A few years back, two different male musicians wrote songs with lyrics fantasizing about sex with pop star Taylor Swift. Only one of those singers incurred the wrath of Swift, igniting a yearslong spat that resurfaced this spring.
And it turns out, Swift was more offended by a professional slight in the song than by being made into a sex object.
Indie folk star Josh Tillman (who goes by the stage name “Father John Misty”) released an album in early 2017 that mused about the future. One song, “Total Entertainment Forever,” posited a future overwhelmed by virtual reality and other high-tech diversions.
“Bedding Taylor Swift / Every night inside the Oculus Rift / After mister and the missus finish dinner and the dishes / And now the future’s definition is so much higher than it was last year,” Misty crooned. The album earned critical plaudits but virtually no controversy.
A year earlier, though, Kanye West had triggered an uproar and lengthy battle with Swift over a song called “Famous.” That song included the lyric: “For all my Southside n—– that know me best / I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex / Why? I made that b—- famous (God damn) / I made that b—- famous.”
Swift’s camp swiftly denounced the song. In retaliation, the Wests went nuclear. Kanye’s wife, Kim Kardashian, posted videos online showing Swift and Kanye talking about the song. The clips showed Swift was totally fine with the sex line. So, why was she upset for so long?
It was a different line that made her irate: “I made that b—- famous.”
This was a reference to Kanye’s low point, when he drunkenly stormed onstage at the 2009 Video Music Awards to interrupt Swift’s acceptance of an award that Kanye, among others, thought should have gone to Beyoncé. “I’mma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!”
Being treated as a fantasy object goes with the territory of being a pop star. Having some guy claim credit for your success, however, was not as easy to shake off.
