The resurrection of Taylor Swift

I knew it. Either only a new song by Taylor Swift or also by Justin Bieber himself could end Bieber’s phenomenal streak in the world’s hit charts with the remix of the Luis Fonsi/Daddy Yankee tune Despacito. Bieber who is now on a touring hiatus notched a remarkable 16-week stint at number one spot in the Billboard Hot 100 chart with Despacito, a feat equal only to that of One Sweet Day by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men in 1995.

Bieber did come up with a new song, Friends, featuring BloodPop but then along came Swiftie with the dark and edgy Look What You Made Me Do and everything went upside down. Despacito plus I’m The One and Friends, all by Bieber, are still in the hit lists but it is Swift’s song about killing her old selves and then rising from the dead that is on everybody’s play list nowadays. 

The tune is the first one off Swift’s upcoming album titled Reputation which is due for release on Nov. 9.  Premiered at the MTV VMA last Aug. 27, Look What You Made Me Do notched a record breaking 43.2 million plays on YouTube within a span of only 24 hours. The previous record holder was Hello by Adele from two years ago which got a total of 27.7 million views on YouTube in one day. 

This does not mean that Swift has now gone into quiet mode and is basking on her new laurels. Two weeks later, she is off again with another song from Reputation. This is the sleek dance tune Ready For It?. No, it has not dethroned Look What You Made Me Do from its perch but it is certainly being talked about. How so? What everybody is wondering about is which one of her boyfriends is Swift talking about in the song. Is it her current date, actor Joe Alwyn or her ex, former One Direction Harry Styles? 

Could be either or somebody that the gossip media never heard about or has not yet discovered. But whoever he is, I give this girl plus points for making use of those experiences and turning them into dollar earners. Men should not be the only ones allowed to rhapsodize their loves, ex, current or unrequited in their musical compositions. And don’t tell me they don’t.

Back to Swift, the girl is definitely on her way to becoming the biggest pop star of this generation, heir to the likes of Michael Jackson and Madonna, commanding top-drawer pay, turning everything she touches into a money machine and becoming the media plaything that keeps gossip mills moving and again that dollar sign, earning. It is not a cushy existence as Swift herself says in Look What You Made Me Do. But a girl cannot have everything. So enjoy what you get.

Swift started out in country music and was only 14 years old when she became a full-fledged songwriter in Nashville. She has since then released five albums, Taylor Swift, Fearless, Speak Now, Red and 1989. The last two were both named Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards, the first time it happened to a female singer, songwriter and producer. She also has a long line of hit singles ranging from Our Song in 2006 to Love Story, You Belong With Me, Mean, We Are Never Getting Back Together, I Knew You Were Trouble, Shake It Off, Blank Space and Bad Blood. You can now start adding the songs from Reputation to the list.

Incidentally, Sam Smith, the new singing sensation of three years ago, has a new single, Too Good At Goodbyes. This is his follow-up to the award-winning Writing’s On The Wall, the theme from the James Bond film Spectre. Too Good At Goodbyes should be a big seller from the onset. But then Smith had to come out in the wake of the Swift onslaught and must now wait his turn at the top. I have a feeling he will get it. The song is filled with achingly sweet hugot lines that everybody finds irresistible.

It is about getting dumped. “You must think that I’m stupid/ you must think that I’m a fool/ you must think that I’m new to this/ but I have seen this all before.” Ouch!