The year of the girl : nostalgia and girlhood portrayed in the music of Taylor Swift
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Madelyn Carol Chappell (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Guy Capuzzo
Abstract: American singer and songwriter Taylor Swift is known to be one of the most successful artists within the music industry. Her successes have been attributed to her songwriting capabilities as well as her skills in performance. Swift also has one of the most loyal fan bases that contribute to her success. Swift enjoys interacting with her fans through social media, dropping “Easter eggs” (or hints) about when her next album will be released. Swift also enjoys playing with her fans’ sense of nostalgia by incorporating themes of girlhood not only in her lyrics, but in her marketing and her performance. In this thesis, I examine how Swift uses nostalgia and themes of girlhood in various ways within her music to build and maintain a large fan base. In my first analysis chapter, Chapter II, I focus on Swift’s use of country twang as it relates to nostalgia. In Chapter III, I examine nostalgia and themes of girlhood in Swift’s songwriting and in her performance, looking specifically at different breathing techniques she employs. In the final analysis chapter, Chapter IV, I provide a larger context, focusing on themes of girlhood found in various areas of not only the music industry, but in the entertainment industry as well. 2023 was a significant year for women because it allowed women to embrace ideas of girlhood in confidence. Swift is only one piece to the larger puzzle of 2023 being “The Year of the Girl.”
The year of the girl : nostalgia and girlhood portrayed in the music of Taylor Swift
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Created on 5/1/2024
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- Language: English
- Date: 2024
- Keywords
- Girlhood, Music, Nostalgia, Swift, Taylor, Theory