To read Rolling Stones columnist Rob Sheffield’s Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music is to slide into a rich, somewhat zany, kaleidoscopic and wildly enthusiastic discussion of the greatness of Taylor Swift. While the structure of the book is loosely chronological, the substance of the chapters has little in common with a traditional biography. Instead, the book takes detours into particular anecdotes that will satisfy both deeply devoted fans and those newer to this raging cultural phenomenon.
I came to Heartbreak as a new fan, having followed the lead of my tween daughter. I’d made friendship bracelets and even seen the Eras Tour, but I didn’t really understand how the singer of 2006’s “Our Song” became the prolific author of 11 studio albums that ranged from the synth-pop of 1989 to the dark cottagecore of evermore. Sheffield shows Swift’s trajectory—one of constant reinvention without letting her old personas go. His view of Swift’s evolution is more front-row than most; as a journalist, he first listened to many of her new albums in her Tribeca apartment, where she held release parties because she knew the rooms weren’t bugged.
Read our interview with Rob Sheffield, author of ‘Heartbreak Is the National Anthem.’
While Sheffield does offer glimpses of encounters with the songwriter, the book mainly deals with Swift from a knowledgeable superfan’s perspective, geeking out over minutia like her use of the word “nice” and her journey to releasing the 10-minute version of “All Too Well,” which he regards as her best song. His observations contain a fantastic level of detail, drawn from both his own close readings and a wealth of secondary sources. Readers will learn about Swift’s signature bridges, the power of her fifth tracks and the poetry of her lyrics. I will never hear the song “happiness” the same way after reading Sheffield’s story about it: His friend had an ugly cry while listening to it, wondering how Taylor, a single woman in her 30s, could know so precisely what it feels like to get divorced in your 40s. “It’s like she’s a witch, but a good witch,” the friend said.
Readers will do well to read Heartbreak Is the National Anthem with access to Swift’s abundant collection of albums, as Sheffield’s expansive, expressive biography will inspire you to tune in to the superstar’s hits and deep cuts.
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