The Farr Side: Taylor Swift doesn't disappoint with new album
This week has been anything but boring when it comes to music, the charts and breaking records. Taylor Swift has, once again, proved why she’s the most powerful entertainer on the planet. Her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” is the biggest album of the year so far and that happened in just the first two day of it’s release late last week.
“The Tortured Poets Department” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 200 Albums chart, giving the singer her 14th No. 1 album. The new album sold an unprecedented 2.61 million copies in just a weekend. Of the total albums sold 1.91 million of them were physical vinyl albums and CDs. That’s simply unbelievable!
I’m a huge fan of music and I love to see chart feats and personal bests. This album blows most other albums out of the water. Like, for instance, Beyonce’s latest album, “Cowboy Carter” moved 417,000 copies in it’s first week, which is awesome. But, Swift’s feat crushed that.
I still think JayZ’s diss to the pop star on Grammy night was inappropriate when he said that the Grammys give awards to people who don’t deserve them before citing that his wife, Beyonce, had never won a Grammy for Album Of The Year. Mind you, Swift later captured the Album Of The Year honor for the fourth time making Grammy history.
I’m happy to report that Swift now ties JayZ for second place for most No. 1 albums with 14 No. 1 albums each. The all-time record is held by The Beatles with 19.
If that wasn’t enough, she also dominated the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts occupying the top 14 songs with “Fortnight” (feat Post Malone) debuting at No. 1. The song becomes her 12th No. 1 single. And, in case you’re wondering, Swift has 32 songs total in the Hot 100 this week. She surpassed her own record of having the entire Top 10 before when her album “Midnights” dropped.
Malone was quick to praise working with Swift and having the opportunity to record with her. Coincidentally, the rapper-turned-singer also appears on Beyonce’s album, too.
As cool as it is to know that vinyl albums made up a big portion of the Swift’s sales, it was just as mind-blowing to know that she broke records on streaming services, too. Swift’s album is the first album to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify. And, that occurred in just five days.
These incredible milestones are worthy of mention, but is the album really all that? The answer is yes! A friend surprised me with a beautiful clear vinyl edition of “The Tortured Poets Department.”
The music is stellar and the songs are fantastic. “Fortnight” is just an awesome song and the first track heard on the record. Swift and Malone have strong chemistry and blend well.
Some immediate standouts include the songs “Who’s Afraid Of Little Old Me?,” “Fresh Out Of The Slammer,” “I Can Do It With A Broken Heart,” “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” and “Florida” (with Florence + The Machine).
Swift’s songwriting abilities far exceeds those of her peers and will ultimately become one of her greatest achievements long after her prime. We’ve been fortunate to have witnessed her growth as a singer, a songwriter and as a human being. Her empowerment is because of her fans, but it has lead her to do some amazing things to benefit so many others. Her fight for her art was passionate and objectified. And, other artists have truly seen the reward of her perseverance. I wasn’t on board with her at first as an artist but to see her earn her acclaims has been nothing but inspirational. The music is awesome and I’m just as eager as her loyal Swifties are to learn her next move.
— David T. Farr is a Journal correspondent. Email him at farrboy@hotmail.com.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: The Farr Side: Taylor Swift doesn't disappoint with new album
