Taylor Swift

Today’s musing is on the contemporary pop music scene.

I have to admit, I’m not exactly a fan of Taylor Swift’s music. But what interests me is the huge, almost cult-like following she has. It makes me wonder - what is it about her music that attracts so many people? To answer this question, it’s worth to go back to the origins of pop music, back when people first had the luxury of listening to any music they wanted from the comfort of their own home.

When we think about the origins of popular music you would have to go way back to the folk music played as social gatherings of old. The music played was the social glue - it helped people connect, dance, and have fun together. The tunes were easy to listen to, had a beat that was easy to dance to, and you didn’t need to be a pro to perform it. I’m thinking of the jigs, reels, and other folk-dance tunes that were handed down from one generation to another. The instruments were easy to learn with techniques that could easily transfer between them - if you could play a penny whistle, you could probably pick up the flute or even the bagpipes with a bit of practice.

Session playing at an Irish pub.

This connection between popular music and folk traditions continued on throughout the centuries, right up to the beginning of the 20th century. Many of the instruments produced before the innovation of electric instruments were what we now call “folk” instruments: guitars, violins, simple system flutes, cornets, trombones, pianos, and harps. These instruments are acoustic, meaning that they didn’t need any electricity to produce the sounds and were easily accessible (maybe not the pianos) thanks to the rise of industrialization that took place in the 19th century. If you look at a Sears Robuck catalogue from the early 20th century, you’ll find everything from violins, pianos, flutes, oboes, bassoons, and an assortment of brass instruments available for purchase. This shows that popular music of the time was acoustic, played by self-taught amateurs right in their own homes, with the means to do it right at their fingertips.

Then came the radio, which changed everything. Suddenly, pop music wasn’t just something you played at home - it was something that could be piped into households across the country and it was free. This meant that people who might never have met were now enjoying the same music, leading them to form groups based on their shared tastes. Perhaps this was the beginning of music fandom as we know it today, where communities formed around a shared love for certain artists or genres.

Even though the radio was an electric invention, and electric-acoustic instruments were beginning to be invented, the music played on it was still largely acoustic. Orchestras, which were essentially any group of musicians at the time, were the main ensembles recording music. This is why John Philip Sousa became so popular. His marches still performed by concert bands today. These orchestras were made up of violins, violas, cellos, basses, trumpets, clarinets, flutes, saxophones, pianos, and plucked instruments like banjos and guitars - similar to what you’d find in early jazz groups.

As orchestras began to perform in increasingly larger venues, the acoustic guitar struggled to make itself heard and there needed to be a way to amplify its sound. This challenge led to the invention of the electric guitar we know today. The key was an electric pickup that converts the vibrations of the strings into electric signals that drive a speaker. This innovation didn’t just amplify the sound; it allowed the guitar to become a solo instrument which led to the emergence of new genres, including the birth of rock and roll.

Les Paul

Rock and roll quickly became the soundtrack of the younger generation, a rebellious new sound that stood in contrast to the music other people loved. While some teenagers were blasting rock and roll, their parents were more likely to be listening to orchestral and band music, which remained popular among the older crowd. Shows like The Lawrence Welk Show catered to this audience, featuring “orchestra” music, including classical music, that was safe, and wasn’t pushing the boundaries of what was considered acceptable on stage. Elvis is an example of the opposite. His hip-shaking, gyrating dance moves were seen as provocative and rebellious, sparking both adoration from younger fans and outrage from the older generation. His performances challenged conservative norms of the time and contributed to the cultural shift toward more open expressions of sexuality in popular music. Expressions that Taylor Swift and most other pop-music performers have come to embrace.

The emergence of the rock and roll movement didn’t just revolutionize the music scene; it also led to the decline of classical or orchestral music performances in pop culture. Now that the norm for popular music has become the loud, raunchy, sexualized music of rock and roll, other music that was not as popular was seen as “high class” and “snooty.” This shift meant that later generations had fewer chances to experience a broader range of music, leaving pop genres as the primary outlet for musical self-expression. As a result, the classical genre gradually became more of an academic pursuit.

This brings us to today’s pop culture. Since the birth of rock and roll and other pop-music genres, about five generations have come around. Music has never been more accessible, with music streaming services available on every personal device. The days of needing to learn an instrument to enjoy music or passing down songs through generations are largely gone. Now, record companies shape the musical landscape, driven more by profit than cultural value. This capitalist machine has created fandoms like the “Swifties,” who are essentially a product of this commercial system designed to generate massive profits for the industry’s top executives. Now, I know Taylor Swift produces her own albums and owns the rights to all her songs, which is pretty impressive. But even with that level of control, it just shows that she, too, has become a product of capitalism. Without the capitalist market and the way money is made within it, she wouldn’t be earning nearly as much as she does today. The system that drives the music industry is deeply rooted in making as much profit as possible, and even artists like Taylor benefit from that structure.

So, to get back to my question of why Taylor Swift has such a cult-like following? It all ties back to how music has evolved. From the days of folk tunes that brought people together, to the rise of radio that formed early music fandoms, we see that people have always connected over shared musical tastes. Swift taps into this tradition by creating music that resonates deeply with her fans, blending relatable lyrics with catchy melodies. Her ability to craft stories that speak to personal experiences, combined with the accessibility of her music in today’s streaming era, has turned her into a figure that fans not only admire but feel deeply connected to (albeit through a capitalist system)- just like how early music brought communities together.