With the Grammys being over it’s been a rather slow pop music week as people still talk about what went down Sunday night. So, I’ve been reading several articles detailing the night’s events…and then I came across
this article published on MTV’s website.
The article attempts to back up Taylor Swift’s horrendous live performance on the Grammy night, you know, the one where she sang live alongside legend Stevie Nicks; no, don’t recall? Maybe the sound of a whining horse can conjure up the memories we’ve all now tried to bury.
The writer describes Taylor’s performance as ‘wobbly’ and as an ‘off-performance.’
Wobbles would be a step up from the undulations in pitch Taylor’s voice emitted that night; and off-performance doesn’t account for the multitude of YouTube clips which show that the girl really does have pitch issues singing live. The article goes on to say:
"Ah yes, the Grammys. Swift’s performance with Nicks at Sunday night’s show was many things, but it looks like few of them are working out well for her. Her wobbly vocal performance put her in direct comparison with the likes of Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, both of whom she was competing against for the night’s top honors, both of whom had already delivered astounding performances. And when, at the end of the night, Swift bested both to win Album of the Year, well, the hatred went haywire.
So yes, while Swift’s performance didn’t go that well, it still doesn’t mean that she deserves the sheer amount of hatred she’s getting. So what if she had an off performance? So what if she won a boatload of awards? Her Fearless album (not to mention her self-titled debut) has been among the very few bright spots in the music industry over the past few years, and these awards are given out by that same industry. Swift deserves the accolades. She’s earned them."
As a die-hard fan of Britney Spears I can appreciate the fact that not all pop stars need be diva, note-smashing singers to be entertaining. However, even Britney’s 2000 Grammy performance, in which she does sing live, wasn’t as pitchy as Swift’s–and at least she gave us other entertainment value! (And she still is not favored at the Grammys!) I’ll be the first to admit that I love autotune and studio pop stars (come on, if you’ve been reading the blog you know I’m all about some Ke$ha at the moment) but what I can’t stand about this article is how it glosses over the fact that that is what Taylor is. No doubt Fearless was a huge album last year, but that lackluster performance in no way backed up the honor she won that night, and so the harsh comments are warranted.
Anyone remember Britney’s 2007 VMA performance? Everyone was quick to criticize that as a horrible performance, and though Taylor and Britney might seem like artists on odd ends of the spectrum, this is where the article makes a very valid point:
"But, like I said, all of this was probably inevitable. We live to knock people down, and it’s just Swift’s turn to take her lumps. It’s already happened to the likes of Madonna, Britney and Beyoncé, not to mention her fellow country acts like Shania Twain and Faith Hill. It’s been going on for decades, if not centuries, now. It’s just part of the game.
“The cycle of Britney is similar, only with Taylor, it’s more rooted in her music,” music critic Maura Johnston told me. “It’s the whole idea of, ‘Well, too many people like her, so let’s pick at why?’ There’s a contrarian streak in culture, where it’s a lot easier to share an animosity towards a figure, whether it’s the government or a pop star. And animosity begets animosity. It’s just the way things go these days.”
So, Taylor’s ‘off-performance’ aside, perhaps it really was inevitable that her denouncement would come to pass. For some reason, our society loves to build people up only to tear them down. Then, we’re right there again expecting a massive comeback. Britney’s 2009 Circus campaign was prime example of that, as her album and subsequent Circus tour saw huge sales. Why is it that people can only tolerate someone else’s success up to a certain point when we are the ones that give it to them? Then, it almost becomes uncool in the collective psyche of society to like anything associated with that person–even if in fact we all harbor a secret interest in what they are up to. Don’t think this is the case? I challenge any Britney nay-sayer to admit that when they heard the now infamous ‘It’s Britney bitch’ line of ‘Gimme More’ that they didn’t immediately perk up and, at least, hum along with the song. Not to mention entertainment outlets’ constant obsession with reporting on her.
Clearly there is a fine line of success that an artist can reach before society is ready to tear them down-and perhaps-after the year Taylor had this past year-that line has been crossed.
I can’t say that Fearless was even remotely close to my pick of Album of the Year, however I also can’t deny the songwriting talent she has and the fact that it was an industry smash. However, at least enroll the girl in some vocal lessons if you’re going to be having her on stage with a guitar singing live.
All of this talk has got me wondering when Lady Gaga will cross the threshold. She seems to be on top now, but when will society turn on her, too, and steal the throne we’ve since placed her on?
What do you think? Why do we, as a society, love to place people on pedestals and knock them down? Are you are Britney-basher-now-turned supporter? What factors made you switch and just how far does a celebrity have before they cross the society’s ‘line of too much success?’
Sound off in the comments or @popboi on twitter.
