Damon Albarn and Taylor Swift Are Feuding Like It's the Mid-90s
Don't poke the Swiftie hive, Damon.
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If you dipped into any music news this week, there was a reasonably stupid feud that bubbled up between Damon Albarn and Taylor Swift.
Albarn is one of the most accomplished songwriters to come out of the nineties with his career as the leading man in Blur and Gorillaz, and also his solo work, which includes last year’s excellent The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows. But during an interview with the Los Angeles Times published last Sunday, Mr. Albarn made a substantial social media age mistake: he shit-talked Taylor Swift.
When asked about Swift during a conversation about songwriting, Albarn replied, “she doesn’t write her own songs.” Corrected by the interviewer, pop music critic Mikael Wood, Albarn digs deeper, answering, "that doesn't count. I know what co-writing is. Co-writing is very different to writing. I'm not hating on anybody, I'm just saying there's a big difference between a songwriter and a songwriter who co-writes."
I believe Taylor Swift is a lizard person, and “Swifties” are among the most toxic fans in entertainment who make ridiculous statements like this, but Albarn is entirely wrong here on a few things. First, Swift may not be my cup of tea, but she most certainly writes her songs. For as long as I can remember, she’s been “the pop star that writes her own material,” and her success as a songwriter is supported by her status as one of the most prominent selling artists of all time.
I also disagree with his stance on co-writing, especially while Albarn praises Billie Eilish at the same time, who famously writes with her brother. Think about the biggest pop songs of the last sixty-plus years and how often duos wrote them. John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Elton John and Bernie Taupin. Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson. C’mon, we all know these writing teams, and Albarn knows it too - he wrote many of Blur’s songs with guitarist Graham Coxon. There is absolutely nothing lesser about collaborative songwriting unless it’s this kind of mess:
Albarn has since apologized and claimed that the press took clickbait out of context. Still, I’m not sure how he came to that conclusion. Swifties have been quick to claim misogyny, recalling Albarn’s previous comments on Adele. In this case, they may be as wrong as Albarn’s initial comment, and obviously don’t remember the mid-90s when Blur and Oasis had their Britpop bloodbath of a rivalry. Damon Albarn and the Gallagher brothers have always said stupid shit, but what was once printed in the papers the next day is now an instant viral mess that everyone forgets within a week.
I’m still a fan of Albarn’s music. Blur and Oasis were massively influential on my music interests in the nineties, and my wife and I even walked out to Blur’s “Ong Ong” after our wedding ceremony. But he poked the Swift hive for the wrong reasons this week and is paying the price in the form of kids asking, “who is this old geezer?”
One final note about Taylor Swift, now named Ambassador of Record Store Day for 2022. Almost fifteen years ago, RSD started as an idea to offer exclusive vinyl pressings to entice buyers to support independent record stores… one day a year. It’s long been a lost cause, a hodgepodge of live shows, represses, and songs left on the cutting room floor for a reason, but now the thinking is that because Swift has sold the most vinyl, she’s going to save record stores.
Here’s my question: what percentage of her records are purchased at indie stores compared to Amazon and Target?
Just a wild guess....0%?