Taylor Swift proves the struggle of songwriting without heartbreak

The last time I wrote a poem was almost a year ago. It came after a trip to Venice, where I visited a basilica. Its vaulted ceilings, rich velvet interior and statues of saints dipped in gold provided a perfect muse for my impromptu poem. I scribbled it in Venice’s Marco Polo Airport. Like the broke study abroad students we were, we had booked the 5 a.m. flight back to England and had stayed out all night, eventually collapsing in a heap on uncomfortable airport benches. I was floating through a combined state of heartbreak and joy: I was grieving the loss of a relationship while simultaneously exploring a new city with my friends. With nothing to do but wait for our gate to open, I turned to my journal. What I wrote was an emotional mixture inspired by the quiet yet grandiose basilica. The poem itself was a messy amalgamation of phrases and half-baked similes, but when I reread it for the first time in 11 months, I was proud of my work. I wasn’t impressed by my literary prowess, but by how I was able to feel the exact emotions I was trying to capture in that moment. This effect that poetry has on me is why I love Taylor Swift. Even though the mega pop star is more than a decade older than me and her life bears zero resemblance to a University of Maryland student, her ability to write songs that speak so directly to my experiences and emotions is why I’ve been a loyal fan for almost my whole life. [ How weeklytae went from exploring DC metro stops to a UMD football game ] However, her newest work, The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore , poses the question of whether good art can be made when you’re in a happy, healthy moment of life. Swift’s track “Cleveland!” has garnered internet vitriol, thanks to its babyish lyrics, devoid of any nuance or maturity. In a Pitchfork article, Hattie Lindert described the song’s production as “somewhere between Dear Evan Hansen and a Kohl’s holiday playlist.” A Reddit user, responding to a thread on the article, fired back: “please don’t wish that upon us kohls associates.” In whatever corner of the internet you look, people are ferociously rejecting Swift’s new music. And you can draw a clear parallel between the timing of Swift’s wedding and this sharp decline in her music production and lyricism. [ ‘Aula de Flamenco’ is a hidden burst of art and culture ] Love is undoubtedly, and unfortunately, the motivation behind writing. When we feel grief over a breakup or ecstasy over a new relationship, there’s an undeniable need to express it through writing — an artistic catharsis that has existed from the beginning of time. My current hiatus from writing poetry lines up with the beginning of my healthy, happy relationship. Although Swift’s “Cleveland!” seems to be lacking depth, I can see where she’s coming from. As a musician, she has to release something for her fans, especially given the high-profile status of her and Kelce’s relationship. The disappointingly hollow tracks on The Life of a Showgirl are the result. If I were to write something now, when love doesn’t seem so tumultuous or harrowing, I would definitely produce something akin to “Cleveland!” — “College Park!” perhaps. Another pop princess, Olivia Rodrigo, may support this depressing theory with evidence from the opposite end of the spectrum. Her album You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love , which was released in June, delivers a soul-crushing look at heartbreak. The song, “Begged,” reflects the beauty of simple songwriting, with lyrics like “Is that a normal thing / To fight back the waves / Of a static lover’s dread?” Her album divulges her heartbreak and angst over ending a relationship, delivering more complex songwriting than Swift does with lines like “my baby likes what he likes, oh-woah, oh-oh.” As I drift away from that burning need to develop my angst through creative work, I find myself caught between missing the ability to write a quality poem and enjoying the peace that comes with being in love.