I wasn’t going to be a Taylor Swift fan. Once upon a time, I bought her first album back before she was ever known, but I never listened to it. I wasn’t going to listen to a country singer. Throughout the years, there was a small part of me that wondered if I was missing anything. I’m the guy who listens to Nightwish and power metal. I could never listen to Taylor Swift.

One day during a moment in time in the pandemic when we were allowed to go outside again, I stepped into a music store that no longer exists and saw an album with tall trees that caught my attention. It reminded me of British Columbia, although those trees were a little thinner. The album was eight dollars. Why not? I thought, and took it home.

Turns out the album was Taylor Swift’s folklore. I was aghast. Here I was buying an album from someone I swore I never would listen to. But I had bought the album, and it wasn’t like I didn’t have time to listen to it. So I put the CD into the computer.

I’m the guy who listens to Nightwish and power metal. I could never listen to Taylor Swift.

The first song “The 1” just popped. The first song that hit the album just hit in a very interesting way. It was soft and powerful, and the lyrics felt like a storybook. For all her earworms, I think Taylor’s strength is that she’s a great storyteller. I could enjoy the lyrics and the images she put in my head. The tune was catchy, but the words managed to stick.

The blurring between fantasy and reality in folklore carried into “Cardigan”. I love the Peter Pan imagery combined with the line that because you are young, they assume you know nothing. Swift is a poet, and I was taken for a ride, and I was in. I wanted to listen to the rest of the album. “The Last Great American Dynasty” is a lot poppier than the first two, but it’s her voice, and it’s a fun tune.

The album transformed from better than expected to truly amazing when I heard “Exile”. Bon Iver sings this one with her, and I just love the piano in it. “I’ve think I’ve seen this film before, and I didn’t like the ending” resonated with me, and I never expected it. I’ve traveled a lot in my time, and that reminded me of the roads I’ve seen before. The duet moments with Iver just really make you feel the love they had, but have to let go.

I never intended to be a Taylor Swift fan, yet here I was really engrossed into this album I never imagined listening to. There’s something real in Swift’s albums. The details of places she’s seen, the authenticity of her voice, and the honest effort she makes in crafting her songs are something everyone can appreciate. The thing I love about her the most is that I can hear her voice clearly in every song. She’s great at putting herself into all her music, and those stories have an authenticity of someone that has gone out of her way to experience life, and all her triumphs and tragedies have made her who she is. 

There’s something real in Swift’s albums. The details of places she’s seen, the authenticity of her voice, and the honest effort she makes in crafting her songs are something everyone can appreciate.

That is how I became a Taylor Swift fan. 

I later realized that, as it turns out, I’ve been a Taylor Swift fan for a long time, and didn’t know it. “I Knew You Were Trouble” is a song I had listened to on the radio for years, and didn’t know it was her. Suddenly, now that I had accepted how great she is, I’m aware she’s been great for a long time.

I went back and listened to her first album that I had bought all those years ago. It’s younger and a little less polished than her current stuff, but her self-titled stuff has that same ability to tell stories. She’s a natural, and I can only take my hat off and bow.

I’m a Swiftie now. I accept it.