Taylor Swift’s Biggest Influences
Taylor Swift is one of the brightest stars in music today, which begs the question: Who are her biggest influences? Swift has referenced her grandmother, a former opera singer, as being a prevailing force in her writing. Hearing her sing is one of Swift’s earliest musical memories. “I can remember her singing, the thrill of it,” she said, at one point posting a picture of her grandmother on Twitter. The likeness is uncanny. Like many children of the ‘90s, Disney films also played a pivotal role in her musical upbringing. Swift stated she would fill in her own words to memorable Disney compositions, a practice that honed her lyrical abilities. These early memories were essential in forming Swift as a songwriter and performer today, but as she became older more serious influences in the country music arena began to arise.
In regard to her fascination with country music, Swift references the narrative aspects as being important, likely a result of her admiration for both opera and Disney films in her childhood. “I was infatuated with the sound, with the storytelling. I could relate to it,” she said in an interview. “I can’t really tell you why. With me, it was just instinctual.” The interest can also be attributed to her parents; her dad introduced her to Simon & Garfunkel, and her mom named her after James Taylor. And while both those artists specialize in more folk than country, the emphasis on narrative emotions and a similar instrumental repertoire makes her love for country not too surprising.
Country music was on an upswing in the ’90s, explaining why it was so easy for the young Swift to become infatuated with the sound. “I was influenced early on by all of the great female country artists of the ’90s and all of the cool music they were putting out,” she told CMT, namedropping Shania Twain, Faith Hill, and the Dixie Chicks specifically. Twain is one she has referenced several times as her “biggest” influence. “She came out, and she was just so strong and so independent and wrote all her own songs,” Swift told TIME, saying she respects any woman who injects a bold and genuine personality into their songwriting. “That meant so much to me, even as a 10-year-old.” But female country artists aren’t the only type that Swift is infatuated with.
As the title of her breakthrough hit, “Tim McGraw”, may suggest, Swift has a soft spot for the Louisiana native. The track was not an ode to McGraw as a person though, rather focusing on the high school break-up between her and ex-boyfriend Brandon Borello. But instead of taking a conventional path like most love songs, “Tim McGraw” emphasized relationship nostalgia, or certain things that reminded one of an ex-lover. Swift loved McGraw’s music, and was reminded of Borello when hearing it. Even with Borello far from her mind now, you can bet her love for McGraw’s music is still housed deep in her heart, as well as several other male country performers like Garth Brooks and Kenny Chesney. She even discovered the music of The White Stripes and Jack White through her brother, Austin. Her influences clearly have no bounds, one reason why audiences find her music consistently stimulating and diverse.
Though her love for country music is the strongest, Swift’s admiration for a variety of musical genres is one reason she appeals to such a broad audience. Her mom loved Def Leppard, and passed that love to her daughter. Swift had the chance to play with them on CMT’s Crossroads, where they swapped songs. “I was singing Def Leppard songs, and they were singing my songs. It was just a complete out-of-body experience,” she said. Although Swift has a multitude of influences and has had famous artists cover her songs, she still seems intent on making her own original albums, as opposed to adding a cover song here or there. She has no opposition to singing them live, though. “I usually try to cycle them [covers] through every couple of months, because if I didn’t write it, it’s easier for me to get tired singing it live.” When you write songs with as many fragmented influences as Swift, it’s easy to see why she prefers her own songs to cover versions of past greats. Her bold songwriting implies her progressiveness, so that self-dependent ideology is hardly surprising.