ten good songs 9/16

don’t let song of the summer die

so maybe “die” is a bit dramatic, but as we shift away as a society from monoculture, so does the concept of “a song that represents everyone’s summer” become all the more elusive. why?

essentially, more and more these days we consume media in siloes. we are plugged into our phones, air pods, and living room TVs, sacrificing "group consumption” as would happen in the good ol’ days. there was a time where everyone knew the viral YouTube video, or there was that one TV show that everyone was watching.

now, apparently, Lord of the Rings is the most popular show on TV and I can’t find a single person who saw it.

this is because everyone’s experience of the internet, and of media more broadly, is so incredibly optimized in a vast world of choice that it’s rare there is significant crossover between our peers. this is what makes cultural touchstones so important (i.e. blockbuster movies, hit songs, era defining TV shows, etc.) it’s what binds people together and drives our conversations forward.

so anyways, as i continue to struggle to find other people who have seen the same skateboard videos as i have, rejoice in the fact that multiple generations can still connect over a song that very well could define an era. even if it’s a song about Shaboozey getting tipsy.

does it make sense for artists to get political?

if you’re looking for an in-depth analysis here, i apologize. but for now i’ll just give a super quick take.

as you may have seen this week, Taylor Swift endorsed Kamala Harris for president this week. it definitely dominated the post-debate conversation in a way that the Harris campaign was not prepared for, but at the end of the day, her post drove 450,000+ people to the voter registration website, which is no small feat.

now the question becomes, was this a good idea for her?

first off, i’ll just say, yes i think people with platforms should feel empowered to use that platform for what they believe in. it’s what this country is about. many note that the way in which she endorsed Kamala was very nuanced and even-keeled. she encouraged eligible voters to educate themselves and vote based on their beliefs. fair enough! but the fiery responses from the right side of the aisle has garnered a lot of attention.

tweets on tweets on truths on tweets.

but the funny thing to me is that this was largely expected and hardly new territory for her. she literally baked cookies for Biden in 2020. and what happened next? she still held her spot as one of the biggest names in the pop universe.

so all of this talk of “alienating her base” and “paying dearly in the marketplace” sounds incredibly far fetched. at the end of the day, pop culture is dominated by liberal perspectives, and to say that Republicans should filter liberal stars out of their daily existence at the command of a political candidate seems quite unlikely, and is not at all backed up by anything concrete. just look at Kanye, and then look me in the eyes and tell me you haven’t listened to Graduation at least once in the past 10 years.

anyways, the noise will continue to be made and life will go on :)