{"id":5547,"date":"2015-10-02T10:03:26","date_gmt":"2015-10-02T14:03:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/?p=5547"},"modified":"2024-09-06T19:06:20","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T23:06:20","slug":"1989-x-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/2015\/10\/02\/1989-x-2\/","title":{"rendered":"1989 X 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve kicked this around for nearly two weeks, so I suppose it\u2019s time to finally convert the thoughts into text. I would not call this an album review proper, but rather a few musings about Ryan Adams\u2019 cover of Taylor Swift\u2019s 1989<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\n

Ryan Adams is no stranger to covering other people\u2019s music. His set lists are peppered with songs from other artists. He recorded one of the greatest covers of all time<\/a>, a song so good even the man who wrote it affirmed that it now belongs to Adams<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Still, it\u2019s one thing to cover a<\/em> song. It\u2019s something else to take another artist\u2019s entire album and cover it, front-to-back. But if you\u2019re going to tackle that challenge, you might as well attempt to summit Everest. Regardless of quality, Adams\u2019 effort to cover one of the biggest pop albums of the digital era – while it is still charting singles – is brash, audacious, ballsy, outrageous, etc. etc. etc. Depending on your view of the two artists involved, it could also be labelled as cynical, opportunistic, or straight thieving.<\/p>\n

My quick review of Adams\u2019 version is it\u2019s very good. There are some huge high points. There are a couple songs I skip past. Whether it is coincidental or intentional, I find his versions of the songs that have not (yet) been released as singles by Swift to be the best. Where the originals are firmly rooted in the shiny, heavily produced pop of her birth year, Adams moves many of the songs back another 4–5 years and taps into the Heartland Rock sound he explored so well on his self-titled album from last year.<\/p>\n

Two big things stuck out to me about Adams\u2019 version:<\/p>\n

1 – Perspective is everything in music.
\nTaylor Swift\u2019s songs are about her romantic failures and insecurities. But when you spin her version of 1989<\/em>, you\u2019re not left feeling down, drained, or pessimistic. Throwing those lyrics over shimmery, synthesized pop changes the way we interpret her words. Yes, she\u2019s been hurt. Yes, she wonders why her relationships don\u2019t last, why she keeps making the same mistakes, why she can\u2019t find The<\/em> guy. But she\u2019s also 25 and optimistic. For all those fears, she believes that, eventually, she will find the answers and happiness will follow.<\/p>\n

Adding to these feelings are the subtext in so many of the songs. Taylor is often making fun of herself and her image, and offering light-hearted, yet pointed, rejoinders to those who have criticized her personal life. The emotions in the words are serious, but she\u2019s reminding us not to take them too<\/em> seriously.<\/p>\n

When Adams sings these songs, though, the mood changes completely. It\u2019s not just because he removes almost all the synthesizers and keeps the arrangements as simple guitar-organ-drum compositions. Or that he\u2019s mimicking the sounds of The Boss, Bono, and Morrissey. The difference comes because he\u2019s almost 41, newly divorced<\/a>, and looking at the world from a completely different vantage point than Swift.<\/p>\n

A breakup can be traumatic, but there\u2019s also a fleeting nature about dating that allows you to move on quicker. Swift\u2019s songs are ultimately optimistic about her future. Adams, dealing with the broader emotional scars a divorce leaves, sings these songs with a weariness and acceptance that his life is fundamentally changed. I don\u2019t think he strips the songs of all their hopefulness, but he masks it behind the realization that even if he falls in love again, it\u2019s never going to feel like it felt when we was 25.<\/p>\n

Yes, the music is different. But the biggest contrasts in these albums comes from where each artist is in their life.<\/p>\n

2 – Taylor Swift\u2019s songs are amazing.
\nI outed myself as loving \u201cBlank Space\u201d earlier this year. Truth be told, I like an awful lot of Taylor\u2019s 1989<\/em>. It is filled with absolutely perfect, undeniable pop anthems. There\u2019s no shame in liking them, regardless of what kind of music you generally listen to.<\/p>\n

By recording his own muted versions, though, Adams shines a light on just how good her songs are. As I said, some of the impact of her lyrics gets lost in the production beneath the originals. The sense of triumph sometimes masks the pain inside her words. Adams instead focuses on the hurt at the heart of each song. And they still stand strong. The sign of a great song is one that can be recorded by different singers, in different styles, and yet the impact of the lyrics remains strong. That\u2019s certainly the case here, with Adams tapping into a side of Swift\u2019s songs that is not immediately obvious in the originals.<\/p>\n

\n

Since Adams\u2019 1989<\/em> came out, I\u2019ve been listening to it a ton. I like it a lot, although I disagree with a few critics who say it\u2019s his best album ever.[1]<\/a> I\u2019ve also sprinkled in some liberal spins of Taylor\u2019s original. I love the contrast in songs like \u201cOut Of The Woods.\u201d Swift\u2019s original sounds like the best song Roxette never recorded, and could easily be the soundtrack for a girls\u2019 night out. Adams\u2019 song taps into his love for The Smiths and becomes a somber, tear-jerking epic. \u201cAll You Had To Do Was Stay,\u201d \u201cI Wish You Would,\u201d and \u201cStyle\u201d are equally excellent in very different ways. And Adams, to me, records stronger versions of \u201cWelcome To New York\u201d and \u201cWildest Dreams.\u201d<\/p>\n

If you can ignore the hype behind both albums, if you can get past the polarization both artists elicit among music critics, Adams has delivered a fantastic album. His versions stand up on their own. But he\u2019s also opened a door for many of us who were afraid to fully embrace Swift\u2019s music. And he\u2019s shone a light on just how good of a writer she is.<\/p>\n

(Adams performed \u201cBad Blood\u201d and \u201cStyle\u201d on The Daily Show last night<\/a>. Go to the 14:00 mark if you want to skip the rest of the show.)<\/p>\n

\n
\n
    \n
  1. \nI\u2019m far from an Adams completist, but Love Is Hell<\/em> and Ryan Adams<\/em> are my favorites. And I CAN NOT WAIT for the double album he says is set for release next year. Where 1989<\/em> touched on his post-divorce feelings, that next album is going to wallow in them. And he\u2019s always been at his best when he\u2019s wallowing.  ↩<\/a>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I\u2019ve kicked this around for nearly two weeks, so I suppose it\u2019s time to finally convert the thoughts into text. I would not call this an album review proper, but rather a few musings about Ryan Adams\u2019 cover of Taylor Swift\u2019s 1989. Ryan Adams is no stranger to covering other people\u2019s music. His set lists are peppered with songs from other artists. He recorded one of the greatest covers of all time, a song so good even the man who wrote it affirmed that it now belongs to Adams. Still, it\u2019s one thing to cover a song. It\u2019s something else to take another artist\u2019s entire album and cover it, front-to-back. But if you\u2019re going to tackle that challenge, you might as well attempt to summit Everest. Regardless of quality, Adams\u2019 effort to cover one of the biggest pop albums of the digital era – while it is still charting singles – is brash, audacious, ballsy, outrageous, etc. etc. etc. Depending on your view of the two artists involved, it could also be labelled as cynical, opportunistic, or straight thieving. My quick review of Adams\u2019 version is it\u2019s very good. There are some huge high points. There are a couple songs I skip past. Whether it is coincidental or intentional, I find his versions of the songs that have not (yet) been released as singles by Swift to be the best. Where the originals are firmly rooted in the shiny, heavily produced pop of her birth year, Adams moves many of the songs back another 4–5 years and taps into the Heartland Rock sound he explored so well on his self-titled album from last year. Two big things stuck out to me about Adams\u2019 version: 1 – Perspective is everything in music. Taylor Swift\u2019s songs are about her romantic failures and insecurities. But when you spin her version of 1989, you\u2019re not left feeling down, drained, or pessimistic. Throwing those lyrics over shimmery, synthesized pop changes the way we interpret her words. Yes, she\u2019s been hurt. Yes, she wonders why her relationships don\u2019t last, why she keeps making the same mistakes, why she can\u2019t find The guy. But she\u2019s also 25 and optimistic. For all those fears, she believes that, eventually, she will find the answers and happiness will follow. Adding to these feelings are the subtext in so many of the songs. Taylor is often making fun of herself and her image, and offering light-hearted, yet pointed, rejoinders to those who have criticized her personal life. The emotions in the words are serious, but she\u2019s reminding us not to take them too seriously. When Adams sings these songs, though, the mood changes completely. It\u2019s not just because he removes almost all the synthesizers and keeps the arrangements as simple guitar-organ-drum compositions. Or that he\u2019s mimicking the sounds of The Boss, Bono, and Morrissey. The difference comes because he\u2019s almost 41, newly divorced, and looking at the world from a completely different vantage point than Swift. A breakup can be traumatic, but there\u2019s also a fleeting nature about dating that allows you to move on quicker. Swift\u2019s songs are ultimately optimistic about her future. Adams, dealing with the broader emotional scars a divorce leaves, sings these songs with a weariness and acceptance that his life is fundamentally changed. I don\u2019t think he strips the songs of all their hopefulness, but he masks it behind the realization that even if he falls in love again, it\u2019s never going to feel like it felt when we was 25. Yes, the music is different. But the biggest contrasts in these albums comes from where each artist is in their life. 2 – Taylor Swift\u2019s songs are amazing. I outed myself as loving \u201cBlank Space\u201d earlier this year. Truth be told, I like an awful lot of Taylor\u2019s 1989. It is filled with absolutely perfect, undeniable pop anthems. There\u2019s no shame in liking them, regardless of what kind of music you generally listen to. By recording his own muted versions, though, Adams shines a light on just how good her songs are. As I said, some of the impact of her lyrics gets lost in the production beneath the originals. The sense of triumph sometimes masks the pain inside her words. Adams instead focuses on the hurt at the heart of each song. And they still stand strong. The sign of a great song is one that can be recorded by different singers, in different styles, and yet the impact of the lyrics remains strong. That\u2019s certainly the case here, with Adams tapping into a side of Swift\u2019s songs that is not immediately obvious in the originals. Since Adams\u2019 1989 came out, I\u2019ve been listening to it a ton. I like it a lot, although I disagree with a few critics who say it\u2019s his best album ever.[1] I\u2019ve also sprinkled in some liberal spins of Taylor\u2019s original. I love the contrast in songs like \u201cOut Of The Woods.\u201d Swift\u2019s original sounds like the best song Roxette never recorded, and could easily be the soundtrack for a girls\u2019 night out. Adams\u2019 song taps into his love for The Smiths and becomes a somber, tear-jerking epic. \u201cAll You Had To Do Was Stay,\u201d \u201cI Wish You Would,\u201d and \u201cStyle\u201d are equally excellent in very different ways. And Adams, to me, records stronger versions of \u201cWelcome To New York\u201d and \u201cWildest Dreams.\u201d If you can ignore the hype behind both albums, if you can get past the polarization both artists elicit among music critics, Adams has delivered a fantastic album. His versions stand up on their own. But he\u2019s also opened a door for many of us who were afraid to fully embrace Swift\u2019s music. And he\u2019s shone a light on just how good of a writer she is. (Adams performed \u201cBad Blood\u201d and \u201cStyle\u201d on The Daily Show last night. Go to the 14:00 mark if you want to skip the rest of the show.) I\u2019m far from an Adams completist, but Love Is Hell and Ryan Adams are my favorites. And I CAN NOT WAIT for the double album he says is set for release next year. Where 1989 touched on his post-divorce feelings, that next album is going to wallow in them. And he\u2019s always been at his best when he\u2019s wallowing.  ↩<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[9],"class_list":["post-5547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-music"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5547"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5547\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13944,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5547\/revisions\/13944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}