the man essay taylor swift

If I Was The Man, Then I’d Be The Man: An Essay Inspired by Taylor Swift

An analytical-but-personal essay inspired by Taylor Swift’s song “The Man” and navigating a seemingly male-dominated music industry.

I n 2019, one of the most successful female artists of the century, Taylor Swift, released her seventh studio album Lover . However, it was only Swift’s first record she owned the full rights to. While it is true that Swift is not the only major artist to not own control of her entire catalog of masters — unless she rerecords each album , — she was notably receiving little-to-no support from her male musical peers.

It was only the other current female artists in the industry using their voices and standing up for her, Halsey and Lily Allen being just a few of the women rallying for Swift. Yet, when looking around at the discourse on the internet, predominantly on Twitter between white cisgender men, it’s these three chart-topping female artists (of many) that endure a slew of hatred online.

You might be asking, well, what do they all have in common? The answer lies in tracks with similar themes that present themselves, with descriptions of toxicity still present in all aspects of the music industry today. Whether it’s occurring or noticeable to your eyes, doesn’t mean it’s not happening. Allen’s “URL Badman” was released in 2014, yet still rings true. Allen, while she does namecheck Pitchfork, speaks about a concept that expands to the music journalism field as a whole.

As Guardian journalist Laura Snapes recently shared, “The music industry is so profoundly toxic and resistant to change, it feels unethical to participate in it at all sometimes.” When even independent record labels are engaging in a toxic Twitter discourse through now-deleted tweets, that’s when we should all be aware that something seriously needs to change.

Speaking of Halsey, “929,” from her new album, includes the line, “ They said, ‘Don’t meet your heroes. They’re all fucking weirdos.’ God knows that they were right ,” which could arguably apply to a slew of bands in the #MeToo era being exposed for misconduct — some alleged, some confirmed. Nevertheless, accusations should be taken seriously, as the saying goes, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” It still fell, even if you weren’t listening or don’t believe that it did.

As for Swift, she has been the recent example and arguably, the bluntest, at portraying this disparity in the music industry on her latest Lover single “The Man.”

Swift writes from the perspective of how her life would be incredibly different if she were a man in music.

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?

Watch: “the man” – taylor swift.

She faces these double standards head-on in her self-directed music video for “The Man,” donning prosthetics to become the man. Swift, as an embodiment of male privilege in the video, manspreads on the subway, surrounds themselves with models on a yacht, and is literally high-fived after leaving a one night stand. The man, in his eyes, can do no wrong.

After all, she’s experienced these double standards firsthand. If you analyzed charting male songs about relationships to the backlash they received about writing them, it would be near to non-existent. However, if Swift, a woman in her 20s at the time of songs like “Dear John” and “Back To December,” dates a typical amount of men and writes songs, it becomes punchlines for award shows on national television.

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

Now slowly approaching my twentieth birthday, I have spent years working in various aspects of this industry since I was fifteen. Yes, it is true that there are a few good dudes out there that are focused on bettering the collective industry as a whole, compared to just the individual self. Notably, Ross Martin from the defunct UQ Music , Ariel Bitran, and Atwood Magazine ’s own Mitch Mosk.

However, there are other male peers I’ve encountered along the way, that as I’ve become more self-aware, I’ve become disillusioned by their inability to use their platforms to create change of any magnitude, especially if they have a large influence on social media. No matter what area of the music industry you work in, there is always room to grow and call for change, notably white cis males standing up and supporting those who are different than themselves.

Just last month, 98 KCQ, a Michigan-based country radio station, tweeted, “ We cannot play two females back to back. Not even Lady Antebellum or Little Big Town against another female .” This brought a larger conversation about women in the country music industry to the forefront, with heavy-hitters like Kacey Musgraves and Kelsea Ballerini joining in. This is best described in a brilliant and well-written article by Chris Willman about the situation. With a toxicity towards women in this musical subsection that’s been present long before the Dixie Chicks, it’s no wonder Swift made the switch to pop radio in an attempt to gain the respect she deserves.

Even with country radio being a smaller part of a current and relevant conversation about a woman’s place in the music industry, the men I knew who worked and performed in this specific subsection never said a word about it — neither for or against. Nor did they say a word in November of last year, when Jennifer Nettles arrived at the Country Music Awards with a cape that read, “ Play our f—-in records, please and thank you .”

Instead, they used their social platform and place in the industry to heavily promote their own record (a collaborative duet between two men), and I found myself increasingly disappointed and losing respect in them.

As Swift notes in her newly premiered Netflix documentary “Miss Americana,” she constantly was told regarding her place as, “A nice girl doesn’t force their opinions on people. A nice girl smiles and says thank you.” Yet, in an industry that as Swift describes as one that puts famous, yet successful, ladies in an “elephant graveyard by the time they’re 35,” when, in a career as a woman in music, do we cross the threshold of being “nice” and become someone worthy of respect?

I’ve urged other male writers I know to speak up about things that are happening, specifically the Reading and Leeds lineup debacle as one example. His response was one of, “Well, I support some women,” followed by a few paragraphs of mansplaining about money and indie publications, that I refused to open the can of worms into responding to before I could clearly articulate my thoughts.

If you are praising underground independent female artists, but tearing down chart-topping, mainstream ones, such as Swift, Halsey, and Allen from previous examples, in the same breath, that is not a pure and complete respect of women in the industry who went through consistent trials and tribulations to get to that success level. They tell us, “Respect your elders,” and in some exceptions, I do. Yet, at what point as a woman in music, do your elders start to respect you?

A few months ago, I attended a show for a New York-based band that I had been interested in working with and learning the business aspect of things. The members consisted of all men in their early twenties, older than myself, but not by much. Other attendees at the concert consisted of their manager and various attendees at the Bushwick venue that night. However, once their manager met a male music journalist from Kerrang! , he didn’t speak to me again.

The second red flag and reduction I felt from the group that helped me decide to officially cut ties, came from their lead singer, who texted me a few days after their show, inquiring if I could write a “pretty little article” for them. I suppose this is that article he wanted — not little, but hopefully he finds it pretty. As for the Kerrang! writer at this gig, I gave him my email when he asked. Needless to say, it’s been months of silence, so the disheartening feeling has subsided.

When it comes to the subsection of music journalism within the larger scheme of the industry, I am aware of the certain privileges I have operating the field as a white woman, however, it has still been a process filled with reductive experiences from men. While working as a booking intern at a New York concert venue, a drunk performer in a spin-off group, formed by a member of an iconic band, unaware of my internship status, inappropriately attempted to invite a clearly underage (X’s on each hand) girl to an “afterparty,” only to have his advances blatantly rejected.

If I was out flashing my dollars, I’d be a bitch, not a baller. They’d paint me out to be bad, So it’s okay that I’m mad

Swift’s lyricism within “the man” feels not only like a long time coming in terms of her personal experiences, but also a breath of fresh air..

It’s a spot-on description of how many women in this music industry — or any male-dominated industry, for that matter, feel. It’s a social commentary about double standards and working-hard-but-getting-nowhere, that makes it all the better option to become Lover ’s next single. It’s a song and a music video release that dig into something deeper than themselves. Not only does the song have an already universal relatability because of its themes, but as a single, “The Man” will hopefully, reach and inspire the young women in the next generation in the same way. It will also, hopefully, inspire at least some men in the music industry to make some serious changes within themselves. In the meantime, the rest of us ladies will keep on running as fast as we can…

Connect to Taylor Swift on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram

Discover new music on atwood magazine, roundtable discussion: a review of taylor swift’s ‘lover’, welcome to the new era of taylor swift, taylor swift’s “lover” is dramatic and dazzlingly romantic, “ the man “, a music video by taylor swift, an album by taylor swift.

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‘The Man’: Taylor’s feminism could go so much further

Taylor Swift’s ‘The Man’ promotes the idea of women being given the same standards as men, we should instead focus on not making ‘alpha male’ the standard

By Dana Fahadi, University of Melbourne

I’m going to say at the outset, I am a Taylor Swift fan. She is my Goddess and I am one of the millions of very excited Swifties going to her Eras Tour.

Taylor is known for her brilliant songwriting talent – something she’s been recognised for by becoming the first artist to win the Grammy for album of the year for the fourth time .

On top of her feel-good, self-loving and fun songs, she frequently incorporates social and political commentary into them.

You only need to think of ‘ You Need to Calm Down ’, ‘ Only the Young ’ and ‘ The Man’ .

‘The Man’ came out in 2019, as a part of her seventh studio album, Lover . In this song, Taylor addresses gender bias, namely how it manifests in the workplace and its disproportionate impact on women .

The official music video for ‘The Man’ features Tyler Swift – an ‘alpha’ male persona that Taylor adopts – who struts with hypermasculine traits like aggressiveness, entitlement complex, excess and promiscuity.

Swiftposium 2024

The message of the song and video is that while women like Taylor Swift face criticism and judgement for behaviour like this, men’s behaviour is normalised and even praised by society standards and values.

‘The Man’ reflects the idea that women need to ‘rise’ to a certain standard to be regarded as valuable as men. But this standard has always been determined by men.

And so we find ourselves walking right into the ‘hegemonic masculinity’ trap on our way to break the glass ceiling.

Hegemonic masculinity , a term coined and developed by Australian sociologist R.W. Connell , is a masculinity built on domination over women, as well as a sense of superiority over other men who do not have certain qualities of what we know better as the alpha male : think aggressive, powerful, physically strong, natural-born leaders, having no interests in their own or other people’s feelings, the breadwinner. You get the picture.

Other features of hegemonic masculinity include being part of the dominant social groups: heterosexual, cisgender, upper/middle-class, Caucasian, citizens of the Global North, and the list goes on.

But what does Taylor have to say about this?

“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?”

'Dear John': Taylor's responsibility to her Swifties

Taylor’s lyrics describe what is rewarded in the capitalist-liberalist society we live in. She sings about ruthlessness, the ‘fearless leader’, ‘conquests’ and ‘playing the field’.

Because men are encouraged to have these qualities, she says, women should be too – instead of being shamed for them.

“They’d say I hustle, 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

…If I was out flashin’ my dollar, I’d be a bitch not a baller…”

Her lyrics are consistent with the concept of neoliberal feminism, which is the main -ism of feminism promoted in mainstream media and popular culture. The influential 2019 book Feminism for the 99% argues that (neo)liberal feminism is based on the notion of “ leaning in ” and “cracking the glass ceiling”.

Neoliberal feminism supports the capitalism agenda by creating more opportunities, in areas like education and a career, for women who ultimately would still make the ‘one per cent’ the principal beneficiaries.

In a capitalist society, productive work is valued more than reproductive work.

A woman needs to be ruthless and aggressive in the workplace and play by the men’s rules to even be given a chance to advance.

'Fearless': How Taylor Swift is owning her narrative

My view is that neoliberal feminism has created an illusion of liberation , while really, it’s just another form of oppression.

In the eyes of the 99 per cent, instead of fighting to erase social hierarchy, (neo)liberal feminism simply diversifies the social hierarchy itself, ‘empowering’ socially advantageous women to rise to the top and leaving the ‘others’ stuck at the bottom.

‘Others’ here refer to working class, ethnic, racial and linguistic diverse women, as well those of other minority groups.

In other words, neoliberal feminism is just hegemonic masculinity in a cloak.

“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"

For me, lyrics like this promote qualities that are destructive instead of nurturing, competitive instead of collaborative, fostering a ‘law of the jungle’ mentality.

It assumes that everybody starts from the same starting point, while in reality, some are given much more of a head start than others as part of a more privileged social group.

While it is important to address the issues faced by women like Swift – cisgender, straight, middle-class, able-bodied, neurotypical, ethnically and socially-privileged women – it is even more necessary to prioritise autonomy and social protection from an oppressive system to try and improve the quality of life of the “other” women.

And Taylor could be leading the charge.

Swiftposium is an academic conference for scholars discussing the impact of Taylor Swift. It runs at the University of Melbourne from 11-13 February 2024 with public events on Sunday 11 February and recordings of the keynote presentations available online after the conference.

Banner: Taylor Swift performing her ‘Lover Era’ in California/Getty Images

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Is This What Inspired Taylor Swift's "The Man"?

Is this pivotal moment what prompted taylor swift to write "the man".

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BY TALIA BROOKSTEIN-BURKE Assistant Managing Mosaic Editor

A bustling office space comes into view, airwaves crowded with the shrill ring of telephones as Taylor Swift’s melodic tone wafts to the forefront of the soundtrack. Her voice, ever-present, dominates the video, but instead of the blue-eyed starlet taking the screen, a stocky, brunette man stands front and center. The only sign of Swift is her singing voice, as she wonders “If I were a man?”

Swift’s newest music video, “The Man” is a critical evaluation of the double standards women around the globe face everyday. Swift alludes to the constant criticism she receives that not only question the validity of her success, but her morals. Moreover, she examines the response a male counterpart would receive in a similar situation.

In one of the first scenes, Swift tackles topics like the male gaze and slut-shaming when a pristine yacht drifts filled with women drifts into the scene. Atop the boat deck, 10 women clad in bright yellow bikinis sunbathe. They lay across the deck in suggestive poses, “the man” pacing through their ranks. The women gather around him and dance while he parades victoriously in the middle, the women’s almost identical bikinis blurring their individuality and molding them into his fanatic groupies.

For years, Swift has been condemned for dating “too many” men. The press has painted her as a fickle, heartbreaking whore who hops from one body to the next, unable to settle down.

Swift sings, “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.” These lyrics, paired with this scene, illustrate the double standard of casually dating as a male versus as a female. For “the man” to be surrounded by lovers, traipsing from woman-to-woman, he is successful, masculine and powerful. He is something to be admired and congratulated. For a woman to do the same thing, she is scorned for her promiscuity. Swift artfully explains this phenomenon singing, “[if I were a man] I’d be a b—- not a baller.”

The video continues to mock double standards by turning to the ever-so-illustrious topic of motherhood. In the video, “the man” is seen patting his young daughter on the back and lifting her into the air. Passing civilians gasp with surprise and delight at the sight of a man engaging with his child in such a way. A sign exclaims “World’s Greatest Dad” while women applaud the man for his wonderful acts of fatherhood. Or, more specifically, for paying attention to his child for a brief moment.

In one of the final scenes, “the man” is playing a tennis tournament and seems to be doing incredibly well. He is seen doing a wild victory dance, using his tennis racket as an air guitar, shaking his sweat-shingled hair and thrusting his superiority in his unseen opponent’s face. When the referee calls him out for a move later, this overdone victory quickly morphs to sanguine anger. He throws the tennis racket on the ground, screams at the referee, throws an entire tantrum on the court.

This scene seems to mimic the infamous incident of Serena Williams getting angry at a referee during the 2018 U.S. Open Final. Williams similarly got angry at the referee, threw her racquet and later, spoke to the gender inequality that had ultimately resulted in that incident. A man being angry and upset is understandable and commonplace, especially in a sports setting, but for a woman to experience the same range of ugly emotions is unladylike and unacceptable. Williams was ultimately fined $17,000. Swift reasons, “[If I were a man] it’s all good if you’re bad / And it’s okay if you’re mad.”

These examples may seem exaggerated to some viewers, and while it is true that many of these incidences are extreme, they are also commonplace. It is not unusual for a woman to be called a “whore” where a man might be called impressive. It is not abnormal for a man to receive gushing praise for doing the same thing a woman might do while watching a child. These double standards perpetuate everyday life on levels big and small.

In addition to creating another chart-topping hit, Swift has also created a piece that reminds people just how truly unequal gender rights still are. This is 2020, we don’t have time for double standards.

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Taylor Swift is a talented singer/songwriter, but offensive to me. In one commercial she MOCKS waitresses: plays a waitstaff person, acts like a dipstick, falling and acting incompetent. I don’t find this amusing. Many women and men have to make a living for a short or long term as waitstaff people. If a waiter or waitress acted like this, they would be thrown out in a New York minute and would deserve it.

Carolyn Segal Schnell English ’86

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Music Video Breakdown: Taylor Swift's 'The Man' Critiques Double Standards

“No men were harmed in the making of this video,” reads a disclaimer at the end of Taylor Swift’s new music video for “The Man.” This comment is particularly ironic considering that the video centers around Taylor Swift’s male alter ego, Tyler Swift, played by Swift herself — with the help of impressive makeup and hair styling. The forthright lyrics of Swift’s feminist pop song, the fourth single from her most recent album “Lover” in which she imagines how people would perceive her if she were a man, speak for themselves. “If I was a man, then I’d be the man,” she sings in the chorus. The witty and intelligent video emphasizes Swift’s power to help foster a culture of equality as she rejects the sexist double standards that have been imposed upon her for her entire career.

Tyler Swift is just like Taylor Swift in that he is attractive and successful, but he faces none of the endless critiques that Taylor does as a woman with those qualities. “I would be complex, I would be cool / They’d say I played the field before I found someone to commit to,” Taylor sings as her male counterpart is shown in a power pose before walking out of his office to effusive congratulations from his subordinates. On the way home, he manspreads on the subway, unconscious of his spatial occupancy as he lets his cigar ash fall onto the woman next to him.

“The Man”’s music video then continues to portray Tyler as an egoist on an endless power trip, one who is never called out for his selfish or rude actions. He’s shown yelling on a phone call while pacing the deck of a yacht, surrounded by beautiful young women suntanning in identical yellow bikinis. As these women thoughtlessly praise him during the pre-chorus, Taylor makes a more specific jab at the unfairness of double standards: “And we would toast to me, oh, let the players play / I'd be just like Leo, in Saint-Tropez.” While the song attacks all sorts of double standards, from working to parenting, a recurring theme seems to focus on the fact that Taylor has often been criticized for being a “serial dater.” Although she seems to have settled down with current boyfriend Joe Alwyn, Taylor’s long list of exes has famously brought her severe scrutiny. With this line, she envies the ease of Leonardo DiCaprio’s dating life. Famous for an extensive list of supermodel girlfriends under the age of 25, the most heat Leo gets for his love life is a casual dig at the Golden Globes from Ricky Gervais . “The Man” brings this double standard to life as Tyler is applauded as a womanizer, while Taylor was demonized for dating around .

Taylor’s criticism doesn't stop with her commentary on the gendered inequities of dating in the public eye. In one of the best scenes of the music video, Tyler accompanies his adorable toddler to a park, distractedly patting her head as he takes a phone call. Onlooking women swoon at his small and infrequent displays of fatherly affection, underscoring the fact that men face significantly lower societal expectations as parents. Tyler is allowed to be a distracted father because he’s “hardworking,” and the second he pays attention to his child, he’s perceived as the World’s Greatest Dad. By invoking the unjust culture of parenting, Swift adds more layers to her feminist pop song. All of this is set to a catchy, synth-laden, upbeat track, making “The Man” a bubbly, singalong pop song with pointed contrast between its melody and meaningful lyrics.

Toward the end of the video, Tyler throws an aggressive tantrum over a tennis match before we flash-forward 58 years to his marriage to a much younger woman. He forcefully stuffs cake in her face, embodying the unhealthy power dynamic between the two. After the song itself ends, the shot widens to show Taylor in a director’s chair. Tyler, voiced by Dwayne Johnson, asks if his acting was okay. “Could you try to be sexier, maybe a little more likable?” she requests, before turning to an actress who did nothing more than stand on the side of the tennis court. She rolls her eyes, and says “Excellent work over there, Lauren, that was astonishing.” With this final inversion of gender roles, Taylor perfectly captures the essence of her song: She calls attention to the normalization of overt sexism in the entertainment industry, unsubtly targeting every director who’s ever asked her to be “sexier” and cleverly urging viewers to challenge the status quo.

— Staff writer Jaden Thompson can be reached at [email protected].

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Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry

The rhetorical man: rhetorical strategies in taylor swift's 'the man'.

Leah Merone Follow

Document Type

Publication date.

Spring 4-14-2021

My analysis revolves around the popular Taylor Swift song 'The Man,' written by Swift for her album Lover. The main message of the song is that women are held to a higher standard than men, and that men are praised for the same actions for which women are reviled. In the analysis, I analyze the use of logos, ethos, and pathos in Swift's lyric to identify the rhetorical appeals she uses in order to create a meaningful message that her audience can understand and identify with.

Recommended Citation

Merone, Leah, "The Rhetorical Man: Rhetorical Strategies in Taylor Swift's 'The Man'" (2021). Spring Showcase for Research and Creative Inquiry . 143. https://digitalcommons.longwood.edu/rci_spring/143

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The Man by Taylor Swift

Songfacts®:

• This send-up of patriarchy relates to Taylor Swift struggles as a woman in the music business. Over pulsing, stabbing synths, the songstress wages war against the double standards she faces as a female artist.
• Swift kicks off the song by ripping into the media's double standards about men and women writing about their love life. They'd say I played the field before I found someone to commit to And that would be okay for me to do Later, she imagines being in a position of power. Nobody pays attention when the alpha male leader is rude. They'd say I hustled, put in the work They wouldn't shake their heads and question how much of this I deserve During the pre-chorus, Swift compares the way the media outlets call out her various dates with their lack of interest in Leonardo DiCaprio's love life. And they would toast to me, oh, let the players play I'd be just like Leo in Saint Tropez Swift previously sang about "players gonna play" on her 2014 hit single " Shake It Off ," which this lyric seems to reference.
• Swift revealed to Vogue the song was written with the concept of how her career would play out if she were a man. "If I had made all the same choices, all the same mistakes, all the same accomplishments, how would it read?" she explained.
• Swift co-wrote and co-produced the synthetic dance track with Joel Little. The New Zealand producer contributed towards three other tracks on Lover , including the singles " You Need To Calm Down " and " Me! "
• In a Spotify storyline, Swift explained: "This is a song that I've been wanting to write for a very long time in my career, but I could never figure out exactly how to phrase it. I've wondered several times, 'If I had been a man instead of a woman and I lived my life exactly the same way, what would people have said about me?' It's about perception. It's not, 'What would I do if I were a man?' It's about how I would be seen if I did exactly the same stuff. This is when I finally got an idea of how to approach this song."
• The video sees an unrecognisable Swift playing the part of an obnoxious businessman, "Tyler Swift." We see the belligerent boss rudely inconveniencing the people around him as he manspreads on the subway train while smoking a cigar. The clip also skewers the concept of male fragility, when the corporate titan loses his temper at a women's charity tennis tournament. At the end of the clip, Swift plays a director who tells her own character, voiced by Dwayne Johnson, to be "sexier and more likable." The singer's father. Scott, appears briefly as a tennis umpire. There are also cameos from social media influencers Loren Gray and Dominic Toliver, and actress Jayden Bartels.
• The video was directed by Swift herself, making it her official solo directorial debut.
• Swift looks totally different in the video following her male makeover. According to the singer, the entire makeup transformation process took four to six hours every day before the shoot.
• The Minister for Women and Equalities, Liz Truss, quoted the song in the British Parliament. During her speech at the Women's Day Debate in the House of Commons on March 5, 2020, Truss said: "So that, in the words of the brilliant Taylor Swift, in her new song, women aren't left running as fast as they can wondering if they'd get there quicker if they were a man."
• Swift added another MTV Video Music Award to her trophy case when this won for Best Direction at the 2020 ceremony.
• More songs from Taylor Swift
• More songs about racism or discrimination
• More songs that won MTV Video Music Awards
• More songs from 2019
• Lyrics to The Man
• Taylor Swift Artistfacts

Comments: 2

• David Beakel from California Oh nonsense, everyone saying this song is "taking a stand" against the patriarchy - when she not only says, "If I was a man, I'd be The Man " but repeats it multiple times. You can't take a stand against something then say, "but if I was in their shoes, I'd do the same thing." Besides, those are the men she likes, the billionaire types. This song is actually a ringing endorsement, maybe along w some envy, of the almost exclusively male, .1% club. And it's certainly not any expression of feminism, but more like the opposite. Stop lying and misrepresenting things!
• Kat from New Orleans She's literally the music industry.

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When "Nothin' On You" reached #1 on the Hot 100, B.o.B became the first American act whose name is a palindrome to top the chart. The other two who did so prior to the Atlanta rapper were both Scandinavian groups - ABBA and A-Ha.

MMMbop Hanson

The chipper-sounding "MMMbop" by Hanson has a heavy lyrical theme, asking us to look at the big picture and value what is lasting in life: our support systems.

Born In The U.S.A. Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The U.S.A." was inspired by the book (later a movie) Born On The Fourth Of July by Ron Kovic, a Vietnam veteran who protested the war when he returned home.

This Love Maroon 5

Adam Levine of Maroon 5 made it obvious who their song "This Love" was about when he named the album "Songs About Jane."

Yellow Ledbetter Pearl Jam

Eddie Vedder often changes the words when he sings "Yellow Ledbetter." The basic story is about a guy whose brother dies in the first Gulf War. Apparently, bad news in the army is delivered in yellow envelopes.

We're An American Band Grand Funk

"We're An American Band" by Grand Funk describes real events on their 1972 tour, including an encounter with a legendary groupie called "Sweet Connie."

Editor's Picks

Rufus Wainwright Songwriter Interviews

Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," his album Unfollow The Rules, and getting into his "lyric trance" on 12-hour walks.

Don Dokken Songwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Jimmy Webb Songwriter Interviews

Webb talks about his classic songs "By the Time I Get to Phoenix," "Wichita Lineman" and "MacArthur Park."

Jesus In Pop Hits: The Gospel Songs That Went Mainstream Song Writing

These overtly religious songs crossed over to the pop charts, despite resistance from fans, and in many cases, churches.

Jonathan Cain of Journey Songwriter Interviews

Cain talks about the divine inspirations for "Don't Stop Believin'" and "Faithfully."

Lou Gramm - "Waiting For A Girl Like You" They're Playing My Song

Gramm co-wrote this gorgeous ballad and delivered an inspired vocal, but the song was the beginning of the end of his time with Foreigner.

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Home / Essay Samples / Music / Taylor Swift / Analyzing the Empowering Message of “The Man” by Taylor Swift

Analyzing the Empowering Message of "The Man" by Taylor Swift

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