Cornelia Street

Confession time…. I do not understand the obsession with Taylor Swift.  To me, she was a good artist, but hearing her music I had all these thoughts that she was just a product of a record company.  A pretty face backed by the machine.  

My two girls have listened to her for years.  I had hoped that eventually they would like good music and meet me on the right side of the street.  I tried for years to get them to like the music I did.  Constantly changing the station on me until we finally watched the movies Almost Famous and Dazed and Confused. They have loved all the 70s music since and it has given me a little bit of credibility so I could introduce lots of other artist to them.  Their top artist on their Spotify lists are littered with Taylor Swift and other artist like her, but also now with Fleetwood Mac, Faces, Billy Joel, Crosby Still Nash & Young and Elton John.  

When Taylor announced her big giant tour my girls rearranged their lives to make sure they would be first in line for tickets.  Did all the presale work, got every person they ever knew to sign up for whatever capital one card was needed to jump 3 spots in line.  My oldest skipped her classes and waited online for like 4 hours but she got tickets.  With all the news surrounding the resale ticket prices I started to mention how much money they could make off these tickets.  Could make a TON of money.  No artist to me would be worth seeing instead of having that money.  But, I’m 43, they are 18 and 16.  Although it was many years ago I remember my priorities back then and making money was not one of them.  I loved spending money on nights I wouldn’t even remember with all the alcohol I could get my hands on.  Been to many a concert where I knew one or two songs and I just went for the experience of it all.  

They started planning outfits and reviewing set lists for months and months prior to the concert.  Hanging on every announcement of newly recorded songs, merch drops or any theories on tik tok of what her show would be like.  Once the tour started and the set list was known they started planning when they would even go the bathroom or hit the merch tent.  They were obsessed.  And then I heard them talking about these two surprise songs at the first show.  I asked what they were talking about.  I was puzzled at why they would pay all this money to see a show in which they knew every single song and the order of them except for two special songs.  But, they started talking about these two special songs and how each and every show had new ones so they would keep a list of songs that could be played at the show they had tickets to.  

I’m always trying to find ways to connect with them so I started investing in all this Taylor stuff.  With one of them away at school it was a way for me to get a text back.  She played this song and that and I would get a text back from her with “I know Dad.  Still leaves this song and that open for our show”.  This went on for me every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night during her shows.  I would text them once I saw what the songs were and I would get to ask the younger one the next morning if she was mad at whatever song was played because it meant it wouldn’t be at her show.  Just a dumb way for me to show I cared.  Absolutely minimum effort from me to steal a few minutes with my girls.  

When it was finally the day of the show I was so excited for them.  I had seen so many reviews and updates from the tour of how incredible it was and how it was over a 3 hour concert with everyone screaming every single word.  I had my list of songs I thought would be at their show from all the hours we had talked about it.  

I texted my youngest with probably an hour left in the show asking if she was asleep yet.  When she was younger she would always fall asleep at movies and concerts.  I was being a little funny, but then she texted back “This is literally a dream.  I never want this to be over.”  

My oldest texted me after the second secret song started with the names of each song.  She knew I would be awake waiting to hear about them.  Then after the show was over she texted “that was the best thing I’ve ever seen”.  

I fell asleep a very happy Dad.  My two girls both had a great night.  They saw something they had dreamed about.  And, in some small way, I was there with them.

In the weeks since I have been asking about what their favorite song they heard was and the answers keep changing.  They keep showing me all these songs I never listened to.  All the live versions of songs, and now the Taylor versions.  Each time a song comes on they would tell me about the outfit she was wearing or how the crowd reacted to each and every song.  

And today, as I drove into work I noticed that I put on Taylor Swift Live in Paris album on Spotify.  I was alone, jamming out to Cornelia Street and Enchanted all by myself.  The rain and the traffic all disappeared and I start singing all the words to the songs I didn’t even know I knew.  They had finally won me over.

For lunch today I had a text conversation with my oldest about our top five favorite Taylor albums and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face.  I thought about how she thinks of me as a full Swiftie now.  

I get into dance, or cheerleading, or Jeopardy, or Survivor because I see a way to steal a few minutes with both my girls.   I’m not pretending to be interested, cause they would see right through that.  I dive in, all the way, but, it’s completely selfish on my part.  

Five more minutes… It’s all I am ever looking for. It’s something I used to say all the time as a kid as I try and stay up a little past my bedtime.  I think it’s fitting that now, as an adult, as a dad, I’m just looking for whatever gives me those five more minutes with these two incredible kids.  

Forever and ever the luckiest guy in any room…

PS Taylor and that dumb Matty Healy broke up today!!!