Taylor Swift?

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My oldest daughter wants some Taylor Swift CDs for her 8th birthday next week. I have not heard TS sing, and I don’t know much about her. I am hesitant to let her listen because even though I might understand the lyrics, I won’t know what they mean.

Does anyone here think Taylor Swift is appropriate for an 8 year old girl? Thoughts?

Thanks!

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Disclaimer - I’m not a parent.

As far as recording artists go, Taylor Swift has avoided the trap that lots of other young female celebrities seem to fall into. From what I’ve heard, most of her songs are about fairy-tale love, heartbreak, fitting in - themes that many tweens and teens can relate to. Some might be on the more mature side for an 8 year old, but there’s nothing raunchy about her music. In interviews, she always seems wholesome and grounded. And if you remember Britney Spears (or Lindsay Lohan, or any number of others) at 19 or 20 years old, Taylor Swift is absolutely saintly! From what I’ve seen, she also dresses quite modestly, both for public appearances and in her music videos.

I don’t think you will find many (if any) issues with Taylor Swift’s music. Research her online, perhaps use pandora radio (it’s free!) to listen to some of her songs. I’m sure that whatever you decide will be exactly right for your family.
 
Disclaimer: I’m not a Taylor Swift fan!

Her first album was her best–she could actually sing. Now she just whines (and my mid-teen son and nieces agree!)

STILL, her songs are pretty clean, so you could do far worse. You can look up the song lyrics and see if there’s any issue you want to avoid.
 
jlyn1110 said:
Disclaimer - I’m not a parent.

As far as recording artists go, Taylor Swift has avoided the trap that lots of other young female celebrities seem to fall into. From what I’ve heard, most of her songs are about fairy-tale love, heartbreak, fitting in - themes that many tweens and teens can relate to. Some might be on the more mature side for an 8 year old, but there’s nothing raunchy about her music. In interviews, she always seems wholesome and grounded. And if you remember Britney Spears (or Lindsay Lohan, or any number of others) at 19 or 20 years old, Taylor Swift is absolutely saintly! From what I’ve seen, she also dresses quite modestly, both for public appearances and in her music videos.

I don’t think you will find many (if any) issues with Taylor Swift’s music. Research her online, perhaps use pandora radio (it’s free!) to listen to some of her songs. I’m sure that whatever you decide will be exactly right for your family.
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I agree with this. While some of the songs are about relationships of teens, none of her lyrics are about sex or anything else that I would consider to be offensive. I would suggest you read the lyrics and pretty much what you see is what you get.

I am also not a parent but I hope this helps.
 
Not a fan of her music or anything at all, but I can attest to the fact she seems to be well-grounded and her music is pretty clean as far as I can tell.
 
I like her just fine, and I would have no qualms letting a young girl listen to most of her songs.
 
fermat said:
My oldest daughter wants some Taylor Swift CDs for her 8th birthday next week. I have not heard TS sing, and I don’t know much about her. I am hesitant to let her listen because even though I might understand the lyrics, I won’t know what they mean.

Does anyone here think Taylor Swift is appropriate for an 8 year old girl? Thoughts?

Thanks!

Fermat
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Taylor Swift is definitely well within the ‘wholesome’ end of the ‘pool’ for music. There’s no denying that, and compared to other popular artists, she is as Christian as Gregorian chant.

One point which you might want to consider, though, is that some familiarity with pop music will inevitably lead to further forays into pop music. It will shape her tastes and interests for years to come. Even though Ms. Swift’s lyrics may be clean, if your daughter becomes enamored with the entire pop music scene, it will be the old ‘slippery slope’.

I am not sure how you want to raise your children, but I just offer this:

I know I sound like a stickler, but I speak from experience. It might pay off in the long run to re-orient your daughter’s outlook in another tradition: classical, opera, musical/film scores? Pop music leads to more pop music, which leads to pop culture values and a mental schism for the Christian. Personally, I know that if my father didn’t force me to listen to Rimsky-Korsakov and Beethoven–even though I begged to play my Emimem CD in the car–I probably wouldn’t have the relatively broad tastes that I have today.
 
As a teenage girl who grew up on pop music and really can’t stand anything classical or opera, let me say that’s a bad generalization. I love pop and alternative rock, but I ABHOR sexual lyrics, drugs n thugs songs, womanization in music, blatant swearing. I didn’t go down a any slope, and there’s no proof she would either. It’s called taste, and most Catholics have it. Not to say that classical or opera is bad taste AT ALL, but just that just because someone loves the sound of pop music DOES NOT mean they’re just going to gobble any garbage put in front of them.
 
shondrea said:
It’s called taste, and most Catholics have it. .
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baseless.

And most Catholics, I think, would disagree with you. Most people–Catholics not exempt, as our religion no longer exerts the same force on our cultural affinities–have poor taste.

Consider that most popular music today consists in an androgynous person rapidly alternating between breathing into the mic, screaming, and whispering. All on top of beats with little discernible pattern.
 
shondrea said:
As a teenage girl who grew up on pop music and really can’t stand anything classical or opera, let me say that’s a bad generalization. I love pop and alternative rock, but I ABHOR sexual lyrics, drugs n thugs songs, womanization in music, blatant swearing. I didn’t go down a any slope, and there’s no proof she would either. It’s called taste, and most Catholics have it. Not to say that classical or opera is bad taste AT ALL, but just that just because someone loves the sound of pop music DOES NOT mean they’re just going to gobble any garbage put in front of them.
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I don’t mean to say that her daughter should be a cultural snob. Notice that I included musical scores (maybe things like Phantom of the Opera, the Lion King, etc.), and things of that nature. I just believe that there should be more for an adult than what ‘everyone is listening to at the moment’… which is something that begins when a person is young, and requires their parents (usually) to introduce them to a lot of what is out there.

Also, the OP might live in an area where real influence over her daughter might be difficult as she reaches adolescence. Rapid assimilation into the popular, mass-media culture might mean something different than where you live. If she is going to (idk if OP wants to, but speaking hypothetically) exert lasting influence in terms of her daughter’s adult mode of life and cultural preferences, it makes sense for direction at this stage to happen now.
 
JohnSanzone5 said:
baseless.

And most Catholics, I think, would disagree with you. Most people–Catholics not exempt, as our religion no longer exerts the same force on our cultural affinities–have poor taste.

Consider that most popular music today consists in an androgynous person rapidly alternating between breathing into the mic, screaming, and whispering. All on top of beats with little discernible pattern.
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I don’t know what music you’re listen to, but I sure don’t have anything like that on my iPod. Sorry, but I’d be bored to tears working out to Mozart or Christian hymns. If that means I have bad taste, so be it. I’d rather have bad taste than listen to Disney music all day.

Seriously, I’d love to know what world everyone else is living in, because it sure ain’t mine. I never hear any of this sexed-up music people say is all over the radio. Maybe I just have a good station. My friend’s don’t listen to it, I never hear it on TV. Been listening to the radio in the background all day for years while I work, yet I never hear any of the music so many Christians seem to fear for their lives about.

OP, let your kid listen to Taylor Swift. Trust me; she’s not going to be humping and grinding at a school dance from that, and it’s not some slippery slope to mortal sin either.
 
My 13 yr old daughter loves Taylor Swift. I hear nothing wrong with her lyrics and trust me I’ve heard them many times.🙂 My children listen to all types of music including classical and show tunes and enjoy it. But they also like Christian rock. One of the their favorite groups is Popple, a Catholic Band. Listening to pop music doesn’t necessarily mean someone has poor taste in music.
 
JohnSanzone5 said:
One point which you might want to consider, though, is that some familiarity with pop music will inevitably lead to further forays into pop music. It will shape her tastes and interests for years to come. Even though Ms. Swift’s lyrics may be clean, if your daughter becomes enamored with the entire pop music scene, it will be the old ‘slippery slope’.
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Bunk.

At 7 I was the BIGGEST fan of New Kids on the Block, EVER. I think I fell in love with one of them and the ONLY thing I wanted for christmas was their tape. :o (am I showing my age) And since it was the 90’s and “baby Einstin” and that other nonsense wasn’t around yet the only music beside “wee sing” I had heard was rock.

Around 10 or 11 I noticed how sexualized and drug riddled the music was, music from the Beetles, Zepplin and other artists of the 60’s and 70’s.

I introduced myself to symphonic music and christian music and had a friend introduce me to country music and acapella (ok so it was rockapella). The only music of those I don’t enjoy today is country music.

My brother produces mid-beat, alternative kinda emo music, clean but woefully depressing at the same time. All have strong classical foundations.

Point being. Taste is often more to do with a person than what parents throw at them. I still find most “hippy rock” annoying. Rythmotic music (rap and chant) still hurt my head, mostly becuase of a sensitory problem.

And now back to the OP.

With all that said I’d focus on the message of some of the songs and tell your daughter love dosn’t work that way an encurage her to see love in her day to day life. Zoe Girl is a great christian girl pop singer that have some songs (some over the top and corny, tho) that are great. Superchick, tends to be a little bit harder rock but are a fun listen.

Have the Taylor Swift party. It will be fun to tease your daughter about it when she’s older. :p:p:p:p:p I know my parents do!
 
Though not Catholic herself, Taylor Swift’s younger brother attends or attended John Paul II High School here in Nashville. The video that won her all those awards with her playing two roles was actually filmed there with the students and faculty as the extras.
 
JohnSanzone5 said:
One point which you might want to consider, though, is that some familiarity with pop music will inevitably lead to further forays into pop music. It will shape her tastes and interests for years to come. Even though Ms. Swift’s lyrics may be clean, if your daughter becomes enamored with the entire pop music scene, it will be the old ‘slippery slope’.
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You are actually comparing Taylor Swift to a gateway drug.
 
Taylor Swift seems like a sweet, wholesome girl, and her music is appropriate for younger listeners.

And I don’t know if she is or isn’t Catholic, but a Rosary can be seen in her truck in the video for her song “Picture to Burn”. Just an FYI. :cool:
 
shondrea said:
I don’t know what music you’re listen to, but I sure don’t have anything like that on my iPod. Sorry, but I’d be bored to tears working out to Mozart or Christian hymns. If that means I have bad taste, so be it. I’d rather have bad taste than listen to Disney music all day.

Seriously, I’d love to know what world everyone else is living in, because it sure ain’t mine. I never hear any of this sexed-up music people say is all over the radio. Maybe I just have a good station. My friend’s don’t listen to it, I never hear it on TV. Been listening to the radio in the background all day for years while I work, yet I never hear any of the music so many Christians seem to fear for their lives about.

OP, let your kid listen to Taylor Swift. Trust me; she’s not going to be humping and grinding at a school dance from that, and it’s not some slippery slope to mortal sin either.
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Are you sure you listen to all the lyrics? I ask not to be rude, but because my husband and I are both REALLY bad about this. We like a beat and we buy/listen to a song or band. Then someone else is listening to the music and they’re like ‘do you HEAR what the person is saying?!?’ and we have to listen closer.

Anyway, I think that Taylor Swift is OK, but I’m not a fan of the poppy-country genre in general. But I do think it’s clean music. I have to agree with the person that said it could be a slippery slope, however I think if you approach every band/song like you’re approaching Taylor Swift then it’ll be OK. Personally, I know a lot of parents that let their kids listen to The Blackeyed Peas and Beyonce, and I’m in shock. It’s usually because they’ve listened to a couple songs and they’re OK, then they don’t continually check on what people are putting out these days. It’s scary what’s mainstream these days.
 
I’ve heard Taylor Swift before and I thought it was mostly just forgettable, angsty pop music. Nothing immoral just not very good. Now if you want to listen to some good pop music you should listen to Beyonce. Beyonce has made some of the best pop music of all time.
 
KostyaJMJ said:
I’ve heard Taylor Swift before and I thought it was mostly just forgettable, angsty pop music. Nothing immoral just not very good. Now if you want to listen to some good pop music you should listen to Beyonce. Beyonce has made some of the best pop music of all time.
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Kanye, is that you?
 
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