Top Three Posts for November – #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #TaylorSwift #TomPetty #JohnPrine

Welcome to December!

I hope this update finds you well. November presented yet another interesting assortment of Ted Tocks Covers posts. I turned to several Ted Tocks favourites for feature songs and as a result, their many loyal fans seemed to gravitate to them when I shared the blog on their fan pages. I continue to be pleasantly surprised at how receptive people in the wide world of music appreciation are when I share my little project with them. The reception has been almost all positive (only two negative experiences, but that’s a story for another day).

With a firm commitment to emphasizing the positive I continue to marvel at two wonderful Facebook communities. I raise a glass to the loyal fan base of both Tom Petty and John Prine. Whenever I share Ted Tocks Covers on these fan pages, I receive positive and deeply personal feedback. Most importantly the acceptance is widespread. To this writer, tucked away in my little corner of the universe on the shores of Lake Ontario, it means a lot to me that we can share in the appreciation of artists that we may have never known personally, but we certainly do love.

Personally, November was a month for a lot of personal reflection. There are a lot of things I need to change. An aspect of my character, and I admit it is wrong, is to try and fix everything at once. I then become hopelessly overwhelmed and freeze because things appear too daunting. As I sift my way through the shit, I do get some things accomplished but I also get extremely impatient. Way too often recently, this simmering pot of sludge has reached the boiling point. This pattern has caused me to act way out of character and on occasion I don’t even like the person I look at it in the mirror. I will work through it. I always do. Just a small bit of background, because it reveals a bigger picture. The few hours a week I devote to Ted Tocks Covers are therapeutic for me. The beautiful thing is, apparently for over 50 people a day, literally all over the world, music seems to occupy a similar space in their lives. This is what it’s all about. This why I often share this lyric by Robert Huner.

If you get confused music to the music play.”

Robert Hunter

In my life, few lines of poetry have ever meant more.

Now let’s move on to the positive stuff.

 From a pure numbers standpoint, November was another personal celebration because it was the third best month ever for Ted Tocks Covers. Once again, the feature exceeded 50 page views a day. I remain pleased with this engagement because it all simply began as a hobby I wanted to share with family, and a few friends. The fact that it resonates with an audience far beyond my relatively small circle is quite reassuring.

Another cool observation, as I add posts to Ted Tocks Covers blog page is, in the month of November alone Ted Tocks visitors read posts that featured nearly 200 songs. It is a source of satisfaction that the range of material I write about gets views. From day one, in January of 2018, I wanted to dig deep into several genres, so the blog has at least some appeal to a wide audience. Once the viewer comes on board they can explore on their own. Some do. That’s validating.

A few quick observations before I get into this month’s top 3. Three Ted Tocks features reached significant milestones in November.

Don’t Pay the Ferryman – This Chris de Burgh signature song blew past 600 page views early in November and kept right on going. It shows no sign of slowing down. Every month it receives a steady stream of engagement.

Almost Cut My Hair – Referred to by many as a hippie anthem, elements of this song hold as true today as the day David Crosby wrote it. Interestingly, Crosby considers the lyrics to be ‘juvenile’. Evidently his effort to capture the essence of the divide between the establishment and those who aim to seek the truth still ring true because just within this blog space ‘Almost Cut My Hair’ has now reached 350 page views.

Black Betty – Nothing fascinates me more than a song with layer upon layer of deeper meaning. My initial introduction to ‘Black Betty’ was the famous cover by Ram Jam. The more I read, the more I became embroiled in the historical significance as it related to the oppression of African-American people in post-Civil War America. In recent months it seems to have gained momentum on Ted Tocks Covers page. It surpassed 300 page views in November. Maybe because you can draw a straight line from the themes mentioned in this post to some of the atrocities taking place in the United States in both the recent and distant past. A November reference is the killing of Ahmaud Arbery and subsequent trial. Fortunately, the racist trio who killed Mr. Arbery will be locked away for a long time.

Now, without further ado, here are the top three posts for November of 2021. We have a combination of a giant in the female electro-pop genre, a rock and roll icon and a songwriting legend.

#3 – Blank Space – The fact that this song made the top 3 for the month is satisfying to me because it is an example of me learning while I write. More importantly ‘Blank Space’ by Taylor Swift is a celebration of female empowerment and the ability of artists to build songs around humour, and sell it to the masses. The story behind the cover songs included here make it even better. Just a ton of fun.

#2 – Free Fallin’ – The ‘Tom Petty Rule’ in Ted Tocks Covers is well documented. That means if Tom Petty covers it, I will include it in any feature where I share the original song. Of course, the beauty of Tom Petty is his catalogue of songs is so deep, I could feature a Tom Petty song every week and write about him for several years. I managed to blend a few facts related to ‘Free Fallin’s and its release with a couple of personal stories. It was fun to write, and it was enjoyed enough to see it rise to #2 for the month.

#1. – Saddle in the Rain – As mentioned at the outset, once again the John Prine fan base stepped up and enjoyed my reflections on this mid ‘70s track from his ‘Common Sense’ album. I fully immerse myself in anything I write about John Prine, but the opportunity to share the work of one his good friends, Amanda Shires made this feature even more meaningful. Not only did Shires recently cover ‘Saddle in the Rain’ on a John Prine tribute album but she has devoted proceeds from her latest single ‘The Problem’ to the Yellowhammer Fund which is an Alabama based non-profit which provides support for women in Alabama, Texas and the Florida panhandle who require access to safe abortion and advice related to their reproductive rights.

Sometimes all we need to say, is everything is going to be okay. When we are there for the people around us, everything is going to be alright. If you stand on the right side of things Ted Tocks Covers is on your side.

Each of the songs I share, and the corresponding stories, offer yet another series of examples demonstrating the fact that music connects people every day. Best of all, through this blog, I am able to connect with people all over the world ever so briefly. In November, Ted Tocks Covers was read by people in 37 different countries. This continually blows me away.

More than half of Ted Tocks readers are from the United States, which is not surprising but, it is interesting to note that the U.K., Australia, and Ireland and Germany round out the top five. Canada, of course is a solid #2. I continue to share these interesting observations because it continues to reinforce the message that I often share. Music is a universal language. It is magic. In the words of Tom Petty:

Music is probably the one real magic I have encountered in my life. There’s not some trick involved with it. It’s pure and it’s real. It moves, it heals, it communicates and does all these incredible things.”

Tom Petty

So, enjoy…

If you missed these features the first time around enjoy them now. If you think a friend might like to spend a few minutes with some good music, please share because…

#MusicisLife

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Thank you for continuing to read Ted Tocks Covers. I will be in touch. You can count on that. Lots of great stories to come.

Stay safe and have a grateful day!

Blank Space – #TaylorSwift turns the tables. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #RyanAdams #FatherJohnMisty #IPrevail #ImagineDragons

There is something refreshing about an artist who can poke fun at themselves. In the case of Taylor Swift, she managed to take all of the gossip to another level. Self-deprecation is a fine quality, but the ability to channel that into the highest level of creativity while living in bubble of public scrutiny is remarkable to say the least.

Today’s feature is ‘Blank Space’ by the much maligned, yet immensely popular Taylor Swift who describes herself in the song as,

…a nightmare dressed like a daydream.”

Taylor Swift

By the time Taylor Swift released her album ‘1989’ in 2014, she was just shy of her 25^th birthday but about a decade into her acclaimed recording career. In that ten-year span Swift had earned the nickname ‘America’s Sweetheart’ as she rode a wave of success in the country pop genre. While this style was definitely not for some, her record sales spoke volumes. To her credit, Taylor Swift did not rest on her laurels. On the contrary. She made an effort to continue to expand her sound and cross over with a more electro-pop  approach and a touch of hip-hop.

This change in style was prompted by three occurrences that coincided with a creative roadmap that would ultimately become ‘1989’. Swift got a major taste of the potential success becoming a cross genre artist might provide while headlining her own world tour in support of her fourth album, ‘Red’. The writing and recording for ‘1989’ was sparked by the massive acceptance she experienced during this period, along with a new writing partner and producer, Max Martin, who brought in frequent collaborator Shellback (Karl Johan Schuster). This trio was extremely prolific as they produced seven of ‘1989’s thirteen tracks. The final creative inspiration became the most famous.

There is often a strange phenomena in the world of hero worship where an individual is placed on a pedestal for a certain amount of time, only to be subsequently torn down. In the case of Taylor Swift there was a concentrated effort by certain media outlets to sully her carefully cultivated ‘girl next door’ image. The avenue for this approach was an effort to trace Swift’s romantic history and portray her as a ‘serial dater’. The superficial slant began with an expose in the New York Times in 2013. The publication that operates under the banner ‘all the news that’s fit to print’ suggested that Taylor Swift was going through a quarter life crisis. This opened the floodgates, leading to several tabloid publications turning their coverage into an obsession. The coverage of Swift’s love life overshadowed any discussion related to her music. In the end the trio of Martin, Swift and Shellback worked to channel this frustration into songs that satirized her portrayal in the media while hilariously addressing traditional relationship themes.

The result included, but was not limited to ‘Blank Space’. Here are the lyrics.

Nice to meet you, where you been?
I could show you incredible things
Magic, madness, heaven, sin
Saw you there and I thought
“Oh, my God, look at that face
You look like my next mistake
Love’s a game, wanna play?” Ay

New money, suit and tie
I can read you like a magazine
Ain’t it funny rumors fly
And I know you heard about me
So hey, let’s be friends
I’m dying to see how this one ends
Grab your passport and my hand
I can make the bad guys good for a weekend

So, it’s gonna be forever
Or it’s gonna go down in flames
You can tell me when it’s over, mmm
If the high was worth the pain
Got a long list of ex-lovers
They’ll tell you I’m insane
‘Cause you know I love the players
And you love the game

‘Cause we’re young and we’re reckless
We’ll take this way too far
It’ll leave you breathless
Or with a nasty scar
Got a long list of ex-lovers
They’ll tell you I’m insane
But I’ve got a blank space, baby
And I’ll write your name

Cherry lips, crystal skies
I could show you incredible things
Stolen kisses, pretty lies
You’re the King, baby, I’m your Queen
Find out what you want
Be that girl for a month
Wait, the worst is yet to come, oh, no

Screaming, crying, perfect storms
I can make all the tables turn
Rose Garden filled with thorns
Keep you second guessing like
“Oh, my God, who is she?”
I get drunk on jealousy
But you’ll come back each time you leave
‘Cause, darling, I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream

So, it’s gonna be forever
Or it’s gonna go down in flames
You can tell me when it’s over, mmm
If the high was worth the pain
Got a long list of ex-lovers
They’ll tell you I’m insane
‘Cause you know I love the players
And you love the game

‘Cause we’re young and we’re reckless (oh)
We’ll take this way too far
It’ll leave you breathless (oh)
Or with a nasty scar
Got a long list of ex-lovers
They’ll tell you I’m insane (insane)
But I’ve got a blank space, baby
And I’ll write your name

Boys only want love if it’s torture
Don’t say I didn’t say, I didn’t warn ya
Boys only want love if it’s torture
Don’t say I didn’t say, I didn’t warn ya

So, it’s gonna be forever
Or it’s gonna go down in flames
You can tell me when it’s over (over)
If the high was worth the pain
Got a long list of ex-lovers
They’ll tell you I’m insane (I’m insane)
‘Cause you know I love the players
And you love the game

‘Cause we’re young and we’re reckless
We’ll take this way too far (ooh)
It’ll leave you breathless, mmm
Or with a nasty scar (leave a nasty scar)
Got a long list of ex-lovers
They’ll tell you I’m insane
But I’ve got a blank space, baby
And I’ll write your name

Taylor Swift

The best part of satire is, while many people are in on the joke, countless are completely oblivious. This led Taylor Swift to summarize the resulting hype in this way.

Half the people got the joke; half the people really think that I was like really owning the fact that I’m a psychopath”

Taylor Swift

Publications like the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel suggested that the song was Taylor Swift’s admission to being the cause of many failed relationships while a publication ironically known as ‘Fact’ considered ‘Blank Space’ as an admission of promiscuity.

Much of this perception was fueled by the video presentation where Swift doubled down on the themes while acting out the lyrics. The scenes were shot at a couple of famous Long Island, New York landmarks including, Oheka Castle and Woodworth Estate. As the four-minute song unfolds Taylor and her ‘love interest’ Sean O’ Pry are seen in the early stages of their infatuation before things go swiftly downhill when the singer catches her beau texting another woman on his cell phone. A series of erratic behaviors ensue, culminating with Swift taking a golf club to O’ Pry’s car.

Hello Tiger Woods…

As the video closes O’ Pry is seen escaping the estate whereupon he is immediately replaced by a new suitor played by Andrea Denver.

In the end, Swift’s ability to mock herself to some degree while chastising the media’s narrow-minded portrayal served as a valuable lesson in pop culture.

It all left me wondering if I will ever own a house big enough to ride my bike in…

From Ted Tocks’ perspective, it seems that Taylor Swift’s work in ‘Blank Space’ should be celebrated. She took control and crafted a poignant song and video that is not only enjoyed by a mass audience, but the pointed response to her critics was a direct hit.

Naturally, many were too obtuse to understand, but from a cultural standpoint the portrayal was both amusing and empowering. This was perhaps best summarized in this quote by Jessica Valenti of The Guardian.

Blank Space is a feminist daydream, where the narrow and sexist caricatures attached to women are acted out for our amusement, their full ridiculousness on display”

Jessica Valenti

All in a day’s work for Taylor Swift.

By virtue of Swift’s popularity, cover versions of ‘Blank Space’ are both plentiful, and to this feature’s immense benefit they are of the finest quality.

They also sparked a bit of controversy.

In 2015, Ryan Adams did a track-by-track cover version of ‘1989’ where he reimagined the album as a Bruce Springsteen ‘Nebraska’ style presentation. The acoustic renditions translated well as an intriguing contrast to the electro pop versions offered by Swift.

A short time later, Father John Misty (a.k.a. Joshua Tillman) arranged a brilliant cover version that took ‘Blank Space’ to visit the Velvet Underground. This is absolutely priceless. You get a mashup of ‘Taylor Swift, Ryan Adams and Lou Reed in ‘I’m Waiting for the Man’. It just keeps getting better.

This is just where the war of words begins. ‘Pitchfork’ referred to this intermingling of characters as a ‘Russian nesting dolls of covers’. It is a Ted Tocks Covers dream.

Upon his release of ‘Blank Space’ Misty could barely contain his sarcasm. He took direct tongue-in-cheek aim at Adams.

My reinterpretation of the classic Ryan Adams album 1989.”

Father John Misty

By referencing ‘Blank Space’ as a Ryan Adams classic it is obvious that Father John was lambasting the singer for what he interpreted as a cheap production.

When Misty upped the ante by mimicking the Velvet Underground classic, everything escalated, and music fans got to share in the public jousting match. All of this was perfectly in character for Father John Misty who describes himself as

(a) self-styled satirist, provocateur, philosopher and cultural warrior.”

Father John Misty

Rock and roll is a vicious game.

Even before Ryan Adams and Father John Misty waged war, Michigan based hard rock band I Prevail presented their interpretation of ‘Blank Space’. Their punk/metal cover went platinum in the United States.

Now let’s go to the BBC Live Lounge. Here is Imagine Dragons doing a very strong cover back in 2015. The clever blend of ‘Stand by Me’ works very well. Nicely done, and a good way to end the cover portion of today’s post.

All of this is leading up to the fact that seven years ago today Taylor Swift was #1 on the U.S. album chart with ‘1989’. Despite being released in November of 2014 it became the top selling album of that year. Current sales stand at over 9 million copies.

Recently Taylor Swift added to her prominence when she appeared on ‘Saturday Night Live’ and performed her latest release ‘All Too Well’.  This is an epic ten-minute song exploring…you guessed it, the end of a relationship, but it is more than that, to Swift’s credit. The remembrance goes back to 2012 and the ‘Red’ album.

It was my favorite. It was about something very personal to me. It was very hard to perform it live. Now for me, honestly, this song is 100 percent about us and for you.”

Taylor Swift

This is only where the fascination begins. ‘All Too Well’ was a track on ‘Red’. It came in at 5:29. Taylor Swift’s vision of the song involved a much lengthier and more detailed presentation to be released as a single. To her, this song was indeed personal. The record label did not agree.

Fast forward nearly a decade and Taylor Swift has turned it all into a personal mission. She turned ‘All too Well, which was her favourite track on ‘Red’ into the lead single on her re-release called ‘Red’ (Taylor’s Version). It comes complete with a self-directed video or in Taylor Swift’s description, a short film.

Here it is.

The New York Times referred to the all-new ‘All too Well’ as “gloriously unruly and seething”.

Here is the much-heralded Saturday Night presentation. This is part pop star, part jilted lover and part actor. It is that good. You can feel the emotion and you can sense why it would resonate with her core audience.

For Taylor Swift the ability to present this song in such a unique way has proven to be cathartic. Through her sharing she has flown to even loftier heights. ‘All too Well’ has even been referred to as the ‘You’re So Vain’ for millennials.

Maybe in fifty years fans will be debating who ‘All too Well’ was written about? Much the same as Carly Simon’s hit has become both a riddle and the source of debate.

For now, the answer remains a ‘Blank Space’, but in the grand scheme of things that’s okay too.

Shake it Off – Don’t get down and out about the liars and the dirty cheats in this world. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #TaylorSwift #RyanAdams

Today’s song comes with a strong message:

 Stand by your convictions.

“I’ve had every part of my life dissected—my choices, my actions, my words, my body, my style, my music. When you live your life under that kind of scrutiny, you can either let it break you, or you can get really good at dodging punches. And when one lands, you know how to deal with it. And I guess the way that I deal with it is to shake it off.”

Taylor Swift

As a result of Taylor Swift’s popularity, ‘Shake it Off’ has become an anthem. The fact this is one of the highest selling songs ever; not to mention one of the most viewed videos on Youtube, stands as testament to what it means to a wide audience. On this day, five years ago it resided at #1 on the U.S. album chart.

‘Shake it Off’ is an example of how drastically things have changed in the digital age, in terms of the release of music. The song was written and recorded in 2013. It was slated to be the #1 single from Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ album. The catchy song and album put a stamp on Taylor Swift’s evolution from a country pop artist to a more up-tempo dance pop singer. The process was carefully crafted, beginning on August 4, 2014 when Swift posted a video on Instagram, of herself pushing the #18 on an elevator. Two days later she tweeted an image of the time, 5:00. On August 7^th she tweeted a screenshot of her Yahoo homepage. Swift followed these cryptic posts with an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon where she confirmed that a Yahoo Live Stream session would take place on August 18, 2014 at 5 pm. During the live stream which released ‘Shake it Off’ to the world Taylor Swift announced the upcoming release of her album ‘1989’. That same day, ‘Shake it Off’ was released as a digital download. Within one day it had gained an audience of nine million.

As a result of the hysteria surrounding ‘Shake it Off’ the song debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early September. It became only the 22^nd song in history to debut at #1. It remained on the chart for 50 consecutive weeks.

Clearly, Swift’s message to the world was received.

“I’ve learned a pretty tough lesson that people can say whatever they want about us at any time, and we cannot control that. The only thing we can control is our reaction to that.”

Taylor Swift

Along with Taylor Swift’s popularity came an intense groundswell of detractors who put her every move under a microscope. The scrutiny must have been intense. What would have broken an average person became the catalyst to creativity and inspiration for this singer/songwriter.

“With the song ‘Shake It Off,’ I really wanted to kind of take back the narrative, and have more of a sense of humor about people who kind of get under my skin – and not let them get under my skin. There’s a song that I wrote a couple years ago called “Mean,” where I addressed the same issue but I addressed it very differently. I said, “Why you gotta be so mean?,” from kind of a victimized perspective, which is how we all approach bullying or gossip when it happens to us for the first time. But in the last few years I’ve gotten better at just kind of laughing off things that absolutely have no bearing on my real life. I think it’s important to be self-aware about what people are saying about you, but even more so, be very aware of who you actually are, and to have that be the main priority.”

Taylor Swift

Here are the lyrics:

I stay out too late, got nothin’ in my brain
That’s what people say, mmm hmm, that’s what people say, mmm hmm
I go on too many dates, but I can’t make ’em stay
At least that’s what people say mmm mmm, that’s what people say mmm mmm

But I keep cruising, can’t stop, won’t stop moving
It’s like I got this music in my mind, sayin’ gonna be alright

‘Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

I’ll never miss a beat, I’m lightning on my feet
And that’s what they don’t see mmm mmm, that’s what they don’t see mmm mmm
I’m dancing on my own (dancing on my own), I’ll make the moves up as I go (moves up as I go)
And that’s what they don’t know mmm mmm, that’s what they don’t know mmm mmm

But I keep cruising, can’t stop, won’t stop grooving
It’s like I got this music in my mind saying it’s gonna be alright

‘Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off

Hey, hey, hey
Just think while you’ve been getting down and out about the liars and the dirty, dirty cheats in the world
You could have been getting down to this sick beat

My ex-man brought his new girlfriend
She’s like “oh my God”, but I’m just gonna shake it
And to the fella over there with the hella good hair
Won’t you come on over, baby, we can shake, shake, shake, yeah oh

‘Cause the players gonna play, play, play, play, play
And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate (haters gonna hate me)
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off
Heartbreakers gonna break, break, break, break, break
And the fakers gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake (the fakers baby)
Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off

I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off
I, I shake it off, I shake it off

Taylor Swift/Max Martin/Shellback

In retrospect, this is worthy of a ton of respect. I can only imagine how much this message has resonated with her worldwide fan base. There is no doubt that ‘Shake it Off’ has made a difference. Fittingly, it was listed as one of the ten songs that defined the 2010s. The video I shared today has been viewed over 2.8 billion times. It is the 13^th most viewed video on Youtube, and the second most viewed video created by a female artist behind only ‘Roar’ by Katy Perry which sits at 2.98 million views.

In 2015, Ryan Adams covered the entire ‘1989’ album and released it to his devoted audience. Here is Adams’ version of ‘Shake it Off’ which comes across like a Bruce Springsteen song. Overall, the performance was very strong, but it met with some consternation from his fans. This led to Adams declaring he would never release a cover of a full album again.

This controversy pales in comparison to the personal crisis that befell Adams in 2019. Several women came out and accused Adams of offering to assist them in their musical careers, and then pursuing them sexually in conjunction with that support. These allegations included his ex-wife; Mandy Moore. It is alleged that when his advances were rebuffed, Adams attempted to sabotage their careers through frequent text messages and negative posts on social media. These accusations emerged out of the #MeToo movement.

For Adams part, the allegations have been flatly denied and the allegations have remained unproven.

The story continues…

Bad Blood – Bandaids don’t fix bullet holes. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #TaylorSwift #RyanAdams

When it comes to mass popularity there are few artists today that can match the success of Taylor Swift. To put it in perspective, in the 2010s only Taylor Swift, Drake, Adele and Michael Buble had albums remain at #1 on the Billboard 200 for six consecutive weeks. I don’t pretend to be a fan’ Swifty”, but her numbers are staggering and her list of accomplishments are lengthy. She deserves a ton of credit because one thing is certain. She has an ability to relate to her audience through her lyrics and that audience hangs on her every word.

Today’s song is ‘Bad Blood’ which was the fourth single from her 2014 album ‘1989’. The lyrics, as mentioned, are totally relatable because they detail betrayal by a close friend.

‘Cause, baby, now we got bad blood
You know it used to be mad love
So take a look what you’ve done
‘Cause, baby, now we got bad blood
Hey
Now we got problems
And I don’t think we can solve them
You made a really deep cut
And, baby, now we got bad blood

Taylor Swift, Shellback, Max Martin and Kendrick Lamar

Speculation within the music industry and among her legion of fans suggest ‘Bad Blood’ was written about Katy Perry. There was an allegation that an ‘artist’ attempted to sabotage one of her concert tours by hiring key members of her support staff. This was chronicled in many publications including; Rolling Stone, Billboard, Time and the Washington Post. It has been a fascinating feud to observe from the periphery.

Band-aids don’t fix bullet holes
You say sorry just for show
If you live like that, you live with ghosts (ghosts)
Band-aids don’t fix bullet holes (hey)
You say sorry just for show (hey)
If you live like that, you live with ghosts (hey)
Mhmmm
If you love like that blood runs cold”

Taylor Swift, Shellback, Max Martin and Kendrick Lamar

Meanwhile, the song itself became yet another smash hit for the engaging pop star. ‘Bad Blood’ features rapper Kendrick Lamar doing the verses while Swift sings the chorus. This fresh approach led to the songs success and introduced a powerful new duo with a high degree of crossover attention. The video also contributed to ‘Bad Blood’s’ success as it is presented like a mini action movie.

A brief summary of accomplishments for this song will help to put her massive popularity in perspective, Its rapid ascent to the top of the Billboard Chart was almost unprecedented. It sold 385,000 copies in one week and jumped 52 positions. ‘Bad Blood’ was Swift’s fourth #1 single and the third from ‘1989’ . She was the first artist since Adele to have three #1 singles from the same album. Success for ‘Bad Blood’ was worldwide, making its way to #1 in six countries. To add to its list of accolades, ‘Bad Blood’ won Video of the Year and Best Collaboration at the 2015 MTV Video Awards, as well Best Music Video at the Grammy Awards. One final note about the popularity of the video; it has been viewed over 1.5 BILLION times. Staggering. 

All of Taylor Swift’s accomplishments were pointed out to me by my son Sebastian who considers Taylor Swift a bit of a guilty pleasure. In order to create an interest for me he pointed out that versatile rocker, Ryan Adams  did a cover version of Taylor Swift’s entire 1989 album. For Adams, the idea came from a sense of feeling ‘a little lost’ between Christmas and New Years in 2014. He had just finished an exhaustive stretch of a tour, and his marriage had dissolved.  He was at a loss and his mind wandered back to time spent on the tour bus where he idly listened to Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ album. He always felt he heard more, and he wanted to delve deeper into the tracks and offer his own interpretation. An idea was born.

Adams was going to recreate ‘1989’ in the style of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Nebraska’.  

For her part, Taylor Swift was elated at the prospect of this tribute.

Ryan Adams is one of the artists who shaped my songwriting. My favorite part of his style of creating music is his ability to bleed aching vulnerability into it, and that’s what he’s done with his cover project of my album 1989. When I first heard that Ryan was going to be covering my entire album, I couldn’t believe it. It’s such an honor that he would want to take my stories and lyrics and give them a new life. He’s gotten some of the best musicians together to record this album and if the clips he’s released are any indication, this is going to be something really special.”

Taylor Swift

She considered the tribute album more than a cover…it went beyond that to the point of ‘re-imaginings.’ On her tours, aspects of Adams’ versions of her songs began to creep into her performances. It’s a pretty cool dynamic. 

In a bit of a humorous twist, Father John Misty decided to do a cover of Ryan Adam’s cover of ‘1989’. This led to a bitter ‘twitter’ war between the two artists. 

Adams called Misty a ‘self important asshole’ that sounds like ‘a shit Elton John’ while Misty responded with a confused shrug saying ‘I hope he is okay.’ Adams ultimately apologized and the feud is currently simmering, so the dramatic theatrics are not reserved for Katy Perry and Taylor Swift. Too funny.

What’s a little ‘Bad Blood’ between rivals if it stimulates creativity?