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{"id":4893,"date":"2024-04-21T09:40:05","date_gmt":"2024-04-21T09:40:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aitesonics.com\/what-were-listening-to-the-tortured-poets-department-and-eternal-sunshine-150035421\/"},"modified":"2024-04-21T09:40:05","modified_gmt":"2024-04-21T09:40:05","slug":"what-were-listening-to-the-tortured-poets-department-and-eternal-sunshine-150035421","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aitesonics.com\/what-were-listening-to-the-tortured-poets-department-and-eternal-sunshine-150035421\/","title":{"rendered":"What we're listening to: The Tortured Poets Department and Eternal Sunshine"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this installment of what we’re listening to, Reviews Editor Cherlynn Low dives into new releases from Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande, and explores what music means to us when songs are consumed more like books and journal entries.<\/em><\/p>\n

Cherlynn Low, <\/strong>Deputy Editor, Reviews<\/em><\/p>\n

April 19 should have been declared a global holiday. It was, after all, the release day of Taylor Swift\u2019s highly anticipated album, The Tortured Poets Department <\/em>(TTPD<\/em>). How could we be expected to work on this most hyped of Fridays, when there were lyrics to overanalyze and melodies to emo-walk to?<\/p>\n

Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department<\/em><\/h2>\n

I\u2019ll admit: I hate myself a bit for the eagerness with which I hit play on albums like TTPD<\/em> and Ariana Grande\u2019s Eternal Sunshine<\/em> (ES<\/em>). Both musicians had recently left long-term relationships and got together with new beaus, amid rabid press coverage and relentless speculation on Reddit. I usually prefer to hear from the people involved instead of reading tabloid articles based on what \u201cfriends close to\u201d said, and for Swift and Grande, songs are usually as close as we\u2019ll get to primary sources.<\/p>\n

I saw these albums as opportunities to get their takes on what went down. Granted, it\u2019s always wise to take their words with generous helpings of salt, the same way therapists tend to remember that their patients\u2019 retelling of stories can be skewed or unreliable.<\/p>\n

Both Grande and Swift have made their lives the subject of their music for years, and they often have an air of defensiveness. Titles like \u201cLook What You Made Me Do\u201d and \u201cYes, and?\u201d make me think of people who blame others or don\u2019t care about the consequences of their actions. Even songs like Swift\u2019s \u201cAnti-Hero\u201d from her last album and Grande\u2019s \u201cThank U, Next\u201d seem at first glance to be about taking accountability, but really continue the theme of dodging real responsibility.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure if music has always been rooted in scrutinizing the artist\u2019s life, but it certainly seems to have become more popular in recent years. The level of interest and analysis around things as simple as word choice or order has probably never been as high, either. It\u2019s also worth considering that these two much-hyped albums were released within two months of each other. Granted, Swift\u2019s new music has only been out for about 40 hours, and there are 31 whole songs spanning a full 65 minutes and 8 seconds, so I will need to listen to it a few more times for it all to sink in.<\/p>\n

Grande\u2019s album, which dropped last month, was scrutinized by fans and critics alike. It was released shortly after her divorce from Dalton Gomez and her budding relationship (reportedly) with fellow Wicked<\/em> cast member Ethan Slater.<\/p>\n

When I first played through ES<\/em>, I was mostly underwhelmed and annoyed. There was, as expected, no accountability for what her actions did to the mother of a newborn<\/a> and a lot of romanticizing of her latest man. But even on just my second listening, I knew I had a few favorite tracks. Other Engadget staff members agree with me: ES<\/em> is a solid album with quite a few bangers.<\/p>\n

Ariana Grande – Eternal Sunshine<\/em><\/h2>\n

I may not endorse Grande\u2019s behavior \u2014 and no one asked me to \u2014 but damn, I can\u2019t help liking her music. And it\u2019s probably because I\u2019m hooked on the melodies and production, not the lyrical content.<\/p>\n

Swift, on the other hand, seems more of an aspiring wordsmith. Much has been<\/a> said about<\/a> her lyrical<\/a> abilities<\/a>, and I have no desire to retread those waters. I\u2019ll just say that as an occasional aspiring poet myself, I have to admire the laissez faire approach of rhyming \u201cdepartment\u201d with \u201capartment.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m more intrigued by what seems to me like the priority of a song\u2019s words over its tune and sound. Like Billboard states<\/em><\/a>, TTPD<\/em>\u2019s title alone \u201ccalls even more attention to her lyricism than usual.\u201d<\/p>\n

Swift\u2019s music has always felt like journal entries meant for the public, chock-full of inside references, Easter eggs and thinly veiled digs at former lovers. Her earlier works were therefore highly relatable for scores of teenagers around the world. But as her success ballooned, so has she grown out of touch with the average person, and her songs have consequently become more like glimpses into a life that mere mortals can only dream about. While her pieces continue to feel like blogs or Tumblr posts, Swift controls the narrative by carefully orchestrating not just synths, guitars and lyrics, but also pap walks and delicately timed public appearances.<\/p>\n

Unlike Grande, who has mostly avoided appearing with Slater at high-profile events and also hasn\u2019t hidden as many Easter eggs in her songs, Swift has not been afraid to show off and show up for her new partner. She\u2019s not publicity-averse; she seems to anticipate and almost courts it.<\/p>\n

With the general strategy around TTPD<\/em>, like announcing it at the Grammy\u2019s and slow teases of lyrics and cover art, it certainly seems like these days, the billionaire with a private jet problem is more focused on her myth and financial value than the art of songwriting.<\/p>\n

Swift surprised everyone at 2AM on April 19 by releasing a whole 15<\/em> more songs alongside the initial 16 people were expecting for TTPD<\/em>. This meant that anyone who pre-ordered the original album would miss out on basically an entire second album worth of tracks and need to spend more. The Swift team also made several versions of the physical album available, like collectors\u2019 editions \u2014 all blatant cash grabs designed to maximize revenue.<\/p>\n

Grande is guilty of this too, making so many different iterations of \u201cYes, and?\u201d when that single was released in what seemed like an attempt to place the song at the top of streaming charts. ES<\/em> also has different versions of cover art for fans to spend their hard-earned money on.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the thing. Do I care deeply about either of these albums? Nope. Did I eagerly listen to them, hoping to glean insight on their seemingly messy and chaotic relationships? Yes. But despite Swift\u2019s marketing and positioning herself as a poet \u2014 and TTPD<\/em> offering more of a look at her fling with Matty Healy from The 1975 \u2014 I realized I just didn\u2019t quite like her album musically. In fact, my favorite Swift songs like \u201cWildest Dreams\u201d and \u201cDelicate\u201d are beautiful symphonies of atmospheric synths and instrumentation.<\/p>\n

Maybe I\u2019m just learning that I care more about music than lyrics. Or maybe I think good songs are a combination of the two and should speak for themselves without having to rely on hype, gossip and marketing tactics. To be fair, that\u2019s true of all art, whether it\u2019s film, photography or poetry. And while the irony of my being sucked into playing TTPD<\/em> and ES<\/em> due to the promise of learning about their lives isn\u2019t lost on me, I guess I just wish I could listen to music (and read books and watch movies) without having to worry or be so concerned about the creator\u2019s choices and actions. But in 2024 (and beyond), that seems no longer feasible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In this installment of what we’re listening to, Reviews Editor Cherlynn Low dives into new releases from Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande, and explores what music means to us when songs are consumed more like books and journal entries. Cherlynn Low, Deputy Editor, Reviews April 19 should have been declared a global holiday. It was, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":4893,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7448,219,3790,1318,95,2081],"tags":[7449,222,3792,1321,101,2084],"yoast_head":"\nWhat we're listening to: The Tortured Poets Department and Eternal Sunshine - Best News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/aitesonics.com\/what-were-listening-to-the-tortured-poets-department-and-eternal-sunshine-150035421\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What we're listening to: The Tortured Poets Department and Eternal Sunshine - Best News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In this installment of what we’re listening to, Reviews Editor Cherlynn Low dives into new releases from Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande, and explores what music means to us when songs are consumed more like books and journal entries. 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