Neil Tennant: Where are the famous songs? What is Taylor Swifts Billie Jean?

It’s been almost a decade since Kid Rock claimed that Beyonce doesn’t have “iconic hits.” He incurred the wrath of the Beyhive and has barely been seen since (lol, not really). There’s something about mega-successful women which brings out detractors within their own industry. Currently, Taylor Swift is riding a wave of success with The Tortured Poets Department, an overwrought album which is well-liked by her die-hard fans. But will TTPD have any major singles? When is the last time Taylor had an iconic hit song? These are the questions being asked by Neil Tennant, the English co-founder of The Pet Shop Boys. I listen to a local radio station which plays “West End Girls” a lot, but beyond that… The Pet Shop Boys were before my time. Anyway, this is what Tennant had to say:

The Pet Shop Boys have taken a pop at Taylor Swift’s music, saying it does not compare to legendary tracks by superstar Michael Jackson. Swift’s latest album The Tortured Poets Department is already the fastest-selling album of the year. And it will mark her 12th No1 album on Friday, when she is likely to enjoy her biggest opening week of sales. But despite the hysteria about the release, Neil Tennant, 69, thinks the US megastar’s music is disappointing.

He said: “I was looking at the chart today and it is all Taylor Swift. She sorts of fascinates me as a phenomenon because she is so popular. But then I listen to the records and I think, ‘Where are the famous songs? What is Taylor Swift’s Billie Jean?’ Shake It Off? I listened to that the other day and it is not Billie Jean, is it?”

The It’s a Sin singer said the success of Swift, 34, may be due to a desire for a collective experience. But added: “I like the fact it brings people together but the one disappointing thing is the music, not the lyrics.” Fans of Swift are guessing which tracks are about her British exes – actor Joe Alwyn and rocker Matty Healy.

But synth-pop idol Tennant believes her fascination with her love life has led to music lacking variety, unlike his fellow 1980s stars Culture Club. He said: “To have a successful pop career now you have to have a series of relationships, which are amazing and then break up tragically. I don’t think in the world of pop, people don’t write songs like Karma Chameleon anymore.”

The Pet Shop Boys were speaking in Kings Cross, Central London, in conversation ahead of the release of album Nonetheless on Friday. In 2016, Tennant and Chris Lowe described Taylor as the “Margaret Thatcher of pop music”. They said: “She seems to be about economics. There’s currently only one subject matter and that is the singer.”

[From The Daily Mirror]

“The Margaret Thatcher of pop music” is such an exquisite diss, omg. As for his current criticisms… as I said, Kid Rock said something remarkably similar about Beyonce. I think the difference is radio-play ubiquity, which is a function of a different era (an era where The Pet Shop Boys thrived). Even then, Taylor does get a lot of radio play and I would say she’s had a lot of big and well-known songs, even iconic hits: “Shake It Off,” “Anti-Hero,” “Cruel Summer,” “Blank Space,” “Bad Blood,” etc. Those are songs which everyone knows, even people outside the snake family. I like how he tosses off “Billie Jean” like every artist should have… one of the most successful and iconic songs of all time.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.

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