by Jaya Gupta ’25
and Erin Joyce ’25
December 5, 2023
The opinions expressed here are strictly those of the writers and do not reflect the views of University School of Nashville or the Peabody Press.
Jaya’s initial disclaimer: Although I have listened to Taylor Swift’s music for many years, I do not consider myself a Swiftie, and many Swifties could tell you I do not know enough to claim that title. I also did not attend the Eras Tour at all, so my experience comes solely from the movie.
Erin’s initial disclaimer: I don’t like Taylor Swift. Fight me.
Lover (Jaya’s version): The Eras movie included five songs from the Lover era. Taylor’s entrance was expectedly extravagant, as she came on to perform “Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince.” “Cruel Summer” followed this, and I had come prepared. I memorized the lyrics to the bridge in anticipation of the moment where everyone sings it really loud. I can say I was disappointed by the audience at the Bellevue AMC that night, because my friends and I were the only ones singing. It did not recreate my worst nightmare of the Swifties rushing down and moshing in the front of the theater (funny, that’s my worst nightmare too!),but I had expected a little more. Taylor had an incredible set for “The Man:’’ The skeleton of a house, lined with LED lights and desks and dancers on different levels. It looked impressive from every angle! She performed “You Need to Calm Down” next, then closed the Lover era off with the title track.
Erin’s take: Speaking of Lover, society’s obsession with Taylor Swift’s relationships is ridiculous. Even though most celebrity culture revolves around scrutinizing a public figure’s personal life, the level to which self-proclaimed “Swifties” dig would be borderline stalking if Swift herself didn’t encourage it.
“Karma is the guy on the Chiefs, coming straight home to me.”
See what I mean? She capitalizes on her fans’ desire to uncover her personal life by dropping breadcrumbs that reveal her “next move” in her relationships. Having your relationships scrutinized daily is not a healthy way for anyone to live.
A moment from the movie during the “Lover” era. (via New York Times)
Fearless (Jaya’s version): Taylor pulled out her bedazzled guitar for the Fearless era of the tour to play her top three songs from the album.
Calling these 3-year long stints between album releases “eras” is asinine.
Starting with the title track, she energized everyone with her nostalgic country spirit. As someone who listened to Taylor Swift more in her older albums, I was ecstatic when she started to play “You Belong With Me,” since I grew up singing and dancing to the music video. The song invoked a nostalgia in me that had me unexpectedly belting in the middle of a movie theater surrounded by my friends.
I’m all for camaraderie, but not cults.
The era closed with the iconic “Love Story” and an animated transition into evermore.
evermore (Jaya’s version): As I have mentioned, I’m more of a fan of Taylor Swift’s early work, so I hadn’t listened to the evermore album before this movie. A Swiftie friend of mine made sure I didn’t capitalize evermore. In her yellow dress and dark cloak, Taylor performed “Willow” surrounded by backup dancers with glowing orbs.
Admittedly, this was pretty cool. A broken clock is right twice a day.
The choreography was fluid and made the stage look like an enchanted forest. When she took off the cloak to perform the rest of the era in a flowy yellow dress, I felt like I was able to understand the meaning behind the album even without having listened to it before. The lack of dynamic choreography in this segment was awkward at times, however. As someone who participates in a genre of music where the unique choreography is half of what makes the music so fun, I am underwhelmed by the “choreo” that Taylor is enabled for. It was somewhat painful sometimes to watch her as she manipulated and hyped up the audience.
reputation (Jaya’s Version): As one of my favorite Taylor eras, reputation blew me away. The snake theme for her outfit and the dark aesthetic reflected the album’s themes well.
Even though I didn’t see the movie, I know exactly what you’re talking about. Wait for it…
She closed the era with the groundbreaking “Look What You Made Me Do.” The stage was covered in clear boxes, each containing backup dancers dressed as her previous selves, a tribute to her music video. For someone like Taylor Swift, who is admittedly not a dancer…
…aaaand there it is. If you haven’t seen the video, consider yourself lucky,
…her stage presence was powerful and exciting.
Erin’s take: If there’s one thing Taylor Swift does well, it’s live performance. If there’s one thing she doesn’t, it’s keeping her ticket sales under control. It’s not all Swift’s fault: Ticketmaster makes the resale market all too attractive to profiteers, but fans were beating down resellers’ doors to pay exorbitant prices for tickets. Swift’s fans were making indescribably poor financial decisions in droves just to see her live.
Speak Now (Jaya’s Version): Considering Speak Now was my absolute favorite album growing up, I was very disappointed that Taylor only chose to represent the era through one song. She sang “Enchanted” in a voluminous purple gown with lighting that made the stage look ethereal. I loved her performance, but my biggest hangup is that she didn’t perform more songs from the album.
Again, just one five minute song being representative of an entire “era” is insane. Sure. Just throw out the etymology of the word you’re using to brand your entire tour, Taylor. I’m sure your outsized influence didn’t just muddle an entire generation’s understanding of an “era.”
It would have been even more emotional and nostalgic if she had performed “Speak Now,” “Haunted,” “Sparks Fly,” “Mean,” or “If This Was a Movie.” The visuals were gorgeous, but it was far too short-lived for my taste.
Red (Jaya’s Version): Listening to the Red album is another one of my core memories from childhood. It was one of the first concerts I ever went to, and the only Taylor Swift concert I’ve ever attended. I loved seeing her on the screen performing the songs my six-year-old self used to listen to. Her outfit for “22” paid homage to her music video, and her playful interactions with backup dancers on stage made the whole performance engaging to watch and sing along with. She wrapped up the Red era with one of my personal least favorites (don’t jump at me, Swifties!); “All Too Well (10-Minute Version).” I will leave it at that, since the only reasoning I can give for my dislike is the sheer length. I admire her ability to write dynamic and engaging lyrics to span a full ten minutes, but the song is not for me.
Erin’s take: I mostly agree with Jaya: This 10-minute “All Too Well” is nothing but musically uninteresting fan service. It added nothing of notable substance to her impressively long discography, and the lyrics, while undeniably solid, could have been condensed into a five minute version with ease. It’s an odd departure from her usually consistent fare.
folklore (Jaya’s Version): The folklore era is another album that was not on my radar when it came out. I can say with confidence that I didn’t know a single song (by melody or lyrics) when I went inside that theater, and I don’t know a single song off the album now. I recall the story Taylor told before she started singing: she wanted to write about characters living out their lives as she lived in a cabin in the woods (or something along those lines). As a fellow songwriter, I appreciate the sentiment of the album’s inspiration, but none of it made an impact on me. An interesting thing about Taylor Swift is that she never limits herself to a style or genre. Style, yes. Genre, debatable. While most of it may be “mainstream pop” —
Take those quotations out, Jaya, she is a mainstream pop artist. Full stop.
— her albums still have distinct personalities.
Well, while her albums might have different sounds, she recycles chord progressions and song structures like no other, and it has a way of making her music monotonous.
I’m not saying in any way that her production of folklore was bad.
True, her albums are always meticulously produced.
I liked the use of the house as a cabin and how it all seemed coherent with the message of her songs. However, it wasn’t my favorite genre she has explored, and I can say that I was disengaged during the six folklore songs she played in the movie.
1989 (Jaya’s Version): The 1989 album was another one of my favorite Taylor Swift albums growing up. Watching her play “Style” made me think of the Thursdays my mom would drive my sister and I home from dance with the windows down and we would sing into the wind. “Blank Space” made me remember the dance my second-grade best friend and I made up and performed for our families. “Shake It Off” brought me back to the music video on repeat almost constantly in our house for late-night dance parties and jumping on furniture. As it is my favorite song on the album, I wished she had played “Welcome to New York.” She finished off the era with “Bad Blood,” providing an impactful transition into the surprise part of the tour.
Surprise Songs (Jaya’s Version):
Taylor pulled out her acoustic guitar for the first song in her surprise set. I was so happy when she started playing “Our Song” from her debut album: Taylor Swift. I was disappointed at first to discover that the Eras tour didn’t include her very first era (especially since “Picture to Burn” is probably my favorite Taylor Swift song ever), but playing “Our Song” on the guitar made my night and brought out my inner child. She played her second surprise song on the piano. “You’re on Your Own, Kid” wasn’t a song I’d listened to more than once before, but it was nice to see a sometimes-overproduced pop star sing while playing a piano and without a backing track.
“Sometimes-overproduced”?! I would argue that Jack Antonoff puts all her songs through the musical washing machine.
Midnights (Jaya’s Version):
To close out the Eras tour, Taylor performed seven songs from her most recent (non-Taylor’s Version) album: Midnights. It seemed like she took this era to focus more on herself and her own passions. (Although Erin may say her passions continue to just be her love life).
No, Swift clearly has other passions. Her fans, on the other hand….
I had listened to and enjoyed most of the popular songs on this album so far, but I was hit with a shockwave by the one song I hadn’t heard before. “Vigilante S**t” had me sitting in the theater seat, jaw nearly on the ground, my wide eyes staring intently at the performance, and listening. Though the choreography wasn’t anything necessarily special, the combination of subtle movements and the impact of hearing the lyrics and melody for the first time (mixed with my sleep deprivation and my strong desire to go to bed) really made me love that performance.
Erin’s Take: I remain unimpressed.
