Day 89: After School Special

Taylor Swift has a large audience, and it's no secret that a very large portion of her listeners are pretty young. I don't have statistics so maybe this is unwise to assume, but I would wager that most of her fans started following her before they were adults. I think it's unfair to say that artists with young audiences necessarily have a responsibility to be a role model, especially when they are young themselves, but it certainly seems like that was one of Taylor's goals, at least some of the time. So what is the best way to instill good values to the youths without seeming preachy? I think the best answer to this question is Taylor Swift's hit single from 2010, Mean.

You may think I'm being banana bonkers here. This song is just Taylor complaining about rudeness, right? Haha, of course not you idiot! That's a highly reductive view of what Taylor is trying to say here, so let's look at the whole picture.

"You, with your words like knives
And swords and weapons that you use against me
You, have knocked me off my feet again,
Got me feeling like a nothing"

Everyone has felt this was at some point in their life. Feelings of inadequacy are more common than HPV diagnoses on college campuses, and they both can be caused by not properly protecting yourself from assholes. 

It's for your own good

Anyways, what was I talking about? Oh yeah, Mean. So what is a proper, realistic, response to feeling inadequate? Your Jesus loving gut may say "take the high road", which is good! I would agree, and I think the version of Taylor in this song would as well. Thing is, that's still a pretty vague statement. Let's see is she can help fill in the details.

"But all you are is mean
All you are is mean and a liar and pathetic
And alone in life and mean, and mean, and mean, and mean"

PSA: it's okay to be angry. Dwelling on the people who wronged you may not be healthy, but that doesn't mean that anger is always the wrong response. Recognizing that you have been unfairly hurt is an important step in moving on, which is why Taylor calls her emotional assailant "mean" so many times. Trying to justify the wrongdoings of others can only ever result in blaming yourself which will end up doing more harm than good. That's not to say anger is the only step, so what comes next?

"Someday I'll be living in a big old city
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me
And all you're ever gonna be is mean
Why you gotta be so mean?"

Thar's right, it's pretty much just two steps! Don't blame yourself, then move on! Sure, it's an oversimplification, but that is good advice! So now try to take that message in the abstract and think about the best way to communicate it to a bunch of young people. Is it a cheesy after school anti-bullying special? I'm not saying those don't have their place, but I think that this is where a good role model can make all the difference. If you see your idol in the same situation as you, then you will be much more likely to emulate their behavior when a similar situation presents itself to you. If your immediate goal is to push these values then you risk coming off as fake.

That's really what makes Mean such a powerful song. You can feel that Taylor has insecurities and is feeling very hurt. Her response even seems somewhat petty, mocking a hypothetical future version of the one who made her feel this way.

"And I can see you years from now in a bar
Talking over a football game
With that same big loud opinion
But nobody's listening, washed up and ranting
About the same old bitter things
Drunk and grumbling on about how I can't sing
But all you are is mean"

This song never comes off as preaching a solution because the lyrics seem like a realistic visceral response from Taylor. She manages to find a source of strength not from external support, but her own ambitions. That's not to say that external help is a bad thing; getting assistance can make all the difference. It's all a part of the process though: Feel the pain, recognize it's not your fault, find a source of strength, move on. Being able to successfully go through this process, assisted or not, is a great goal, and this song gives a fantastic view of how that can be possible.

And now that we're done talking about the message we can finally discuss the other mechanics of the song. This is one of Taylor's all-time greats because it has such a strong thesis with such smooth delivery over a great track and vocal performance. Let's break it down.

The music in this song is among my favorites. The country style was a great choice for this song; after all fighting for the little guy is as country of a theme as it gets. The twangy string instruments are the perfect choice here; they bring a fun, exciting beat while also carrying the occasionally blues riff that plays perfectly in sync with Taylor's emotional ups and downs. The musical attention to detail is incredible, you can't go four seconds without finding something interesting. 

The lyrics in this song are also incredibly constructed. The songs begins with a flurry of lines all balanced around a single word: "you". This same construction is brought up again after the first chorus, but with some twists to keep it interesting.

"You, with your words like knives
And swords and weapons that you use against me
You, have knocked me off my feet again,
Got me feeling like a nothing
You, with your voice like nails
On a chalk board, calling me out when I'm wounded
You, picking on the weaker man"

"You, with your switching sides
And your wildfire lies and your humiliation
You have pointed out my flaws again
As if I don't already see them
I walk with my head down,
Try to block you out 'cause I never impress you
I just want to feel okay again"

Something really incredible happens here if you pay close enough attention. Taylor recognized over and over again that she has huge insecurities in these lines, but never blames these actions on herself. She sees her flaws but doesn't let that justify the treatment toward her. What's really incredible ins't this message which I've already discussed in depth. No, what really blows me away is how natural this line of reasoning seems while listening. Of course Taylor shouldn't internalize the insults; it's just the other person being mean. And that's what this song really means.

See you tomorrow,

-C