TAYLOR'S VERSION

An exploration of what made Taylor Swift the phenomenon she is.

Poet and literary critic Burt taught a class about the songs of pop star Swift at Harvard University in 2024, with 200 students signing up to learn about the music and lyrics of the singer-songwriter. Burt’s book poses and explores a seemingly simple question: “Taylor Swift is a world phenomenon. How did she get that way?” She proposes some answers: She mostly wrote her own songs; she is “both aspirational and relatable”; and she has an indefatigable work ethic. Burt dedicates a chapter to each of Swift’s 11 studio albums, starting with her self-titled 2006 debut, which Burt says is part of the pastoral tradition in literature and treated country music as “a set of tropes.” Burt goes on to analyze Speak Now, which she considers a Künstlerroman; Lover, “a mess” with “aspirational moments”; and Swift’s most recent record, The Tortured Poets Department, her longest and “saddest” album. The book closes with a chapter on Swift’s record-shattering Eras tour, which Burt got to see in Edinburgh, Scotland. Burt’s book mixes close readings of Swift’s lyrics (she urges readers not to treat them as poems) with looks at Swift’s biography and accounts of Burt’s own travels in search of the country that made Swift. A self-proclaimed “Swiftie,” the author does an especially good job writing about the artist’s relatability: “If she’s a genius, that’s not because she stands apart from everyone else or pushes us away.” Burt isn’t afraid to criticize Swift (something of a rarity among her fans), and her refusal to treat the singer with kid gloves is welcome: She’s a fan, but a clear-eyed one. This is an outstanding look at one of the world’s most beloved entertainers.

More than a fan’s notes: a smart, incisive look at the singer-songwriter who has captured the world’s imagination.