For the entirety of her 18-year-long career, it’s a well-known truth that Taylor Swift is the prime songwriter of her music. From eloquent, introspective, coming-of-age lyrics depicting love and loss in her early career days to GRAMMY-Award winning folk story narratives in her recent releases— few would deny that Swift is a memorable and dynamic songwriter.
That’s why when iconic Blur and Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn spoke about Swift in a recent LA Times interview, fans of both musicians were shocked. Swift, Albarn and their fans took to Twitter to air their grievances. Look no further for a complete timeline of the ongoing saga, Albarn’s dismissal of Swift’s music, her epic tweet comeback the next day, Albarn’s apology, and other events that followed.
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Firstly, on January 23rd, Albarn was interviewed by the LA Times for their feature story that most centered around his latest album release, The Nearer The Fountain, More Pure The Stream Flows. Writer Mikael Wood asked the musician about his solo career, time spent in LA and the two began discussing popular modern artists. Near the beginning of the interview, Wood asked Albarn, “You think a lot of modern musicians are relying on sound and attitude?” to which he replied, “name someone who’s not.”
Wood then said, “She may not be to your taste, but Taylor Swift is an excellent songwriter.” Albarn then searingly replied, “she doesn’t write her own songs.” Wood added, “of course she does, she co-writes some of them.” (While Swift has co-writers listed throughout her discography, albums like 2010’s Speak Now were written entirely and solely by her).
Albarn then said that he “knows” what co-writing is, that it’s different to simply writing and that he wasn’t “hating on anybody.” “I’m just saying there’s a big difference between a songwriter and a songwriter who co-writes,” Albarn said, before adding that “some of the greatest singers like Ella Fizgerald” never wrote one song “in their lives”
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Confusingly, Albarn then noted that he believed a “really interesting songwriter is Billie Eilish and her brother.” (Although, the two are technically co-writers of their material if not mostly written by Eilish’s brother Finneas O’Connell). “I’m more attracted to that than to Taylor Swift,” Albarn continued. “It’s just darker — less endlessly upbeat. Way more minor and odd. I think she’s exceptional.” (We do have to wonder how folklore and evermore might ever be considered ‘endlessly upbeat?’)
The next day, Swift tagged Albarn in a tweet, linked to the LA Times article and wrote, “I was such a big fan of yours until I saw this. I write ALL of my own songs. Your hot take is completely false and SO damaging. You don’t have to like my songs but it’s really f—d up to try and discredit my writing. WOW.” She sarcastically added to the thread later, “PS I wrote this tweet all by myself in case you were wondering.” The tweet garnered thousands of likes, retweets and comments prompting Albarn to respond.
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An hour later, Albarn replied, “I totally agree with you. I had a conversation about songwriting and sadly it was reduced to clickbait.” (He did, however, explicitly say that Swift did not write her own songs). Albarn continued, “I apologize unreservedly and unconditionally. The last thing I want to do is discredit your songwriting. I hope you understand.” Albarn then played a set at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA, and before performing Blur’s hit, “Song 2,” he dedicated the song to LA Times writer Wood, and gave subtle jabs about how Wood “cast” him into the “social media abyss.”
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Many of Swift’s collaborators, friends and notable fans (even Gabriel Boric, the president of Chile) applauded her comeback last week, including the one and only Dolly Parton. In a January 26th Hollywood Life interview, Parton called Swift a “great writer— with or without anybody,” and praised her work and compared it to her own. Parton explained that it’s important for women musicians and writers to “defend” themselves when discredited and added about Swift, “She knows who she is and what she wants, and I’m the same way. I’m going to fight if it goes against what I feel is not right for me.”
Amen to that! If there’s one thing that’s certainly ‘out’ in 2022— it’s belittling and delegitimizing the music and writing of women. Here’s to crossing our fingers for the rumored upcoming Speak Now and 1989 (Taylor’s Version) releases and for everything to resolve between these musicians.
