Shake It Off

There's a lot of talk recently about how Taylor Swift can potentially "save the music industry" with her new album, 1989, which is set to be released October 27, 2014.

The overall album sales volume, according to Nielsen Soundscan, is down 14.6%, and single sales are down 12.8%.  Ariana Grande, for example, was expected to have one of the biggest albums.  While the pop singer's album sold 169,000 copies in its first week, making it earn the No. 1 spot on the charts, the album quickly dropped sales.  This has nothing to do with Grande, it has to do with what poor shape the music industry is in right now.

But if the music industry is in such bad shape, what is it about Taylor Swift that could salvage the suffering business?

Ish Cuebas, vice president of music merchandising for Trans World Entertainment says, "She will be the big fish.  The overall release schedule this year has been weak compared to last year.  The big title last year for the fourth quarter was Eminem - Taylor will more than make up for Eminem."

The country-turned-pop singer has previously released four albums, three of which made it to the No. 1 spot on the charts.  Her 2008 album, Fearless, sold 6.8 million copies in the U.S., 2010's Speak Now sold 4.4 million copies in the U.S., and her 2012 album, Red, sold 4 million copies in the U.S.

If those sales continue with Taylor's new album, surely it will help the music industry, but will it be enough to "salvage" it?

Surely, the immediate success of her single "Shake It Off" makes her album look promising, but nowadays it's hard to base future album sales off of single sales.  Ariana Grande's singles "Problem" and "Break Free" from her album My Everything gave hope to her and her fans that her album would be a huge success.  Two months later, and her sales are at 300,000, with more than half being in the first week.

So it's hard to tell if Taylor Swift's album will be a taking off point for the industry again.  Her previous success could definitely point things in the right direction, but the industry will most likely make all of their money with the live performances of the biggest stars.

Irreplaceable

I have been adjusting to school so I apologize I haven't been on much.

But I was thinking today about all of the great songs written by other big names.

1. "You'll Always Find Your Way Back Home" written by Taylor Swift for Hannah Montana in Hannah Montana:  The Movie.  Readers are definitely navigating away from my page right now, so for those of you who were kind enough to stay I thank you for dealing with my childish tendencies.  This song is a catchy country tune that fit perfectly with the movie.
2. "Irreplaceable" was written by Ne-Yo for Beyoncé.  This is one of her biggest songs.  I actually remember hearing this song on the radio back in, like, 2006.  
3. "Just A Little Bit of Your Heart" written by Harry Styles for Ariana Grande.  Okay.  I love this song.  This song has gotten really mixed reviews from different music critics.  I read one in Rolling Stone that said how you can "basically hear Ariana roll her eyes as she sings it" and that it does not belong on this album.  I think Ariana sounds absolutely incredible singing this song.  Her voice sounds flawless with a ballad.
4. "F*** You" or "Forget You" was written by Bruno Mars for Cee Lo Green.  This song was HUGE.  Glee covered it, X Factor contestants covered it, Sleeping with Sirens covered it - the song was heard everywhere for months.  But, did you know that "F*** You" was the original title?  Most people are unaware of that.
5. "Party in the U.S.A." was written by Jessie J for Miley Cyrus.  I completely forgot that Jessie J wrote this song.  This song was huge because it was Miley's first (but small) step away from being Hannah Montana.  Everyone watched her performance of the song at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards with wide eyes as she pole danced on an ice cream cart.
6. "RESPECT" was written by Otis Redding... And was intended for himself!  Made famous by Aretha Franklin, the song was originally written by blues singer Otis Redding with intentions of recording the song himself.  Franklin's version, however, is where the "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" bit originated from.

I Knew You Were Trouble

It's very rare to see me rant on my blog, especially when it comes to singers and bands.  But there are so so so many singers that have been getting on my last nerve.

1.  Taylor Swift.  Her music, especially from Red, is very catchy and entertaining. BUT, the fact that a majority of her songs are written about her two-month flings drives me insane.  And on top of that, her snarky comments when receiving her awards are uncalled for and immature.  But she seems like a good friend and is a great musician and completely worked for where she is today in the music industry, so I honestly applaud her for that.

2.  Lorde.  I don't know.  Something about her kind of freaks me out.  She's 17-years-old yet acts like she's 70.  "Royals" and the other songs on Pure Heroine are all extremely well done and she has a great voice.  I guess you could say I just find her a little creepy.

3.  Robin Thicke.  I'll just start by saying that "Blurred Lines" was never on my iPhone.  And to be really honest, I don't think I have ever listened to the song from beginning to end.  Yes, I know parts, and from what I've heard, it's annoying.  And to make things more annoying, Robin Thicke is constantly a musical guest at an awards show.  What?!?!

22

I am not a fan of Taylor Swift at all, but I am in love with this song! I think it's so catchy and upbeat - it's exactly the music I love a lot. This is a single off of her album 'Red' which was released this past October and landed on pretty much every chart.

American Music Awards

So many people love watching award shows.  The upcoming American Music Awards on November 18, you may want to tune in if you like Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, Christina Aguilera,  and/or Linkin Park.  Officials released today that those four will be performing at the 40th annual AMAs.  Nicki Minaj is up for four awards, Taylor Swift is up for favorite female country artist, and Linkin Park is a nominee for alternative artist.  Tune in on ABC on November 18.

Red

Taylor Swift's new album Red is now available!  In previous posts, I have touched upon the fact that her fourth album is not as country as Tay has made herself appear.  
The record has sixteen tracks including "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" and "I Knew You Were Trouble.".  It is currently Number One in Music on amazon.com.
For those of you who didn't like Taylor Swift because of her country music, I actually recommend this album to you because it isn't country.  Her lyrics are kind of the same as those on her previous albums, so if you are one who likes her for the lyrics, that didn't really change.  
So, ladies and gentlemen, I recommend purchasing this new album if you are looking for something new to listen to, or even if you don't like her.

New Ten

The iTunes "Top 10" charts have changed quite a lot in the past week:

1. Gangnam Style - PSY
2. Die Young - Ke$ha
3. Locked Out of Heaven - Bruno Mars
4. One More Night - Maroon 5
5. I Knew You Were Trouble. - Taylor Swift
6. Some Nights - Fun.
7. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - Taylor Swift
8. Diamonds - Rihanna
9. I Cry - Flo Rida
10. State of Grace - Taylor Swift

I'm just going to take a minute to talk about the new songs that have made it onto the charts.

Now, I don't want to sound picky or anything, but that new Bruno Mars song...not a huge fan.  I loved when Bruno Mars released "Just The Way You Are" and "Marry You".  That was a great song.  But I disliked every song after that more and more.  I don't want my opinion to shape yours, so if you like Bruno Mars you may very well like his new song "Locked Out of Heaven" and if you don't like him, just listen to the song and see what you think.  I'd love to hear your opinion on the song.

"I Cry" by Flo Rida sounds just like "Club Can't Handle Me".  The beat sounds like a party beat and the lyrics sound like party lyrics...if that makes sense.

And last but not least, another song from Taylor Swift's new album Red called "State of Grace" and yes, it still has that pop star sound instead of country star sound.