I Forgot That You Existed

OldFriends4Sale said:

Mikado said:

I have. I think the lead singles really let it down, but the bright, pastel vibe that the album gives off is interesting. From a production standpoint, it sounds like something she could have done years ago.

Having mastered the art of the pop hook I think she's now just having fun before she moves on to something else. She's proven herself capable of dabbling in different genres. It's a very melodic album which makes a nice change considering that a lot of modern pop seems to be bereft of melody. The first single with Brendon Urie was a real wtf moment, easily her weakest lead-off single, but I like the two that followed it.

.

[Edited 9/11/19 10:10am]

paisleypark4 said:

nextedition said:

Yes its a bit too long, but its pretty great. First album of Taylor im enjoying a lot

It's well paced and most of the songs are short so those 18 tracks fly past rather quickly. Really doesn't feel like an hour's worth of music.

There are several good songs on the album, but one that has never got much attention that I like a lot is The Man. She is so right, she would definitely be "the man" with all her success, good looking and famous partners, and taking control of her career rather than being repeatedly trashed and questioned, and dismissed. While she could have easily made all this sound strident, she makes her point in a fun and catchy way.

Billboard article on how Cautious Clay secured a credit on Taylor Swift's "Lover" album:

https://www.billboard.com...-interview

.

When Lover came out, Taylor Swift credited you as a co-writer on her song “London Boy.” How did this come about and did you ever think for a moment you’d be a part of the Taylor Swift universe?

.

Absolutely not. I did not at all foresee it happening. But at the same time, all of this stuff that’s happened to me over the last two years I can’t even say I could have predicted. The funny (beginning) to this whole scenario is that one of the first times I ever hung out with John Mayer, we were at this wine bar in Los Angeles and we were both walking out and we see Jack Antonoff. Basically, Jack and John know each other and I introduced myself but I don’t even know if he knew who I was and he said, “Cool, nice to meet you” and we all went on our way. Nine months later this past July, I’m in Norway and it’s 5am and I get a call from my manager saying that Taylor Swift wants to interpolate “Cold War” on my “London Boy” track. I didn’t get to hear the song at all or know anything about it but had to approve over the phone whether or not we’d be okay with the splits in 24 hours. We eventually made an agreement and it came together. It was completely out of left field.

gandorb said:

There are several good songs on the album, but one that has never got much attention that I like a lot is The Man. She is so right, she would definitely be "the man" with all her success, good looking and famous partners, and taking control of her career rather than being repeatedly trashed and questioned, and dismissed. While she could have easily made all this sound strident, she makes her point in a fun and catchy way.

.

Cruel Summer

.

Fever dream high
In the quiet of the night
You know that I caught it (oh yeah, you're right, I want it)
Bad, bad boys
Shiny toy with a price
You know that I bought it (oh yeah, you're right, I want it)

Killing me slow, out the window
I'm always waiting for you to be waiting below
Devils roll the dice, angels roll their eyes
What doesn't kill me makes me want you more

And it's new
The shape of your body, it's blue
The feeling I've got
And it's ooh, whoa oh
It's a cruel summer

It's cool
That's what I tell 'em, no rules
In breakable heaven but
Ooh, whoa oh
It's a cruel summer
With you

Hang your head low
In the glow of the vending machine
I'm not dying (oh yeah, you're right, I want it)
We say that we'll just screw it up in these trying times
We're not...

Hang your head low
In the glow of the vending machine
I'm not dying (oh yeah, you're right, I want it)
We say that we'll just screw it up in these trying times
We're not trying (oh yeah, you're right, I want it)

So cut the headlights
Summer's a knife
I'm always waiting for you
Just to cut to the bone
Devils roll the dice
Angels roll their eyes
And if I bleed
You'll be the last to know

Oh, it's new
The shape of your body, it's blue
The feeling I've got
And it's ooh, whoa oh
It's a cruel summer

It's cool
That's what I tell 'em, no rules
In breakable heaven but
Ooh, whoa oh
It's a cruel summer
With you

I'm drunk in the back of the car
And I cried like a baby coming home from the bar (oh)
Said "I'm fine", but it wasn't true
I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you
And I, snuck in through the garden gate
Every night that summer just to seal my fate (oh)
And I screamed for whatever it's worth
I love you, ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?

He looks up, grinning like a devil

It's new
The shape of your body, it's blue
The feeling I've got
And it's ooh, whoa oh
It's a cruel summer

It's cool
That's what I tell 'em, no rules
In breakable heaven but
Ooh, whoa oh
It's a cruel summer
With you

I'm drunk in the back of the car
And I cried like a baby coming home from the bar (oh)
Said "I'm fine", but it wasn't true
I don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you
And I, snuck in through the garden gate
Every night that summer just to seal my fate (oh)
And I screamed for whatever it's worth
I love you, ain't that the worst thing you ever heard?

.

Songwriters: Annie Clark / Jack Antonoff / Taylor Swift

Cruel Summer lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

.

Taylor Swift and Stella McCartney Release 'Lover' Fashion Collection

By Kate Dwyer

August 20, 2019

News of the upcoming Stella x Taylor Swift was announced in June, and Swift's passionate fans have been abuzz on social media about how the collection ties into the Grammy winner's latest album.

Adding to the much-hyped rollout: The entire Stella x Taylor Swift collection will only be available at The Lover Experience Taylor Swift Pop Up Shop, sponsored by Capital One, open Aug. 23 to Aug. 25 in New York City. (A specific location hasn't been announced.) A similar launch accompanied Swift's Reputation album release, in conjunction with AT&T, which featured photo ops with the throne from her "Look What You Made Me Do" music video, all of Swift's costumes from the video, and an extended merch collection.

"It's been SO much fun to work/dream up cute stuff with my friend @stellamccartney to create a line inspired by my new album Lover," Swift wrote in her Instagram announcement today. "Can't wait to show you what we've been working on and tell you more about the pop up shop at the @YouTube Live event this Thursday at 5p ET!"

Two Stella x Taylor Swift luxury items will also be available at Stella McCartney stores in New York and London, plus on StellaMcCartney.com, which teases the upcoming release, announcing: #StellaxTaylorSwift is almost here...

...

https://fortune.com/2019/...m-release/

False God has crept up on me over the last few days.

It'll probably be one of those songs that will remain buried in her catalogue but I think it's a real gem.

https://www.youtube.com/w...cQXa5ArHIk

.

[Edited 9/18/19 13:07pm]

.

Taylor Swift Joins 'The Voice' as 'Mega Mentor' For Season 17

The pop superstar join coaches John Legend, Blake Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and Gwen Stefani to mentor the artists.

Published on

September 17, 2019

By

Tim Peacock

Taylor Swift will take on the "mega mentor" role once again in the 17th season of The Voice. Her return to the reality singing competition was revealed yesterday, 16 September through veteran coaches John Legend and Blake Shelton, who announced the "mega" news in a short promotional video on social media, which you can see below.

In her role, the 29-year-old pop superstar will join coaches Legend, Shelton, Kelly Clarkson and Gwen Stefani to mentor the artists and prepare each team for the Knockout Rounds, which will begin airing in late October.

During the Knockout Rounds, the competing artists will be paired with a teammate and select their own songs to perform individually. Swift will be on-hand to work with all four coaches and their teams to provide feedback, suggestions and praise as the artists prepare for their performances.

This isn't the first time Taylor Swift has lent her talents to The Voice. She also served as the Mega Mentor during the series' seventh season in 2014. She was last seen on the show during the season 16 finale, when she took the stage to perform her hit 'ME!' with Brendon Urie of Panic! At the Disco.

Legend and Shelton on Monday took to Instagram to share their excitement over welcoming Swift back to the series in a promo video that features the 10-time Grammy winner. Acting confused, Legend says, "I hear we have a Mega Mentor," to which Shelton replies, "Yeah, but I don't know who it is. I know it's supposed to be a big star."

Legend adds, "Yeah, I think the person is like one of the most successful people in music but..." Moments later, Swift emerges from a trailer to reveal that it's her who got the gig.

Season 17 of The Voice will be the first cycle without star and original coach, Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, who departed the reality competition earlier this year.

https://www.udiscovermusi...ga-mentor/

Here is an interesting interview with Taylor by Rolling Stone.

https://www.rollingstone....ew-880794/

^ Thanks.

I'm loving "Lover"! (the retro sound is noteworthy).

Lover

Taylor Swift

We could leave the Christmas lights up 'til January
This is our place, we make the rules
And there's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you, dear
Have I known you twenty seconds or twenty years?

Can I go where you go?
Can we always be this close forever and ever?
And ah, take me out, and take me home
You're my, my, my, my lover

We could let our friends crash in the living room
This is our place, we make the call
And I'm highly suspicious that everyone who sees you wants you
I've loved you three summers now, honey, but I want 'em all

Can I go where you go?
Can we always be this close forever and ever?
And ah, take me out, and take me home (forever and ever)
You're my, my, my, my lover

Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand?
With every...

Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand?
With every guitar string scar on my hand
I take this magnetic force of a man to be my lover
My heart's been borrowed and yours has been blue
All's well that ends well to end up with you
Swear to be overdramatic and true to my lover
And you'll save all your dirtiest jokes for me
And at every table, I'll save you a seat, lover

Can I go where you go?
Can we always be this close forever and ever?
And ah, take me out, and take me home (forever and ever)
You're my, my, my, my
Oh, you're my, my, my, my
Darling, you're my, my, my, my lover

A Listening Guide to Lover, Based on Your 9 Favorite Taylor Swift Songs

August 23, 2019 12:28 PMby Jenna Adrian-Diaz

https://www.vogue.com/art...ning-guide

Today, Taylor Swift released Lover, her highly-anticipated seventh album. While we've heard the album's fifth track, The Archer, along with singles Lover, ME!, and You Need to Calm Down, there are now 14 brand-new songs to listen to and decode—for reference, Swift's last album, Reputation, was comprised of 15 songs total.

Lover signifies a return to Swift's Red era of devastatingly emotional ballads, with 1989's pop-y flair and glimpses of Reputation's razor-sharp wit. The sheer volume of new music is enough to make even seasoned Swifties's heads spin, so Vogue.com compiled a listening guide for each track. Below, find which Lover tracks you should listen to, based on your past favorites from TSwift.

If you loved "Wildest Dreams" (1989), "Treacherous" (Red), and "Dress" (Reputation), listen to "False God" and "I Think He Knows."

As she's moved away from her country image—and her teenage years—Swift has usually dedicated one track per album to exploring the sensuality and intimacy of her grown-up relationships. With Lover, Swift blessed us with two: "False God" offers soulful lyrics filled with not-so-subtle metaphors set to a jazzy beat. "I Think He Knows" offers more of the percussion-forward pop sound that Swift has treated us to in a few other tracks off of Lover, like "You Need to Calm Down" and "ME!"

If you loved "All Too Well" (Red) and "Last Kiss" (Speak Now), listen to "Cornelia Street."

It's no secret that Swift has spent the better part of the past three years swept up in the bliss of her relationship with actor Joe Alwyn. These days, fans of her heartfelt odes to a devastating love lost might be hard-pressed to find a song that hits in quite the same way. The lyrics of "Cornelia Street" are filled with the same mix of nostalgia for streets crossed together, turning seasons, and relationship highs that make the lows hurt that much more. Look no farther than Swift's breathy refrain of, "I hope I never lose you, I hope it never ends. I'd never walk Cornelia street again, that's the kind of heartbreak time could never end."

If you loved "Getaway Car" (Reputation) and "Blank Space" (1989), listen to "Daylight."

Since her 1989 album, Swift has made a tradition of reflecting on relationships—romantic and platonic—that ended messily, and often in the public eye. "Daylight" seems to continue the trend of dressing up a bit of self-reflection, this time set against the Lover album's trend toward synth-heavy instrumentals. You'll find yourself listening to it a few times over and speculating about whose "Many lines I've crossed, unforgiven," Swift refers to in the opening verse.

If you loved "You Belong With Me" (Fearless) and "I'm Only Me When I'm With You" (Taylor Swift), listen to "Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince" and "It's Nice to Have a Friend."

Do you ever find yourself nostalgic for the singer's country-pop crossover roots and her sweet ballads to teenage love? Then "Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince" and "It's Nice to Have a Friend" are for you. With the former, Swift brings over a decade of adult perspective—and possibly even a bit of criticism of her late-aughts fixation with the idealism of small-town, USA—to its lyrics. Gems like "American glory faded before me, now I'm feeling hopeless, ripped up my prom dress running through rose thrones," punctuate its catchy chorus. In "It's Nice to Have a Friend," Swift muses on the sentimentality of falling in love with someone she's gotten to know first as a friend and confidante (Alwyn, perhaps?).

OldFriends4Sale said:

A Listening Guide to Lover, Based on Your 9 Favorite Taylor Swift Songs

August 23, 2019 12:28 PMby Jenna Adrian-Diaz

https://www.vogue.com/art...ning-guide

Today, Taylor Swift released Lover, her highly-anticipated seventh album. While we've heard the album's fifth track, The Archer, along with singles Lover, ME!, and You Need to Calm Down, there are now 14 brand-new songs to listen to and decode—for reference, Swift's last album, Reputation, was comprised of 15 songs total.

Lover signifies a return to Swift's Red era of devastatingly emotional ballads, with 1989's pop-y flair and glimpses of Reputation's razor-sharp wit. The sheer volume of new music is enough to make even seasoned Swifties's heads spin, so Vogue.com compiled a listening guide for each track. Below, find which Lover tracks you should listen to, based on your past favorites from TSwift.

If you loved "Wildest Dreams" (1989), "Treacherous" (Red), and "Dress" (Reputation), listen to "False God" and "I Think He Knows."

As she's moved away from her country image—and her teenage years—Swift has usually dedicated one track per album to exploring the sensuality and intimacy of her grown-up relationships. With Lover, Swift blessed us with two: "False God" offers soulful lyrics filled with not-so-subtle metaphors set to a jazzy beat. "I Think He Knows" offers more of the percussion-forward pop sound that Swift has treated us to in a few other tracks off of Lover, like "You Need to Calm Down" and "ME!"

If you loved "All Too Well" (Red) and "Last Kiss" (Speak Now), listen to "Cornelia Street."

It's no secret that Swift has spent the better part of the past three years swept up in the bliss of her relationship with actor Joe Alwyn. These days, fans of her heartfelt odes to a devastating love lost might be hard-pressed to find a song that hits in quite the same way. The lyrics of "Cornelia Street" are filled with the same mix of nostalgia for streets crossed together, turning seasons, and relationship highs that make the lows hurt that much more. Look no farther than Swift's breathy refrain of, "I hope I never lose you, I hope it never ends. I'd never walk Cornelia street again, that's the kind of heartbreak time could never end."

If you loved "Getaway Car" (Reputation) and "Blank Space" (1989), listen to "Daylight."

Since her 1989 album, Swift has made a tradition of reflecting on relationships—romantic and platonic—that ended messily, and often in the public eye. "Daylight" seems to continue the trend of dressing up a bit of self-reflection, this time set against the Lover album's trend toward synth-heavy instrumentals. You'll find yourself listening to it a few times over and speculating about whose "Many lines I've crossed, unforgiven," Swift refers to in the opening verse.

If you loved "You Belong With Me" (Fearless) and "I'm Only Me When I'm With You" (Taylor Swift), listen to "Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince" and "It's Nice to Have a Friend."

Do you ever find yourself nostalgic for the singer's country-pop crossover roots and her sweet ballads to teenage love? Then "Miss Americana and the Heartbreak Prince" and "It's Nice to Have a Friend" are for you. With the former, Swift brings over a decade of adult perspective—and possibly even a bit of criticism of her late-aughts fixation with the idealism of small-town, USA—to its lyrics. Gems like "American glory faded before me, now I'm feeling hopeless, ripped up my prom dress running through rose thrones," punctuate its catchy chorus. In "It's Nice to Have a Friend," Swift muses on the sentimentality of falling in love with someone she's gotten to know first as a friend and confidante (Alwyn, perhaps?).

Nice job! I think why these comparsions are true is that the Lover album pulls from her whole career but in an updated form. It also counters the observation of some others that it is all bubblegum, as there are many styles in addition to bubblegum (I admit Meeheheeee is pure bubblegum).

[Edited 9/26/19 14:42pm]

I respect her musical talents, writer and plays instruments and all that, but I find her music "campy" and for teenagers...but hey...if it's working for her... good for her !

Lovely version of the title track.

https://www.youtube.com/w...mipFjOtMA8

Cloudbuster said:

.

The Man

.

I would be complex
I would be cool
They'd say I played the field before
I found someone to commit to
And that would be okay
For me to do
Every conquest I had made
Would make me more of a boss to you

I'd be a fearless leader
I'd be an alpha type
When everyone believes ya
What's that like?

I'm so sick of running
As fast as I can
Wondering if I'd get there quicker
If I was a man
And I'm so sick of them
Coming at me again
'Cause if I was a man
Then I'd be the man
I'd be the man
I'd be the man

They'd say I hustled
Put in the work
They wouldn't shake their heads
And question how much of this I deserve
What I was wearing, if I was rude
Could all be separated from my good ideas and power moves
And we would toast to me, oh, let the players play
I'd be...

They'd say I hustled
Put in the work
They wouldn't shake their heads
And question how much of this I deserve
What I was wearing, if I was rude
Could all be separated from my good ideas and power moves
And we would toast to me, oh, let the players play
I'd be just like Leo, in Saint-Tropez

I'm so sick of running
As fast as I can
Wondering if I'd get there quicker
If I was a man
And I'm so sick of them
Coming at me again
'Cause if I was a man
Then I'd be the man
I'd be the man
I'd be the man

What's it like to brag about raking in dollars
And getting bitches and models?
And it's all good if you're bad
And it's okay if you're mad

If I was out flashin' my dollas
I'd be a bitch, not a baller
They'd paint me out to be bad
So it's okay that I'm mad

I'm so sick of running
As fast as I can
Wondering if I'd get there quicker
If I was a man (you know that)
And I'm so sick of them
Coming at me again (coming at me again)
'Cause if I was a man (if I was man)
Then I'd be the man (then I'd be the man)

I'm so sick of running
As fast as I can (as fast as I can)
Wondering if I'd get there quicker
If I was a man (hey!)

And I'm so sick of them
Coming at me again (coming at me again!)
'Cause if I was a man (if I was man)
Then I'd be the man
I'd be the man
I'd be the man (oh)
I'd be the man (yeah)
I'd be the man (I'd be the man)

.

Aug 23, 2019, 02:39am

Why 'Lover' Track 'The Man' Is The Most Important Song Taylor Swift Has Ever Written

Brittany Hodak Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

Hollywood & Entertainment I'm a keynote speaker, award-winning entrepreneur and superfan expert.

.

https://www.forbes.com/si...9ba49d84d8

Taylor Swift is no stranger to dropping truth-bombs in her songs. She's been releasing culture-shifting lyrical missiles for more than a decade, and her seventh studio album, Lover, is no exception. About ten minutes into an hourlong collection of expertly-crafted pop ear candy, Swift serves up what is, in my opinion, the most important song she's ever written.

.

It's called "The Man," and it's a brilliant portrayal of the subtle and not-so-subtle sexism women face every day. I've never wanted so badly for any song on any album to be released as a radio single. "The Man" is a song that literally everyone needs to hear.

.

"I'm so sick of running as fast as I can / Wondering if I'd get there quicker if I was a man," Swift sings in the catchy chorus. Find me a professional woman who hasn't voiced that thought and I'll give you a dollar. Actually, I'll give you a dollar if you're a man. If you're a woman, I'll give you seventy-nine cents, since that's what you're likely earning for every dollar the man working next to you is getting.

.

Swift's famously-sharp lyrics don't stop there. The second verse goes, "They'd say I hustled, put in the work / They wouldn't shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve / What I was wearing, if I was rude / Could all be separated from my good ideas and power moves."

Some listeners may interpret the line as personal commentary on Swift's mixed history with the press, or even the sexual-assault lawsuit she fought and won in 2017. However, every female listener (and, again, I don't think I'm over-generalizing when I say that) will recognize it as a universal statement about what virtually every woman has endured in her professional life — including, apparently, the woman responsible for the highest-grossing domestic tour of all time.

.

I've been following Swift's career closely since before her first single was released to country radio. The two things that have always impressed me most about her are her ability to connect with fans and her ability to articulate complex emotions and situations in simple, universal terms. She was already great at both when she was fifteen years old, and now, at 29, she's better than perhaps anyone in the world in both disciplines.

The magic of "The Man" is not just that it captures a complex (and often misunderstood) issue so brilliantly and simply, but also that it conveys to Swift's female fans that even she isn't above the BS that so many of us are regularly subjected to. Although that may not sound like a hopeful message, camaraderie and relatability have always been staples of Swift's appeal. She's saying to women (and girls), "This isn't okay, but it happens to me too."

I'm only five years older than Swift, but when I reflect on the things I've encountered in my career, a bystander might assume I'm listing experiences from the 1950s: Sexual assault by a senior executive? Check. Being told to attend business dinners "as a prop"? Dozens of times. Being asked by an executive to "just twirl around for me once" after giving a big presentation? Oh yeah, that happened.

The rampant sexism I encountered in the music industry was one reason I launched my own company when I was 27, but even that didn't make me immune to indignities: Potential partners questioning my expertise? Pretty much every meeting. Having others take credit for my ideas and accomplishments? It still happens most days. People discounting my value because I'm a woman? Although it's impossible to prove, I'd bet at least 79 cents on it.

There are millions of stories just like mine. I could name at least a hundred friends and a thousand more acquaintances who've had similar experiences. That's why Swift's message here matters. And what's better, critics who saw her as an unfit messenger in "You Need To Calm Down" won't be able to lob accusations about Swift not living this song's truth. She's exactly the right messenger at exactly the right time.

"When everyone believes ya / What's that like?" Swift muses. "And I'm so sick of them coming at me again / 'Cause if I was a man, then I'd be the man."

In a time when only 6.6% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women, less than 2.5% of venture funding goes to female founders, and the President of the United States is somehow still getting away with branding every woman with a dissenting opinion as "nasty," "The Man" is the song the world needs right now.

I'm hopeful that Swift's spotlight on the issue will spark a national conversation about sexism, power, and equality. The headline-dominating interest in her back catalogue's acquisition — and her subsequent announcement that she plans to re-record her masters next year — should provide the perfect backdrop to heat up the conversation.

Thanks for writing this anthem, Taylor. Never doubt the fact that you are, without a doubt, the man.

OldFriends4Sale said:

Aug 23, 2019, 02:39am

Why 'Lover' Track 'The Man' Is The Most Important Song Taylor Swift Has Ever Written

Brittany Hodak Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

Hollywood & Entertainment I'm a keynote speaker, award-winning entrepreneur and superfan expert.

.

https://www.forbes.com/si...9ba49d84d8

Taylor Swift is no stranger to dropping truth-bombs in her songs. She's been releasing culture-shifting lyrical missiles for more than a decade, and her seventh studio album, Lover, is no exception. About ten minutes into an hourlong collection of expertly-crafted pop ear candy, Swift serves up what is, in my opinion, the most important song she's ever written.

.

It's called "The Man," and it's a brilliant portrayal of the subtle and not-so-subtle sexism women face every day. I've never wanted so badly for any song on any album to be released as a radio single. "The Man" is a song that literally everyone needs to hear.

.

"I'm so sick of running as fast as I can / Wondering if I'd get there quicker if I was a man," Swift sings in the catchy chorus. Find me a professional woman who hasn't voiced that thought and I'll give you a dollar. Actually, I'll give you a dollar if you're a man. If you're a woman, I'll give you seventy-nine cents, since that's what you're likely earning for every dollar the man working next to you is getting.

.

Swift's famously-sharp lyrics don't stop there. The second verse goes, "They'd say I hustled, put in the work / They wouldn't shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve / What I was wearing, if I was rude / Could all be separated from my good ideas and power moves."

Some listeners may interpret the line as personal commentary on Swift's mixed history with the press, or even the sexual-assault lawsuit she fought and won in 2017. However, every female listener (and, again, I don't think I'm over-generalizing when I say that) will recognize it as a universal statement about what virtually every woman has endured in her professional life — including, apparently, the woman responsible for the highest-grossing domestic tour of all time.

.

I've been following Swift's career closely since before her first single was released to country radio. The two things that have always impressed me most about her are her ability to connect with fans and her ability to articulate complex emotions and situations in simple, universal terms. She was already great at both when she was fifteen years old, and now, at 29, she's better than perhaps anyone in the world in both disciplines.

The magic of "The Man" is not just that it captures a complex (and often misunderstood) issue so brilliantly and simply, but also that it conveys to Swift's female fans that even she isn't above the BS that so many of us are regularly subjected to. Although that may not sound like a hopeful message, camaraderie and relatability have always been staples of Swift's appeal. She's saying to women (and girls), "This isn't okay, but it happens to me too."

I'm only five years older than Swift, but when I reflect on the things I've encountered in my career, a bystander might assume I'm listing experiences from the 1950s: Sexual assault by a senior executive? Check. Being told to attend business dinners "as a prop"? Dozens of times. Being asked by an executive to "just twirl around for me once" after giving a big presentation? Oh yeah, that happened.

The rampant sexism I encountered in the music industry was one reason I launched my own company when I was 27, but even that didn't make me immune to indignities: Potential partners questioning my expertise? Pretty much every meeting. Having others take credit for my ideas and accomplishments? It still happens most days. People discounting my value because I'm a woman? Although it's impossible to prove, I'd bet at least 79 cents on it.

There are millions of stories just like mine. I could name at least a hundred friends and a thousand more acquaintances who've had similar experiences. That's why Swift's message here matters. And what's better, critics who saw her as an unfit messenger in "You Need To Calm Down" won't be able to lob accusations about Swift not living this song's truth. She's exactly the right messenger at exactly the right time.

"When everyone believes ya / What's that like?" Swift muses. "And I'm so sick of them coming at me again / 'Cause if I was a man, then I'd be the man."

In a time when only 6.6% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women, less than 2.5% of venture funding goes to female founders, and the President of the United States is somehow still getting away with branding every woman with a dissenting opinion as "nasty," "The Man" is the song the world needs right now.

I'm hopeful that Swift's spotlight on the issue will spark a national conversation about sexism, power, and equality. The headline-dominating interest in her back catalogue's acquisition — and her subsequent announcement that she plans to re-record her masters next year — should provide the perfect backdrop to heat up the conversation.

Thanks for writing this anthem, Taylor. Never doubt the fact that you are, without a doubt, the man.

Love The Man. Favorite Swift song in ages plus she is so right. What men get slammed for having a pretty model of the week each time they go out? No, they are just envied and admired for being the man. Women who make power moves get so many names hurled at them. Way to speak up Taylor!