The Beatles,Elvis and ...............TAYLOR!?

[WEDWDW]

I saw a quote from Billy Joel after taking his 2 young daughters to see The ERAS Tour where he said the experience was this generation's BEATLEMANIA.

Do you think History will place Taylor on the same level as The Beatles and Elvis?

Do you consider her on that level?

 

[Karin1984]

No one will, as it is too hard to compare as there was less competition, less ways to make it big, especially for women. Society was different.

Similar like some very popular movies or tv shows from 50-60 years ago. There was nothing else, therefore everyone went to see the same thing, causing these things to get crazy sales figures.

 

[White Cat]

I certainly hope not.

Not even close.

 

[wvjules]

I agree that the Eras Tour frenzy rivals Beatlemania.

Is she/will she be on the same level as the Beatles or Elvis? Yes. She has changed the industry and is worthy of praise.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Taylor who?

 

[PollyannaMom]

I saw a quote from Billy Joel after taking his 2 young daughters to see The ERAS Tour where he said the experience was this generation's BEATLEMANIA.

Do you think History will place Taylor on the same level as The Beatles and Elvis?

Do you consider her on that level?

Will history, maybe not, but I get what he means in terms of the fan experience / connection to other concert-goers.

 

[cabanafrau]

I think there is some validity in the comparison. I think there might be some reasons to toss Beyonce into the mix as well.

IMO it's possible the most direct correlation to be made in this analogy is actually BTS. Cue the grousing.
It takes more effort to grasp because of the language barrier, but not only is the music appealing, but if you put in some effort to understand the Korean lyrics there is nuance, emotion, humor, social commentary, word play and depth there. If you're unfamiliar, forget the song or two that you might have awareness of because they're in English -- they're not in any way representative of the true creative output of the writing actually done by the members themselves. Conceptually they have drawn from a wide variety of subjects, just as the Beatles did. So easy for many in the mainstream to automatically write them off because they have been labeled a boy band, implying teenage girl fans -- and everyone knows they know nothing. Funny enough about 60 years ago plenty of teenage girls were screaming their heads off, drowning out the performances of the quartet still widely regarded by many as setting the standard.

 

[loves to dive]

You (or he) would have to define "one the level with". Does she have the fan base and fan frenzy? Possibly. Does she have the same management team/promoters, yes. Is she as talented? It's subjective but a big ole no do dawg for me. Can she perform and sell out stadiums, yes. Does she write to her own limits. Yes. But can she sing as well. That's a no dawg for me. I remember a year or so ago I heard a recording of her doing a particularly hard Christmas song. She was so off key and out of tune it was funny. In his prime, Elvis could sing anything you threw at him, and sing it in tune and well. Paul McCartney (in his prime) could do this also. John Lennon could come close (in his prime). To give her credit, as I said, she writes to her own limitations so if you go see her perform, I'm guessing you are going to walk away pleased if you are a fan. So, business savy, knowing her own limitations, self promotion, Yep, she is there.

So how will history show her? Who knows. She certainly can generate income and a huge fan base.

 

[soccerdad72]

Not having been alive for Beatlemania, it's hard for me to compare, but I'd say the frenzy around Taylor Swift is close to those that surrounded them and Elvis, yes.

 

[_19disnA]

Hype and PR can make someone seem more popular in the short-term. Eventually it is a matter of how many popular/hit records they put out and how big of a fan base they have.

 

[Disneylover99]

I don’t know if you can really compare Taylor to the Beatles and Elvis.

She’s not new on the scene. She’s been cranking out hits for 17 years and seems to get bigger and bigger with each new album she puts out. She’s definitely got staying power.

 

[Micca]

Fame looks a lot different in this century compared to the 50s/60s/70s, comparisons are really tough. I do think TS is the biggest star in the world at this point, as the Beatles and Elvis were in their day, and let's not forget Michael Jackson. The consistent high-quality of the Beatles material is what has maintained their popularity to the degree it has. I guess we'll see over the next 40 years or so if Taylor's material holds up. She is certainly a very talented singer-songwriter, has excellent business acumen, and she just might be a genuinely wonderful person. Those attributes will certainly work in her favor.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Correct me if I’m wrong. But, at the time, didn’t just about everybody know the Beatles’s songs?

Without question, Swift has immense popularity. But does everybody know her songs?

Just something to think about when comparing the two. And Elvis.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I know it’s hard to believe, but at one time, David Cassidy’s fan club exceeded that of both The Beatles anbd Elvis, and he held the record for sold out shows, etc.

Yet, today, of the three, who counts themselves as fans of Cassidy other than a small segment of women who grew up in the 70s? Not so for the other two.

I suspect we might see the same from Taylor Swift in the future. JMO.

 

[Micca]

Correct me if I’m wrong. But, at the time, didn’t just about everybody know the Beatles’s songs?

That's a good example of how everything has changed so much since the 60s. As Karin pointed out, there were fewer outlets for music in those days. There was Ed Sullivan, American Bandstand, and...that was about it. The night the Beatles played Sullivan the first time, the audience was something like 60 million people. There were fewer terrestrial radio stations, and zero satellite radio and streaming.

Today, there are plenty of platforms for music that play no Taylor Swift whatsover so the listeners to those platforms won't know her songs.

Still it's interesting to consider how long her popularity will sustain. She's clearly no flash in the pan.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

That's a good example of how everything has changed so much since the 60s. As Karin pointed out, there were fewer outlets for music in those days. There was Ed Sullivan, American Bandstand, and...that was about it. The night the Beatles played Sullivan the first time, the audience was something like 60 million people. There were fewer terrestrial radio stations, and zero satellite radio and streaming.

Today, there are plenty of platforms for music that play no Taylor Swift whatsover so the listeners to those platforms won't know her songs.

Still it's interesting to consider how long her popularity will sustain. She's clearly no flash in the pan.

Agreed. There were far fewer TV and radio stations back then, so less selection.

Now, people can really hone in on the specific type of music they listen to.

I just picked up an older Bose radio system at a thrift store and stuck it in my kitchen. I always wanted one, and it sounds great. But it only has radio (unless you add more). So consequently, I’ve been listening more to radio, and I hate it. I like listening to what I like listening to, and have bluetooth speakers all over the place. It was funny watching my 20 somethings listening to it to see what songs they knew on radio. Neither are Swift fans so her music isn’t something I’m exposed to, either. But I know a lot of people their age love her, including lots of their friends.

It’s interesting how these things evolve.

We were talking about a TV show from the 70s recently with our kids and we were telling them how virtually everyone knew this show, because that’s all there was to watch! It’s a little hard for them to envision how we only had three channels or so, five if you added VHF (was it?). One of them asked the other night what analog is. Right away DH said it was the old style TVs where you had to change the channel. I had to look it up because I wasn’t sure.

Things have certainly changed today, with so many varied viewing and listening options! Nothing like the old days!

 

[Micca]

I just picked up an older Bose radio system at a thrift store and stuck it in my kitchen. I always wanted one, and it sounds great. But it only has radio (unless you add more). So consequently, I’ve been listening more to radio, and I hate it.

Most terrestrial radio is pretty bad these days, very limited playlists and OMG the commercials! There are some pretty good college and non-profit stations around, there may be one in your area.

 

[jimmymc]

She is the biggest artist since Michael Jackson, and in terms of pure popularity, I think she's already at the level of the Beatles. We'll have to wait and see her legacy, but at this moment she is that big. Playing 3 nights in a row in a massive stadium with the cheapest ticket starting at $1000 is unheard of.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I hope not too! I don't really dislike Taylor Swift, but it is just not my "thing".

 

[goofyernmost]

I don't know how the crowd reacts to her but if they quiet down at least enough to hear the music then it was not Beatlemania. That was more than just music, it was personality, hormonal eruptions and Ringo's primitive drums.