Taylor Swift, The #65 Artist of the Rock Era, Part One

"I love this woman.  She's amazing--not one song I don't like for her."

"0:00 of her first song a legend was born."

"The way this woman and her music has evolved over the years is astronomical."

"Taylor Swift is so iconic."

"This woman can write the heck out of a song."

"In the beginning, her lyrics were relatable, her videos were perfect, her voice was sweet and she was just beautiful.  More than a decade later, none of that has changed."

"Taylor's songs are magical."

"She is one hell of a songwriter"

"She is an American treasure."

she's the most respectable celebrity that I've ever known

"She makes amazing music."

legendary, revolutionary, flawless

Taylor is, without doubt, one of the finest lyricists in the modern era. Her ability to tell a story with her lyrics is amazing

"Taylor is one of the most talented singers ever."

Taylor Swift's music is a timeless masterpiece

I couldn’t imagine the music industry without this women. Legend

She's such an amazing songwriter. Years later and her songs and the way she writes the stories in them still amazes me.

She began as a pure Country artist, but her uncanny songwriting ability has elevated her to a superstar.

From the moment she began, this next legend was destined for greatness.  Writing personal songs with a depth that is relatable to millions at an early age that is not captured by many experienced artists, she burst onto the scene in 2006 and hasn't looked back.

Taylor Swift, named after superstar James Taylor,  was born December 13, 1989 in West Reading, Pennsylvania.  The family moved to Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, where Swift went to Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High School.  When she was nine, Taylor performed in four Berks Youth Theatre Academy productions, and took vocal and acting lessons in New York City.

Inspired by Shania Twain, Swift became interested in Country and wanted to move to Nashville, Tennessee, home of the Country music scene.  She recorded demos of Dolly Parton and The Chicks covers and traveled with her mother when she was 11 to submit them to record labels in the Nashville area.  She was rejected by all.  So Taylor realized that she needed to be different to stand out.  A year later, she learned how to play guitar from local musician Ronnie Cremer.  

In 2003, Taylor hired Dan Dymtrow as her talent agent.  Drymtrow arranged for Swift to model for Abercrombie & Fitch.  Swift obtained an artist development deal with RCA Records and began to travel to Nashville with her mother.  From the beginning, Taylor has been extremely fortunate to have the full support of her parents.  When she wanted to move to Tennessee to further her career, her father transferred to Nashville and the family moved to the suburb of Hendersonville to enable her to do so when she was just 14 years old.  

Taylor went to Hendersonville High School but switched to the Aaron Academy, which better suited her touring schedule.  Swift graduated a year early.  She began teaming with other Nashville songwriters, including Liz Rose, with whom she formed a lasting working relationship.  

Rose said her work with Swift was "some of the easiest I've ever done. Basically, I was just her editor. She'd write about what happened in school that day. She had such a clear vision of what she was trying to say. And she'd come in with the most incredible hooks."

Swift signed a publishing deal with Sony, but left when she was 14.  Then, while Taylor was performing at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville at an industry event, Scott Borchetta, an executive at DreamWorks who was in the process of forming the record label Big Machine Records, saw her and signed her to a recording contract.

Swift wrote three songs for her debut album, produced by her demo producer, Nathan Chapman.   

The eponymous album was released in 2006 when Taylor was just 16.  Her first single paid homage to country superstar "Tim McGraw".

The album moved to #5, but these accomplishments are not always as easy as they seem.  Both Taylor and her mother helped stuff CD singles of the lead single "Tim McGraw" into envelopes to send to radio stations.  

 

 The complexity of these songs is unbelievable, especially when one considers she wrote many of them when she was just 14 years old.  "Teardrops On My Guitar" peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, which is questionable methodology for a song that sold over three million copies.  Swift was nominated for Best New Artist at the MTV Video Music Awards.

 

"Our Song" only made it to #16 on Billboard despite sales of four million copies.

Swift promoted the album with tours of radio stations, appearances on television shows, and opening for Rascal Flatts and other artists on tour dates.  Taylor's debut is the longest-charting album of the 2000's, with 157 weeks on the Billboard Album chart and has now sold over seven million albums.

The album has sold over seven million copies to date.  Swift  captured an American Music Award for Favorite Country Female Artist and was nominated for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards.  

 

Swift released the holiday album Sounds of the Season:  The Taylor Swift Holiday Collection in 2007 and the EP Beautiful Eyes in 2008.  She continued to open for Rascal Flatts on tour.  Later that year, Taylor released the album Fearless, which included "Love Story", a #1 smash in Australia that reached #2 in the U.K., #3 in New Zealand and Ireland and #4 in the U.S. and Canada.  "Love Story" has gone over eight million in sales worldwide.

Fearless debuted at #1 on the Album chart and also topped charts in Canada and New Zealand.  Fearless has sold over 10 million copies in the U.S. and 12 million worldwide.  "White Horse" is another single that sold two million and Billboard still ranked only #13.  That's a problem.

Taylor had already begun honing her songwriting skills by this second album, which helped her transition from just a country artist to one which the masses loved.  The success allowed Swift to headline a tour, which grossed over $63 million.  The documentary Journey to Fearless, a three-part television miniseries that later was released on DVD.  

 

"You Belong With Me" became one of Taylor's biggest career hits, jumping to #2 in the U.S. and #3 in Canada and selling over seven million copies.  It was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Swift also won Best Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards for "You Belong With Me".  

Swift won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year, becoming the youngest artist to win that prestigious award, and seven American Music Awards, including Artist of the Year, Favorite Pop (Rock) Female Artist, Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist and Fearless was also nominated for Favorite Pop (Rock) Album.  She also was nominated for World's Best Pop/Rock Artist and World's Best Album at the World Music Awards.

 

Swift also received Artist of the Year honors at the Billboard Music Awards.  The title song, underrated even with a peak of #9, and cleared Platinum status, which by this time meant one million in sales (as opposed to defining a two-million seller as it was previously).

 

Swift had a cameo role in the movie Hannah Montana:  The Movie, and recorded two songs for the movie soundtrack.  She also sang backing vocals for John Mayer on his song "Half Of My Heart" and recorded two songs for the "Valentine's Day" Soundtrack and also starred in the movie.  "Today Was A Fairytale" topped the Canadian chart and peaked at #2 in the United States and #3 in Australia.  It also cleared one million in sales.

Taylor hosted and performed on an episode of the television show Saturday Night Live and became the first host to write their own opening monologue for the show.

 

Swift released the single "Mine" ahead of her third album Speak Now.  It debuted at #3 in 2010 and has sold over three million units in the U.S. alone.  

 

Taylor wrote all of the songs on the album that she co-produced as well.  Speak Now debuted at #1 in the U.S. and also went to #1 in Canada, Australia and New Zealand and was the 16th album in history to sell one million copies in its first week.  It has now topped six million in worldwide sales.  "Back To December" reached #6.

 

The single "Mean" sold over three million copies but stalled at #11.  It is one of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era* and was nominated for Best Video with a Social Message at the MTV Video Music Awards.

 Swift's Speak Now tour lasted a full year and grossed over $123 million.  She captured three American Music Awards for her work on Speak Now, including Artist of the Year.  She released the album Speak Now World Tour:  Live later in the year.   "Dear John" is of course an after-the-relationship letter to John Mayer, her former boyfriend.

Swift won three Billboard Music Awards, including Female Artist of the Year and Top Billboard 200 Artist.  "Ours" stopped at #13 but it sold over one million.

 

Swift won a People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Artist and was nominated for Favorite Pop Artist.  Taylor shows grace and skill on "The Story Of Us".

 

Taylor shows her versatility and rocks a bit with "Sparks Fly".

 

Swift wrote two songs for "The Hunger Games" Soundtrack, including "Safe & Sound", which won the Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.

Vogue magazine named Swift an Icon of American Style in 2011.

 

In 2012, Swift released "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together", the lead single from the album Red, which became her first career #1 song in the U.S. and also rose to #1 in Canada and sold over six million copies.  It was nominated for Record of the Year at the Grammys and World's Best Song and World's Best Video at the World Music Awards, was honored as Most-Performed Song by ASCAP and was nominated for Favorite Song at the People's Choice Awards.

Taylor also earned World Music Award nominations for World's Best Female Artist, World's Best Album, World's Best Entertainer of the Year and World's Best Live Act.  

 

On Red, Swift moved deftly from style to style.  The album debuted at #1 in the United States and topped album charts in the U.K., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland and was another album to sell over one million copies in its first week, making Swift the first female to have two such albums.  The million-seller "Begin Again" landed at #7, #4 in Canada.

 

Swift grossed over $150 million for the Red tour.  "I Knew You Were Trouble" was a multi-continental #2 smash (#2 in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada) and won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video (also nominated for Video of the Year).  The single has now sold seven million copies and also earned the ASCAP Award for Most-Performed Song.

 

Taylor had another big night at the American Music Awards, winning Artist of the Year and Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist among four awards while Red was nominated for Favorite Pop (Rock) album.  The title song peaked at #5 in Canada and #6 in the U.S.  It has now topped two million in sales.

 

Swift came home with eight trophies at the Billboard Music Awards, including Top Billboard 200 Album and Top Digital Songs Artist.  Incredibly simple and personal, but the lyrics hit home with depth to millions.  Here is the great track "All Too Well".

 

Red has sold over eight million copies around the world since its release.  Taylor was nominated for four Grammy Awards including Album of the Year.  This is another outstanding song on Red--"State Of Grace".

 

"Sad Beautiful Tragic" is another masterpiece on this amazing album.  It is among the best of The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

Another top track is "The Lucky One".

Swift's duet with Jack Antonoff ("Sweeter Than Fiction" for the "One Chance" Soundtrack) was nominated for Best Original Song at the Golden Globes.  Swift did the voice for Audrey in the animated movie The Lorax and had roles in the sitcom New Girl in 2013 and the movie The Giver in 2014.

 

Swift moved to New York City to record her next album, 1989, which was released in 2014.  The lead single, "Shake It Off", is one of her signature songs and a worldwide smash--#1 in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand, #2 in the United Kingdom, #3 in Ireland, #5 in Germany and #6 in France.  The single has now sold over five million copies and earned Taylor a People's Choice Award for Favorite Song while Swift won awards for Favorite Pop Artist and Favorite Female Artist.

 

The album became her third straight to achieve over one million in sales in its opening week, making Taylor the first artist in history to reach that mark with three albums.  1989 roared to #1 on album charts in the U.S., the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland and was a Top 10 album everywhere in the world.  The second single, "Blank Space", hit #1 in the U.S., Canada, and Australia and has sold over four million copies, also taking MTV Video Music Awards for Best Pop Video and Best Female Video.

Taylor was #1 on People magazine's best-dressed list in 2014.    

1989 has now sold over 10 million copies, with "Style" advancing as high as #6.  

 

"Bad Blood" (with Kendrick Lamar) topped charts in the United States, Canada and Australia, has topped three million in sales, and won Video of the Year and Best Collaboration at the MTV Video Music Awards.  It also received Most-Performed Song honors from ASCAP and was nominated for Favorite Song at the People's Choice Awards.  Swift made it two years in a row at the latter show when she won Favorite Pop Artist and Favorite Female Artist.

 

Swift once again dominated with Billboard Music Awards with eight trophies, including Top Artist, Top Billboard 200 Artist, Top Female Artist, Top Hot 100 Artist, Top Billboard 200 Album, Top Digital Songs Artist and a special Billboard Chart Achievement Award voted by fans.  The single "Wildest Dreams" floated to #3 in Australia, #4 in Canada and #5 in the United States.

Swift's tour to promote the album was the highest-grossing of the year with over $250 million in revenue.  Taylor won Grammys for Album of the Year (becoming the first woman and fifth artist to win the award twice), Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Music Video (for "Bad Blood" and was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance (for "Blank Space) and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (for "Bad Blood" and was named Billboard's Woman of the Year, becoming the first artist to receive that award twice.

She received the inaugural Dick Clark Award for Excellence at the American Music Awards while also winning Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist, Song of the Year (for "Blank Space") and Favorite Pop (Rock) Album and being nominated for Artist of the Year and Favorite Pop (Rock) Female Artist and was #1 on Forbes magazine's list of the 100 highest-paid celebrities with $170 million.