What makes US pop singer Taylor Swift so unique? A literary and linguistic scholar names three qualities.
Taylor Swift fans will soon be able to learn about the US pop singer’s linguistic art in Basel. Lecturer Andrew Shields from the University of Basel will explore Swift’s poetry in a three-month seminar starting in the fall at the adult education center, as the latter has confirmed. Shields appreciates Swift’s poetry. When he hears Swift, he often thinks: “That’s a brilliant line,” he told the German Press Agency. That doesn’t happen with other artists.
Swift is one of the world’s most successful creatives. In Germany, her album “The Tortured Poets Department” had the most successful streaming launch of all time with 11.5 million hits on one day in April, reported GfK Entertainment, which compiles the official charts. She is coming to Germany in July after a break of several years and will perform in Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg and Munich.
Crowds at Swift seminar at the university
Linguist and literary scholar Shields has already offered a Taylor Swift seminar at the University of Basel. He was overwhelmed by the demand. Around 100 students completed the seminar with a creative final paper. The adult education center idea came about because many people from outside the university had contacted him, he said. Swift seminars were also held at other universities. Scientists in Liverpool are now holding a conference on the “cultural phenomenon of Taylor Swift.”
What makes Swift unique
Swift is unique in pop music with her self-written lyrics because she combines three things, said Shields: “She tells good stories, creates characters with depth and has a sense of humor.” Other artists often convey clichés in pop songs and have no sense of humor. “I was there when Madonna was growing up,” says Shields. “With her, I never thought: ‘That’s a great line, I have to take a closer look at that.'”
Swift as a poet
Is Swift a poet? “Yes,” says Shields, who describes himself as a lyricist and singer-songwriter. Does she write good poetry? Here too, the answer is “yes.” Could that lead to the Nobel Prize for Literature, as it did for music legend Bob Dylan? She doesn’t need such a prize, says Shields. He describes himself as a Swiftie, as the singers’ fans call themselves. But he is actually a “Deadhead.” That’s what fans of the US rock band Grateful Dead call themselves.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
