Taylor Swift is a force of nature, a perfect storm of talent, grit and beauty, brilliant management, and timing. Her songs are often personal tell-alls about her relationships, heavy on irony, snark and clever remarks.
As a Boomer who participates in daily American life, you need to know this song, if, for no other reason, than because it’s Taylor Swift’s.
The Pop Culture Queen recently debuted her newest, “Look What You Made Me Do,” at the MTV Video Music Awards amidst much ado, and when it was released as a single it got 7.91 million streams in one 24-hour period on Spotify, a new record. It’s already top 10 on Top 40 radio, and charting on both Adult Top 40 and Adult Contemporary.
It’s got an elaborate video that visualizes a dramatic break up, with what looks like hundreds of costume changes, and endless fantasy sets. Appropriate for young adults, but not that captivating for 55-year old Boomers.
“Look What You Made Me Do” was inspired and influenced by the way more fun and m-e-l-l-o-w “I’m Too Sexy” a 1991 hit by British brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass, who billed themselves as Right Said Fred, and who will, in fact, receive royalties because Swift has acknowledged their contribution to her song’s melody and structure.
While Right Said Fred may not be well-known to Swift fans, they are big, having sold over 20 million records world-wide.
The numbers:
Before Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do,” the previous one-day record for global streams on Spotify was 6.87 million, for Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You.”
Note that while “Look What You Made Me Do” owns the one-day Spotify record, Ed Sheeran’s “Shape Of You” continues to be the champ for streams in a single day– topping 10 million!