What can you say about Taylor Swift? Reportedly a billionaire at 36, she dominates the music world. When she drops a new album, the earth shakes. In fact, Swift has had a seismic effect on pop culture like few artists ever have. (Elvis? The Beatles?) Her songs, albums, and concerts have roiled the zeitgeist, toppled the status quo, and electrified her countless, feverish fans worldwide. They believe that Swift's searingly heartfelt lyrics speak directly to them and chronicle their own lives.
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She can now add yet another tribute to her growing collection of them. The New York Times picked Swift as one of the 30 greatest living American songwriters. That is a heady and elite crowd to be part of. And that is not all. Taylor Swift credits the music of Kenny Chesney for sparking her love of penning songs. She began her career in country music and still has some roots there. No Shoes Nation, rejoice!
The Storytelling Aspect of Country Music Grabbed Taylor Swift's Imagination and Never Let Go
Swift reflected to The Times on how she first became enchanted with country music. "I think the first songs that I fell in love with was the type of songwriting that I think folk and country is really known for. It's like that storytime structure. Songs like 'Harper Valley PTA' or 'Goodbye Earl' by the Dixie Chicks or any amazing Kenny Chesney song."
She Intuitively Grasps the Nuances of Storytelling Structure
She demonstrated her deep understanding of storytelling structure. It's like an arrow that goes straight to the heart, a no-fail, no-frills formula that wins every time. Swift carefully explained, "A hypothetical structure would be, first verse, little girl learns a lesson that in the chorus her mom teaches her about. Then the little girl grows up, and now she's a teenager, and she realizes, 'Oh, my God, my mom was right about this.'"
She added, "Now the second time you hear the hook, that same hook means something a little bit different because she's grown up in her life. Then the bridge, maybe she goes on in her life, she has a little girl, she imparts that wisdom onto her. And if you really want to get me to cry, bring back that same first line of the song and end the song with it."
Kenny Chesney is an ace storyteller. That is partly how he got where he is. And Chesney was a superb role model for the young, evolving Taylor Swift, who was just starting to flex her songwriting chops.
