Dr Alethea Rae from Murdoch University in Perth, did a text analysis of all of Taylor Swift’s songs. Did you know that “you” and “I” are the most used words in her songs – 3,371 for you and 3,105 for I? All Too Well has the most unique number of words at 333 and A Perfectly Good Heart has the least, at 68. The Taylor Swift song containing the highest frequency of the word “love” was no surprise – This Love.
There were also presentations that prompted discussions on whether it was Swift’s responsibility to solve or provide solutions to hot topics, from whether she (and other celebrities) should do more to preventing cyberbullying among her fans, to how being a Swiftie was indeed a labour of love.
Dr Georgia Carroll, a self-confessed Swiftie, gave a keynote speech entitled “My pennies made your crown: Taylor Swift as your billionaire best friend”.
I learned that adoration of Swift and her music involved monetary contributions (such as buying multiple records just because they came in different covers), support (such as defending her to others) and actual labour (spending a lot of time making friendship bracelets).
The three-day Swiftposium conference had to end, but Long Live this experience of Wonderland. I’m so thankful to the organisers for being Fearless in creating a canon event.
I’m now so ready for my next Taylor Swift experience – The Eras Tour Singapore.
Dr Natasha Riard is a clinical psychologist. She lectures at James Cook University, Singapore and is the clinic manager at its Psychology Clinic.
