Introduction to Politics and Taylor Swift

Music as political activism is a very old concept. Franz Joseph Haydn composed the Farewell Symphony in 1772 as a staged musician’s strike. The musician Nina Simone (1933-2003) based her entire music career in politics and change. There are entire genres that have roots in creating political music, like Hip-Hop, Rap, and Punk. By 2020, Taylor Swift was no stranger to political messaging in music. On the album Lover that came out in 2019, there are two prevalent political songs: “The Man” and “You Need to Calm Down”. Earlier than this there is “Change” from Fearless and “Long Live” from Speak Now that are anthems of revolution. Additionally, while being born from a place of petty drama, reputation has its own moments of resistance.