Although Taylor Swift might have genuinely believed she had become something of an honorary Briton (though, really, who would want to be?), Damon Albarn served her with a rude awakening on Monday, with the release of a Los Angeles Times article in which, among other “soundbites,” he offered the notion that Swift didn’t really write all of her own songs. Because, apparently, anytime someone co-writes, it doesn’t count—which renders quite a few hits as part of the “doesn’t count” category. Swift, not one to suffer fools (especially when triggered in a way that calls into question her talents and abilities), wasted little time in responding, so enraged by the comment that Albarn actually invoked her to surface on Twitter for the first time in 2022 with, “@DamonAlbarn I was such a big fan of yours until I saw this. I write ALL of my own songs. Your hot take is completely false and SO damaging. You don’t have to like my songs but it’s really fucked up to try and discredit my writing. WOW.”
This, perhaps, is something Albarn wasn’t counting on when he made his remarks, likely assuming that she would quietly discuss the matter (if she noticed the article at all) with Joe Alwyn, a fellow Brit who probably preferred Oasis. Or maybe he’s just that crafty when it comes to knowing what kinds of statements will gain traction in the media, therefore give his album, The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows, a slight publicity boost. After all, this isn’t his first time depreciating a talented songwriter. One who also happens to bear many similarities to Taylor in terms of building a career on extremely confessional songs that detail heart-wrenching breakups and unexpected slights.
With Adele, in fact, Albarn already became well-known for trying to downplay “so-called” beefs between himself and major female singer-songwriters. For the same thing happened in 2015, when the beloved chanteuse was about to release 25. Having worked on a few tracks with her, Albarn, likely sensing his contributions wouldn’t make the cut long before, provided the resentful comment that the record was going to sound “very middle of the road,” seemingly thanks to opting out of including what they had collaborated on together. In response to the media frenzy, Albarn told Time Out, “It’s amazing how people will run with stuff that has no credence whatsoever and turn it into something and then watch the reaction.”
But Albarn’s comments, just as in the case with the ones about Swift, are fairly difficult to “parse” together for the sake of “clickbait” (though, to be fair, that was how it was presented on the LA Times’ Twitter account, which chose to focus solely on this “anti-Taylor” quote). Namely, when he called Adele “insecure” by way of noting, “Adele asked me to work with her and I took the time out for her.” Already, he’s making it sound like he was doing Adele a favor by cutting into his “much busier” schedule. “And I’m not a producer, so… I don’t know what is happening really.” One could argue, of course, that Albarn is very much a producer, with all the same sensibilities of knowing what will sound best. He added, “Will she use any of the stuff? I don’t think so. Let’s wait and see. The thing is, she’s very insecure. And she doesn’t need to be, she’s still so young.” Stated by someone who was endlessly cocksure in his own 90s youth, yet now sounds rather insecure himself.
Adele, a confident and outspoken Taurus, herself weighed in (no pun intended, or whatever) on the “insecure” assessment with the response, “He said I was insecure, when I’m the least insecure person I know. I was asking his opinion about my fears, about coming back with a child involved—because he has a child—and then he calls me insecure?” She dubbed it a classic case of “don’t meet your idols,” in addition to delivering the coup de grâce, “I was such a big Blur fan growing up. But it was sad, and I regret hanging out with him.” Taylor, too, echoed a similar sentiment by writing the aforementioned, “I was such a big fan of yours until I saw this.” Incidentally, in Adele’s recent 73 Questions with Vogue segment, she still chose Blur over Oasis when asked. That’s called true love of music for the music. And her choice isn’t wrong. For that’s the “project” of Albarn’s that people still can’t forget. Save for “Swifties” who were quick to dismiss Albarn simply because they had never heard of him…which perhaps fortifies Albarn’s own opinions that her fans don’t have very good taste or music knowledgeability (just to clarify, Albarn’s clout and influence on music should not be questioned merely because a subsequent generation doesn’t know how to use the internet to unearth a gem such as himself and would instead prefer to use “slay queen” encouragements aimed at Swift in her takedown because they themselves are not aware of Albarn’s own musical value).
Accordingly, this also highlights the divisions in music stemming from, more often than not, male superiority complexes. “I’m better,” “I know more,” “Pop is frivolous,” “Anyone can write pop,” etc. What’s more, one wonders if Lana Del Rey should be relieved or offended that she wasn’t mentioned at all as a “worthy” songwriter in this conversation about “persona-based” (i.e. everything) mainstream music. Just Billie Eilish, Del Rey’s roundabout protégé, got the stamp of approval from Albarn.
Interviewed by Mikael Wood, who Albarn basically said “set him up,” the groundwork was laid for the former Blur frontman to put his foot in his mouth when asked, “You think a lot of modern musicians are relying on song and attitude?” to which he snarkily (or just in “that British way”) replied, “Name me someone who’s not.” Wood easily offered, “She may not be to your taste, but Taylor Swift is an excellent songwriter” (somehow, one can picture some diabolical wheels turning in his head at this moment, but that might be giving too much credit). Damon rebuffed, “She doesn’t write her own songs.” Wood countered, “Of course she does. Co-writes some of them.” Damon couldn’t just let it lie, doubling down with, “That doesn’t count.” Ergo, most of what The Beatles (who come up a few times as well) released must not count either. Alas, Albarn proceeded to gag himself further with that foot by insisting, “I know what co-writing is. Co-writing is very different to writing. I’m not hating on anybody, I’m just saying there’s a big difference between a songwriter and a songwriter who co-writes. Doesn’t mean that the outcome can’t be really great. And some of the greatest singers—I mean, Ella Fitzgerald never wrote a song in her life. When I sing, I have to close my eyes and just be in there. I suppose I’m a traditionalist in that sense. A really interesting songwriter is Billie Eilish and her brother. I’m more attracted to that than to Taylor Swift. It’s just darker—less endlessly upbeat. Way more minor and odd. I think she’s exceptional.” Well, that was apropos of nothing, and only seemed to perpetuate the weird fetish that British “dad rock” musicians appear to have for Eilish (see also: Thom Yorke).
That somehow Swift was slapped with the reputation in this interview for not being the sole songwriter (which she often is) of her music also lends credence to her calling Albarn’s comments “damaging.” To boot, Albarn’s assertions that Swift’s music is somehow less “serious” because it’s “frothy” (a.k.a. pop) accents a larger conversation about pseudo-intellectuals in general, who always seem to think that “middle of the road” means a piece of art can’t affect and resonate with someone just as deeply as something more “high-brow.” More indirect shade at Taylor arose when Wood asked Albarn if he had any plans to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Blur’s self-titled album, featuring their biggest U.S. hit, “Song 2.” Albarn scoffed, “I want nothing to do with any of it. Reissuing stuff that’s already had its moment is taking up space that something new could grow out of.” So he definitely does not have any of Taylor’s Versions, one would guess.
As mentioned, The Beatles also come up a couple times in the interview, once when Damon is asked if he watched the Peter Jackson documentary (in a word, no) and another when asked why there is a continued obsession with the band. His “hot take”? “It’s because they haven’t done anything since 1971. Nothing bad happened. Never made a bad record. Never got old.” Swift, as a female pop star, is herself all too aware of that ticking clock. And, as stated in Miss Americana, she’s convinced that despite her unwavering popularity at the moment, there’s an expiration date once she gets “too old,” so she’s going to milk it all now, while she can. Which includes speaking up when she—de facto other female singer-songwriters—are minimized. Albarn himself has been milking it perhaps longer than he would “allow” others to without judgment, performing a warbling rendition of “Song 2” at his one-off Disney Concert Hall performance as a sort of “fuck you” to Wood, who specifically asked if he would be performing it.
Among the most fitting “pull quotes” for this interview, though, was when Albarn proffered (in reference to how the Rolling Stones willingly contributed to their washed-up status), “There’s so much to do to keep the creative genius alive, but the ego is so toxic in our society.” This is entirely apropos when it comes to men that so frequently love to either 1) tear female musicians down in general and Swift in particular or 2) “more sophisticated” musicians that so frequently love to tear down pop music to bolster their own egos about why they don’t sell as many records. The same way Adele, Swift’s only other real competition at this juncture, does.
Funnily enough, Albarn actually should have bonded more with someone as tied to her Britishness as Adele, for Albarn explained as the reason why he’s always “drawn back” to the country, “England’s my home. However infuriating it is and however dumb the policies are, I am English.” Alas, this is one “London Boy” that Taylor does not fancy anymore. Though he did provide the proof that she still feels strongly about what she said with the release of Miss Americana: “I needed to get to a point where I was ready, able and willing to call out bullshit rather than just smiling my way through it.” WOW.
