Taylor Swift Landslide Analysis

Growing up, my dad controlled the radio almost always, and his choice was the local country station. This lead to hearing my fair share of Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, and Martina McBride. They often sung about beer, front porches and Jesus, and none of that really resonated with me.I never truly hated the music, it was absolutely inoffensive listening, but very few songs struck a chord with me. That is until I heard the Dixie Chicks. They made beautiful use of harmony, melody, instrumentation, emotion and storytelling that worked together beautifully. Listening then, I just thought it sounded nice, but analyzing it today I can truly appreciate the care that went into their work. There aren’t many songs that give me chills, but every time I hear their rendition of Landslide (written by Stevie Nicks), I can feel it head to toe. The pacing of the instrumentation and harmony coming in is simply perfect.

The intro begins very smoothly, conveys the emotion with anyone saying anything yet. Soon after the vocals come in, and the instrumentation fades out slightly, making room for the words. Slowly through the verse the vocals raise both in volume and pitch, which creates a dynamic that slurs into the next section. A bluegrass groove comes in as a

Taylor Swift’s debut album contained such songs as Our Song, Teardrops on my Guitar, and Picture to Burn. Swift’s approach is perhaps more country than the Dixie Chicks in a few regards. The banjo is featured throughout the record and more traditional country percussion, as well as more country-style lyrics. However, she stands out with a crystal-clear voice and excellent use of metaphor throughout her songwriting. In terms of musicality, Swift may not be the most gifted, aside from her voice. But in her songs, her personality shines through in a way that pulls light through into your ears, noted especially in her song Love