Taylor Swift Doesn’t Have “Famous Songs”, Says Pet Shop Boys’ Neil Tennant. Picture: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Harry Herd/WireImage
Pet Shop Boys frontman Neil Tennant is coming under fire after arguing that Taylor Swift doesn’t have “any famous songs”.
The term “imperial phase” gets tossed around lightly but if any artist is in their imperial phase right now, it’s Taylor Swift. Not only is her new album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ breaking records left right and centre but she’s also in the midst of arguably the biggest tour of all time. As it stands, The Eras Tour has grossed over $1 billion and it isn’t even finished.
However, in spite of her success, Taylor still has people who doubt how huge she is and now that list includes Neil Tennant.
Taylor Swift drops TTPD easter eggs in tour rehearsal video
Speaking about Taylor at a a Guardian Live event, Neil said: “Of course, I have listened to Taylor Swift’s album [‘The Tortured Poets Department’]. Taylor Swift fascinates me as a phenomenon, because she’s so popular, and I quite like the whole thing, but when I listen to the records, I think, ‘where are the famous songs? What’s Taylor Swift’s ‘Billie Jean’?”
He then added: “I listened to [‘Shake It Off’] the other day and it is not ‘Billie Jean’, is it?”
Of course, different artists mean different things to different generations but people have been quick to point out that ‘Shake It Off’, ‘Blank Space’, ‘We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together’, ‘Cruel Summer’, ‘Anti-Hero’, ‘I Knew Your Were Trouble’ and ‘Love Story’ are some of the biggest hits in recent memory.
Taylor Swift on the opening night of The Eras Tour. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management
Rubbing salt in the wound, Neil then explained that he’s not a fan of Taylor’s music. He explained: “I like the fact it brings people together, even multigenerational. I just think the one disappointing thing is the music. Not the lyrics, the music.”
‘August’? ‘Delicate’? ‘Mine’? I’m gonna need Neil to give Taylor’s music another go.
