๐ต๐ถ Taylor Swift Dey Hit Wella With Sharp Takes on Life
โฌ๏ธ Pidgin โฌ๏ธ โฌ๏ธ Black American Slang โฌ๏ธ English
I no sabi much about Taylor Swift and her millions of “Swifties” wey dey storm her “Eras Tour,” wey dey celebrate di different phases of her career. Dis one na serious matter! ๐
Di average ticket price na $250, and di 66 U.S. and Latin American stadium shows wey she go do dis year go pull almost $1 billion. Just imagine! Plus, she still get like 85 worldwide shows wey dey line up for 2024. Na real magnet for girls and young women wey don dey follow dis 33-year-old pop star as dem dey grow. ๐๐๏ธ
Add massive merchandise sales, a movie, and a culture wey surround Swift with secret codes wey fit even pass QAnon, and e dey outshine tours by other big names like Beyonce and di Rolling Stones. ๐ค๐๏ธ
I no really understand all dis. Di only thing wey come close when I be pikin na Beatlemania, wey I no too understand too โ even after one kind encounter with am. ๐ค
Na for di summer of 1964, my family set up for one temporary apartment for Van Nuys, Calif., before we move go Hawaii. I become friends with my neighbors, Susan and Jackie, and we be tight all through di summer. ๐ฉโ๐ฉโ๐ฆ
We get excited for di release of di Beatles’ movie โA Hard Dayโs Night.โ I been dey into folk music and no too dey into di Fab Four, but Susan and Jackie been eager to go, so I follow dem. ๐ฅ๐ถ
We stand for line under hot sun for long time. Inside di packed theater na mostly girls about my age wey dey under some kind teenage magic. ๐ โ๏ธ
Di screaming start even before di lights go dim, as di young ladies dey warm up their lungs. When di curtain rise and di first chord strike, e turn to loud howl wey no reduce for di whole movie. ๐ฌ๐ต
Bob Dylan talk about young voices wey dey shake windows and rattle walls, but na only these girls I see actually do am as dem dey scream with tears dey stream down their faces. ๐ค๐ง
Di girl for my back put WWE chokehold for my neck, and her hand tear skin for my chest. Her tears soak me. ๐ฒ๐ฆ
I fit don flattered, but I just be handy anonymous person for her to express her feelings.
I turn to Susan and Jackie for help, but dem dey holler and cry along with di rest. ๐๐ญ
I waka go di small soundproof room wey theaters get for parents with crying babies, so dem fit still watch di movie without disturb others. ๐ฟ๐ผ
To watch di girls for audience dey scream without hear dem, while watching movie about screaming girls, e just be like some kind surreal power of Beatlemania. ๐ช๏ธ
I never see such raw emotion from music again until I see clips of di Taylor Swift concerts, where e dey happen for 65,000-seat stadiums instead of small movie houses. ๐๏ธ๐ฉโ๐ค
Di big difference be say Swift na woman wey dey sing about her life in a way wey dey seriously connect with di joyful young women for her audiences, while di early Beatles na four guys wey dey sing to teenage female fantasies. ๐ผ๐ญ
I go call am progress. ๐
And I hope say Susan and Jackie don live joyous lives full of di excitement wey dem get for dat Van Nuys theater. ๐๐๐ญ
NOW IN BLACK AMERICAN SLANG
๐ต ๐ถ Taylor Swift’s Real Talk Hits Home with Fans
So, let me lay it down for y’all about Taylor Swift and her legion of “Swifties” who are all over her “Eras Tour.” This tour is a celebration of her career’s chapters and, believe me, it’s a big thing. ๐
Tickets are going for like $250 a pop, and her 66 shows across the U.S. and Latin America this year are about to bank nearly $1 billion. Think about that! Plus, she’s got 85 more shows worldwide coming in 2024. It’s a huge draw for the young ladies who’ve come up admiring this 33-year-old music queen. ๐๐๏ธ
Now, add her huge merch sales, a movie, and this whole culture she’s created, complete with secret codes that could give QAnon some competition, and it’s blowing past tours by big names like Beyonce and the Rolling Stones right out of the water. ๐ค๐๏ธ
I’m still trying to get a handle on all this. The closest thing I remember from back in the day was Beatlemania, which was also kind of a mystery to me, even when I got a taste of it myself. ๐ค
Back in the summer of ’64 in Van Nuys, Calif., right before my fam moved to Hawaii, I kicked it with my neighbors, Susan and Jackie, all summer long. ๐ฉโ๐ฉโ๐ฆ
One big moment for us was when the Beatles’ flick โA Hard Dayโs Nightโ dropped. I was more into folk, not really the Fab Four, but Susan and Jackie were hyped, so I went along for the ride. ๐ฅ๐ถ
We were in line under the scorching sun forever. Inside the theater, it was mostly girls about my age, caught up in some kind of teenage trance. ๐ โ๏ธ
The screaming started before the lights even dimmed. These young ladies were getting their lungs ready. When the movie kicked off, the place erupted into non-stop screams. ๐ฌ๐ต
Bob Dylan once sang ’bout young voices shaking windows and walls, but I only ever saw these girls do it, hollering with tears rolling down their cheeks. ๐ค๐ง
The girl behind me got me in a WWE chokehold, scratching skin off my chest. I was soaked in her tears. ๐ฒ๐ฆ
Was I flattered? Not exactly. I was just a stand-in for her outburst of emotions.
I looked to Susan and Jackie for help, but they were just as caught up, hollering and crying. ๐๐ญ
I ended up in the theater’s soundproof room, meant for parents with crying babies, just to escape the madness. ๐ฟ๐ผ
Watching those girls silently scream while watching a movie about screaming girls was like the peak of Beatlemaniaโs wild power. ๐ช๏ธ
I hadn’t seen that kind of raw emotion from music again until I peeped clips of Taylor Swift’s concerts. She’s packing out 65,000-seat stadiums, way bigger than those neighborhood movie theaters. ๐๏ธ๐ฉโ๐ค
The real difference here is Swift is speaking her truth, resonating deep with the young women in her audience, unlike the Beatles, who were just playing to teenage girl fantasies. ๐ผ๐ญ
I call that stepping up. ๐
And I’m hoping Susan and Jackie have had lives as vibrant as the energy in that Van Nuys theater. ๐๐๐ญ
NOW IN ENGLISH
๐ต๐ถ Taylor Swift Strikes a Chord with Her Authentic Takes on Life
I might not be clued up on Taylor Swift and her millions of “Swifties” who are hyped about her “Eras Tour,” celebrating her career’s phases, but it’s a big deal. ๐
With tickets averaging around $250, her 66 U.S. and Latin American stadium shows this year are set to gross nearly $1 billion. Just picture that! And there’s more coming, with 85 worldwide shows lined up for 2024. It’s a massive draw for girls and young women who’ve grown up idolizing this 33-year-old pop icon. ๐๐๏ธ
Add to this her massive merchandise sales, a movie, and a culture surrounding Swift with secret codes that could give QAnon a run for its money, and it overshadows recent tours by megastars like Beyonce and the Rolling Stones. ๐ค๐๏ธ
I’m still trying to wrap my head around all this. The only thing remotely close in my younger days was Beatlemania, which I didn’t quite get either โ even after a close encounter. ๐ค
It was the summer of 1964 in Van Nuys, Calif., just before we moved to Hawaii. I became friends with my neighbors, Susan and Jackie, and we were inseparable all summer. ๐ฉโ๐ฉโ๐ฆ
A highlight was the release of the Beatles’ movie โA Hard Dayโs Night.โ I was more into folk music than the Fab Four, but Susan and Jackie were keen, so I tagged along. ๐ฅ๐ถ
We stood in line under the blazing sun for ages. Inside the packed theater were mostly girls around my age, under some kind of teenage spell. ๐ โ๏ธ
The screaming began even before the lights dimmed, as the young ladies warmed up. By the time the movie started, it turned into a full-blown frenzy that didn’t let up. ๐ฌ๐ต
Bob Dylan once sang about young voices shaking windows and rattling walls, but these girls were the only ones I saw actually do it, shrieking with tears streaming down their faces. ๐ค๐ง
The girl behind me put a WWE chokehold on my neck, and her hand tore skin off my chest. Her tears soaked me. ๐ฒ๐ฆ
Flattered? Not really. I was just an anonymous outlet for her pent-up emotions.
I turned to Susan and Jackie for help, but they were just as caught up in the hysteria. ๐๐ญ
I retreated to the theater’s soundproof room meant for parents with crying babies, so I could watch the movie without the chaos. ๐ฟ๐ผ
Watching the girls scream silently while watching a movie about screaming girls was the epitome of the surreal power of Beatlemania. ๐ช๏ธ
I hadn’t seen such raw emotion from music again until clips of Taylor Swift’s concerts. Her shows fill 65,000-seat stadiums, a far cry from neighborhood movie theaters. ๐๏ธ๐ฉโ๐ค
The major difference is Swift is a woman singing about her life in a way that resonates deeply with the young women in her audience, unlike the Beatles, who were four guys catering to teenage girl fantasies. ๐ผ๐ญ
That’s what I’d call progress. ๐
And I hope Susan and Jackie have had lives filled with the kind of excitement they experienced in that Van Nuys theater. ๐๐๐ญ