November 9, 2022 | 00:00
I thought this whole time that Justin Bieber was the marketing genius. Remember how he was overruled by his own country, Canada, for his then heinous behavior? Bieber has turned the tide on becoming a respected pop star. But it has now turned out that Taylor Swift is the real genius, not only in marketing but also in music production and her ability to turn painful memories into sources of money.
Take a look at what’s happened since she released her latest album Midnights on what else but midnight on October 21st. Spotify crashed. Midnights became the most streamed album in a single day. Three hours later, Taylor released the Midnights 3:AM version with seven additional songs, songs which were shortlisted for the album but did not make the final cut. Swifties, as her fans are called, has gone double crazy. So, a week later, Midnights became the most streamed album of all time. It also ranked #1 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums list.
That’s not all. Pop music history has continued to unfold before our eyes or should I say in our ears, thanks to Taylor. For the first time ever, 10 tracks by an artist entered the Top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for an entire week. It was Swiftie and her Midnights, of course. The last time something like this happened was in September 2021. Drake pulled off the feat but he only had nine Top 10 singles from his Certified Lover Boy album. Taylor has now broken that record with 10.
Take a look at the Top 20 songs from the latest Hot 100: Anti-Hero; Lavender Hope; Bordeaux; Snow on the Beach with Lana Del Rey; Midnight Rain; Bejeweled; Question…?; You’re all alone, kid; Karma; Vigilante Shit, all of these tracks are by Taylor Swift.
Take note, Swiftie has more songs in the next 20 list. Ungodly by Sam Smith and Kim Petras; Bad Habit by Steve Lacy; Mastermind by Taylor; Taylor’s Labyrinth; Taylor’s Sweet Nothing; As it was by Harry Styles; I Love You (A Happier Day) by Post Malone and Doja Cat; I am not worried about a republic; Your Evidence by Morgan Wallen; and Would, Could, Should Have by Taylor.
Not only that. Swiftie has even more songs from Midnights in the Top 50: 21.) Bigger Than the Whole Sky; 26.) The Great War; 32.) Paris; 33.) High Infidelity; 41.) Glitch; and 45.) Dear reader.
Midnights is Taylor’s 10th studio album. It contains new original compositions on 13 sleepless nights of his life. Unless caused by joy or too much excitement, sleepless nights are not pleasant experiences. Tossing and turning all night is caused by tears, boo-hoos, heartaches, fears, Eeek!, monsters under my bed!, pain, is it a heart attack or burns of stomach, and often by this man who left you, who betrayed you or who didn’t love you at all.
Taylor took all those feelings and turned them into songs that are now making so much money that she will stay rich, too creditworthy all her life. Nyanyananah! Eat your heart out Scooter Braun for wanting to own my songs. Take this Kanye West, for fighting with me. Take that, John Mayer, Jake Gyllenhaal, Calvin Harris, Harry Styles, etc., everyone who could have been nicer to Swiftie. Thank goodness she has now found true love.
Anti-Hero pop rock with its nightmarish winks is interesting. Lavender Haze is dreamy disco. Bejeweled with its lush, star-studded Cinderella-inspired video is fun. But Midnights doesn’t have a single that stands out. Taylor meanders. The content is disjointed. Just like what happens with thoughts during sleepless nights. If that was his intention, then it’s a great album.
What I see in Midnights is everything Taylor has learned over the past few years. That’s what I find so remarkable about her. She is continually learning the ropes of music making and marketing and putting it all to good use. Now the question is whether she has peaked. Not likely. She is still young. So, I wonder, what will she come up with next?