When the Lights Go Off
4/20/2016
When the Lights Go Off: The Problem with Taylor Swift’s 'Welcome to New York' — In Earnest
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When The Lights Go Off: The Problem With Taylor Swift’s 'Welcome To New York' December 3, 2014 / T iffany O w ens
Taylor Swift, whose beautiful face graced a recent cover of Time Magazine, has been making headlines lately. In late October, she released her fifth album, 1989. Following that, she announced her official shift from country to pop music, and in
http://www.inearnestmag.com/in-earnest/2014/12/3/when-the-lights-go-off-the-problem-with-taylor-swifts-welcome-to-new-york?rq=tiffany%20owens
1/5
4/20/2016
When the Lights Go Off: The Problem with Taylor Swift’s 'Welcome to New York' — In Earnest
country to pop music, and in early November, she retracted © 2013 Jana Zills, Flickr | CC-BY | via her music from Spotify, insisting Wylio that consumers pay for her work as art. The music streaming service desperately wants her back: on Swift’s former Spotify page, they’re begging her to, “stay, stay stay.” Yet I find the most interesting pit stop in Swift’s recent trajectory to be her appointment as New York City’s “tourism ambassador.” It isn’t clear what exactly her role includes. So far she’s made a series of videos, inspired the hashtag #c2ny, and appeared in billboards around the city. NYC and Co., the tourism agency behind the appointment, isn’t paying Swift for the gig. Quite the opposite: Swift has committed proceeds from her song “Welcome to New York” to support the city’s public schools. Yet the appointment has fueled a stream of criticism. Many point out that Swift is an ill-fitting person for this role because she is a rich nonnative. Originally from Pennsylvania, Swift has homes in Beverly Hills, Nashville, and Rhode Island. She has lived in New York City only since April. Her lifestyle in the city is quite different from the average New Yorker’s: “Taylor Swift’s idea of New York is as boring as any rich, sheltered person’s idea about it,” wrote David Colon for the Village Voice. “[T]he difference is that most of them don’t get to sing about it.” Other critics focus less on whether or not Swift is “New York” enough” to advocate the city and worry more about what kind of message she will send. “Her version of a 300-squaremile area, the most densely © 2014 César J. Paiva, Flickr | CC-BYpopulated city in America, can SA | via Wylio be flattened into a good latte in the East Village,” wrote Dayna Evans for Gawker. “If anyone represents a New York not worth actually visiting, it’s the musician behind ‘Welcome to New York,’ a song as welcoming as the cluster of billboards cupping the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel from New
http://www.inearnestmag.com/in-earnest/2014/12/3/when-the-lights-go-off-the-problem-with-taylor-swifts-welcome-to-new-york?rq=tiffany%20owens
2/5
4/20/2016
When the Lights Go Off: The Problem with Taylor Swift’s 'Welcome to New York' — In Earnest
billboards cupping the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel from New Jersey.” In Swift’s defense, Lauren Tousignant at New York Post pointed out that she isn’t pretending to be a native. Lyrically, she celebrates the city as a tourist, as the six-month resident that she is. The song they say connects with people who aren’t natives and invites them to come see a great city. They also point out that the campaign can benefit the city financially: NYC & Company reported that “54.3 million people, domestic and international, visited New York City in 2013,” she wrote. “This resulted in an average of $1,640 tax savings for each New York City household.” I’ve written before about how cities are the wave of the future. In that article, I referenced a study by the Guardian in which it was reported that according to the United Nations, “[A]lmost 180,000 people move into cities across the world every day. That is nearly 5.5 million people a month, or a new San Francisco Bay Area being created every 30 days.” Cities are becoming more complex, exciting places to live. But they are also becoming more tense. In New York City, leaders must address rising housing prices, wage wars, crime, homelessness, and school reform. The problem with Swift’s song is that it suggests we ought to avoid these questions when visiting the city. We ought to just throw two thumbs up, order a latte, dance under the city lights, and then go home. She advocates that tourists assume an idealistic posture towards the city, one that is superficial and comfortable. From someone who now calls the city home, I would expect more. What we need from Swift, from ourselves, and our peers is a mature attitude about cities. It’s time to think seriously about our communities, about the laws that shape them, about who is moving in and who is moving out. Like Swift, we can appreciate the beauty of the village and the thrill of the city streets, but we should also look beyond the surface. Even in cities that we don’t live in, we should take the time to travel less bright streets, support small, unsexy businesses, and invest in conversation with locals. We should become travelers and residents who see cities as stories, full of interesting characters, villains, conflicts, climaxes, success and tragedy, beauty, and pain. Just like a good story, just like a good life, cities have all of these elements too. This past summer, I rode the bus from Detroit to Grand Rapids, Mich.
http://www.inearnestmag.com/in-earnest/2014/12/3/when-the-lights-go-off-the-problem-with-taylor-swifts-welcome-to-new-york?rq=tiffany%20owens
3/5
4/20/2016
When the Lights Go Off: The Problem with Taylor Swift’s 'Welcome to New York' — In Earnest
This past summer, I rode the bus from Detroit to Grand Rapids, Mich. I had no plans, just one friend-of-a-friend contact, a duffel bag, and a book. I met my host, Amanda, at the bus station and we walked to her apartment. The city was electric. Crowds bustled around us, music spilled out of bars, street lights shined brightly. I listened as Amanda started to tell me the story of her city. That conversation continued the next morning over coffee. I leaned forward eagerly, asking about the good and the bad. In the span of 90 minutes, I learned volumes about the city’s history and economics. The rest of the weekend, I spent walking around, taking photos, eating good food, listening to live music by local bands, meeting strangers, and buying treasures at an antique store. I was a real tourist. But because of my conversation with Amanda, I was a tourist who could appreciate the city because I knew some of its story and struggles. I get it: New York City’s lights are fun and we really do have the best lattes. But as the generation soon to steward a very urban future, it’s time for something more than what Swift suggests in her song. It’s time we take cities seriously, realize they’re made up of interesting, complicated people with stories worth listening to. We must become people who can celebrate our city’s bright lights, success, and fun neighborhoods, but who can also be brave enough to face them when the lights go off. — Tiffany Owens is a former fellow with the Fund for American Studies. She spent this past year writing about revitalization in four American cities. She's now finishing her degree in Media, Culture, and the Arts at The King’s College in New York City. She favors coffee (black with sugar), long walks around the West Village, and having friends all over the country.
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4/20/2016
When the Lights Go Off: The Problem with Taylor Swift’s 'Welcome to New York' — In Earnest
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A year ago
You can't expect pop music to address the social/administrative problems of a city. Ask the politicians, not the pop artist. IMHO.
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http://www.inearnestmag.com/in-earnest/2014/12/3/when-the-lights-go-off-the-problem-with-taylor-swifts-welcome-to-new-york?rq=tiffany%20owens
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When the Lights Go Off: The Problem with Taylor Swift’s 'Welcome to New York' — In Earnest
IN EARNEST News
The Arts
Essays
Culture
About
Contact
When The Lights Go Off: The Problem With Taylor Swift’s 'Welcome To New York' December 3, 2014 / T iffany O w ens
Taylor Swift, whose beautiful face graced a recent cover of Time Magazine, has been making headlines lately. In late October, she released her fifth album, 1989. Following that, she announced her official shift from country to pop music, and in
http://www.inearnestmag.com/in-earnest/2014/12/3/when-the-lights-go-off-the-problem-with-taylor-swifts-welcome-to-new-york?rq=tiffany%20owens
1/5
4/20/2016
When the Lights Go Off: The Problem with Taylor Swift’s 'Welcome to New York' — In Earnest
country to pop music, and in early November, she retracted © 2013 Jana Zills, Flickr | CC-BY | via her music from Spotify, insisting Wylio that consumers pay for her work as art. The music streaming service desperately wants her back: on Swift’s former Spotify page, they’re begging her to, “stay, stay stay.” Yet I find the most interesting pit stop in Swift’s recent trajectory to be her appointment as New York City’s “tourism ambassador.” It isn’t clear what exactly her role includes. So far she’s made a series of videos, inspired the hashtag #c2ny, and appeared in billboards around the city. NYC and Co., the tourism agency behind the appointment, isn’t paying Swift for the gig. Quite the opposite: Swift has committed proceeds from her song “Welcome to New York” to support the city’s public schools. Yet the appointment has fueled a stream of criticism. Many point out that Swift is an ill-fitting person for this role because she is a rich nonnative. Originally from Pennsylvania, Swift has homes in Beverly Hills, Nashville, and Rhode Island. She has lived in New York City only since April. Her lifestyle in the city is quite different from the average New Yorker’s: “Taylor Swift’s idea of New York is as boring as any rich, sheltered person’s idea about it,” wrote David Colon for the Village Voice. “[T]he difference is that most of them don’t get to sing about it.” Other critics focus less on whether or not Swift is “New York” enough” to advocate the city and worry more about what kind of message she will send. “Her version of a 300-squaremile area, the most densely © 2014 César J. Paiva, Flickr | CC-BYpopulated city in America, can SA | via Wylio be flattened into a good latte in the East Village,” wrote Dayna Evans for Gawker. “If anyone represents a New York not worth actually visiting, it’s the musician behind ‘Welcome to New York,’ a song as welcoming as the cluster of billboards cupping the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel from New
http://www.inearnestmag.com/in-earnest/2014/12/3/when-the-lights-go-off-the-problem-with-taylor-swifts-welcome-to-new-york?rq=tiffany%20owens
2/5
4/20/2016
When the Lights Go Off: The Problem with Taylor Swift’s 'Welcome to New York' — In Earnest
billboards cupping the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel from New Jersey.” In Swift’s defense, Lauren Tousignant at New York Post pointed out that she isn’t pretending to be a native. Lyrically, she celebrates the city as a tourist, as the six-month resident that she is. The song they say connects with people who aren’t natives and invites them to come see a great city. They also point out that the campaign can benefit the city financially: NYC & Company reported that “54.3 million people, domestic and international, visited New York City in 2013,” she wrote. “This resulted in an average of $1,640 tax savings for each New York City household.” I’ve written before about how cities are the wave of the future. In that article, I referenced a study by the Guardian in which it was reported that according to the United Nations, “[A]lmost 180,000 people move into cities across the world every day. That is nearly 5.5 million people a month, or a new San Francisco Bay Area being created every 30 days.” Cities are becoming more complex, exciting places to live. But they are also becoming more tense. In New York City, leaders must address rising housing prices, wage wars, crime, homelessness, and school reform. The problem with Swift’s song is that it suggests we ought to avoid these questions when visiting the city. We ought to just throw two thumbs up, order a latte, dance under the city lights, and then go home. She advocates that tourists assume an idealistic posture towards the city, one that is superficial and comfortable. From someone who now calls the city home, I would expect more. What we need from Swift, from ourselves, and our peers is a mature attitude about cities. It’s time to think seriously about our communities, about the laws that shape them, about who is moving in and who is moving out. Like Swift, we can appreciate the beauty of the village and the thrill of the city streets, but we should also look beyond the surface. Even in cities that we don’t live in, we should take the time to travel less bright streets, support small, unsexy businesses, and invest in conversation with locals. We should become travelers and residents who see cities as stories, full of interesting characters, villains, conflicts, climaxes, success and tragedy, beauty, and pain. Just like a good story, just like a good life, cities have all of these elements too. This past summer, I rode the bus from Detroit to Grand Rapids, Mich.
http://www.inearnestmag.com/in-earnest/2014/12/3/when-the-lights-go-off-the-problem-with-taylor-swifts-welcome-to-new-york?rq=tiffany%20owens
3/5
4/20/2016
When the Lights Go Off: The Problem with Taylor Swift’s 'Welcome to New York' — In Earnest
This past summer, I rode the bus from Detroit to Grand Rapids, Mich. I had no plans, just one friend-of-a-friend contact, a duffel bag, and a book. I met my host, Amanda, at the bus station and we walked to her apartment. The city was electric. Crowds bustled around us, music spilled out of bars, street lights shined brightly. I listened as Amanda started to tell me the story of her city. That conversation continued the next morning over coffee. I leaned forward eagerly, asking about the good and the bad. In the span of 90 minutes, I learned volumes about the city’s history and economics. The rest of the weekend, I spent walking around, taking photos, eating good food, listening to live music by local bands, meeting strangers, and buying treasures at an antique store. I was a real tourist. But because of my conversation with Amanda, I was a tourist who could appreciate the city because I knew some of its story and struggles. I get it: New York City’s lights are fun and we really do have the best lattes. But as the generation soon to steward a very urban future, it’s time for something more than what Swift suggests in her song. It’s time we take cities seriously, realize they’re made up of interesting, complicated people with stories worth listening to. We must become people who can celebrate our city’s bright lights, success, and fun neighborhoods, but who can also be brave enough to face them when the lights go off. — Tiffany Owens is a former fellow with the Fund for American Studies. She spent this past year writing about revitalization in four American cities. She's now finishing her degree in Media, Culture, and the Arts at The King’s College in New York City. She favors coffee (black with sugar), long walks around the West Village, and having friends all over the country.
In Essays Tags Tiffany Owens, Essays Share
← What We're Listening To: Holiday…
9 Likes December: Wonder →
http://www.inearnestmag.com/in-earnest/2014/12/3/when-the-lights-go-off-the-problem-with-taylor-swifts-welcome-to-new-york?rq=tiffany%20owens
4/5
4/20/2016
When the Lights Go Off: The Problem with Taylor Swift’s 'Welcome to New York' — In Earnest
Newest First
COMMENTS (1)
Preview
Carlos
Subscribe via e-mail
Post Comment…
A year ago
You can't expect pop music to address the social/administrative problems of a city. Ask the politicians, not the pop artist. IMHO.
IN EARNEST, COPYRIGHT 2013, ALL
Searc
RIGHTS RESERVED.
http://www.inearnestmag.com/in-earnest/2014/12/3/when-the-lights-go-off-the-problem-with-taylor-swifts-welcome-to-new-york?rq=tiffany%20owens
5/5
