NYT Says Taylor Swift Is Bigger Than The Beatles!? WTF

The fact that every new artist is still compared to the Beatles tells us that nobody is bigger than the Beatles.

The fact that the Beatles did what they did without social media, streaming and all the instant platforms out there tells you how big they were.

"Don't confuse the size of your paycheck with the size of your talent". Marlon Brando

So in the 80s I saw Paul McCartney in Tampa stadium. 60,000 people were mesmerized by a small band with no smoke/fireworks, backup dancers, and flashy costumes. You haven’t lived until you sing Hey Jude with McCartney and 60,000 people on a warm summer evening. Taylor Swift is a smart woman who has captured her audience. I admire her showmanship skills, her relationship with her fans and her style. I just watched her Eras tour video. I see why she is so popular. She’s a personal event storyteller. But she’s not the Beatles no matter how many records she sells. I don’t even think she wants to be anybody but Taylor. Good for her. Different times produce different artists. Opinion writers seem to feel the need for comparisons that are pointless. Like comparing Van Gogh and Jackson Pollock. I feel the Beatles legacy is safe.

Taylor Swift is "changing her content for the algorithm of pop music". Rick you've summed it up perfectly.

Can someone please explain why I have spent the last ten years hearing about Taylor Swift but I couldn't name one of her songs?

6:13 oh i would say swifties do give credit to jack antonoff and max martin - it's really rare for producers to have the recognition they do, but partly through all the behind the scenes videos, most swifties know Jack

As a kid in the 70s, I can still recall the media hailing one band or the other as "bigger than the Beatles" -- I think the Bay City Rollers was one! But the number of sales or streams is how the tone deaf define musical success; musicians don't. The Beatles, to this day, inspire new bands, like The Lemon Twigs. If TS does or will in the future, it would be challenge to hear it specifically, since it would be just as easy to claim it was influenced by Max Martin, et al. As you say, the Beatles really never wrote the same song twice. The opposite is true for TS.

"[Blank] artist/band is now bigger than the Beatles." We've heard that over, and over, and over through the decades.

It's like comparing a Diet Coke to a Chardonnay based on their selling results.

I mostly agree with you. But I’d be remiss if I failed to note that the Beatles had their own “super producer” in George Martin. Paul McCartney has called Martin the true “fifth Beatle”. His production was critical to the group’s sound.

2:03 "Anyone can have a No. 1 country song, including me!" And there went my coffee all over my pressed shirt! 😂

As somebody who grew up in the UK with the Beatles music, yes I am that old, they were more than just their songs. They were at the forefront of a generational change, both musically and culturally. Their legacy goes far beyond than just their music.

The Beatles' later albums = Michelin-rated restaurants. Taylor Swift's later albums = McDonald's or Taco Bell. Sales does not equal quality.

The Beatles had number 1s when you had to sell at least a million to get to number 1 . These days sell a handful of records / downloads and X amount of streams ... its pathetic anyone would even try to make the comparison

You’re always so professional and fair in your analysis, Rick. Very much appreciated! As a Swiftie, I’m unfortunately used to seeing quite mean commentary about her and it’s difficult not to take to heart. In your case, there’s nothing like that, and I thank you for it.

the Beatles had a ton of #1 when the competition was: the Stones, Hendrix, the Beach Boys, etc, etc.

To this day, I could not name one of Taylor's songs.

I was 7 years old when the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan show. Thus I got to see their entire working history as it played out. The one thing I remember about that time was that numerous people - myself included - who had never bought a record of any kind - went out and bought Beatles records! I even knew a couple of friends who did not even own a record player who went out and BOUGHT a record player expressly so that they could listen to Beatles records! The Beatles single-handedly enlarged the entire music industry world-wide. The exact amount of the increase may certainly be debated, but there is no doubt that the Beatles brought forth millions of people who had never before been part of the "music buying public" before. They also spawned the "British Invasion", opening the door for bands like the Stones, the Who, Led Zeppelin, etc. Think about how many millions of records were sold by those bands, and the fact that some of those bands may never have made it "across the pond" had it not been for those four mop top lads from Liverpool!

Rick you are more than 100% on point. The nerve of the un-informed NYT!