By Maya Perez, Staff Writer Most people around the world have heard of the singer and songwriter, Taylor Swift. Taylor is an icon, and a cemented figure in pop culture, as she’s known for her relatable songs that have captured the hearts and minds of many. Swift writes about her experiences, and often it's about her relationships. Over the past year, Swift has been dating Travis Kelce, a football player for the Kansas City Chiefs. Kelce is also a popular figure but from the sports side of things. They have a very publicized relationship displayed by the media and seem to affect Taylor’s performances on her tours positively. On the football side of media, there is an obvious shift from the number of fans to the stock market price that has been deemed to be a result of Swift’s presence in football games, astonishing football fans worldwide. The Taylor Swift effect is a phenomenon that has been given its own name. This effect has dramatically enlarged the football audience, with female viewers ages 14-17 increasing by as much as 53% according to CBS8. In the 2023 season, the National Football League had an estimated 113 million watchers, which made it one of the biggest televised shows that year (clemson.edu). According to Marketwatch from CBS8, the NFL brand has increased to 122 million as of February 2nd, 2024, and has increased the scope of brands that sponsor the NFL. It seems that wherever Taylor Swift goes, the fans follow. For example, when Swift was seen wearing some New Balance shoes, that brand saw a “25 percent increase” (Aljazeera.com) and Kelce’s mother, who was seen using Ziploc bags, got a brand deal with the company just because of her association with Taylor Swift. Swift evidently has a positive effect on the football viewer audience. However, what about the die-hard football fans who didn’t start watching because of Taylor? Some fans, especially from the male audience, believe Taylor Swift is ruining football. Clemson.edu states that “Taylor Swift’s appearance at NFL games detracts from the game itself,” as excessive media coverage of her relationship with Travis Kelce seems to take away from the game and focuses more on the pop culture of it all. The football fans feel as if the over-obsessive infatuation with the Swift-Kelce relationship has taken over the NFL, from the camera panning to Swift’s every reaction in a game, to the many “87” Kelce Chief jerseys purchased by Taylor’s fanbase, the Swifties. However, despite the hate from some die-hards, the data does not reflect a recede in the football franchise. In fact, Swift's presence has very much increased the sales and audience of the NFL according to Clemson.edu. On a more personal level, Swift has brought together families to watch the live games together, strengthening the family dynamic. To say the least, Taylor Swift’s effect on football has skyrocketed the viewer audience and overall NFL franchise, providing doorways for more brands and sponsors to benefit from her “enchanted” fans. As she continues in her music career, Taylor will continue to astound and amaze people worldwide, making for a cemented figure in both music and sports history. She’ll always have an “invisible string” connected to the NFL, her “love story” ingrained as one of the most memorable events in the 2023-2024 football season. Works Cited Cohen, Ariana. "Super Bowl or Swiftie Bowl? | How Taylor Swift Has Impacted the NFL." CBS8, 2 Feb. 2024,
www.cbs8.com/article/sports/nfl/superbowl/inside-taylor-swifts-impact-on-the-nfl/509-92ca5bef-4cd8-45dd-8ced -edac383bae46. Scheinbaum, Angeline C. "The Taylor Swift Effect on Football: “Is It Too Soon to Do This Yet? ‘Cause I Know That It’s Delicate”." Clemson News, 12 Feb. 2024, news.clemson.edu/the-taylor-swift-effect-on-the-super-bowl/. Staff, Al J. "How Has the Taylor Swift Effect Boosted American Football?" Al Jazeera, 11 Feb. 2024, www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/11/has-taylor-swift-helped-boost-nfl-popularity-in-the-us.
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Grammy-winning jazz artist Laufey’s album Bewitched is a beautiful album full of heartbreak, love, and healing. By Kensington Balam, Staff Writer Have you ever felt so much happiness with someone you thought you might explode? Have you ever wished you could be with a person so bad it makes your heart hurt? Have you ever had a breakup so devastating you didn’t know how to think? Do you ever think about someone so much you might think you're being delusional? Well, Grammy-winning jazz artist Laufey’s 2023 album Bewitched sums up the emotions of love perfectly. Love is an emotion that is built upon many other emotions (“Meaning of “Bewitched” by Laufey”). NME shares on their website that, “I think love makes everyone really silly,” Laufey says. “I remember the first time I went on a date, we had a glass of wine and we kissed and then I left in the rain, and I remember thinking, ‘...it’s really like the movies!’” Love is different for everyone, but Bewitched really paints a beautiful picture of what it's like to have butterflies, heartbreak, and heart eyes. Photo from Wikipedia; The album cover for Laufey's Bewitched depicts the singer in a dazzling outfit. “Dreamer”: The album’s first song, “Dreamer”, is very old-fashioned, with a 1940s feel. The song really shows Laufey’s style as a jazz artist, which is not very common these days for a popular artist. “Dreamer” is about the idea that everything is better in someone’s head where no one can mess anything up. One of the lyrics reads, “From my own little cloud // Up by the Milky Way// I’ll stay here forever and a day.” The girl has her heart broken and thinks it best to just be by herself from now on ("Bewitched by Laufey.") (Bower). “Second Best”: The second song is, according to The Daily Iowan, the start of the album’s overall story. The premise of the song is about a girl being madly in love with a boy, but he is not. The lover’s feelings are with another girl and it breaks the narrator’s heart. The girl is being tormented and heartbroken by the idea that “[he] walked a little faster, left me behind // Kissed me with somebody else in mind.” The whole aim of the song is about being “Second Best” with someone. One of the lyrics even exactly reads, “You were my everything // I was your second best.” The girl is devastated by the idea that her boyfriend loves someone else, but she still loves him ("Bewitched by Laufey.") (Bower). “Haunted”: This third song is about how some relationships are temporary because some guys are not as committed. The song leaves a sort of eerie feeling, hence the title, that paints the guy as a sort of ghost that comes in and out of the narrator’s life. One of the lyrics reads, “I know he don’t love me quite like I love him // I swear to myself as he leaves at dawn // This will end, ‘til he haunts me again.” The girl seems to be left alone and waits for him eagerly, even if he does not feel the same way ("Bewitched by Laufey.") (Bower). “Must be Love”: This fourth song feels and sounds like the first feelings of falling in love. Everything seems light and romantic, and nothing can ruin the feeling. One of the best lines of the song is, “Can’t get back up // Can’t think straight, too tongue-tied // It must be love.” The main character in the song is feeling such intense feelings that she can’t seem to wrap her mind around it. With most relationships, there is the honeymoon phase, or period where everything is perfect, and this song embodies this phase flawlessly ("Bewitched by Laufey.") (Bower). “While You Were Sleeping”: This fifth track is similar to “Must be Love” but with a different message. The song is surrounding the idea that the girl can’t believe that this guy likes her. The main character is still in the state of true love with the lyrics, “I’m dancing down streets // Smiling to strangers // Idiotic things” to convey this theme. “While You Were Sleeping” also bounces back to the dream-like feel of “Dreamer”, but instead of rejecting love, the narrator is embracing it. The only element in the song that seems off is the way the girl is questioning the boy she is in love with. Laufey writes, “I can’t believe you think I’m beautiful” and “I still can’t believe you noticed me an ocean away.” These lines almost seem like the narrator is not confident in herself and why her crush likes her. The song almost crosses between the idea of overwhelming love and not accepting it ("Bewitched by Laufey.") (Bower). “Lovesick”: The sixth song is the point of the breakup. The narrator finds themselves without their true love and in a state of paranoia. The narrator was at the highest point in her relationship and finally fell, feeling almost sick from how much love she had. Lines such as “Getting twisted in my head” and “Those November days still haunting me” shape the image of a girl who is destroyed after such an amazing yet heartwrenching relationship ("Bewitched by Laufey.") (Bower). “California and Me”: This seventh track is a beautiful song that Laufey plays with the Philharmonic Orchestra. The song has an elegant feel with all the other instruments, which is absolutely gorgeous. During this song, the narrator is still in a sad state of mind thinking of the girl her lover runs back to New York for. The girl feels abandoned in California and can’t help but think of her ex-boyfriend. Laufey writes, “Laughing bout’ how I thought you were the one” and “Left me and the ocean for your old flame.” The narrator is still in her head because of the breakup and it can’t leave her ("Bewitched by Laufey.") (Bower). “Nocturne (Interlude)”: The eighth track is an instrument piece that has a combination of about two to three songs in the album. The track also helps separate the two parts of the album. The unterlude is absolutely breathtaking and is a great song to hear since most artists never add an instrumental piece in their albums ("Bewitched by Laufey.") (Bower). “Promise”: This ninth track, which was a single before Bewitched came out, is a beautiful representation of the pulling feeling of a past lover always on someone’s heart. The main character says she “Made a promise // To distance myself.” Although, by the end, she sings, “I broke my promise // I called you last night.” The girl can’t take it anymore and lets her emotions take over. The narrator is simply confused and conflicted about what she thinks saying, “It hurts to be something // It’s worse to be nothing with you.” This slow and emotional song is bound to get anyone in the feels ("Bewitched by Laufey.") (Bower). Photo from The Beat Asia; Laufey won the GRAMMY award for "Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album" this year for Bewitched. “From the Start”: This tenth track is the most upbeat of Laufey’s songs. It certainly shows a sort of old happy jazz feeling. “From the Start'' was also released as a single before the album came out. The song is about having a crush on a guy and wanting so badly to tell him how you feel. At the end of the chorus, Laufey even writes that she must “confess I’ve loved you from the start.” The song continues to paint the picture of just being hopelessly infatuated with someone ("Bewitched by Laufey.") (Bower). “Misty”: This eleventh song is a very slow-paced song, with almost a somber feel. Similar to “Haunted,” the narrator is in a haze. The girl is confused and can’t help but go after her lover again. She is feeling a ton of emotions and feels almost empty after her past breakup. The feelings seem to be almost empty or hollow, just going with the flow. The girl says, “And I feel like I’m clinging to a cloud // I can’t understand.” The girl is confused about her feelings and what it is like after a breakup. The Daily Iowan describes it as she is processing her feelings post-breakup ("Bewitched by Laufey.") (Bower). “Serendipity”: This twelfth track is yet another occurrence of following in love but in an unpredicted way. The girl, cautious, finds herself in love. The lyrics “Coincidences and cosmic signs // Have proved I am quite naive // I’m falling fast, failing gravity // And all I can see is serendipity” show that the girl has found herself in love without looking for it ("Bewitched by Laufey.") (Bower) ("Meaning of "Serendipity" by Laufey."). “Letter To My 13 Year Old Self”: This thirteenth song is surprisingly not about love. This song is a touching song about Laufey talking to her younger self. Laufey’s younger self seems to be being picked on and doubting herself, but Laufey assures her that everything will be okay. Laufey writes the fantastic lines, “I wish I could go back and give her a squeeze // Myself at thirteen // And just let her know, that she’s beautiful.” This song is a great song to give comfort to teens in this generation who may feel the same way ("Bewitched by Laufey.") (Bower). “Bewitched”: The fourteenth, and final, song in Bewitched is a nice little bow to wrap up the album. This song is about being so in love with someone from the first moment you see each other. The girl in the song seems to be processing a lot from her new lover in such a peaceful and romantic way. Some perfect lines are, “You wrote me a note, cast a spell on my heart // And bewitched me // Bewitched me, you bewitched me.” These lines just show the amount of love the narrator is under and how happy she is. The song is just a spectacular song that helps wrap up an emotional rollercoaster of an album ("Bewitched by Laufey." ) (Bower) ("Meaning of "Bewitched"). After crying and smiling a lot after listening to Bewitched, it is great to just sit back and take in the emotions. Laufey intricately wrote an album that is full of heartbreak, healing, and love, all in just fourteen songs. Ever since Bewitched, Laufey has received so much love and fame from this album. Laufey, as many people say, is bringing jazz to Gen Z, a new generation. So, if you ever want to feel like you're back in the 1940s or in a hopeless romantic movie, listen to Laufey and her soothing and God-given, talented voice (Bower). Works Cited "Bewitched by Laufey." Genius, genius.com/albums/Laufey/Bewitched.
Bower, Will. "Review | Laufey’s ‘Bewitched’ tells a beautiful story of love, heartbreak, and life lessons." The Daily Iowan, 18 Sept. 2023, dailyiowan.com/2023/09/18/review-through-her-unique-style-laufeys-bewitched-tells-a-beautiful-story- of-love-heartbreak-and-life-lessons/. "Meaning of "Bewitched" by Laufey." Songtell, 25 July 2023, www.songtell.com/laufey/bewitched. "Meaning of "Serendipity" by Laufey." Songtell, www.songtell.com/laufey/serendipity. Wilkes, Emma. "Laufey's Album 'Bewitched' Breaks Records and Makes History." NME, 3 Oct. 2023, www.nme.com/news/music/laufeys-album-bewitched-breaks-records-and-makes-history-3507978. |