Taylormania! How Taylor Swift Emerged from the Pandemic Bigger Than Ever

Brian Hiatt
·2 min read
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The new episode of Rolling Stone Music Now looks at how Taylor Swift has reached new heights. - Credit: Griffin Lotz for Rolling Stone
The new episode of Rolling Stone Music Now looks at how Taylor Swift has reached new heights. - Credit: Griffin Lotz for Rolling Stone

When 20,000 people start showing up outside Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour stadium shows, it should become clear that something unique is happening. Streaming numbers make it clear as well: Seventeen years into Swift’s career, she’s managed to hit a new height of popularity. Call it Taylormania.

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In the new episode of Rolling Stone Music Now, Brittany Spanos and Rob Sheffield join host Brian Hiatt to discuss how Swift re-conquered the world after the 2019 release of Lover. (To hear the whole episode, go here to the podcast provider of your choice, listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or just press play above.) In short, Swift seems to have built an entire new fanbase on top of her already huge one during the pandemic. Folklore and Evermore refocused attention on her songwriting, the release of the Taylor’s Versions re-recordings helped reintroduce her earlier albums to new and younger fans, and Midnights capped it all with a new set of hits.

Swift’s decision to re-record her entire catalog after the sale of her masters has turned out to be brilliant, especially since she’s promoting the Taylor’s Versions as if they were new albums, complete with the inclusion of “vault” songs — most notably the chart-topping 10-minute-long version of “All Too Well.” And the Eras Tour, with its wildly ambitious three-hour-plus run through her entire career (minus her debut album), is a nightly celebration of all of it.

The episode also digs into fans’ renewed appreciation for Lover; the impending and very belated release of that album’s best song, “Cruel Summer,” as a single; the best moments of the Eras Tour; and much more.

Download and subscribe to Rolling Stone’s weekly podcast, Rolling Stone Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on Apple Podcasts or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts). Check out six years’ worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth, career-spanning interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, Halsey, Neil Young, Snoop Dogg, Brandi Carlile, Phoebe Bridgers, Rick Ross, Alicia Keys, The National, Ice Cube, Taylor Hawkins, Willow, Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Dua Lipa, Questlove, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Charlie Puth, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, and Gary Clark Jr. Plus, there are dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with Rolling Stone’s critics and reporters.

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