Sad Girls in Pop: Studying the Art of Storytelling
Why studying Taylor Swift at university or college isn’t a horrible idea. From the perspective of an English Literature drop out.
TLDNR: Swifty graduates. I’d hire you. 5 reasons why.
A well-written pop song, in the right place and at the right time, can be as cathartic and inspiring as a well-written novel, so if this is the era where Taylor Swift is finally achieving world domination, where SZR is set to take on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury, and the snobbishness against sad-girl pop (the likes of Olivia Rodrigo and Lana Del Rey) is reserved solely for the comments section under Rolling Stone Instagram posts, then Academic Taylor Swift degrees might be just what the English departments of our world need right now (even if the concept is a little bit capitalist).
I’ll tell you why. I’m an English literature dropout. I chose to study English because I had whimsical ideas of one day becoming a writer or journalist. But after a year in the tortured poet’s department (literally), I switched to Marketing. I’d realised that losing myself in poetry and Kafka wasn’t going to cure me of my crippling shyness. Almost every writer we studied that year, had had some kind of nervous breakdown, died of suicide, and then became a posthumously successful writer. Inspiring it was not.
Swift’s songs and concept albums follow a story arc. They are stories within stories, and each story has an exposition, climax, and resolution. She tells stories, but she also is the story: A modern-day Anne of Green Gables coming of age in real-time. In My Tears Ricochet, she sings, “I can go anywhere I want, anywhere I want, just not home, you can aim for my heart go for blood, but you would still miss me in my bones”. Because of the world’s para-social relationship with Swift (meaning we know so much about her that we almost feel like we’re friends, or like we would be if only she would give us a chance) we know the song is about her having to leave her record label. But at its core, it’s about the human experience. The messy, painful breakdown of a relationship you’ve outgrown and the chaos that comes with breaking free.
Of course, she’s not the only artist you could dissect in an English lesson. We could study rap or R&B. In Grammy award winner singer-songwriter Raye’s Ice-Cream Man, a song she penned at 18 and released in her mid-20s, she recounts an experience of sexual assault. She vividly recounts the incident, the torment and desensitization, and the eventual processing of her trauma. The line 'I was seven, was twenty-one, was seventeen and was eleven. It took a while to understand what my consent means' hits with the force of a revelation born only from intense therapy; it underscores the realisation that she’s been violated in one way or another her whole life. It’s brutal. But at least in her Metamorphosis we get to see her transform into an empowered woman, as opposed to a *spoiler incoming* dead cockroach.
Academia has the opportunity to engage with contemporary culture in a meaningful and inspired way. It might even help students bridge the gap between theory and practice.
Here's 5 life-lessons Swiftie Graduates have almost certainly learnt that will make them excellent personalities (and storytellers) to have on your team.
1. Storytelling is powerful. Be fearless and creative when it comes to telling yours.
2. Your gut is there to be trusted. Don't get caught up worrying about what everyone else is doing or saying.
3. Collaboration and trust is essential. Surround yourself with other talented people. Give them credit. They'll often make you better.
4. Ignorance is not bliss. Read the contracts, know your terms, negotiate for yourself and your brand.
5. Bullying isn’t cool. Don't tolerate bad behaviour. Know when its time to call it out, and when it's time to move on to the next chapter.
Written by Michelle | AntiSocial Marketer
