A letter

Dear Taylor Swift,

It's me Mada. I wanted to start off by telling you that I bought your newest album Speak Now and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's catchy but not campy, easy to connect with and very, very, extremely honest. I think you are the only artist that I have followed since their debut which makes you very dear to my heart. I got your first album when you first hit country radio and bought the next two almost as soon as you released them. This means I have gotten to watch you grow and change as an artist. Again, very cool.

When your first album came out you had this really cool edgy country thing about you. I saw some of your early publicity shots next to a motorcycle, don't think we forgot your original image. Actually, most people did forget your original image. Whatever. Your hair was bigger and you showed a little midriff. Very un-disney. You had lyrics in your songs like "so go and tell your friends that I'm obsessive and crazy that's fine I'll tell mine you're gay." Shocking for little fifteen year old Taylor. But intriguing. And ear-turning. I have always had a guilty affection for country music and I loved your fresh and raw sound, and I loved the fact that someone so young had written enough songs for an entire album completely on her own. However, as you second album released some of this was lost.



As you were preparing for Fearless you seem to have gotten caught in a publicity trap. I guess someone noticed that no one cares about Jennifer Aniston anymore and that the spot for America's Sweetheart was vacant. Next thing I knew your hair was smaller, you wore sundresses and you changed my favorite line "So go and tell your friends that I'm obsessive and crazy, that's fine you won't mind if I say." What is that? That's not cool or striking. That's not making me want to listen to what you say. Insult people! Let me know what you're really feeling! Don't water yourself down or deflate you hair or change your image because your publicist told you it'll sell a few more records. I realize you're in the pop industry to I can't really call you a sell-out but I will say that it hurt me a little bit. In my heart area.


Where's my motorcycle?


Finally Fearless dropped and of course i bought it within the first week. I didn't have an ipod cord in my car them so it remained on repeat in my cd player for quite awhile. This album had a very different feel than your last one. It was a lot poppier and at some points seemed less sincere and honest. It was a bit watered down and it was all very Disney friendly. One song was rumored to be about Joe Jonas but that was never confirmed and the song isn't mean at all. Don't get me wrong, I still loved it. I still know most of the words and I still listen to it every once and a while but there just seems to be something missing. I investigated this and realized that one of the main factors was that you co wrote about half of your songs. I'm sure it seemed like a good idea at the time but I like you for your songs. Not songs with your ideas and mostly their input. That shit's weak. Love Story was annoying and I skip it almost every time. I get it though. Love Story played on the radio about a thousand time more than Tim McGraw did off you first album. I get that that's where the money is...

You released your third album Speak Now just a couple weeks ago and I already have it memorized. Don't worry, slight disappointments in Fearless did not keep me from being a ridiculous fan girl. I heard that you reverted back to your old ways and had written every song on the album and that made me even more excited for its release. Old Taylor! Upon listening to it I must say I was and still am very taken with it. You're songs are catchy but not in vapid way and holy God are they honest. Like you got your balls back in a big way. Awesome. Thank you. The song about Camilla Belle? So mean. So great. "She's not a saint and she's not what you think she's an actress. She's better known for the things that she does on a mattress". Burn. Killed. I hate girls too! Which means that I can listen to this song and vent. Having songs be about real events makes your audience able to connect with them that much better. John Mayer? You wrote three songs about him. Wow. I loved everyone of them. "Don't you think nineteen's too young to be messed with? This girl in the dress cried the whole way home" What a dick. I can't believed he hit it and quit it with you when he's like 33 and you were 19. Had you not written that song I would never had known this.

Basically I wanted to thank you for and congratulate you on your new album. I will say you've lost most of your country sound but every musician evolves and changes. What I appreciate is that you are back to being you. You are writing your own songs and you don't give a fuck. If someone does you wrong you're going to tell the world. I would tell you this is probably dangerous for your social life but you clearly already know that since it's all you ever talk about in your interviews. Like at all. If something is really important to you, you should say it. You shouldn't keep it bottled up inside or put it off until it's too late. You should speak now. Zing!

Sincerely, a devoted fan,
Mada Larson


PS Friend of yours?