Taylor Swift Story Behind Every Track, Album and Era
You call yourself a Swiftie, Taylor Swift’s biggest fan. Many do, just like my wife, Kathleen. So, when I presented this book to her she was skeptical. Many people have tried to cash in on the popularity of Taylor Swift, with half-baked attempts to sell books. However, “Taylor Swift: The Stories Behind the Songs” by Annie Zaleski does not fall into that category and is truly amazing.
If you’re a Super Swiftie, the “Taylor Swift: The Stories Behind the Songs” is the one book you need, and when it comes to Tay, the very particular Kathleen concurs.
Author Annie Zaleski is an award-winning music journalist and author based in Cleveland, Ohio. Her writing has appeared in Rolling Stone, the Guardian, Time, and the Los Angeles Times, and she has written books on artists including Lady Gaga, Pink, and Duran Duran.
When I was offered the opportunity to speak with Annie, I didn’t hesitate. Check out the interview to hear which artist she says is the only person who can compare to what Taylor has accomplished.
Taylor Swift Author Annie Zaleski Interview
Annie said, “What I tried to do is to go album by album, and obviously, I think Taylor very much used her albums in different eras, so I kind of viewed each chapter as sort of a distinct era to kind of write about. I did the writing and the researching kind of all at the same time. The nice thing is I could listen to the album while looking up interviews from her and doing research.”
This Taylor Swift book is the first, and only complete look at the stories and songcraft behind the entire discography of the voice of a generation.
It ranges from her humble beginnings as a teenage country singer to her record-breaking Eras Tour. Taylor’s career is incomparable both in her mastery over multiple genres and the pure scale of her fan base and success. She weaves effortlessly through country, rock, pop, indie, and folk music, and has created a style of her own.
I asked Annie about Taylor’s Easter eggs she said, “It’s almost a full-time job keeping up with her Easter eggs. At the Grammys before she released Tortured Poets Department she did a peace sign, and everyone was ‘Oh, that’s nice it’s a peace sign’ and she was hinting that it was a double record. It makes the fandom more fun that you’re kind of hunting for clues about things or her career or upcoming releases.”
The book gives you the full story behind every single song Taylor Swift has ever released.
Zaleski examines eleven albums, more than 250 songs, hidden gems, cover versions, vault tracks and more. This really is the definitive guide to Taylor’s incredible songbook and a celebration of one of music’s greatest-ever talents. It ranges from her self-titled debut to “The Tortured Poets Department.”
Annie Zaleski is an award-winning music writer and leaves no stone unturned as she explores the inspiration, production and legacy of pop’s greatest back catalogue, delving into every era to tell the story of Taylor’s entire career through her music.
