#9: Blur-red Lines
I'm back after a hiatus for some completely objective and level-headed journalism on the heated case between Damon Albarn vs Taylor Alison Swift.
You think Taylor Swift and Blur would have beef, and I wouldn’t write about it?
ICYMI: Shots were fired Monday evening after a dispute between washed-up Britpop singer and Blur frontman Damon Albarn and international pop music darling Taylor Swift broke out on the streets of Twitter.
In an interview for the LA Times, Albarn accused Swift of not writing her own songs. He even went one step further to say that co-writing songs doesn’t really count (the interview is in Q&A format):
LA Times: She may not be to your taste, but Taylor Swift is an excellent songwriter.
Albarn: She doesn’t write her own songs.Of course she does. Co-writes some of them.
That doesn’t count. I know what co-writing is. Co-writing is very different to writing. I’m not hating on anybody, I’m just saying there’s a big difference between a songwriter and a songwriter who co-writes. Doesn’t mean that the outcome can’t be really great. And some of the greatest singers — I mean, Ella Fitzgerald never wrote a song in her life. When I sing, I have to close my eyes and just be in there. I suppose I’m a traditionalist in that sense. A really interesting songwriter is Billie Eilish and her brother. I’m more attracted to that than to Taylor Swift. It’s just darker — less endlessly upbeat. Way more minor and odd. I think she’s exceptional.
**Also overlooked is Albarn’s hilarious and kind of uncalled for jab against the Rolling Stones, so I highly suggest reading the full article.
Now, if you are squinting at the screen wondering who Albarn is and why he’s even interviewed in the LA Times, you wouldn’t be alone.
He is the lead singer (and pretty face) of Blur, a British boyband formed in the ‘90s that rivaled Oasis for the top spot in the charts. Blur never really took off in the U.S. the way the Gallagher brothers did, but you’ve probably heard Song 2.
Albarn also went on to start the virtual band Gorillaz, where he also is lead singer and songwriter for the group.
But back to the drama.
Swift brutally murdered Albarn in an act of self-defense.
oh - and I can’t leave out the nail in the coffin:
This accusation is laughable for Swift’s fans, who know that she famously built a loyal following for simple chord progressions on the guitar or piano, paired with raw, vulnerable lyrics that feel like they were lifted right from our collective diary pages.
But for those who didn’t grow up blasting the Fearless album on their way to school, such an accusation might seem really possible, considering how intertwined Swift is with the pop music industry. For me, it’s completely justified that Swift wants use her massive platform to defend herself on this. She’s already battling record-label executives over the ownership of her own masters, and has released entire albums and a documentary about how she feels the world perceives her. The stakes have never been higher for Swift to reclaim her own reputation.
Outside of the accusation itself is Swift’s response. And her response is a big deal.
Swift has an enormous platform, and she knows it. Rarely does she use it to explicitly call someone out, since anyone she targets is is almost sure to get caught in the wake of a media firestorm and her notoriously defensive fans. This is something personal to her, and she is going to be vocal about it. She also rarely ever swears, an image-conscious choice made for her long ago.
But there’s also a darker, subliminal message in Albarn’s opinion that is going overlooked. And that is the tired trope of pitting women against women.
Though he doesn’t state this deliberately, bringing up Eilish in the same breath discrediting Swift sets the two up to be at odds with each other.
Two of the most successful pop stars of the 2010s couldn’t possibly be compared for their similar paths to success. Instead, they are analyzed for their contrasting songwriting styles. Eilish—and her alternative, edgy aesthetic—has built up a huge following for her down-to-earth production style making songs at home with her brother and music partner, Finneas. Swift, on the other hand, has spent more than 10 years in the spotlight as a radio-pop princess. As her career evolved, so did her songwriting process. While she has never shied away from naming her collaborators (a list that includes the Swedish Top 40-hit machine Max Martin and independent artist and producer Jack Antanoff aka Bleachers) her brand has relied heavily on attaching her face and name to every song, not unlike what Eilish is doing too.
Look, it’s entirely possible that Albarn is simply just a bigger fan of Eilish because he just likes her sound better, as Swift’s music is not for everyone. But if we are talking about songwriting here, authenticity is everything. Didn’t both artists get their start playing instruments in their childhood bedrooms?
Albarn has already tried to walk back his comments, no doubt feeling the wrath of the millions of Swift supporters coming to her defense online. (Don’t even get me started on his blatant disregard for journalism by throwing his own words under the bus as a rouse for “clickbait.”)
I’m all for an argument about the nuances of co-writing vs. writing solo. But does this man really think the line “a dwindling, mercurial high” was written by some industry songwriter built to make catchy hooks?
final thoughts
Rec Corner
bits and bops from the archive or around the internet
Maid on Netflix
I recently binged this show in one weekend and while I had a few gripes, it really was a phenomenal watch. Haunted by the feeling that the producers almost certainly hit copy and paste from my Spotify to build the soundtrack, I have to mention it here.
So many hits from such incredible indie women. Favs being Haim’s Now Im in It and Sharon Van Etten’s Every Time the Sun Comes Up.
Paul Simon (1972)
Paul Simon’s self-titled album came out this week 50 years ago. I’ve never listened to it in full, so I guess there’s no time like the present. Most likely will just be blasting this on repeat
that’s it for this week! thanks for coming along. as always, feel free to reply to this email if you have any burning thoughts on this week’s topic or just wanna say hi. if you stumbled upon this week’s newsletter and want to stick around, you can sign up below.
Love this edition of Music and Beans. Don't forget to listen to Mother and Child Reunion for Paul Simon. Also, you are 100% spot on with the women bashing and provocation in the music industry. It needs to be called out like you are doing -- and all of Eilish and Swift fans should keep doing, too.
Glad you're back! I enjoy this newsletter!