Blog Post 3: Option 1- Ally Efthemis

A musical performance that I am particularly moved by is Taylor Swift’s performance of her song “Dear John,” on her most recent and infamous tour, “The Era’s Tour” in Minneapolis, 2023. Swift introduces this very highly talked about song of hers in such a way that addresses her devoted fans’ anger towards her ex boyfriend, John Mayer, whom the song is written about. She pleads to those who support to not give anyone that the song may or may not be about hate, as she emphasizes she has grown immensely since she wrote the song at age 19 (now 33), and she is far removed from that person who was once in her life. The way that she sings this song in this particular performance is unlike any time she’s ever sung the piece, live. There is a sense of acceptance and pride for what she’s singing, which contradicts the utter heartache and pain that is weaved into the lyrics. She sings like she can almost look back on this time of pure naivety in her life and smile at how far she’s come since then. Swift wrote this song at 19 when she was going through a rather public breakup with singer/songwriter John Mayer, who was 32 when they dated. The song reflects on her lack of control in this relationship, due to her age, and in this live performance she sings with such confidence as she is now older than Mayer was when they dated. It is conveyed through the passion of this performance that although she still feels pain, in enduring this relationship, she has come out on the other side of it. I think it is very common for any of her fans and supporters to feel an emotional response to this performance, especially if aware of Swift’s past, and I particularly find this to be very moving. It is very inspiring to have grown up listening to an artist like Tayor Swift and to still be a devoted listener of her music when she is old enough to now encourage the younger generation that if going through similar things she wrote about when she was a teenager, time will eventually pass and acceptance will come. I especially resonate with the song “Dear John,” and this performance only furthered my love for the piece, as not only do the gut wrenching lyrics pose so much relatability, but there is hope instilled by the fact that she survived through the time these lyrics were written and is able to sing them to a crowd of thousands, with a smile on her face.