“The Man” is a song written by Taylor Swift which came from her album Lover. Lover came out in 2019 and it instantly broke records and left people wondering about the ‘new’ Taylor Swift. She had always played by the rules and let others decide her work. Lover surprised people because she began to break out of that innocent shell she had for so long and discuss real issues rather than just being heartbroken by men. This song was released fairly recently and although there are not dramatic changes in gender equality recently, it remains a constant issue. Equal pay, equal opportunity, and equal rights have been a problem for women since the beginning of time.
“The Man” is a pop song that goes along with the pop album, Lover. Pop is the most widely listened to genre therefore it reaches to a broader audience. I would say this also helped Swift’s point come across because everyone is hearing it on the radio. This song creates awareness for the idea that women do not hold the same standards as men currently and there should be change for that.
In her recent albums, Taylor has become increasingly more involved in her own song writing. For years, her old record company called Big Machine Records took the majority of control of her songs and the money that she received. She is now with Universal Music Group as of 2018 which enables her to have a larger hand in the overall status of her new albums. “The Man” was written by Taylor as well as Joel Little who is a music producer from New Zealand. I think this switch from her old record company to her new one was almost a statement about gender equality as well as creator equality. Swift wants to be able to write her own music and gain the funds from it directly to her.
Here is a link to an article about the record company drama:
https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2019/12/24/taylor-swift-big-machine-records-2019/
One of the lines in the song that stuck out to me was “Wondering if I’d get there quicker
If I was a man.” This line is reiterated multiple times in the song because it encompasses the whole idea of what it means to be a woman in society. Taylor is trying to imply how men seem to have an easier time in society than women when it comes to success and doing what they want to do. Another line of importance is “If I was rude, Could all be separated from my good ideas and power moves?” This statement means that in the male world, it doesn’t matter if they are rude as long as they have good ideas that will get them to success faster. The last line I’m going to highlight is, “If I was out flashing my dollars, I’d be a bitch, not a baller.” This line is talking about how often men brag about their money and are praised for it. However if a woman did that, she would be conceited, greedy, and undeserving. Swift’s whole point for this song is to show the inequality between men and women.
March 2, 2021 at 10:05 pm
Jordan,
This is a good introduction to “The Man,” but it does seem that you have glossed over some very important context for what you describe as her breaking out of her shell. Notably, she was groped by radio DJ David Mueller during a photo shoot, counter-sued him after he sued her for defamation, and totally destroyed him in court. And even though she wasn’t fully part of the #metoo movement, that way happening simultaneously enough that Time put her on the cover with the other Truth-Tellers, who they made Person of the Year. That also contributes to the independence that she displays in the documentary about her (I’m thinking about the scene where is she is debating with a bunch of men–I believe–about whether she should start speaking out). So, this song is very much wrapped up in that movement.
I also would like you do delve into research about pay equity, advancement, and other gender-based inequalities in the workplace.
I do wonder of the song would have more of a strong impact if the video wasn’t so over-the-top, but that is something you can consider in Listening Post 3, which will be able video and performance.
This is all say, that I’d really like to to delve into the social roots of the song (as connected to Swift and to society overall) to show it’s feminist center.
Bill