You can say that my youngest son has a limited palette. He enjoys oranges, nachos, pizza, and cheeseburgers (with ketchup only). Every so often we'll try to talk him into eating something a little different. "Expand your mind, man" is a commonly evoked Sometimes we're successful, and other times not so much. But whenever he tries a new food and really likes it, my wife and I feel like we've done something great! There are times when giving something new really goes right.
And then...there's Taylor Swift.
I'll be honest with you all, some of Taylor's music has grown on me. I didn't really get "Country Taylor", but to each his/her own. "Blank Space" is kinda catchy along with "22." "I Knew You Were Trouble" has it's own appeal...I guess. And after a bad play on the football field, I will tell my team "Hey...T. Swizzle said 'SHAKE IT OFF!' Next play!" All this to say...I'm fairly versed with Ms. Swift and her music. I'm also aware of her willingness to use past breakups and situations to profit. How can we forget getting upstaged by Kanye, using that in future songs and tweets (think "I'm a harmless woman who was brutally attacked...take pity on me."), and then Kim K. dropping the receipts to prove Taylor's true intentions.
So when I heard Taylor covered Earth, Wind, and Fire's "September" I had to pause. Is this an authentic move by Taylor to pay homage to one of the greatest bands ever? Is Ms. Swift just trying to capitalize on a popular song? Could this song actually be good? All this and more on the next DragonBallZzzzzz!
For reference, here's the original:
Keep in mind, I typed in S E and P in YouTube...and the video self-populated. It was added on Jan 11, 2013 and at the time of this posting has 186,683,518 views and over 1.1 million likes. This song is a cultural staple! People have played this everywhere from weddings, receptions, cookouts, parties, and every where in between. If you want to get the party going...this is it! Just look at how joyous they are in the video.
And...then there's Taylor's version
https://open.spotify.com/track/5eGX87IiKsGuzS3iw4CfCX?si=1vtqjK-rTha8hJtnz89hIQ
I was immediately hot when I heard that Taylor would even touch this song. Then I thought...maybe it's good. I should be open, just like I tell my youngest son. Try something new Eddie...you might like it.
This is an experience I can never tell him about, because he'll say "See this dad...this is why we don't try new things. Stick to what ya know!" Quite frankly, "September" by EWF should have never been touched...by anyone. Leave it alone and let it be great like the portraits of Black Jesus, MLK, JFK, and the Obamas in your grandma's living room.