Taylor Swift and what she tells us about ourselves

They say you can tell a lot about a society by who its icons are. And, whether you can recite her every lyric or simply can’t stand the sound of her, you would be hard pushed to deny the fact that singer Taylor Swift is one such cultural icon.

Not convinced? Let me try and persuade you: this summer saw the beginning of Swift’s ‘Eras Tour’ – a three-hour long concert extravaganza paying homage to her music catalogue. By the time it wraps up in November 2024, it will have spanned 146 dates across five continents. It is set to become the highest grossing tour of all time and has been dubbed this year’s most significant pop-culture phenomenon. Cities hosting the tour over the summer saw a significant boost in revenue, prompting multiple world leaders to openly request she bring the tour to their countries. In September, it was announced that the University of Melbourne will host an academic conference on the singer, and in October a film version of her Eras Tour was released in cinemas, rapidly becoming the most profitable concert film in history. And that’s only just scratching the surface: I could go on.

Markers of a cultural moment

So, why is any of this relevant to followers of Jesus? John Stott called us to the practice of triple listening – to be attentive to the word, the church, and the world. To listen to culture is to be attentive to the stories it is sharing through the lens of the story of God (found in Scripture). As Christians we shouldn’t make idols of cultural icons, but there is an underestimated power in simply noticing the markers of a cultural moment. The current cultural significance of Taylor Swift tells of a society that has mostly rejected the idea of God, but desperately clings to a longing for captivating storytelling. Simply put, that is Miss Swift’s appeal – her ability to tell captivating stories.