A Civil War could be brewing among the Swifties.
Taylor Swift dropped the debut single from her new album last night at 11:30 pm and anyone expecting the return of the pop queen’s relatable, happy music got a bit of a shock. “Look What You Made Me Do” is a big pivot from the songs that made 1989 a global sensation, eschewing catchy choruses for a Right Said Fred techno beat.
And that shift in tone isn’t sitting well with some fans.
Https://twitter.com/bendreyfuss/status/901052595627806720
I'm not saying I don't like the new taylor swift song but it does remind me of when ross played the keyboard in friends
— Abby Tomlinson (@twcuddleston) August 25, 2017
Just me or does new Taylor Swift sound like old Britney Spears? 🤔
— Jordan Harris (@jorhar) August 25, 2017
https://twitter.com/DameXenakis/status/901065012583596032
Me listening to Taylor Swift's new song like… pic.twitter.com/zQGON8y7Kj
— ♛ (@_J4Y13N3) August 25, 2017
Some went beyond a simple tweet, putting together treatises addressing the public reaction and their optimism for future T-Swift songs.
Taylor Swift: a statement pic.twitter.com/PBKNnWzsBW
— Dave Fawbert (@DaveFawbert) August 25, 2017
Others, meanwhile, have acknowledged the near certainty that “Look What You Made Me Do” is going to be on such heavy rotation on radio and every other form of music delivery in the world that … well, resistance is futile.
Https://twitter.com/davelozo/status/901075263785664512
https://twitter.com/joeleverone/status/901056817819770880
There are a lot of people in the music business keeping a close eye on reputation, Swift’s upcoming new album. 1989 was one of the record industry’s bright spots of the past several years, posting the quickest climb to sales of 5 million since 2004.
And, not surprisingly, despite the mixed reaction online, “Look What You Made Me Do” is still proving to be a sales monster. The song is topping the iTunes charts already and the lyric video on YouTube has already racked up nearly 5 million views.
The old Taylor might be dead, but the new one still seems able to turn heads.