
HEY! says:
TS is a BIG joke to country music!!! All she does is make an ass out of herself on award shows!!!!
hey - HEY! says:
ya point the finger and the rest of the hand points right back at you
Taylor’s ACM performance should have won an award it was that good!
Nashville Accountant says:
Her ACM performance was good? Did you have the sound turned up? It was horrid. The girl is a terrible singer. Her songwriting is juvenile at best. I guess all entities want their token youngsters for their own prestige and the HDS award is no different.
Robin says:
Well, here come the Carrie haters to bring her into it. Where exactly was Carrie brought up until TAYLOR FANATICS (not the normal Taylor fans of which there are a few) brought up Carrie? Nowhere - the only regular Carrie supporter that made a comment prior to the TAYMOR FANATICS comments were a congrats to Taylor by rosyz.
kayko says:
Oh Robin knock it off. There are enough haters on both sides, no one is blameless here.
barb b says:
for your information carrie has
5 grammy’s the four ts got was
not deserved talk about talent
i am in carrie corner carrie can sing
so stop pinning her against ts you talk
about sympathy vote that is what ts got
at the grammy’s carrie is eoty get over it
lifetime says:
this is about Taylor Swift not anyone else…stick to the topic!!
rosyz says:
Chill and undo it Lifetime.
Bryan says:
You say it’s a sympathy award because she “can write but can’t sing”. The award IS for songwriting, NOT for singing. So regardless of whether you like her singing style or not, you admitted yourself that she can write.
Bryan says:
David Smith,
Before you go and tell people THEY have no class, read over your comment a few more times.
I don’t care if you like Taylor Swift’s songs or not. But you can’t deny that she has influenced MILLIONS of people. Just because YOU don’t like something, doesn’t mean it’s not worthy of any awards.
kayko says:
Well robin at least you finally admitted that there are CARRIE FANATICS. Do I believe there are TAYLOR FANATICS, you bet I do. I would say the FANATICS run about the same in any fan base.
GalPal says:
I have tried to post here twice now-maybe three times is a charm. I hope they recognized Taylor’s co-writer. She does not write alone and she has admitted as much.
Robin says:
kayko - point is that the TAYLOR FANATICS (not normal fans) always start this on Taylor blogs and then all Taylor fans coming running to the scream feast when Carrie FANATICS start their bizarre attack back.
I don’t like Taylor’s mucic at all, but Carrie is only one of a hundred country singers in the pop country industry that I like. Liking or disliking Taylor has NOTHING to do with liking (or tolerating in some people’s case) Carrie. Many of these people don’t like either one of them. Yet, every time some one spues the silly hate on Taylor (the riduculous stuff - not the “I don’t like because she…..” or other similar statements), the same old Taylor FANATICS come out and say the same old garbage about “hating on Taylor = Carrie fan). Just stick to the facts and your good.
Here is the differnce in what the Carrie FANATICS do - they single out actual regular haters. Not just people that don’t like Carrie (and post that) as Taylor fans. But, anyway, I’ve gone on and been deleted long enough.
HEY! says:
TS should not be the only one to get this award! I dont believe for one minute she wrote those songs by herself! She aint that smart! Daddyswift paid someone off!!!!
D Trotter says:
Now that the haters have had their fun, let’s hear what someone who actually knows songwriting has to say about Swift. Swift is receiving the Hal David Starlight Award, so let’s ask Hal David himself!!
Songwriter Hall of Fame Chairman and CEO HAL DAVID (the legendary songwriter for whom the award is named) has this to say:
“Taylor Swift is one of the brightest musical talents to emerge in recent years, and represents the true epitome of the Starlight Award. She possesses an undeniable talent as a songwriter, expressive singer and performer, and we are proud to present her with this well-deserved honor.”
I just love the fact that a real songwriting pro also understands the importance of Taylor’s “expressive singing” — as opposed to the constant belting and over-singing that passes for singing today at the expense of nuance and emotion.
Lyrics that are as good as Swift’s are meant to be FELT. Taylor is the perfect singer for her own remarkable lyrics.
Robin says:
D Trotter - I really don’t want to be here anymore, but appearantly I can’t help myself. The problem with Swift’s singing (I don’t like her songwriting, but I think she is a talented songwriter none the less), is not that she “sings with nuance”, but that she consistently sings off-key. There’s no excuse for it when she writes her own music and doesn’t write a large range. There are alot of singers out there that do not have a large range and stay within their range of ability and sing with nuance AND sing in key 99% of the time (no one will be pitch perfect 100% of the time). Johnny, Willie, etc. are examples of that. You have mentioned before that you love Dolly’s version of “I Will Always Love You” better than Whitney’s even though Whiteney is a great music diva because Dolly sings with more “nuance” = “storytelling” (I happen to agree with your preference on this) - BUT Dolly sings this song she wrote very well vocally. She sings it with vocal nuance (storytelling) AND in key.
So, while this article is about Taylor’s songwriting award (which she definitely deserves even if I don’t care for her songs), you talk about her singing as just having “nuance” and not “over singing”. That assessment completely igores the fact that she never (even if you say she has sometimes we can say rarely instead of never), stays in tune on a televised performance.
I would have rather stayed on the topic of the songwriting award, but I really had to respond to that note on “vocals” of yours.
And, the haters are ridiculous if they believe that she doesn’t deserve this type of songwriting award. Songwriting is a whole seperate talent than singing. The quality of the “performance” is not as important as the quality of the “story” with songwriting. It’s completely irrelevant if you can sing well to understand how to tell a story that will touch someone. Although, #’s still arent’ everything in songwriting, it does make more of a difference if it shows your “songs” have touched alot of people. Look at the likes of Christopherson who’s songs are timeless no matter who sings them. It’s all about the story when it comes to songwriting.
D Trotter says:
Robin, the quote on the singing came from Hal David, not me. And the reason he did, I believe, is that it is very difficult to separate Swift’s ability to convey the emotions she describes THROUGH her rather unique singing style — it’s part of what makes her a special artist.
I do appreciate that you can separate different aspects of Swift as an artist, and give credit where you feel credit is due — as opposed to the rote haters, who just view any blog on Swift as one more opportunity to spew garbage, regardless of whether or not it applies to the topic.
But we continue to differ in our assessment of Swift’s singing. I’m with Scott Borchetta, who called his artist one our “best communicators” and “emotional singers”.
Classic singer? Not by a mile. But all those quivery tones, strident tones, embarrassed laughs, and, yes, occasional flaws in her singing just make her that much more real and relatable to her fans.
And yes, I say “occasional flaws”; whereas you say “never” or “rarely” in key, I say “few off-key performances”. You say she is defined by her poor moments on TV Award shows, I say she is defined by her rave concert performances and incredible records. Frankly, I don’t care if she ever performs on a Country Award Show again.
Robin says:
…but then again, I have no idea what I’m talking about. I can’t even spell Kristopherson.
Robin says:
D Trotter - it’s not just performance on “Award” shows where she “might” be nervous that she might or might not win. Her performance at the Dick Clark new years show a few years back, her performance at the Grammy concert last year, her performance on Nashville Star, her performance on America’s Got Talent.
She uses auto tune in concert so it is nothing more than listening watching her dance to her album (no differnt than lip syncing (so that’s just irrelevant to the discussion).
But, I do take note that you disagree that. I think I really took this insane tangent on this particular blog because with some (not you or her other “normal” fans), having an artistic issue with Swift is ONLY because YOU MUST be jealous because you MUST be a fanatical Carrie Underwood fan. Most of these haters don’t like either one of these artists.
kayko says:
Robin the only thing I have to say about your opinions on Taylor is that I disagree. To each their own.
D Trotter says:
Robin, I never saw any of those shows except the Grammy Awards and the New Year’s Eve Show. I wasn’t paying close attention to the latter but I thought she did just fine from what I heard, even on a brutally cold night.
As for the Grammy Show, I absolutely accept Borchetta’s explanation of equipment malfunction as the reason her duet with Stevie Nicks went awry. Apparently Stevie still holds Taylor in very high esteem as well.
Once again, I have to chide you for making accusations and statements as if they are gospel truth — i.e., your saying “she uses auto tune in concert”.
In actuality, that kind of comment is just your biased OPINION, without one iota of documentation or proof. Moreover, it is an opinion that is DISPUTED, not only by Taylor herself, but by DOZENS of reviews of her most recent concerts, including those by seasoned music critics.
D Trotter says:
OK, Robin, I just Googled the Youtube for America’s got Talent: THIS is your proof? There’s no missed notes here.
To me, this video just confirms what I suspect:
Some people, weaned on the “over-singing” of American Idol, think that only artists with robust, belting-type voices are good singers, and criticize anyone who isn’t hitting high “C’s” all over the place.
Anytime Taylor makes her voice a little strident to indicate her stress or angst over something, or anything she makes it sound vulnerable and uncertain, you people claim she’s off-key. In reality, you just don’t like her voice and her style.
Thing is,Robin, while you don’t like her singing or writing, there’s a few people out here who like her singing just fine. Like her writing too.
That “America’s Got Talent” contestant with the strong voice — apparently she’s one of ‘em. Picked a great song to sing –”Drew’s Song”. Won Taylor, at 18 the BMI Country Song of the Year in 2008.
In 2009, Swift (then 19) won the BMI song of the year award AGAIN for “Love Story”. Heard that song yesterday on a TV ad for the “”Letter to Juliet” movie — sounded perfect, just like it will sound years from now.
Robin says:
D - I’m not talking about her performance with Nix at the Grammy Awards this year, I’m talking about that “tribute” to Brenda Lee at the Grammy Concert last year. It should have never even been taken on.
We will go over and over on the auto tune (but I’ll stop for this blog). She uses it. You don’t think she does - that’s fine. Even if you don’t want to accept that from me (some person you don’t know on the internet - (given) - that’s fine) - you think its “logical” that she could have such great vocal performances in her shows every night and then stop by for a few televised performances and never seem to hit the mark?
Anyway, I’ve gotta stop (I really do). I really just wanted to note that: 1) you aren’t a hater if you have a problem with her art; 2) you aren’t (necessarily) a Carrie Underwood FANATIC if you have a problem with her art; 3) most of the actual haters, hate them both; 4) I THINK Taylor deserves this songwriters award (and that’s not because I like her songs); 5) I think the Songwriters Hall of Fame got this right and I think one day she’ll be in that Hall of Fame.
D Trotter says:
Robin, Taylor’s tribute to Brenda lee wasn’t done last year, it was at her first Grammy awards. Last year she did the duet with Miley on “15″, just playing her acoustic guitar, remember? Sang it real nice, too; most Youtube comments thought the song would have been better without Miley, who tends to … dare I say it? … “over-sing ” at times.
Taylor’s performance on the Grammy stage of “I’m Sorry” — When she was what? 17 years old? — WAS one of the times Taylor messed up. I think she went for a high note, missed it, got a little shook up for a moment, then got it back together for “White Horse”. I believe she had a good idea for her version of this song and was doing fine right up to that note. Yes, Brenda was a great belter, but I don’t believe there’s a note in that song out of Taytlor’s range.
So, yeah, she messed up. Just the same as (and NO WORSE THAN) Carrie messed up the last big note on the National Anthem at the Super Bowl. Humans do these things.
But how convenient it is to ignore Taylor’s Grammy performance the next year. (That just doesn’t fit in with the “never sings well” theory.) Or Taylor’s 3 songs at the CMA Festival where, even though she was reportedly under the weather(and not running and jumping around so much), she acted like all the other concert recitalists, just stood at the mike and sang … and didn’t miss a single note all night.
Yes, I think it’s “logical” to think that if she wanted to use auto tune, she would use it AT THE Grammy’s — where plenty of performers reportedly used either auto tune or lip-sync (and didn’t even think twice about it). Word is, even your beloved Country Award Shows have quite a few artists who use them as well.
If she doesn’t use them on TV broadcasts, why would she bother in front of 20,000 of the noisiest fans on the planet, all drowning her out with their screams and non-stop sing-a-longs? Makes no sense.
And I think it’s “logical” to believe seasoned music critics who come right out and say, “No Auto Tune was used at the concerts”. Sometimes those reviewers were fortunate enough to be right where she performed her solo numbers on acoustic guitar, sitting in the middle of the audience. They could actually hear her voice w/o amplification — and were dead certain she used no auto tune.
And, yes, Robin, I definitely believe it is logical to place more weight on reports from hundreds of concerts than the few occasions on TV that Swift’s critics exaggerate into blanket condemnations.
Robin says:
The performance at the Grammy’s with Miley was not “good” by any stretch of the imagination. Miley was called out by critics afterwards for singing it much better than Swift.
Carrie’s one bad (quarter tone sharp) note of the National Anthem was in no way similar to Swift’s tribute to Brenda Lee which was way worse than one bad note. The song from beginning to end was a hot mess. It was probably her worst performance of all her performances.
And, I only mention Carrie here because you brought her up. I have no need to compare their vocals. I don’t expect for Swift to have the incredible range that Underwood does. She could be a really good vocal artist and not have that type of range. That type of vocal range is a rare gift even among seasoned pro’s of all genre’s. Miranda doesn’t have Underwood’s range yet manages to stay in key (and isn’t forcing it - it’s natural) through her sets (televised and in concert) and has nuance and story tells with her voice.
I know, I know, I already said I was finished, but I keep coming back for the tortue. This time I’m through :)
D Trotter says:
Well we disagree on the “I’m Sorry” being bad from beginning to end — again I just think you don’t like her natural voice whether it’s off or not.
And I think you’re making things up about critics claiming Miley outperformed Taylor on “15″. You must be talking the “critics” on these CMT boards. The professional music critics I saw all said it was very nice … nothing spectacular, but tasteful and nice… with one or two jibes at Miley for over-singing. The “regular people” comments on all the Youtube are overwhelmingly either (a)”fantastic” or (b)”Miley ruined it”. There were one or two morons who claimed Taylor sounded too good so therefore she must have used lip sync. (LOL, yeah, right! On a never-recorded duet, shown in close up, with just the two girls’ voices and Taylor’s acoustic guitar in the mix — the stupidity of most Taylor-haters is boundless!)
Snookie Lanson says:
If the comments here are an indication of what Mainline music has come down to in the Country format, it’s a pretty sad state of affairs. Music should be a banquet, but it appears that an awful amount of main liners are starving to death. Pity there are those who can’t just listen and enjoy what they like, and leave what they don’t like alone.
Who cares if the biggest star in pop country sings flawlessly or not. She apparently makes somebody happy, and is being awarded for her contributions. You can’t change the reality of that, whether you like it or not.
rosyz says:
I am enjoying the success of my fav artist. I enjoy listening to her music and watching her music videos . I appreciate her flawless and great vocals and in awe of her vocal range. Her voice is a gift from God indeed. I love how she portrays her role on her videos; you dont know what to expect next.
It is amazing watching her grow and become a compelling live performer.
What a great artist and good role model she is.
K says:
Taylor is always off live. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy her music regardless. I didn’t read anything about the Grammy performance with Miley, but I’ve read plenty of other reviews that paint Taylor as a less-than-stellar vocalist. And if you want proof feel free to do a Google search.
As for Carrie? It’s unfair to compare an artist who won the biggest talent contest in America BECAUSE she can actually sing live pretty darn well. Every artist has an off night, and Carrie is human, just like the rest of us. She was off, but deserves credit for eing the first artist in a long time to NOT lipsynch the anthem.
Congrats to Taylor on her songwriting award though. She definatly has potential to be an excellent writer as she gets older.
By the way, I recently read that Taylor said her new album is going to be all about “boys and love,” according to Swift herself. What do you have to say about that D Trotter? (:
D Trotter says:
Well, “K”, I thought we had agreed to not address our comments to each other — at your request?
And I happily agreed because, frankly, I am weary of your redundant and ridiculous exaggerations (e.g..,”Taylor is ALWAYS off live.”) and your then whining when I correct you.
Even your pretense of giving the occasional “nice” comment about Taylor is obviously insincere and a pseudo-attempt at “fairness”. You say “congrats” on her “songwriting award” … but you attempt to belittle her for STILL writing about “boys and love” (which was just some fun, tongue-in-cheek bantering she did with the media, her self-deprecating humor apparently eluding you).
Taylor is creating timeless music out of the diary of her life. Album one was Taylor, 12-to-16 years old; Album two was 16-to-18; album 3 will be Taylor, 18-to-20. Do you ACTUALLY believe it is a sign of immaturity for girls that age to write about love?
Did you fail to see what Stevie Nicks, writing about Swift’s inclusion in the Time 100 List, said about women from 14 to 60 being able to relate to Taylor’s lyrics? Do you STILL not grasp the fundamental difference between
(1)BEING immature, and
(2)WRITING, with insight and perception, about an immature TIME OF LIFE, and being able to recreate the emotions and language of that period.?
You don’t even seem to recognize how condescending it is to say, “She definatly (sic) has potential to be an excellent writer as she gets older” — when the person you’re talking about has won 8 BMI songwriting awards (including the last 2 Country Song of the Year awards), 3 Nashville Songwriting awards, and now a special award from the Songwriting Hall of Fame.
We all know you are a huge Carrie fan who has little respect for Taylor as a performer. Fine, Ms Underwood is a lovely singer, so please go to her blogs and express your adoration, I promise not to interfere.
But if you want to do Google searches, let’s do them on BOTH Taylor and Carrie’s albums and concerts. But please don’t waste my time by googling “anonymous” hater comments or made-up reviews. I will only recognize professional, formal reviews — i.e., those bearing THE REVIEWER’S REAL NAME as well as the name of place the review appeared (PAPER/COLUMN/WEBSITE/BLOG NAME) of the reviewer. That way anyone can google the whole review.
I have always refused to enter into the Carrie vs Taylor bashing, but if you want to compare what the most respected reviewers in the country say about the concerts and albums of each, I can do that.
Robin says:
Trotter - I love a wide array of concerts. I could listen to Zac Brown all night. Kenny Chesney is a great concert (mainly because of his great opening (if you can call them that) acts).
So, not seeing Underwood in concert, I can only go by the professional reviews. And, those have overwhelmingly been positive and stating over the top things like “it raises the bar for every other artist out there”. So, while I’ll give you the fact that Taylor has been good reviews too, I go to their one main theme and that’s that they ALL state that Underwood’s voice is still the star of the show even with the big lights and theatrics. That sounds like a show worth spending money on.
D Trotter says:
Well, I spent money to see Carrie’s “Play On” concert, Robin, and it WAS well worth it. And I’ve followed her reviews, too. There have been a few minor criticisms — just as there are with Taylor’s — some of them constructive and probably justified, some by people who should go watch music they like and understand.
Swift’s show is different, just like she’s a different kind of artist.(Me, I ENJOY the fact that there different flavors, colors, genres and types of artists in the world!)
Nobody is asking for their money back at Swift’s shows either, In fact, a very frequent comment is: “BEST concert I’ve ever seen” — and (surprise! surprise!), it’s made just as often BY THE PARENTS AT THE SHOW as the by the teens and pre-teens.
K says:
D Trotter,
First of all, I think you’re the one who is constantly redundant. So I post the occasional comment, and all of sudden you’re in a huff calling me a hater with fabricated attempts to be nice.
She’s off live; it’s an opinion, and there’s nothing wrong with the fact that you enjoy her vocals (which I brought up because SOMEONE ELSE did so).
Where was I criticizing her for writing about boys and love? That was in an interview and those words were taken directly from Taylor herself. I was just curious if you had a comment on that, considering this is a Taylor blog, and her MUSIC is the focus.
How is it condescending to say she has potential to be a great writer? She’s good, but she has the talent to be better, as every artist does. Would you rather I say “Taylor Swift is the best writer ever, and she’s won so many awards, OF COURSE she doesn’t need to improve!”
So I bring up Carrie because you STILL drag into the dirt after Robin brought her up first. Sorry, but the winner of a national talent show deserves to be defended for ONE bad performance because she has already proven her talent. If Taylor does that I will defend her as well, just as I would if someone said Taylor wasn’t a talented writer, which she has obviously proven to be.
I never said, do Google searches on both Taylor and Carrie. Why would you need to when my comment was reffering to Taylor’s Grammy performance? She got unfavorable reviews by proffesionals; look them up if you wish.
I WILL say this again, until you understand. I did not bring Carrie into this discussion, Robin did. I chose to defend her based on assumptions, JUST as you have done for Taylor. So it’s acceptable for you to defend her anytime her name is mentioned, but it’s not OK for me to defend my favorite artists?
lifetime says:
my cousin went to see carrie in concert last week and she is a really big fan and she said it was robotic that she was very stiff and did not sound that good…my cousin saw Taylor 2 nights later she said Taylor’s concert was more up beat and more inter action with the fans and thats what it’s all about and Taylor signed autoghraphs for about 2 hours after and carrie a half an hour…well I have seen Taylor 4 times and carrie 1 Taylor beats her by a mile sorry but its true!
D Trotter says:
“K” said: “I WILL say this again, until you understand. I did not bring Carrie into this discussion, Robin did.”
See, here’s the problem though: Your last post doesn’t even mention Robin. (I admit it — I have difficulty understanding things people don’t tell me.)
Nor did you say Taylor has potential to be a “great writer”. Your EXACT words were: “has potential to be an excellent writer as she gets older”.
Now you don’t have to be an English Major to know that “GREAT” is a little bit different than “EXCELLENT” … and that the phrases “definitely has potential” and “AS SHE GETS OLDER” are both qualifying conditions that imply she isn’t ALREADY an excellent writer. These subtle changes in your wording amount to equivocating — i.e., trying to worm out of what your LAST POST SAID.
And yes, given that Taylor has ALREADY won a dozen major songwriting awards from the premier songwriting associations, including a special Hall of Fame Award … your comment is most definitely a condescending statement, one which actually trivializes the accomplishments Swift HAS achieved.
As for “dragging Carrie through the dirt”, I’d love to know just WHICH statement qualifies for that description (the exact quote please — not another one of your loosde “interpretations”.
Finally, I love your “gee, I’m so innocent” spin on your comment about “boys and love”. You put a little question mark and a sad face on your comment addressed it to me. Kayko, whose post got deleted (for no reason I can fathom), saw it for what it was and chided you for it. Innocuous? I hardly think so — especially not after all our discussions on older blogs where you tried to make the case that her songs are ALL ABOUT BOYS AND LOVE, BLAH-BLAH-BLAH, and new songs like “Today Was A Fairy Tale” were too, so that apparently proved to you she wasn’t maturing, blah-blah-blah some more.
I mean, I usually try to forget most of what you say. I just didn’t know you did too!
Robin says:
lifetime - as a huge Taylor fan, your comment is no surprise and is no reflection of either of these concerts.
K - I didn’t bring Carrie up. You need to look back through these blog responses to see where she was brought up. She was first brought up on the 11th, 2010 at 2:58 pm, but not negatively until the same day at 3:52 with the same old garbage (of which Trotter was not a part). I wan’t even the first to compare their vocals (that was my buddy Trotter).
D Trotter says:
Robin, I was gonna tell him the same thing. I didn’t find your early comments on this thread where you mentioned Carrie to be inappropriate or even offensive to Taylor.
I have my own views about whose fans do the most attacking, but I’m trying to stay out of those discussions. Both sides have their trigger-happy members and arguing who first started the festivities is futile, like trying to mediate the Hatfields and McCoys.
(I wonder if there was ever a Romeo Hatfield and a Juliet McCoy? Nah! THAT’S just immature fairy tale stuff!)
D Trotter says:
And Robin, I’m sure you don’t see it this way, but I brought up Carrie’s vocals as a point that even the VERY best vocalist can miss a note. Obviously, someone who isn’t in Carrie’s class as a virtuoso vocalist might make even MORE mistakes.
Having said that, I still prefer to listen to Taylor. It may be more of an adventure as to what may happen, but it’s worth the risk in my book.
rosyz says:
Lifetime, it`s good for you to love and idolize Taylor. She is your idol. You love her songs. But we love Carrie and we think she is the best out there.
When I go to a concert I want to listen to a good vocals and songs that inspire me. I am passed boys and fairytale stories. You and I have different taste of music and artist. As one reviewer said she is turning out to be a compelling live performer with a great voice that can soar. She can sing any kind of music.
You cant compare the two artists. They have different talents and entertaining skills. They have different fans demographic. Majority of Taylor`s fans are tweens and teens as you noticed in the concert . While Carrie`s fans are mostly young adults and older. They are both popular and great role model.
You will always be prejudiced and closed minded towards Carrie because your mind is set for Taylor only as the best artist. It`s expected because you are a die hard Taylor fan. But I disagree of your opinions because I am a loyal Carrie fan. Her music inspires me. Her voice is a gift from God. No 2 songs are the same. It`s amazing how she portrays her role in every video. She just gets better and better all the time. Her recent video is the hype and buzz at the moment. #13 hit is coming fast enough.
rosyz says:
I wish everybody would just stop debating about Carrie and Taylor. It` s a no win situation. D Trotter who is a die hard Taylor fan would forever defend her no matter what. Robin and me would do the same thing with Carrie. So it`s a constant back and forth blogging about the same subject. This is dragging too long. It is getting old.
Each side thinks one is better than the other and on and on. I think Carrie is the best artist out there in country music. She has an unbelievable vocals and a good performer. But of course Taylor`s fans would disagree.
So let`s just move on everybody. Let`s just enjoy our fav artist success and talents. I am for sure! I will see Carrie at the end of the month and again on December.
kayko says:
Rozyz, but what I find interesting is that I don’t read the blogs on Carrie therefore I don’t comment on them, I couldn’t tell you what position her songs are on the radio or even what they are unless I do hear them on the radio. In other words I’m just not interested. So explain to me please why Carrie’s fans (or any other artists fans for that matter)are so obsessed with commenting on every blog or article that is written about Taylor? It just seems a little strange to me. Actually the reason I became a fan of Taylors is because of the hate filled comments I read. It made me want to see what all the fuss was about and then when I did some research on Taylor I found that she is infact a very talented young lady, so I have the haters to thank for becoming a Taylor fan, thank you guys.
rosyz says:
I`m glad you finally found your fav artist. Good for you. So enjoy your fav artist success and talents. She is indeed talented and popular and has many fans including you.
I am not a fan of her music and vocals. I prefer Carrie. You and I just have a different taste on music and artist. There`s nothing wrong with that.
It works both ways. Taylor fans do make comments also on Carrie`s blogs. I cant speak for others but myself. I do make comments on Taylor`s blogs but not in a negative way. But when I see a negative Carrie reference on Taylor`s blogs ; you can assure that I will defend her in a factful and positive way. It is better to be proactive than reactive.
Fans on both side tend to compare the two artists; then it starts the bashing and back and forth blogging. It`s not just Carrie fans who do the bashing but some haters who are not fans of both artists.
Carrie`s recent video Undo It was the Video of the Week by Billboard when it came out last week. It`s getting lots of hype right now. It is being played on radio though it is not added yet until the 25th. It is going to be her #13 hit. It will be added in the Disney radio. We`ll find out if pop radio stations will play this song because Carrie refused to remix her songs. It seems like lots of non Carrie fans and even younger crowd are liking this song. I am sure it does not interest you because you are not a Carrie fan.
I am glad you are happy with your choice of artist. I am for sure of mine! I am really enjoying Carrie`s success right now. Her Play On album is an adventure for us fans. It`s versatile; there is a song for everyone. She is a versatile and incredible artist/singer. I bet you feel the same way about Taylor. Play On Kayko.
keithfan2 says:
Well said kayko. I have a similar experiance in becoming a Swift fan. I like carrie but I’m not a true fan or follower. I rarely read her blogs.
rosyz says:
We better all move on with this topic. I for one will move on. I am done with my comments though I dont do the bashing. I appreciate both artists; its just I prefer the other.
We`ll wait for next blog again. Tomorrow is the start of another week. Let`s see who and what Allison will blog this time.
Have a good week everybody. Play On.
laidback says:
The Robin and D Trotter show…special guests rosyz and K. Did I miss anything? Do I have time for popcorn or is the show over? Dang! I always miss the unscheduled entertainment.
kayko says:
Rosyz, let me clarify something here. I am not a tween or a teen, I am a grandmother whose 40 year old daughter likes Taylor and 16 year old granddaughter is a fan of Taylor. I don’t have a favorite artist, Taylor is just one of many artists that I admire. I know many people in my age group and younger who like and admire Taylor. It is definitly a misconception that all Taylors fans are tweens or teens.
Robin says:
The only reason I had a rant on this particular topic is because the first negative Carrie poster proclaimed that the Taylor bashers MUST be Carrie fans. And, to this “basher herself”, proclaims that anything not proclaiming Taylor God is bashing her. That attempt to minimize non bashing non glorifying comments is annoying as HE**
All I really wanted to say (as I’ve done enough already) is I happen to think Taylor actually deserves this award.
laidback - the next show is during Alisons next blog.
lifetime says:
by the way I do like other artists like Tim,Faith,Keith,Martina,sugarland and of course Taylor and others…everyone has their favorites and since Taylor came on the country music scene….I love it she is unque and very talented and soooo down to earth no one is like that right now in music period.
S says:
Taylor’s an OK song writer but she’s not THAT good. There are a lot of writers that I consider much, much better than her.
D Trotter says:
All those other superior songwriters — did they get special awards from the Hall of Fame, too?
S says:
It’s too bad that popularity overrides talent.
D Trotter says:
Taylor has more natural talent than any recording artist in years.
K says:
D Trotter,
I find it difficult to respect you when all you are chosing to do is taking my comments out of context and reposting them to appear as if I was bashing Taylor. I have no intention of doing so, I actually enjoy being in CIVIL AND FAIR discussions with people.
If you chose to leave my words as they were written, I doubt we would be getting into such debates.
YES I said Taylor has potential. It is my opinion that she can be better (as any artist), and winning a bunch of songwriter awards doesn’t exclude her from that.
Clear enough? (PLEASE refrain from using one of your “but you said this earlier, so I can’t qualify anything you say later as clarification” remarks, either.
When I said you drag Carrie through the dirt, I didn’t mean you bash her. I meant you tend to bring up negative comments when you have the oppertunity to make Taylor look better. You took her ONE bum note at the Superbowl to compare her to Taylor, who has proven she is not the most capable vocalist. I’m not saying Taylor can’t sing, I’m saying it’s unfair to compare Carrie (an excellent vocalist) to one who is average at best (Taylor) and try to call Taylor’s performances mistakes when she just isn’t up to par in that area most of the time.
You say you’re a Carrie fan, but instead of defending BOTH ladies fairly, you chose sides. Clear enough?
Finally, my comment about Taylor’s new album was not meant to be negative.
It’s odd to me that you’re slanting it that way. After all, Taylor is young and the majority of her songs (NOT all, as you have mistaken my words), have been about that very topic. She’s a girl who writes about what she knows, and for the most part, that IS relationships, a lot dealing witb opposite sex.
Here’s the QUOTE from Taylor herself (in case you’d like to take it out of context):
“She’s been writing songs for it for the past two years. So, what can fans expect from her new material? “What do you think? Boys and love,” she says.”
Lastly, nothing I have previously said needs to be in this conversation. That’s WHY I keep coming back, and that’s why you are getting yourself confused. I questioned the maturity of some of her songs (which have nothing to do with this discussion), wondering how she is showing maturity with this particular track. She has done so with previous efforts like “Fifteen” and “White Horse,” so I’m wondering why she took a step backward. I posted this inquiry several times, and YOU chose to step around it and not even attempt to tackle my innocent question. Don’t spin it around on me because you don’t have any theories,musings or answers.
S says:
D Trotter … oh puleez! That statement had me rolling on the floor laughing.
D Trotter says:
S, glad you can find amusement in the truth. Because in addition to me, that seems to be the general consensus of all the professional organizations in the musical field, and even beyond (e.g.,the Time 100).
The BMI is the premier songwriting organization. Taylor received the award for Song of the Year. NOT Country Song. SONG OF THE YEAR, period.
The Grammy Awards are the premier award for Recording Artist. Album of the Year? Check!
The AP? Taylor is Entertainer of the Year. Billboard? Taylor is artist of the Year.
The CMA? Ditto. The NARM? Ditto again.
Then there are her amusing accomplishments, like having the best-selling record in the entire Decade (actually ,”Century”, to date).
Like being the first County Artist IN HISTORY to hit #1 on Top 40 radio. Then she went did it a SECOND TIME!
The top selling digital artist IN HISTORY? Check!
The only female artist IN HISTORY to debut 6 songs in the TOP 40 (NOT just the Country Top 40) and the ONLY FEMALE ARTIST IN HISTORY to have NINE songs in the TOP 40 AT ONCE? Check!
“S”, here’s a tip. Maybe, JUST maybe, it’s not every professional organization, and the hundreds of rave reviewers for her concerts and records, and hordes and hordes of fans who have it wrong.
D Trotter says:
“K” said:
“I find it difficult to respect you …”
Great, “K”, and since I reached the same feeling about you quite some time ago, we can now return to our previous agreement and cease this circuitous debate. I can debate even haters, but I can’t be bothered talking to someone who says something, then tries to worm out of it. I used your exact words and what was germane to the argument, nothing was “out of context”.
Say what you want, just don’t address me in your posts. (If you do, I’ll continue to expose you with your own words).
Thank you.
K says:
So you can’t respect my opinions because you chose to ignore them? Your lose I suppose. I only respond to you because I try to see your side of things, but obviously those repetative bashers who have nothing positive to say are worth less of your time than my opinions are.
If you really cared about the fact that SOME of my points were negative, I would wonder why you would continue to respond to people trying to be objective, rather than simply responding to haters. Something I said must’ve been important enough for you to respond to.
That’s fine. I had RESPECT for your opinions, but I can’t say so any longer. You are condesending,rude, and I think you’re so fed up with the bashers here, you can no longer distingish between an objective opinion and a hater.
That’s too bad, and I honestly feel a bit sorry for you. You spend so much time DEFENDING Taylor, instead of being SECURE with your own opinion and ignoring people that don’t agree with you.
By the way, I’m not planning on going away on any blog. If I have an opinion I will speak up. I have every right to be here, as you do, and I’m protected by a little thing called freedom of speech.
YOU can try to worm yourself out of statements, but obviously your strategy isn’t working. You try to say you’re fair minded, but you spend most of your time appearing hostile and obsessive than objective. IF your comments were working, I think it’s odd that more posters aren’t stepping up to defend your facts and figures.
Oh well, maybe I’ll just read your posts, and come up with a bunch of jumbled answers and arguments that I put no thought into. That would probably be OK with you, because that’s how you appear to grossly misinterpet my opinions. I could care less, if you want to waste your time listening to people with no backbones or REAL opinions, that’s your business I suppose.
S says:
I still stand by my statement that she’s awarded for being popular and not for being a good singer. There can’t be THAT many tone deaf people in the world.
Wy I. Otta says:
There ARE that many lovers of commercialized music though, and since that’s her target audience, popular IS the name of the game. You what to hear a good singer, go to the opera. If she wasn’t popular, she wouldn’t be given a second look, and someone else would be getting all the love. Accept it for what it is, and find a new hobby, you’re out numbered.
D Trotter says:
K, You can make any statement you want. It’s America. Free speech. (yay!)
And I’m free to ignore you.
Joe says:
You all need a life. wow!